|
|
New Nonfiction January 2026 |
|
|
|
|
Lucy & Desi: The Love Letters
by Lucie Arnaz
A treasure trove of previously unseen love letters between Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, spanning their courtship through I Love Lucy fame and beyond, tells the couple's real-life love story in their own words, alongside rare photos from the family scrapbooks. After Lucille Ball's death in 1989, dozens of private letters between Lucy and Desi Arnaz were discovered. Now, for the first time, daughter Lucie Arnaz shares the complete collection in this remarkable volume that reveals the romance of one of the most famous couples in history more intimately than anything that has ever been written about them. At turns the letters disclose longing, ambition, jealousy, humor, and, above all, a passionate love affair that has claimed the world's interest for more than half a century. This extraordinary collection takes readers back to America during World War II, to the lives of a young couple in the early years of their relationship, with budding careers in Hollywood that were still far from their heyday as the nation's top stars. Each letter contains a bit of history as they talk about where they are, what they are doing, and what is going on in the world around them--whether it be a wardrobe fitting with a celebrated designer, remembering the last sensuous night they spent together, or trying to buy just the right refrigerator to please your mother-in-law during wartime rationing. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were married from 1940 to 1960, and while the bulk of the letters were written in the early 1940s, the compendium reflects their entire relationship, from an early courtship, through long periods of separation due to work and world events, to a bittersweet end after nearly two decades. This stunning book takes readers as close as possible to the actual letters by featuring reproductions complete with envelopes, stamps, postmarks, and Lucy and Desi's own custom stationery. Further illustrated by rare photos from the Arnaz family scrapbooks, this volume is a revelatory look at a complicated and captivating love story that will amaze even longtime fans who think they have seen it all.
|
|
|
|
Capitalism: A Global History
by Sven Beckert
A landmark event years in the making, a brilliant global narrative that unravels the defining story of the past thousand years of human history No other phenomenon has shaped human history as decisively as capitalism.Drawing on archives on six continents, Capitalism locates important modes of agency, resistance, innovation, and ruthless coercion everywhere in the world, opening the aperture from heads of state to rural cultivators. Beckert shows that despite the dependence on expansion, there always have been, and are still, areas of human life that the capitalist revolution has yet to reach. By chronicling capitalism's global history, Beckert exposes the reality of the system that now seems simply natural. It is said that people can more easily imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism. If there is one ultimate lesson in this extraordinary book, it's how to leave that behind. Though cloaked in a false timelessness and universality, capitalism is, in reality, a recent human invention. Sven Beckert doesn't merely tote up capitalism's debits and credits. He shows us how to look through and beyond it to imagine a different and larger world.
|
|
|
|
In the Arena: Theodore Roosevelt in War, Peace, and Revolution
by David S. Brown
From acclaimed historian and author of the marvelous (The New York Times Book Review) The Last American Aristocrat comes a captivating new biography of Teddy Roosevelt, exploring the life of America's 26th president and his pivotal role in shaping the dawn of the American Century. Theodore Roosevelt was one of America's most fascinating presidents--a complex man both publicly and privately. In this sweeping biography, historian David S. Brown takes us on an electrifying journey through Theodore Roosevelt's life--from his privileged New York upbringing to his transformative presidency that reshaped America's role on the global stage. In the Arena vividly brings Roosevelt to life as a man of striking contradictions: a rugged outdoorsman with a love for books, a war hero who earned a Nobel Peace Prize, and a larger-than-life figure whose energy seemed boundless. Through compelling storytelling and meticulous research, Brown explores the pivotal moments that forged Roosevelt's indomitable spirit, from battling childhood asthma to witnessing the deaths of both his mother and his wife on the same day, to wrangling cattle in the West and preserving 150 million acres of national land. Challenging traditional views, In the Arena offers a fresh perspective on Roosevelt's groundbreaking political legacy, including his Square Deal policies that laid the groundwork for modern social welfare programs. It also unpacks his bold foreign policy, which expanded America's global influence and set the stage for its rise as a world power. Brown argues that Roosevelt's charisma and performative presidency helped bridge the old Victorian values with the new industrial age, capturing the attention of the middle-class and making him a leader that the people loved. Drawing comparisons to works like David McCullough's Mornings on Horseback, Brown's narrative stands out for its rich detail and sharp insights. More than just an account of a presidency--it's an exploration of a life lived on the edge of greatness and is a must-read for anyone who wants to better understand this critical period of American history.
