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Biography and Memoir August 2018
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Agatha Christie : A Mysterious Life
by Laura Thompson
The award-winning author of The Six offers a portrait of the iconic mystery writer that shares insights into her Edwardian youth, her marriages, her relationship with her daughter and her mysterious 11-day disappearance in 1926.
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| In Search of Mary Shelley: The Girl Who Wrote Frankenstein by Fiona SampsonWhat it is: a perceptive biography of author Mary Shelley, written to coincide with Frankenstein's bicentennial.
Who it's for: readers who appreciate literary histories and episodic storytelling.
What sets it apart: With little surviving primary source material at her disposal, poet Fiona Sampson's resonant, speculative prose "succeeds in bringing an unconventional woman to vivid life" (Publishers Weekly). |
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Born Trump : inside America's first family
by Emily Jane Fox
The Wall Street and Silicon Valley Hive reporter presents an insider's account of the Trump family that discusses the experiences and perspectives that have shaped their controversial political and cultural views, as well as the upbringings of the family's younger members. 150,000 first printing. Media tie-in
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| Goodbye, Sweet Girl: A Story of Domestic Violence and Survival by Kelly SundbergWhat it's about: In her haunting debut memoir, Kelly Sundberg bravely chronicles her abusive eight-year marriage and the shock, grief, and confusion that accompanied her journey toward healing.
Book buzz: Goodbye, Sweet Girl is an expansion of Sundberg's viral 2014 essay "It Will Look Like A Sunset."
Is it for you? Though the subject matter may be difficult for some readers, Sundberg's invaluable insights and candid prose illuminate various aspects of domestic abuse, including how to recognize the signs. |
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A carnival of losses : notes nearing ninety
by Donald Hall
"New essays from the vantage point of very old age, once again "alternately lyrical and laugh-out-loud funny,"* from the former poet laureate of the United States *(New York Times)"
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Significant figures : the lives and work of great mathematicians
by Ian Stewart
A mathematician spotlights the lives of twenty-five legendary people in his field and examines the impact they had on shaping today’s mathematics, including Archimedes, Benoit Mandelbrot, Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi and Augusta Ada King. 20,000 first printing.
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| American Radical: Inside the World of an Undercover Muslim FBI Agent by Tamer Elnoury with Kevin MaurerWhat it is: a layered and compelling reconstruction of pseudonymous FBI agent Tamer Elnoury's infiltration of an al-Qaeda unit.
Why it's significant: This intimate account provides an insightful look into the worldview of al-Qaeda operatives, perfect for fans of Lawrence Wright's The Looming Tower.
Don't miss: Elnoury's reflections on what it means to be a Muslim American patriot and the dangers of enacting xenophobic policy. |
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| Reading with Patrick: A Teacher, a Student, and a Life-Changing Friendship by Michelle KuoWhat it's about: the transformative power of literature, movingly experienced by Teach for America volunteer-turned-law student Michelle Kuo and her former pupil Patrick Browning, who met regularly for book discussions while the latter was in jail on a murder charge.
On the syllabus: the two discussed works by Frederick Douglass, Rita Dove, C.S. Lewis, Marilynne Robinson, Derek Walcott, and Walt Whitman, among others. |
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| Spaceman: An Astronaut's Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe by Mike MassiminoWhat it is: a humble and endearing memoir from retired astronaut Mike Massimino, recounting his unlikely two-decade career at NASA (he was rejected by the agency three times before receiving a job offer).
Topics include: the impact of the Challenger explosion on Massimino's burgeoning career; his under-the-wire repair of the Hubble Telescope in 2002; becoming the first person to tweet from space.
Read it for: Massimino's childlike sense of wonder and excitement; his remarkably detailed yet straightforward prose. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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