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Biography and Memoir June 2024
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| Did I Ever Tell You? by Genevieve KingstonGenevieve Kingston expands on her 2021 "Modern Love" essay in her affecting debut memoir about the milestone-themed letters and gifts her mother left behind after dying from cancer when the author was 11. For fans of: My Wife Said You May Want to Marry Me by Jason B. Rosenthal. |
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| Chasing Hope: A Reporter's Life by Nicholas D. KristofTwo-time Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof chronicles his life and 40-year journalism career in this candid and inspiring memoir. Try this next: Reporter by Seymour M. Hersh. |
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| Power and Glory: Elizabeth II and the Rebirth of Royalty by Alexander LarmanDrawing on previously unpublished materials, the final volume in Alexander Larman's trilogy about the House of Windsor chronicles the British royal family's post-World War II exploits, culminating in the 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Further reading: Young Elizabeth: The Making of the Queen by Kate Williams. |
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| The Swans of Harlem: Five Black Ballerinas, Fifty Years of Sisterhood, and Their... by Karen ValbyKaren Valby's inspiring expansion of her 2021 New York Times article profiles the trailblazing accomplishments of Black ballerinas Lydia Abarca-Mitchell, Gayle McKinney-Griffith, Sheila Rohan, Marcia Sells, and Karlya Shelton-Benjamin, who were among the first company members of the Dance Theatre of Harlem in the 1960s and '70s. Further reading: Dance Theatre of Harlem: A History, A Movement, A Celebration by Judy Tyrus and Paul Novosel. |
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| Small Acts of Courage: A Legacy of Endurance and the Fight for Democracy by Ali VelshiJournalist and MSNBC correspondent Ali Velshi details over 100 years of his family's history in activism and resistance in this sweeping memoir that "provides a crash course in Indian diasporic history" (Kirkus Reviews). For fans of: An American Family: A Memoir of Hope and Sacrifice by Khizr Khan. |
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The Risk It Takes to Bloom: On Life and Liberation
by Raquel Willis
Journalist and trans activist Raquel Willis chronicles her journey toward self-empowerment in this affecting and life-affirming memoir. For fans of: Redefining Realness by Janet Mock; I Have Always Been Me by Precious Brady-Davis.
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I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together
by Maurice Vellekoop
Meet little Maurice Vellekoop, the youngest of five children raised by Dutch immigrants in the 1970s in a middle class suburb of Toronto. In short: he is really, really gay. Vellekoop struggles through all of this, until he finally graduates high school and gets accepted into the Ontario College of Art and Design in 1982. It is there that Maurice finally starts to reconcile with himself and begin to accept who he actually is. But it's going to be a long, messy, difficult, and occasionally hilarious process
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Oh Miriam! Stories from an Extraordinary Life
by Miriam Margolyes
With an unforgettable cast of characters, from Churchill to DiCaprio, Dahl to Dietrich, Princess Margaret to Maggie Smith, the award-winning veteran of stage and screen, and internationally acclaimed voice-artist and documentarian, takes readers on a raucous romp through her life.
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Better Living Through Birding: Notes From a Black Man in the Natural World
by Christian Cooper
An engaging memoir from birder and activist Christian Cooper, whose Central Park encounter with a white dog walker went viral in 2020. Cooper's love for the natural world; insights on how his hobby informs his experiences as a gay Black man; tips for birdwatching. Try next: Bird Brother: A Falconer's Journey and the Healing Power of Wildlife by Rodney Stotts.
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| In the Form of a Question: The Joys and Rewards of a Curious Life by Amy SchneiderJeopardy! contestant Amy Schneider, the show's most decorated woman champion, shares her unlikely path toward becoming a "Famous Celebrity Trans Person" in this funny and nonlinear memoir-in-essays featuring chapter titles styled like Jeopardy! questions. Try this next: Form of a Question by Andrew Rostan. |
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Talking To My Angels
by Melissa Etheridge
Grammy- and Academy Award-winning rock icon Melissa Etheridge follows up her 2001 memoir The Truth Is... with further candid reflections on her life and career. Read-alike: Saved by a Song: The Art and Healing Power of Songwriting by Mary Gauthier.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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