|
|
|
|
Heart of a Stranger: An Unlikely Rabbi's Story of Faith, Identity, and Belonging
by Angela Buchdahl
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A story that begs to be told. . . engrossing. --The Washington Post From the first Asian American to be ordained as a rabbi, a stirring account of one woman's journey from feeling like an outsider to becoming one of the most admired religious leaders in the world Angela Buchdahl was born in Seoul, the daughter of a Korean Buddhist mother and Jewish American father. Profoundly spiritual from a young age, by sixteen she felt the first stirrings to become a rabbi. Despite the naysayers and periods of self-doubt--Would a mixed-race woman ever be seen as authentically Jewish or chosen to lead a congregation?--she stayed the course, which took her first to Yale, then to rabbinical school, and finally to the pulpit of one of the largest, most influential congregations in the world. Today, Angela Buchdahl inspires Jews and non-Jews alike with her invigorating, joyful approach to worship and her belief in the power of faith, gratitude, and responsibility for one another, regardless of religion. She does not shy away from difficult topics, from racism within the Jewish community and the sexism she confronted when she aspired to the top job to rising antisemitism today. Buchdahl teaches how these challenges, which can make one feel like a stranger, can ultimately be the source of our greatest empathy and strength. Angela Buchdahl has gone from outsider to officiant, from feeling estranged to feeling embraced--and she's emerged with a deep conviction that we are all bound to a larger whole and mission. She has written a book that is both memoir and spiritual guide for everyday living, which is exactly what so many of us crave right now.
|
|
|
|
Captain's Dinner: A Shipwreck, an Act of Cannibalism, and a Murder Trial That Changed Legal History
by Adam Cohen
A Barnes & Noble Best History Book of 2025 Four men in a lifeboat. Two weeks without food. One impossible choice that would reshape the boundaries between survival and murder. A perfect enunciation of the classic philosophical conundrum: can you sacrifice one innocent life to save many? (Yann Martel, author of Life of Pi) On May 19, 1884, the yacht Mignonette set sail from England on what should have been an uneventful voyage. When their vessel sank in the Atlantic, Captain Thomas Dudley and his crew found themselves adrift in a tiny lifeboat. As days turned to weeks, they faced an unthinkable choice: starve to death or resort to cannibalism. Their decision to sacrifice the youngest--17-year-old cabin boy Richard Parker--ignited a firestorm of controversy upon their rescue. Instead of being hailed as heroes and survivors, Dudley and his crew found themselves at the center of Regina v. Dudley and Stephens, a landmark murder trial that would establish the legal precedent that necessity cannot justify murder--a principle that continues to shape Anglo-American law today. In Captain's Dinner, acclaimed journalist, Pulitzer Prize juror, and New York Times bestselling author Adam Cohen masterfully depicts both the harrowing weeks at sea and the sensational trial that followed. Is killing one innocent person justified if it saves the lives of three others? Cohen's answer--in this riveting account--reads like a thriller (former U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken). Through this Victorian tragedy, Cohen reveals an enduring conflict between primal instincts and moral principles. This book will make you think long and hard about what you might do to survive (Ezekiel J. Emanuel, M.D., Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania). Perfect for readers of David Grann's The Wager and Nathaniel Philbrick's In the Heart of the Sea, this pulse-pounding true story has become a real-life example of one of life's greatest moral dilemmas. Thoroughly researched and impeccably argued (Martel). Rich with narrative detail and real-life courtroom twists, brilliant and profound, (bestselling author Amy Chua), Captain's Dinner strikes at the heart of a question that haunts us all: When does survival justify murder?
|
|
|
|
Driven by the Monsoons: Through the Indian Ocean and the Seas of China
by Barry Cunliffe
Barry Cunliffe tells the story of trade across the Indian Ocean using the evidence of archaeology and the tales of great travellers, showing how, across thousands of years, humans have been driven by need and the sheer desire to own exotic goods to create and maintain trade routes whatever the difficulties.
|
|
|
|
There Is No Other: The Way to Harmony and Wholeness
by Ram Dass
An essential balm for these tumultuous times, this thoughtful and inspiring guide features never-before-published teachings to abandon the idea there is an other, bridging differences and cherishing the beautiful Earth that is our home, from beloved spiritual leader Ram Dass.
|
|
|
|
Simply More: A Book for Anyone Who Has Been Told They're Too Much
by Cynthia Erivo
In this vulnerable and enlightening book of life lessons, globally renowned performer Cynthia Erivo draws from her singular experience to show us how to embrace being too much and to live up to the fullest iteration of ourselves. It is never too late to build the life you're seeking. Cynthia Erivo learned the music to Wicked a decade before she needed it, not knowing those same lyrics would change her life. Now she has performed those songs on the world stage, showing us there is always time to keep discovering ourselves. And to illustrate that it's often the parts of ourselves we are told to bury that make us shine. In a series of powerful, personal vignettes, Cynthia reflects on the ways she has grown as an actor and human and the practices she's learned over years of performing and reminds us all we are capable of so much more than we think. We all have hopes and dreams that we want to bring across the finish line. We all falter and take missteps. In this book, Cynthia draws from her experiences running marathons, both real and metaphorical, onstage and onscreen, to show how each challenge can help us. She urges readers to lean into the wisdom of their bodies, to understand and strive for a physical and mental balance. Because when we chase our deepest desires, each small step leads us closer to where we want to go.
