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Biography and Memoir October 2018
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| Small Fry by Lisa Brennan-JobsWhat it is: a poignant memoir about the complicated family dynamics between the author and her father, Apple founder Steve Jobs.
What sets it apart: the pair's lifelong rocky relationship was instigated by Jobs' denial of paternity, a claim later rebuked by DNA testing.
Further reading: Artist Chrisann Brennan (Brennan-Jobs' mother) wrote the 2013 memoir The Bite in the Apple, also about her relationship with Jobs. |
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| The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers by Maxwell KingWhat it's about: This admiring biography of children's television icon Fred Rogers celebrates his cultural impact while also plumbing the hidden depths and contradictions of his work.
Did you know? "The man who conveyed a Zen-like calm on television saw a psychiatrist for decades."
Author alert: Maxwell King is a former Philadelphia Inquirer editor who knew Rogers. |
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| Eliza Hamilton: The Extraordinary Life and Times of the Wife of Alexander Hamilton by Tilar J. MazzeoWhat it is: the first biography written about philanthropist Eliza Hamilton, the devoted wife of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton.
Is it for you? Fans of Broadway sensation Hamilton will be captivated by this charming cradle-to-grave account of Eliza's remarkable life.
Don't miss: Author Tilar J. Mazzeo posits that Alexander's scandalous affair with Maria Reynolds was a ruse to mask his financial misdeeds -- and that Eliza protected his secrets. |
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Books You Might Have Missed
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Time Pieces : a Dublin Memoir
by John Banville
What it is: An evocative memoir of his life near Dublin, a city that inspired his imagination and literary life and served as a backdrop for the dissatisfactions of adult years shaped by Dublin's cultural, political, architectural and social history.
About the author: John Banville was born in Wexford, Ireland, in 1945. He has been the recipient of the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, the Guardian Fiction Prize, the Guinness Peat Aviation Book Award, and the Lannan Literary Award for Fiction.
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From the Outside : My Journey Through Life and the Game I Love
by Ray Allen
What it is: The record-holding two-time NBA champion and recently inducted hall-of-famer reflects on his work ethic, his on-the-court friendships and rivalries, the great teams he's played for, and what it takes to have a long and successful career in this thoughtful, in-depth memoir.
Why you might like it: Allen talks openly about his fellow players, coaches, owners, and friends, including LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Kevin Garnett. He reveals how, as a kid growing up in a military family, he learned about responsibility and respect—the key to making those perfect free throws and critical three-point shots.
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The far away brothers : two young migrants and the making of an American life
by Lauren Markham
An urgent chronicle of contemporary immigration follows the harrowing journey of a pair of teenaged twins from El Salvador who were forced by gang violence to see safety and a better life in the United States, an endeavor marked by family estrangement, a mounting coyote debt and America's complicated immigration policies.
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| The Last Man Who Knew Everything: The Life and Times of Enrico Fermi, Father of the... by David N. SchwartzWho it's about: Italian physicist and Nobel laureate Enrico Fermi, whose scientific breakthroughs included building the first atomic reactor that would be used in the Manhattan Project.
Reviewers say: "a rewarding, expert biography" (Kirkus Reviews); "scrupulously researched and lovingly crafted" (Publishers Weekly).
Further reading: Bettina Hoerlin and Gino Segrè's The Pope of Physics: Enrico Fermi and the Birth of the Atomic Age. |
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The Man Who Climbs Trees
by James Aldred
What it is: A professional tree climber encounters gorillas, snakes, spiders, and birds of prey, as well as answers and perspective, hundreds of feet up, all over the world.
Why you might like it: Every child knows the allure of climbing trees. But how many of us get to make a living at it, spending days observing nature from the canopies of stunning forests all around the world?
About the Author: James Aldred grew up on the edge of a forest and spent his teenage years exploring it. By fourteen he was building forest shelters and sleeping rough in the woods. By sixteen he was spending much of his time up in the branches. These days, when he’s not filming in far-flung countries, he lives in the west country of the UK with his wife and children.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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