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Popular Culture March 2021
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| Walking with Ghosts by Gabriel ByrneWhat it is: celebrated Irish actor Gabriel Byrne's humble and intimate memoir detailing his working-class origins and his 40-year career.
Topics include: Byrne's childhood spent in seminary school, which he left after he was molested by a priest; how alcoholism spurred his complicated relationship with fame.
Book buzz: Byrne's lyrical writing style has earned him comparisons to Irish literary icons James Joyce and Seamus Heaney. |
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24: Life Stories and Lessons From the Say Hey Kid
by Willie Mays and John Shea; foreword by Bob Costas
What it is: an upbeat chronicle of Hall of Fame baseball player Willie Mays' life and career.
What sets it apart: This conversational mix of self-help and memoir captures 24 specific moments from Mays' life (a nod to the number he wore throughout his two-decade career).
Book buzz: A New York Times bestseller, 24 won praise from Barack Obama, who awarded Mays the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015.
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| True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee by Abraham RiesmanWhat it is: a well-researched biography of Marvel Comics icon Stan Lee.
What sets it apart: Abraham Riesman's illuminating portrait offers fresh insights on Lee's troubled family relationships, failed business dealings, and authorship disputes with artists Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby.
Reviewers say: "This detailed, clear-eyed examination pulls back the curtain on one of America's great storytellers and is sure to reignite debates over Lee's legacy" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories About Racism by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar Starring: NYC-based comedian and Late Night with Seth Meyers writer Amber Ruffin; and her sister Lacey Lamar, who lives in Omaha, NE.
What's inside: Lacey's firsthand accounts of the racist treatment she's received living in the Midwest, paired with the sisters' funny yet frank commentary on each incident and illustrative photographs.
Who it's for: With its conversational tone, this “must-read” (Library Journal) will appeal to Black women who can relate to the authors' experiences and to readers looking for eye-opening insights on racism. |
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| Just As I Am by Cicely TysonWhat it is: an engaging memoir by iconic Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress Cicely Tyson, published just two days before her death in January at age 96.
Topics include: how Tyson broke barriers and combatted stereotypes in the entertainment industry, including being the first Black actress to wear her natural hair on TV and earning an Oscar nomination for 1972's Sounder, her first lead film role; her volatile relationship with Miles Davis, to whom she was married for eight years. |
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| Save Yourself by Cameron EspositoWhat it's about: comedian and Queery podcast host Cameron Esposito's path toward finding herself and embracing her lesbian identity.
Read it for: the author's witty reflections on navigating her post-coming out relationships with her family and her Catholic faith ("I think my Catholicism broke").
For fans of: candid coming-of-age memoirs by LGBTQIA entertainers like Tegan Quin and Sara Quin's High School or Andrew Rannells' Too Much Is Not Enough. |
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| The Princess Diarist by Carrie FisherWhat it is: actress Carrie Fisher's self-deprecating behind-the-scenes account of making the first Star Wars movie at age 19.
Featuring: Fisher's earnest diary entries and poems written during the film's production, which reveal her crush on (and eventual affair with) co-star Harrison Ford; her present-day recollections on the relationship.
Want a taste? “If Harrison was unable to see that I had feelings for him (at least five, but sometimes as many as seven) then he wasn't as smart as I thought he was -- as I knew he was." |
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| Everything's Trash, But It's Okay by Phoebe Robinson; foreword by Ilana GlazerWhat it is: comedian Phoebe Robinson's irreverent follow-up to the New York Times bestselling You Can't Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have to Explain.
Essays include: "The Top Ten Non-Trash Moments of My Life;" "Meeting Bono Twice Was My Reparations;" "How to Be Alone and Only Mildly Hate and Lukewarm Love It."
Try this next: For another freewheeling essay collection by a witty multi-hyphenate, try Samantha Irby's We Are Never Meeting in Real Life. |
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Survival of the thickest : essays
by Michelle Buteau
What it is: The stand-up comedian, actress and host of the Late Night Whenever podcast shares an unapologetic collection essays that reflect on her Caribbean heritage, her September 11 newsroom work and her experiences with IVF, surrogacy and motherhood.
Reviewers say: "A heartfelt, snarkily sweet memoir in essays" (Booklist)
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| Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets & Advice for Living Your Best Life by Ali WongWhat is: an upbeat and unfiltered collection of letters addressed to comedian Ali Wong's toddler-age daughters, offering hard-won advice from her life on and off the stage.
Topics include: Wong's Vietnamese Chinese upbringing; early career failings; marriage and motherhood; hobnobbing with celebrities.
Reviewers say: "A down-to-earth collection that is raw but not irreverent" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Rochester Hills Public Library 500 Olde Towne Rd Rochester, Michigan 48307 (248) 656-2900 rhpl.org |
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