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Biography and Memoir August 2019
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| Places and Names: Reflections on War, Revolution, and Returning by Elliot AckermanWhat it is: a reflective memoir in essays detailing former marine Elliot Ackerman's five tours of duty in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
Don't miss: Ackerman's unlikely friendship with a former jihadi.
About the author: A National Book Award finalist for the novel Dark at the Crossing, Ackerman has also earned a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, and a Purple Heart for his military service. |
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In pain : a bioethicist's personal struggle with opioids
by Travis Rieder
A bioethicist’s eloquent and riveting memoir of opioid dependence and withdrawal is a harrowing personal reckoning and clarion call for change not only for government but medicine itself, revealing the lack of crucial resources and structures to handle this insidious nationwide epidemic.
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| Grinnell: America's Environmental Pioneer and His Restless Drive to Save the West by John TaliaferroWhat it is: an absorbing biography of conservationist George Bird Grinnell (1849-1938).
Notable accomplishments: Grinnell formed the Audubon Society, spearheaded efforts to establish national parks, lobbied for Native American rights, and saved Yosemite and Yellowstone from developers.
Why you might like it: John Taliaferro draws on Grinnell's correspondence and diaries to present an engaging portrait of an advocate who fought tirelessly to preserve America's natural beauty. |
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Dottir : My Journey to Becoming a Two-time Crossfit Games Champion
by Katrin Davidsdottir
Dottir is two-time consecutive CrossFit Games Champion Katrin Davidsdottir's inspiring and poignant memoir. As one of only two women in history to have won the title of “Fittest Woman on Earth” twice, Davidsdottir knows all about the importance of mental and physical strength. She won the title in 2015, backing it up with a second win in 2016, after starting CrossFit in just 2011.
A gymnast as a youth, Davidsdottir wanted to try new challenges and found a love of CrossFit. But it hasn't been a smooth rise to the top. In 2014, just one year before taking home the gold, she didn't qualify for the Games. She used that loss as motivation and fuel for training harder and smarter for the 2015 Games. She pushed herself and refocused her mental game. Her hard work and perseverance paid off with her return to the Games and subsequent victories in 2015 and 2016.
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How to Forget: A Daughter's Memoir
by Kate Mulgrew
What it is: actress Kate Mulgrew's moving account of her father's death from lung cancer and her mother's decline from Alzheimer's.
What happened: After her parents received their diagnoses, Mulgrew returned to her hometown of Dubuque, Iowa to care for them, confronting both old wounds and new challenges.
Don't miss: the well-earned moments of levity, including Mulgrew's mother knocking back eight whiskeys in a New York City bar.
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