|
New Biographies & MemoirsMay 2021
|
|
Every day is a gift : a memoir by Tammy DuckworthThe U.S. senator and Iraq War veteran Tammy Duckworth presents the incredible story of her impoverished childhood, her decision to join the Army, the months spent recovering from the RPG attack that shot down her helicopter and nearly took her life, and her subsequent mission of serving in elected office.
|
|
|
Churchill & son by Josh IrelandThis intimate portrait of the World War II prime minister’s enduring but volatile relationship with his only son includes coverage of Churchill’s own complicated childhood and the impact of ambition, society and history on his son’s life.
|
|
|
My broken language : a memoir by Quiara Alegría HudesThe Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright shares her lyrical coming-of-age story against a backdrop of her devastated barrio home and the idiosyncratic, troubled and fiercely loving Puerto Rican family that inspired her literary voice.
|
|
|
Hawking Hawking : the selling of a scientific celebrity by Charles SeifeSeife's biography of the late physicist examines how he built his own myth as the world’s smartest man through self-promotion and manipulation of those around him to attain the fame and attention he craved.
|
|
|
The triumph of Nancy Reagan by Karen TumultyThe Washington Post political columnist presents a portrait of the former First Lady that includes coverage of her traumatic early childhood, marriage to Ronald Reagan and crucial role in shaping the Reagan White House.
|
|
|
Beautiful things : a memoir by Robert Hunter BidenHunter Biden writes in this deeply moving memoir of addiction, loss, and survival: his severe injuries from the car accident that claimed the lives of his mother and baby sister; the devastating loss of his beloved big brother Beau; the collapse of his marriage and a years-long battle with drug and alcohol addiction. The story ends with where Hunter is today—a sober married man with a new baby, finally able to appreciate the beautiful things in life.
|
|
|
Heart of fire : an immigrant daughter's story by Mazie HironoAn intimate biography of the first Asian-American woman and only immigrant serving in the U.S. Senate describes her upbringing in rural Japan and Hawaii, firsthand experiences with economic insecurity and dedicated advocacy of progressive change.
|
|
|
Empire of pain : the secret history of the Sackler dynasty by Patrick Radden KeefeThe award-winning author of Say Nothing presents a narrative account of how a prominent wealthy family sponsored the creation and marketing of one of the most commonly prescribed and addictive painkillers of the opioid crisis.
|
|
|
Justice, justice thou shalt pursue : a life's work fighting for a more perfect union by Ruth Bader GinsburgAnyone needing more reasons to admire Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933-2020) will find them in this inspiring collection of speeches (all previously unpublished), briefs, oral arguments, dissenting opinions, and a candid conversation with the book's collaborator Amanda Tyler, a professor at the Berkeley School of Law who served as Ginsburg's law clerk during the 1999 term.
|
|
|
How to be human : an autistic man's guide to life by Jory FlemingAn unforgettable, unconventional narrative that examines the many ways to be fully human, told by the first young adult with autism to attend Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, who shows us the ways a beautifully different mind can express the very best of our shared humanity.
|
|
|
Crying in H Mart : a memoir by Michelle ZaunerThe Japanese Breakfast indie pop star presents a full-length account of her viral New Yorker essay to share poignant reflections on her experiences of growing up Korean-American, becoming a professional musician and caring for her terminally ill mother.
|
|
|
Growing up Bank Street : a Greenwich Village memoir by Donna FlorioIn this coming-of age-story set on a legendary street whose residents have helped shaped the story of America since Colonial times, Florio has created a sparkling memoir of beatniks, rock stars, artists, AIDS activists, and free-thinkers, in an eccentric neighborhood that wrote its own rules on the power of community.
|
|
|
Spilt milk : memoirs by Courtney ZoffnessIn her quest for answers to the important questions of how best to raise children, what is the line between secrecy and privacy, and how the stories we tell inform who we will become, Zoffness relives her childhood anxiety disorder manifested in her firstborn; endures brazen sexual advances by a student; grapples with her young son's cop obsession; and challenges her Jewish faith.
|
|
|
Lady Bird Johnson : hiding in plain sight by Julia SweigSweig describes Lady Bird not as the deferential wife of a boisterous politician, but as the key adviser to the leader of the Senate, vice president, and, ultimately, President of the United States.Throughout the tumultuous mid-1960s, the aftershock of the Kennedy assassination, the civil rights movement, and the Vietnam War, the author illustrates how Lady Bird strongly influenced her husband while remaking the position of First Lady, shaping how we view it today.
|
|
|
Model citizen : a memoir by Joshua MohrAfter suffering a stroke at the age of thirty-five, the award-winning author of Sirens and Damascus presents an unstinting anthology of vignettes that convey the misadventures, surrealism, tragedies and embarrassments of a life shaped by early illness and unrelenting addiction.
|
|
|
|
|
|