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Biography and Memoir September 2026
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Our 2026 On The Same Page selection is Happy Land by Dolen Perkins-Valdez. From Sept. 21-Oct. 18 all Forsyth County Public Library branches will host discussions, events, and activities highlighting the book and its themes. Review the full schedule of On The Same Page events, information about the book, and more on forsythlibrary.org. |
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A Little More Love: The Life and Legacy of Olivia Newton-John by Matthew HildOlivia Newton-John was one of the biggest and most iconic global pop stars in history with estimated record sales of over 100 million and starring roles in several films, including Grease and Xanadu. Behind all of this glitz and glamor was an extremely strong, kind, and resilient person with an unfailing, positive attitude in the face of personal tragedies and setbacks. For decades, she bravely and publicly battled breast cancer while continuing her career and advocated for environmental issues, animal rights, and LGBTQ+ rights. Matthew Hild provides many never-before-shared insights into the star's life. Try this next: Ain't Nobody's Fool: The Life and Times of Dolly Parton by Martha Ackmann. |
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Mahalia Jackson, Moving on Up a Little Higher: The Story of an American Civil Rights Pioneer by Timothy B. Tyson If Americans remember Mahalia Jackson at all, they know her as the greatest gospel singer to ever live. New York Times best-selling author Timothy B. Tyson and acclaimed gospel singer Mary D. Williams, however, bring Jackson back to soaring life by restoring her status as a major civil rights figure. The authors trace Jackson’s career from bitter poverty in New Orleans to global superstardom, revealing how even after meteoric success, Jackson maintained an unwavering devotion to Black freedom. Weaving together Jackson’s inspiring life with her soulful music into one sonically transcendent text, this revisionist biography presents Mahalia Jackson as a guiding light for the Civil Rights Movement, whose message still speaks to our struggles today. For another biography about artists and activists, try Odetta by Ian Zack.
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| All That's Unseen: An Appalachian Memoir by Emilee HackneyAfter a devastating betrayal that called her Pentecostal faith into question, debut memoirist Emilee Hackney left her small Appalachian town in Virginia for Harvard. Amidst the culture shock, Hackney realized that leaving home was the right move for her. But it also made her see that home in a new light, and she found herself defending the land of her birth against those quick to dismiss and stereotype the South and its people. For another coming-of-age memoir about feeling pulled in opposite directions, try Between Two Trailers by J. Dana Trent. |
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Blow by Blow: The Jeff Beck Story by Brad TolinskiJeff Beck was an icon known and loved by millions. Yet somehow, he maintained the ineffable low profile cool of a cult hero as he glided through six decades of musical trends with nary a lapse in taste. In Blow by Blow: The Jeff Beck Story, Brad Tolinski and Chris Gill return to chart the unexplored life of rock's greatest and perhaps most enigmatic instrumentalist. Culled from approximately 30 hours of interviews with the late guitarist himself, numerous conversations with those closest to him, and extensive research, the book sheds new light on the genius that Jimmy Page once said, shifted the whole sound and face of electric guitar music. For another biography by these authors try Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen.
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| Unsayable: A Life in Writing by Michael CunninghamIn his memoir, acclaimed novelist Michael Cunningham (The Hours) continually returns to the concept of articulation, claiming that writing is simply finding a way to express that which resists being put into words. Cunningham cannily pinpoints moments from his early life -- bouncing a ball, or watching his mother bake a cake -- as opportunities to fall in love with and ponder our relationship with language. Unsayable is a book for “readers hungry for gorgeous prose” (Publishers Weekly). |
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Focus on: Hispanic Heritage Month
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| Devout: Losing My Faith to Find Myself by David ArchuletaBy the time David Archuleta was 17, he had become the first runner-up on American Idol and was ready to parlay his newfound fame into a singing career. Except…he experienced persistent feelings of same-sex attraction. David’s long journey toward self-acceptance involved deciding whether he wanted to come out and risk alienating his fans, his Honduran American family, and his Latter-Day Saints church -- a struggle many readers will find relatable. Read-alike: What Mattered Most by Ty Herndon. |
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| Keeper of My Kin: Memoir of an Immigrant Daughter by Ada FerrerPulitzer Prize-winning historian Ada Ferrer (Cuba: An American History) relates the toll that emigrating from Cuba to the United States took on her family, especially her older half-brother Poly. When 10-month-old Ada and her mother left for New York City in 1963, a dispute with Poly’s father meant the boy had to be left behind, a heartbreaking turn that the author believes cast a shadow over the rest of Poly’s troubled life. For more emotionally intense stories of immigrant families, try Why Didn’t You Tell Me? by Carmen Rita Wong and A Body Across Two Hemispheres by Victoria Buitron. |
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The Boy Who Reached for the Stars: A Memoir by Elio MorilloElio Morillo's life is abruptly spun out of orbit when economic collapse and personal circumstances compel his mother to flee Ecuador for the United States in search of a better future for her son. His itinerant childhood sets into motion a migration that will ultimately carry Elio to the farthest expanse of human endeavor: space. Overcoming a history of systemic adversity and inequality in public education, Elio forged ahead on a journey as indebted to his galactic dreams as to a loving mother whose sacrifices safeguarded the ground beneath his feet. Today, Elio is helping drive human expansion into the solar system and promote the future of human innovation--from AI and robotics to space infrastructure and equitable access.
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Dreaming of Home: How We Turn Fear into Pride, Power, and Belonging
by Cristina Jiménez
In her moving debut, MacArthur Fellow and community organizer Cristina Jiménez recounts her family's fraught immigration journey from Ecuador to the United States in the 1990s, detailing her fears of living undocumented, her commitment to social justice activism, and her role in helping enact Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Try this next: Children of the Land by Marcelo Hernandez Castillo.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Forsyth County Public Library
660 W. Fifth St., Winston-Salem, NC 27101
336-703-2665forsythlibrary.org |
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