Biography and Memoir
April 2025
Recent Releases
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This
by Omar El Akkad

In his frank and thought-provoking blend of history and memoir, award-winning novelist Omar El Akkad (American War) examines the West's apathy and inaction toward Israel's ongoing destruction of Gaza. Try this next: The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates.
Becoming Spectacular: The Rhythm of Resilience from the First African American...
by Jennifer Jones

In her moving and inspiring debut, trailblazing dancer Jennifer Jones reveals the triumphs and trials of her 15-year career as a Radio City Rockette, becoming the troupe's first Black dancer in 1987. For fans of: The Swans of Harlem: Five Black Ballerinas, Fifty Years of Sisterhood, and Their Reclamation of a Groundbreaking History by Karen Valby. 
Daughter of Daring: The Trick-Riding, Train-Leaping, Road-Racing Life of Helen Gibson...
by Mallory O'Meara

Mallory O'Meara's (The Lady from the Black Lagoon) engaging latest chronicles the life and career of Helen Gibson, Hollywood's first professional stunt woman, whose start in silent films included appearances in the long-running adventure serial The Hazards of Helen, from which she took her stage name. Further reading: Nobody's Girl Friday: The Women Who Ran Hollywood by J.E. Smyth.
The Rebel Romanov : Julie of Saxe-coburg, the Empress Russia Never Had
by Helen Rappaport

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Romanov Sisters comes the story of a courageous young Imperial Grand Duchess who scandalized Europe in search of freedom.
Accidentally on Purpose
by Kristen Kish

From growing up as an adoptee in the Midwest, to trying to fit in with all the other girls who were busy dating boys, to coming out and finding love when she least expected it, Kristen learned that, unlike a map, no set of plans or definitions can dictate or explain a life. In fact, accidents happen. Curveballs will come. And even the full-circle moments—like winning Top Chef to becoming its Emmy-nominated host years later—could have guaranteed these opportunities.
The last manager : how Earl Weaver tricked, tormented, and reinvented baseball
by John W. Miller

Chronicles the life and career of the innovative and fiery Baltimore Orioles manager who revolutionized baseball with data-driven strategies, colorful theatrics and groundbreaking decisions that shaped the modern game while navigating the sport's transition into the free agency era. Illustrations.
The cats of Poets Square : on care, community, & surviving capitalism
by Courtney Gustafson

The author shows how taking care of the feral cats in her Poets Square neighborhood of Tucson, Arizona, reshaped her understanding of empathy, resilience, and the healing power of wholly showing up for something outside yourself.
Legends and Soles: The Memoir of an American Original
by Sonny Vaccaro with Armen Keteyian

In his candid and heartfelt memoir, retired sports marketing executive Sonny Vaccaro dishes on his successful career, including his role in signing Michael Jordan to a shoe deal with Nike and creating the Air Jordan shoe in 1984. For fans of: the 2023 movie Air, in which Matt Damon portrays Vaccaro. 
Contact your librarian for more great books!
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