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Biography and Memoir July 2024
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| The Uptown Local: Joy, Death, and Joan Didion by Cory LeadbeaterCory Leadbeater's moving debut chronicles the transformative decade the author spent working as a personal assistant to writer Joan Didion as she neared the end of her life. Further reading: Joan Didion: The Last Interview and Other Conversations by Joan Didion with an introduction by Patricia Lockwood. |
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| I've Tried Being Nice: Essays by Ann LearyBestselling novelist Ann Leary's (The Foundling) debut essay collection offers a witty and self-deprecating account of the author's attempts to stop being a self-proclaimed "people pleaser," with varying (and relatable) degrees of success. For fans of: Well, This Is Exhausting: Essays by Sophia Benoit. |
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| Night Flyer: Harriet Tubman and the Faith Dreams of a Free People by Tiya MilesNational Book Award-winning author Tiya Miles' (All That She Carried) nuanced and demythologizing biography of abolitionist Harriet Tubman offers fresh insights on her life, particularly how her religious faith and ecological knowledge informed her work as an Underground Railroad conductor. Try this next: Combee: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom During the Civil War by Edda L. Fields-Black. |
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| Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell by Ann PowersNPR music critic Ann Powers plumbs the life and career of legendary singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell in this thoughtful and lyrical portrait named one of Observer's Best New Biographies of 2024. Further reading: Joni: The Anthology edited by Barney Hoskyns. |
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Rebel girl : my life as a feminist punk
by Kathleen Hanna
The original rebel girl and legendary front woman of Bikini Kill, which embodied the punk scene of the 90s, shares how the relationships and friendships she developed during those years reminded her that, despite the odds, the punk world could still nurture and care for its own.
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Joyful recollections of trauma
by Paul Scheer
The award-winning comedian, actor, filmmaker and podcaster presents a hilarious and candid memoir-in-essays that confront his sometimes shocking and difficult childhood, journey towards self-acceptance and his own experiences as a father. 100,000 first printing.
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The striker and the clock : on being in the game
by Georgia Cloepfil
Written in 90 short passages, reflecting the 90 passing minutes of a soccer match, this stunning examination of the joy and pain of serious athletics portrays the author, a professional soccer player, as an artist, debating how much of herself to devote to her craft.
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Viewfinder : a memoir of seeing and being seen
by Jon M. Chu
"Long before he directed Wicked, In The Heights, or the groundbreaking film Crazy Rich Asians, Jon M. Chu was a movie-obsessed first-generation Chinese American, helping at his parents' Chinese restaurant in Silicon Valley and forever facing the culturalidentity crisis endemic to children of immigrants. Growing up on the cutting edge of 21st-century technology gave Chu the tools he needed to make his mark at USC film school, and to be discovered by Steven Spielberg, but he soon found himself struggling to understand who he was. In this book, for the first time, Chu dives deep into his life and work, telling the universal story of questioning what it means when your dreams collide with your circumstances, and showing how it's possible to succeed even when the world changes beyond all recognition. With striking candor and unrivalled insights, Chu offers a firsthand account of the collision of Silicon Valley and Hollywood-what it's been like to watch his old world shatter and reshape his new one. Ultimately, Viewfinder is about reckoning with your own story, becoming your most creative self, and finding a path all your own"
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Books You Might Have Missed
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| How to Live Free in a Dangerous World: A Decolonial Memoir by Shayla LawsonPoet and journalist Shayla Lawson follows up their National Book Critics Circle finalist This Is Major with a lyrical memoir-in-essays exploring how travel shaped their worldview and quest for liberation. For fans of: The Risk It Takes to Bloom: On Life and Liberation by Raquel Willis. |
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On call : a doctor's journey in public service
by Anthony S. Fauci
The most famous?—?and most revered?—?doctor in the world today who guided America through the COVID pandemic?—?and who embodies“speaking truth to power” with dignity and results, reveals his behind-the-scenes advising and negotiating with seven presidents on key issues from global AIDS relief to infectious disease preparedness at home. Illustrations.
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Ambition monster : a memoir
by Jennifer Romolini
The author and host of the podcast Everything is Fine tells the story of her own workaholism and the addictive nature of achievement and the toll it took on her while facing the effects of her childhood trauma.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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