Biography and Memoir
August 2025
Recent Releases
Angelica: For Love and Country in a Time of Revolution
by Molly Beer

University of Michigan professor Molly Beer's evocative debut offers an insightful portrait of socialite (and Alexander Hamilton's sister-in-law) Angelica Schuyler Church, an influential yet overlooked historical figure "whose life reframes and challenges familiar Revolutionary War narratives" (Booklist). Try this next: Pride and Pleasure: The Schuyler Sisters in an Age of Revolution by Amanda Vaill, out in October.
On Her Game: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women's Sports
by Christine Brennan

Drawing on interviews and behind-the-scenes reportage, sports journalist Christine Brennan's nuanced and richly detailed biography of record-setting WNBA guard Caitlin Clark discusses the triumphs and travails of her life on the court. Further reading: Becoming Caitlin Clark: The Unknown Origin Story of a Modern Basketball Superstar by Howard Megdal.
Wildfire Days: A Woman, a Hotshot Crew, and the Burning American West
by Kelly Ramsey

In her evocative and compelling debut, Kelly Ramsey reflects on her experiences working as a wildland firefighter in Northern California, detailing how she navigated workplace sexism and demanding physical requirements to find fulfillment in her career. Try this next: Hotshot: A Life on Fire by River Selby.
The Aviator and the Showman: Amelia Earhart, George Putnam, and the Marriage That Made...
by Laurie Gwen Shapiro

Journalist and documentary filmmaker Laurie Gwen Shapiro's well-researched and illuminating dual biography of aviator Amelia Earhart and her husband, publisher George Putnam, draws on archival records, diaries, and interviews to reveal how the lesser-known Putnam shaped Earhart's public image and career. For fans of: Fly Girls: How Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History by Keith O'Brien.
It Rhymes with Takei
by George Takei, Harmony Becker, Steven Scott, and Justin Eisinger

In his moving and uplifting graphic memoir, iconic Star Trek actor and activist George Takei offers candid reflections on his early childhood spent in Japanese American internment camps, discovering a love of acting after initially studying to become an architect, coming out publicly at age 68, and more. For fans of: the 2014 documentary To Be Takei.
JFK: Public, Private, Secret
by J. Randy Taraborrelli

Kennedy family biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli follows up his bestselling Jackie: Public, Private, Secret with a nuanced and well-researched portrait of America's 35th president, drawing upon interviews and previously unpublished materials to focus on his personal relationships. For more on John F. Kennedy's political life, check out the works of Robert Dallek.
Belle Starr: The Truth Behind the Wild West Legend
by Michael Wallis

Bestselling author Michael Wallis' (The Best Land Under Heaven) lively biography of Wild West outlaw Belle Starr (1848-1889) offers a demythologizing corrective to her reputation and legacy. Further reading: Queen of All Mayhem: The Blood-Soaked Life and Mysterious Death of Belle Starr, the Most Dangerous Woman in the West by Dane Huckelbridge.
Toni at Random: The Iconic Writer's Legendary Editorship
by Dana A. Williams

Howard University English professor Dana A. Williams' accessible account chronicles Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison's publishing career as a senior editor at Random House in the 1970s, where she worked tirelessly to uplift Black authors and bring their works into the mainstream. Try this next: Miss Chloe: A Memoir of a Literary Friendship with Toni Morrison by A.J. Verdelle.
Contact your librarian for more great books!
Batavia Public Library
10 S. Batavia Ave.
Batavia, Illinois 60510
630-879-1393
www.bataviapubliclibrary.org/