Biography and Memoir
May 2025
Recent Releases
When the Going Was Good: An Editor's Adventures During the Last Golden Age of...
by Graydon Carter

Journalist and former Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter dishes on his 25 years working for the iconic periodical in this gossipy and self-deprecating "paean to the big, glossy, influential magazines of yore" (Booklist). For fans of: Dilettante: True Tales of Excess, Triumph, and Disaster by former Vanity Fair deputy editor Dana Brown.
The Next Day: Transitions, Change, and Moving Forward
by Melinda French Gates

In her bestselling blend of memoir and self-help, Melinda French Gates candidly reflects on some of the major transitions in her life (including becoming a parent and leaving the Gates Foundation) and offers guidance on how readers can navigate change and thrive. For fans of: What I Know For Sure by Oprah Winfrey.
Matriarch
by Tina Knowles

In her intimate and empowering debut, Tina Knowles, the mother of Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and Solange Knowles, recounts her coming of age in 1950s and '60s Texas, raising and influencing two Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriters, navigating love and heartbreak, and more. Try this next: Mom & Me & Mom by Maya Angelou.
Yoko
by David Sheff

David Sheff (Beautiful Boy) draws on decades' worth of his interviews with Yoko Ono, including a 1980 interview for Playboy conducted shortly before John Lennon's murder, to deliver a nuanced portrait of the often misunderstood artist and activist. Further reading: We All Shine On: John, Yoko, and Me by Elliot Mintz.
Focus on: Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month
Loud: Accept Nothing Less Than the Life You Deserve
by Drew Afualo

In her debut memoir/manifesto, influencer and podcaster Drew Afualo offers an impassioned and inspiring takedown of the patriarchy that's an "unapologetically energizing reading experience" (Kirkus Reviews). Try this next: Foolish: Tales of Assimilation, Determination, and Humiliation by Sarah Cooper.
Accidentally on Purpose
by Kristen Kish

Accidentally on Purpose dives into Kristen Kish’s childhood as a Korean adoptee in the Midwest, finding purpose in kitchens, and becoming the season 10 winner of—and now host—of Top Chef all the while navigating life in the spotlight, coming out in her adult years, and all the life lessons in between.
Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning
by Cathy Park Hong

Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, Korean American poet Cathy Park Hong's candid and thought-provoking essay collection blends memoir with cultural criticism and explores her complicated relationship with her identity. Try this next: Docile: Memoirs of a Not-So-Perfect Asian Girl by Hyeseung Song; I'm Laughing Because I'm Crying by Youngmi Mayer.
Boat Baby
by Vicky Nguyen

In a memoir where heroism meets humor, NBC News anchor and correspondent Vicky Nguyen tells the story of her family's daring escape from communist Vietnam and her unlikely journey from refugee to reporter with laughter and fierce love.
Contact your librarian for more great books!
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