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New Biographies & MemoirsApril 2026 |
Our Librarians have selected some of the newest biographies in the collection. |
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The Magic Bag: Adventures of a Pioneer Female Cardiologist by Ellen Killebrew Across five decades in cardiology, a young woman who entered medical school in the 1960s moves from outsider in a male-dominated profession to seasoned physician, recounting the long hours of training, the evolving culture of hospitals, the changing role of women in medicine and the often funny, sometimes wrenching encounters with patients and colleagues that shaped both her career and her sense of purpose.
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Always Carry Salt: A Memoir of Preserving Language and Culture by Samantha Ellis As the daughter of Iraqi Jewish refugees watching her mother tongue fade, Ellis reflects on the phrases, songs, stories and recipes that shaped her childhood, traveling from archives and language classrooms to memories of family kitchens and distant rivers as she considers how to pass on a fragile heritage to her son while deciding which parts of displacement, tradition and taste can be preserved, transformed or gently set aside.
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The Philosopher in the Valley: Alex Karp, Palantir, and the Rise of the Surveillance State by Michael Steinberger Following the rise of a secretive data firm from its post‑9/11 government contracts to its global role in intelligence, business and warfare, this account profiles the unconventional philosopher‑CEO and examines how his powerful software, early backing from the CIA and expansion into international clients have reshaped debates about security, surveillance, civil liberties and who controls the information on which twenty‑first‑century power depends.
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Electric Spark: The Enigma of Dame Muriel by Frances Wilson Wilson follows the novelist’s turbulent early decades through wartime work, religious conversion and personal upheavals involving marriage, illness and intrigue, showing how those experiences fed her fascination with chance, doubleness and control, and how the puzzles and tonal shifts in her fiction emerged from a life lived between faith and skepticism, secrecy and self-reinvention.
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Hated by All the Right People: Tucker Carlson and the Unraveling of the Conservative Mind by Jason Zengerle Tracing three decades in conservative media, Zengerle follows the bow‑tied young columnist and TV host as he moves from cross‑ideological debate and critique of his own party to a central role in grievance‑driven right‑wing broadcasting, using his career to illuminate how changing incentives, partisan audiences and the pursuit of influence have reshaped both American conservatism and the media ecosystem that amplifies it.
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The Spy in the Archive: How One Man Tried to Kill the KGB by Gordon Corera Over decades of quiet work inside the KGB’s restricted archives, a reserved Soviet librarian secretly copied classified files, gradually turning from loyal functionary to dissident, and ultimately cooperating with Western intelligence to spirit his cache out of the USSR, offering a rare ground‑level view of everyday life in the Soviet system as well as the inner workings, abuses and international reach of its security services.
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Cheesemonger: A Life on the Wedge by Gordon Edgar Blending memoir and food writing, Edgar relates how, as a former punk activist, he stumbled into a job behind the cheese counter at a worker‑owned San Francisco grocery, charting his education in artisan cheesemaking, his encounters with farmers, co‑workers and demanding customers and his evolving views on taste, labor and ethics in a changing American food landscape.
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The Fight of His Life: Joe Louis's Battle for Freedom During World War II by Randy Roberts Following the heavyweight champion from his celebrated 1938 victory over Max Schmeling into his World War II service and postwar years, Roberts examines how a widely admired sports hero became increasingly outspoken about segregation in the military and at home, tracing his efforts to support Black soldiers, challenge racist policies and use his fame to press for voting rights and greater racial equality in mid‑twentieth‑century America.
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The Sea Captain's Wife: A True Story of Mutiny, Love, and Adventure at the Bottom of the World by Tilar J. Mazzeo In 1856, when her husband and captain falls gravely ill mid‑voyage on a clipper racing toward San Francisco, a nineteen‑year‑old New England sailor’s wife assumes command of Neptune’s Car, navigating hostile seas, skeptical crewmen and relentless storms off Cape Horn in a bid to complete the journey, safeguard her passengers and cargo and claim a measure of independence rarely available to women of her time.
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Have Questions? Get in touch. |
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