|
|
| Baldwin: A Love Story by Nicholas BoggsDrawing on interviews and previously unreleased archival materials, National Humanities Center fellow Nicholas Boggs’ moving and intimate biography of writer and civil rights activist James Baldwin examines how his personal relationships impacted his life and career. Further reading: James Baldwin: Living in Fire by Bill V. Mullen. |
|
|
|
Semi-Well-Adjusted Despite Literally Everything by Alyson StonerThe former Disney Channel star offers a telling memoir—from family and eating issues to religious trauma— that begins in Hollywood but has a chilling relatability that will impact anyone navigating identity, purpose and mental health.
|
|
| Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler by Susana M. MorrisGeorgia Institute of Technology professor Susana M. Morris’ well-researched biography of trailblazing science fiction author Octavia E. Butler thoughtfully places Butler’s works within the sociocultural and historical contexts that shaped her, utilizing correspondence, unpublished manuscripts, and interviews. Try this next: Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture by Ytasha Womack. |
|
| Coming Up Short: A Memoir of America by Robert B. ReichFormer United States Secretary of Labor Robert B. Reich’s sobering yet hopeful blend of memoir and political analysis incisively explores how the rise of partisanship and tribalism has hindered American economic progress. Try this next: The Theft of a Decade: Baby Boomers, Millennials, and the Distortion of Our Economy by Joseph C. Sternberg. |
|
Focus on: Sports Biographies
|
|
| Althea: The Life of Tennis Champion Althea Gibson by Sally H. JacobsFormer Boston Globe reporter Sally H. Jacobs' biography of trailblazing tennis player Althea Gibson, the first African American to win a Grand Slam tournament, offers a comprehensive portrait of a complex woman who battled racial and gender discrimination, poverty, and abuse in her journey toward stardom. Further reading: Serving Herself: The Life and Times of Althea Gibson by Ashley Brown. |
|
| The Last Manager: How Earl Weaver Tricked, Tormented, and Reinvented Baseball by John W. MillerAmerica Magazine contributing writer John W. Miller’s evocative debut offers a nuanced portrait of Baltimore Orioles manager and Baseball Hall of Famer Earl Weaver, whose innovations helped modernize Major League Baseball and whose outsized personality frequently got him into dustups both on and off the field. For fans of: Billy Ball: Billy Martin and the Resurrection of the Oakland A's by Dale Tafoya. |
|
|
|
The Mamba Mentality: How I Play by Kobe BryantIn the wake of his retirement from professional basketball, an NBA great nicknamed "The Black Mamba” has decided to share his vast knowledge and understanding of the game to take readers on an unprecedented journey to the core of his legendary “Mamba mentality.”
|
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|