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Biography and Memoir December 2018
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| Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life by Jane Sherron De HartWhat it is: Comprehensive and timely, the first full-length biography of United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is an insightful look into her trailblazing life and career.
Read it for: the anecdotes and interviews that reveal Ginsburg's sly wit.
Media buzz: In addition to her starring role in this summer's documentary RBG, Ginsburg is the subject of the feature film On the Basis of Sex, also released this month. |
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| Reagan: An American Journey by Bob SpitzWhat it is: an evenhanded cradle-to-grave biography of America's 40th president, extensively researched to include numerous interviews and personal family documents.
About the author: Bob Spitz is the bestselling author of The Beatles: The Biography and Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child.
Reviewers say: "Readers need not be Reagan fans or Republicans to enjoy this outstanding biography" (Publishers Weekly). |
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Churchill : walking with destiny
by Andrew Roberts
What it's about: The author draws on extensive new materials, from private letters to war cabinet meetings, in a revisionist portrait of the iconic war leader that discusses Churchill's motivations and unwavering faith in the British Empire.
What reviewers say: "This biography is exhaustively researched, beautifully written and paced, deeply admiring but not hagiographic, and empathic and balanced in its judgments-a magnificent achievement." (Publishers Weekly)
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Becoming
by Michelle Obama
What it's about: An intimate and uplifting memoir by the former First Lady chronicles the experiences that have shaped her remarkable life, from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago through her setbacks and achievements in the White House.
Reviewers say: "an interesting, inspiring saga of quiet social revolutions." (Publishers Weekly)
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The last temptation of Rick Pitino : a story of corruption, scandal, and the big business of college basketball
by Michael Y Sokolove
What it's about: Details the massive corruption scandal that threatened to bring down the NCAA after the University of Louisville and other colleges were discovered laundering money through an Adidas sponsorship to bribe students to attend certain schools.
What reviewers say: "Though focusing on one disgraced coach and his former program, this exposé shows just how wide and deep is the corruption corroding men's college basketball." (Kirkus Reviews)
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| The Fox Hunt: A Refugee's Memoir of Coming to America by Mohammed Al SamawiWhat it's about: Raised in a devout Muslim family in Yemen, Mohammed Al Samawi began to question his childhood teachings in college, developing an interest in interfaith activism. He soon started receiving death threats -- and then the Yemeni Civil War broke out in 2015.
Read it for: Al Samawi's suspenseful account of his social media-aided escape to America, where he now works for several NGOs.
Further reading: For another hopeful memoir about fleeing the violence of civil war, try Somali author Abdi Nor Iftin's Call Me American. |
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| My American Dream: A Life of Love, Family, and Food by Lidia Matticchio BastianichWhat it's about: After fleeing Tito's communist regime in Yugoslavia and spending two years in an Italian refugee camp, Lidia Bastianich and her family immigrated to America in 1958. As a teen, she worked in several New York City restaurants before opening her own in 1971.
Author alert: Bastianich is the Emmy Award-winning host of Lidia's Kitchen and best-selling author of Lidia's Celebrate Like an Italian. |
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| The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After by Clemantine Wamariya and Elizabeth WeilWhat it's about: In 1994, six-year-old Clemantine Wamariya escaped the Rwandan genocide with her older sister Claire. Separated from their parents, the pair spent the next six years in refugee camps throughout Africa before they were granted asylum in the United States.
What happened next: Settling in Chicago, Clemantine and Claire were featured on a 2006 episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show, where they were reunited with the parents they believed to be dead.
Reviewers say: "a soulful, searing story about how families survive" (Booklist); "A must read" (Library Journal). |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Winfield, IL 60190
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