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Biography and Memoir June 2019
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| Mama's Boy: A Story from Our Americas by Dustin Lance BlackWhat it's about: Dustin Lance Black's conservative Mormon upbringing in Texas and his complicated relationship with his mother, a headstrong polio and abuse survivor.
Author alert: LGBTQIA activist Black is the Academy Award-winning screenwriter of Milk.
Reviewers say: "terrifically moving" (Kirkus Reviews); "belongs in every library" (Booklist). |
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| All That You Leave Behind by Erin Lee CarrWhat it is: a poignant elegy for Erin Lee Carr's late father, New York Times journalist David Carr, who died from lung cancer in 2015; an incisive look at the ravages of multigenerational addiction.
What's inside: texts, emails, and letters exchanged between Carr and her father that offer an insightful view into the pair's relationship.
Further reading: David Carr's award-winning 2008 memoir Night of the Gun, which chronicles his own struggles with addiction and his life as a single father. |
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| Becoming Dr. Seuss: Theodor Geisel and the Making of an American Imagination by Brian Jay JonesWhat it is: a comprehensive and entertaining biography of ad man-turned-beloved children's book author and cartoonist Dr. Seuss.
Don't miss: the balanced appraisal of Seuss' legacy -- though he was known for championing causes like environmentalism, he also employed racial stereotypes in his works.
Who it's for: Seuss fans and lovers of page-turning biographies. |
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| African Samurai: The True Story of Yasuke, a Legendary Black Warrior in Feudal Japan by Thomas Lockley and Geoffrey GirardWho it's about: Yasuke, the 16th-century African slave who served as a vassal to powerful warlord Oda Nobunaga and became Japan's first foreign-born samurai.
Read it for: the action-packed narrative; the evocative depiction of feudal Japan.
Movie buzz: Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman is set to play Yasuke in a forthcoming film. |
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Finding my virginity : the new autobiography
by Richard Branson
The global business icon, in a sequel to his best-selling 1998 memoir Losing My Virginity, brings his life story up to date, including all the successes and failures of ventures such as Virgin Galactic, and also shares his personal, intimate thoughts on 50 years as a world entrepreneur and his shift to focusing more and more on public service.
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The pursuit of happyness
by Chris Gardner
In a candid memoir, a successful entrepreneur traces his journey from growing up with an abusive stepfather, to life on the streets as a homeless man with a small toddler in tow, to his triumphant battle to the top as a self-made millionaire
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| Butterfly: From Refugee to Olympian, My Story of Rescue, Hope, and Triumph by Yusra MardiniWhat it is: a moving account of swimmer Yusra Mardini's flight from war-torn Syria in 2015 and her subsequent asylum in Germany.
About the author: At age 18, Mardini was a member of the Refugee Olympic Athletes Team at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Reviewers say: "A rousing, exciting true story of remarkable resilience" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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Oprah : a biography
by Kitty Kelley
The first comprehensive biography of one of the most influential, powerful and admired public figures of our time is based on three years of research and reporting as well as 850 interviews with sources, many of whom have never before spoken for publication. 600,000 first printing.
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| A Curious Man: The Strange & Brilliant Life of Robert "Believe It or Not!" Ripley by Neal ThompsonWho it's about: eccentric playboy and cartoonist Robert Ripley, who parlayed his curiosity for all things weird into the successful multimedia empire "Believe It or Not!"
What's inside: chapter breaks interspersed with fun "Believe It!" facts.
Did you know? In his lifetime Ripley visited 150 countries, amassing oddities such as torture devices from around the world. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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