Biography and Memoir
March 2023
Recent Releases
Reckoning
by V, formerly Eve Ensler

What it is: a powerful, decades-spanning collection of essays, poems, journal entries, and articles penned by V (formerly Eve Ensler), the Tony Award-winning playwright of The Vagina Monologues.

Is it for you? V's impassioned chronicle frankly addresses difficult topics including grief, addiction, reproductive justice, sexual violence, and more.

Book buzz: This "elegant and timely book" (Kirkus Reviews) was named a Top 10 Memoir of the Season by Publishers Weekly. 
Bad Mormon
by Heather Gay

What it's about: Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Heather Gay's complicated relationship with the Mormon faith in which she was raised.

Read it for: an irreverent account of spirituality lost and found; dishy gossip on Gay's Real Housewives castmates. 

Want a taste? "Everything in my life confirmed my identity, my faith, and my future. Until it didn't." 
Life on Delay: Making Peace with a Stutter
by John Hendrickson

What it is: The Atlantic senior editor John Hendrickson's candid memoir of how his lifelong stutter has impacted his life.

Topics include: the bullying and unsuccessful therapy Hendrickson endured as a child; the depression and substance abuse he battled as an adult; his relationship with his wife, Liz, who has a neuromuscular disorder. 

Featuring: interviews with speech therapists, researchers, and fellow stutterers, including Joe Biden, "the most famous living stutterer."
Love & Justice: A Story of Triumph on Two Different Courts
by Maya Moore Irons and Jonathan Irons; foreword by Bryan Stevenson

What it's about: In 2007, future WNBA player Maya Moore met wrongfully convicted Jonathan Irons via a prison ministry program, and the two developed a connection while Irons served his sentence.

What happened next: In 2019, Moore retired from the sport to help secure Irons' release; the pair later married, welcoming a son in 2022.

Don't miss: letters and poems the pair penned over the years.
Unraveling: What I Learned About Life While Shearing Sheep, Dyeing Wool, and Making the World's Ugliest Sweater
by Peggy Orenstein

What it's about: how bestselling author Peggy Orenstein (Boys & Sex) found solace in the "enforced pause" of the COVID-19 pandemic by undertaking a unique project.

What she did: Orenstein learned how to knit a sweater from scratch, which involved shearing a sheep, spinning and dyeing its wool, and creating her own patterns.

Read it for: a funny and reflective account of a difficult period in Orenstein's life, which saw the death of her mother, her father's declining health, and her daughter leaving for college.
B.F.F.: A Memoir of Friendship Lost and Found
by Christie Tate

What it's about: Group author Christie Tate's lifelong difficulties maintaining female friendships.

Why you might like it: Tate's warts-and-all chronicle sees her reckoning with mistakes of the past to find fulfilling relationships now. 

Further reading: For another book about the transformative power of friendship, read Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close by Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman.
The Love You Save
by Goldie Taylor

What it is: Daily Beast editor Goldie Taylor's compelling memoir detailing how she persevered in the face of her traumatic coming-of-age.

Is it for you? Though Taylor's account ends on a hopeful note, her journey toward healing included grappling with rape, pregnancy and miscarriage, suicide attempts, and her father's murder.

Book buzz: The Love You Save was named one of The Root's Most Anticipated Books of January, a Good Morning America Best Book of January, and an Essence Must Read Book of the Year. 
 I Am the Storm : Inspiring Stories of People Who Fight Against Overwhelming Odds
by Janice Dean

What it's about: The New York Times best-selling author tells the stories of whistleblowers, revolutionaries, underdogs and ordinary people who chose to fight for what's right in the face of overwhelming odds and obstacles. 
 
What she did: Once she learned that thousands of COVID-infected patients were deliberately sent to nursing homes, she took on the man she believed was responsible: Governor Andrew Cuomo. What at first seemed like a futile fight ended with Cuomo's historic resignation. 
 
Read it for:  I Am the Storm is an uplifting call to be brave like David no matter what Goliaths we face.
Contact your librarian for more great books!
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