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Popular Culture September 2018
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| Just a Shot Away: Peace, Love, and Tragedy with the Rolling Stones at Altamont by Saul AusterlitzWhat it's about: the ill-fated Rolling Stones concert at the 1969 Altamont Speedway Free Festival, in which Meredith Hunter, an 18-year-old African American attendee, was killed by Hells Angels security forces.
Don't miss: Saul Austerlitz's poignant tribute to Hunter includes interviews with surviving family members.
Further reading: Joel Selvin's Altamont: The Rolling Stones, the Hells Angels, and the Inside Story of Rock's Darkest Day. |
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| You're on an Airplane: A Self-Mythologizing Memoir by Parker PoseyWhat it is: the quirky debut memoir from "Queen of Indie Film" Parker Posey, best known for her roles in Christopher Guest mockumentaries.
What's inside: family recipes, handmade photo collages, showbiz anecdotes, and advice from Posey's therapist.
Want a taste? "I'm not great at being a movie star. It's either too boring or too much work." |
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| Why To Kill a Mockingbird Matters: What Harper Lee's Book and America's Iconic Film Mean... by Tom SantopietroWhat it is: a concise, affectionate history charting the enduring cultural legacy of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and its Academy Award-winning film adaptation.
Did you know? Before Gregory Peck was cast, Bing Crosby, Rock Hudson, and Spencer Tracy were all considered for the role of Atticus Finch.
Try this next: Atticus Finch: The Biography by Joseph Crespino. |
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| Unbeaten: Rocky Marciano's Fight for Perfection in a Crooked World by Mike StantonWhat it's about: the astonishing 49-0 boxing career of "Brockton Bomber" Rocky Marciano, the only heavyweight champion to retire undefeated.
About the author: Mike Stanton is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and the author of The Prince of Providence.
Is it for you? Marciano's fans (and those who enjoy rags-to-riches storytelling) will be entertained by this meticulously researched and admiring biography. |
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| Ghostbuster's Daughter: Life with My Dad, Harold Ramis by Violet Ramis StielWhat it is: a heartfelt and intimate memoir from Violet Ramis Stiel chronicling her close relationship with her father, comedy legend Harold Ramis.
Why you might like it: By balancing candid reflections of family dynamics with behind-the-scenes anecdotes of her father's career in Hollywood, Ramis Stiel "renders a three-dimensional image of her father as an emblematic figure in comedy" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| Crazy Is My Superpower: How I Triumphed by Breaking Bones, Breaking Hearts.... by AJ Mendez BrooksWhat it's about: In this inspiring and upbeat memoir, three-time WWE champion A.J. Brooks chronicles how she survived an impoverished childhood rife with family dysfunction to become an empowered "real-life superhero" in a male-dominated industry.
Read it for: Brooks' unflinching, behind-the-scenes look at the oft-brutal world of professional wrestling; her motivational directive for readers to stay true to themselves. |
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| Yes: My Improbable Journey to the Main Event of WrestleMania by Daniel Bryan with Craig TelloWhat it is: an engaging, conversational memoir of Daniel Bryan's unlikely ascent to WWE stardom, hindered by his being "undersized" and his disinterest in fame and fortune.
Art alert: flip-book style animations add a whimsical touch to the lower corners of the book's pages.
About the author: Outside the ring, Bryan is an avid supporter of environmental advocacy and was named PETA'S Most Animal-Friendly Athlete of 2012. |
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| Carry On: A Story of Resilience, Redemption, and an Unlikely Family by Lisa FennWhat it's about: Leroy Sutton lost his legs after a childhood train accident; Dartanyon Crockett is legally blind. The two formed a brotherly bond while wrestling for their Cleveland high school team. When ESPN producer Lisa Fenn saw their story in a newspaper article, no one could predict the effect these three would end up having on each other's lives.
For fans of: Moving sports stories like Friday Night Lights and The Blind Side. |
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| Foxcatcher: The True Story of My Brother's Murder, John du Pont's Madness, and... by Mark Schultz with David ThomasWhat it's about: the fraught relationship that brothers and Olympic gold medalists Mark and Dave Schultz had with self-styled coach and eccentric du Pont family heir John du Pont, culminating in the shooting death of Dave by John in 1996.
Want a taste? "We were his newest trophies...and we were more fun to play with than his seashells and birds because we were collectibles that he could manipulate."
Media buzz: Foxcatcher is the basis of the Academy Award-nominated film of the same name. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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| | Washoe County Library System 301 S Center St, Reno, NV 89501 | |
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