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Biography and Memoir December 2025 |
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| Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts by Margaret AtwoodIn Book of Lives, Canadian author Margaret Atwood brings readers a long-awaited, “marvelously witty” (Kirkus Reviews) memoir. Writing as much about her craft as her life story, Atwood reveals how both have influenced one another, for instance explaining how the dystopian setting for The Handmaid’s Tale was in part inspired by a stint in 1980s Berlin. For another memoir that ruminates on the writing life, try Novelist as a Vocation by Haruki Murakami. |
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| Coyote: The Dramatic Lives of Sam Shepard by Robert M. DowlingRobert M. Dowling’s well-researched biography of actor, playwright, and filmmaker Sam Shepard is an ode to restlessness. Dowling mines gossipy details from Shepard’s gritty, colorful, adventurous life while divulging the angst, trauma, and addiction that goaded him, keeping this creative, troubled soul from ever sitting still for long. For another haunting performing arts biography, try William J. Mann’s The Contender: The Story of Marlon Brando. |
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| Fire in Every Direction by Tareq BaconiQueer Palestinian author Tareq Baconi presents a candid and emotional coming-of-age journey. Baconi confronts layers of trauma set in motion by the marginalization of his Lebanese refugee family, unrequited love for a childhood friend, and cruel abuse at the hands of homophobic peers. As an adult, he is eventually able to reconcile his queer and Arab selves, and his self-discovery will especially inspire readers navigating their own complex identities. |
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| John Candy: A Life in Comedy by Paul MyersPop culture writer Paul Myers documents beloved comedian and actor John Candy’s life and career, moving through his tenure on the cult classic program SCTV, his film appearances (Planes, Trains, and Automobiles; Uncle Buck), and his “lifelong struggle with anxiety, panic attacks, and body image” (Publishers Weekly). Candy broke countless hearts upon his death by heart failure at age 43, but Myers’ book is a life-affirming, heartwarming tribute. |
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| The Man of Many Fathers: Life Lessons Disguised as a Memoir by Roy Wood, Jr.Comedian and television personality Roy Wood, Jr.’s memoir is filled with lessons he learned the hard way from various “father” figures, including his real father, who played a peripatetic but influential role in his son’s life. Some of these figures offered Wood wisdom and advice, while others gave him examples not to follow, but they all made enough of an impression to become comedy gold in a debut that is also “refreshingly earnest” (Kirkus Reviews). If you like this, check out Being Henry: The Fonz…and Beyond by Henry Winkler. |
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My Childhood in Pieces: A Stand-Up Comedy, a Skokie Elegy
by Edward Hirsch
'My grandparents taught me to write my sins on paper and cast them into the water on the first day of the New Year. They didn't expect an entire book,' Hirsh says in the 'prologue' to this glorious festival of knife-sharp observations. In micro chapters-sometimes only a single scathing sentence long-with titles like 'Call to Breakfast,' 'Pay Cash,' 'The Sorrow of Manly Sports,' and 'Aristotle on Lawrence Avenue,' Eddie's gambling father, Ruby, son of an iron-smelter, schools him and his sister in blackjack; Eddie's mom bangs pots and pans to wake the kids (to a breakfast of cold cereal); Uncle Bob, in the collection business, can be heard threatening people on the upstairs phone; and nobody suffers fools or gives hugs. In this household, Eddie learned to jab with his left and hook with his right, never to kid a kidder, and how to sneak out at night. Steeped in rage and exuberance, Yiddishkeit and Midwestern practicality, Hirsch's laugh-and-cry performance animates a heartbreaking odyssey, from the cradle to the day he leaves home, armed with sorrow and a huge store of killing poetic wit
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| Racebook: A Personal History of the Internet by Tochi OnyebuchiSci-fi and fantasy author Tochi Onyebuchi, in a series of autobiographical sketches, conjures memories of growing up as a Black American in the internet age, and where these experiences find him today. Dropping references ranging from literature to video games, Onyebuchi yearns for the early years of internet streaming before online culture became rampantly toxic, and offers readers food for thought on topics like racial violence, multiple realities, and how online identities shape our selves. For fans of: the anthology Black Futures, edited by Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham. |
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| The Royal We by Roddy BottumGay punk rocker Roddy Bottum, famous as the keyboardist for Faith No More, offers a lively memoir about discovering music, queer culture, and high-energy night life in '80s and '90s San Francisco. Self-destructiveness notwithstanding (the author has had his share of risky sex and hard drug abuse), Bottum survived and owns it all, with no regrets and plenty of loopy anecdotes to boot. For more punk-tinged reminiscences, check out Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk by Kathleen Hanna. |
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| The Uncool by Cameron CroweIn the 1970s, writer/director Cameron Crowe was an up-and-coming teenaged rock journalist, writing for Rolling Stone and touring with the likes of Led Zeppelin and the Allman Brothers. Although peppered with upbeat road stories, Crowe’s memoir seamlessly weaves in more emotional passages about close relationships, his older sister’s suicide, and his later fame as a filmmaker. For fans of: Going into the City: Portrait of a Critic as a Young Man by Robert Christgau; the Crowe-directed film Almost Famous. |
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| We Did OK, Kid by Anthony HopkinsOscar-winning actor Anthony Hopkins delights with a memoir that is “quiet and restrained but with some darker stuff going on underneath” (Booklist). The introverted only son of working-class Welsh parents who worried about his apparent aimlessness, Hopkins eventually found his way to amateur theater and then the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, all to his own great surprise. For such a venerated artist, his writing is as humble, candid, and thoughtful as the book’s title would suggest. Try this next: The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man by Paul Newman. |
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Contact the Reference Dept. at 847-720-3230 for more great books! |
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