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Biography and Memoir November 2019
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| Life Undercover: Coming of Age in the CIA by Amaryllis FoxWhat it is: a suspenseful account of Amaryllis Fox's decade spent working counterterrorism operations for the CIA while also starting a family with her husband, a fellow agent.
Don't miss: Fox's wedding day, during which she muses on the strange and lonely nature of intelligence life: "I walk down the aisle, past work friends whose real names I'll never know."
Media buzz: Academy Award winner Brie Larson is set to play Fox in a forthcoming Apple streaming series. |
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Touched by the sun : my friendship with Jackie
by Carly Simon
The celebrated music artist and author of Boys in the Trees presents a meditative account of her unlikely friendship with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, sharing intimate insights into how they supported each other through decades of loss and public scrutiny.
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| How We Fight for Our Lives by Saeed JonesWhat it's about: Award-winning poet Saeed Jones candidly reflects on his fraught coming-of-age and his struggle to make a life for himself.
Want a taste? "If America was going to hate me for being black and gay, then I might as well make a weapon out of myself."
Book buzz: A Kirkus Prize winner, How We Fight For Our Lives counts Roxane Gay and Jacqueline Woodson among its many fans. |
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Letters from an astrophysicist
by Neil deGrasse Tyson
Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has attracted one of the world’s largest online followings with his fascinating, widely accessible insights into science and our universe. Now, Tyson invites us to go behind the scenes of his public fame by revealing his correspondence with people across the globe who have sought him out in search of answers. In this hand-picked collection of 101 letters, Tyson draws upon cosmic perspectives to address a vast array of questions about science, faith, philosophy, life, and of course, Pluto. His succinct, opinionated, passionate, and often funny responses reflect his popularity and standing as a leading educator.
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| Edison by Edmund MorrisWhat it is: an illuminating and inventive portrait of Thomas Edison that renowned biographer Edmund Morris spent seven years researching, perusing millions of Edison's archival papers stored in a bombproof lab.
What sets it apart: Edison unfolds in reverse chronological order, lending a uniquely mythic air to the richly detailed, you-are-there proceedings.
About the author: The late Edmund Morris won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for 1979's The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt. |
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| The Best Cook in the World: Tales from My Momma's Table by Rick BraggWhat it's about: In this nostalgic tribute to the cuisine of his Alabama childhood, author Rick Bragg (All Over but the Shoutin') shares the stories behind his family's recipes.
Recipes include: pinto beans and ham bone; baked possum.
Want a taste? "She cooks in dabs, and smidgens, and tads, and a measurement she mysteriously refers to as 'you know, hon, just some.'" |
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