|
|
|
|
Joan Crawford: A Woman's Face
by Scott Eyman
Film historian and acclaimed New York Times bestselling biographer Scott Eyman has written the definitive biography of Hollywood icon Joan Crawford, drawing on never-before-seen documents and photos from the Crawford estate. Joan Crawford burst out of her poverty-stricken youth to become a bright young movie star in the 1920's, drawing the admiration of F. Scott Fitzgerald and the attention of audiences worldwide. She flourished for decades, working for multiple studios in every genre from romance to westerns (Mildred Pierce, Johnny Guitar), musicals to noir (Torch Song, A Woman's Face), and being directed by a young Steven Spielberg in one of her last appearances. Along the way she accumulated four husbands, an Academy Award for Best Actress, and the undeniable status of a legend. Joan Crawford: A Woman's Face looks at the reality of this remarkable woman through the prism of groundbreaking primary research, interviews with friends and relatives, and with the same insightful analysis of character and motive that author Scott Eyman brought to John Wayne and Cary Grant, among others. Joan Crawford was a woman like no other, and Joan Crawford: A Woman's Face is the first full telling of her dazzling, turbulent life.
|
|
|
|
Mexico: A 500-Year History
by Paul Gillingham
From acclaimed and prize-winning historian Paul Gillingham, a rich and vibrant history of one of the world's most diverse, politically ground-breaking, and influential of countriesAt the beginning of his masterful work of scholarship and narration, Paul Gillingham writes, from its outset Mexico was more profoundly, globally hybrid than anywhere else in the prior history of the world. Over the ensuing five centuries, Mexicans have prefigured and shaped the course of human lives across the globe.Gillingham begins in 1511 with the dramatic shipwreck of two Spanish sailors in the far south of Mexico. Ten years later Hernán Cortés led an army of European adventurers and indigenous rebels to seize the legendary island city of Tenochtitlán, the center of Montezuma's empire, the largest in the Americas. The capture of the future Mexico City was, more than an extraordinary military event, the collision of two long-separated worlds, radically different in everything from biota to urban planning. Spaniards discovered tomatoes, chocolate, and a city larger and more sophisticated than anything they had ever seen. Mexicans discovered horses, wheels, and lethal germs, sparking a cataclysmic century of disease that wiped out a majority of the pre-existing population and led to a unique recombination of European and indigenous cultures. The industrial mining of Mexico's silver transformed the wealth and trade of the world. Mexico's independence from the Spanish Empire in 1821 led to a calamitous mid-century war with the United States and one of the first great social revolutions that brought peace for Mexicans throughout many of the global horrors of the 20th century, before the country itself collapsed into the violence of the cartels and a refugee crisis in the 2000s.The history of Mexico has been, Gillingham shows, one of suffering empire but also of overcoming. Through it all the country set new standards for inclusivity, for progressive social policies, for artistic expression, for adroitly balancing dictatorship and democracy. While racial divides endured, so too did indigenous peoples, who enjoyed rights unthinkable in the United States. Mexico was among the first countries to abolish slavery in 1829, and Mexicans elected North America's first Black president, Vicente Guerrero, its only indigenous president, Benito Juárez, and its only woman president, Claudia Sheinbaum.As elegantly written as it is powerful in scope, rich in character and anecdote, Mexico uses the latest research to dazzling effect, showing how often Mexico has been a dynamic and vital shaper of world affairs.
|
|
|
|
Daring to Be Free: Rebellion and Resistance of the Enslaved in the Atlantic World
by Sudhir Hazareesingh
Historian Sudhir Hazareesingh recasts the story of slavery's end by showing that the enslaved themselves were at the center of the action--their voices, their resistance, and their extraordinary fight for freedom. Throughout, [his book] portrays the struggle for liberation from the perspective of the enslaved and, wherever possible, in their own words. It highlights the power of collective action, stressing the role of maroon communities, conspiracies, insurrections, and spiritual movements, from Haiti and Brazil to Cuba, Mauritius, and the American South. These acts of resistance involved entire communities, with women often at the heart of the story as warriors, organizers, and agents of radical change.
|
|
|
|
Barbieland: The Unauthorized History
by Tarpley Hitt
More than the story of a toy, Barbieland is the story of the 20th century. --Malcolm Harris, author of Palo Alto Eye-opening, provocative, and always, always fun. --Helaine Olen, author of Pound Foolish Barbieland marks the arrival of a brilliant new voice on the American nonfiction scene. --John Jeremiah Sullivan, author of Pulphead The explosive true story of Barbie and what Mattel has done to keep her on top. In June of 1952, German publishing tycoon Axel Springer was sending a new paper to print: a four-page broadsheet that almost ready, save for a narrow blank on the second page. With minutes to spare, Springer commissioned a one-block cartoon of a petite blonde with a predilection for rich men. That blonde was named Lilli. But in a span of seven short years, she would be reborn in plastic, across an ocean, and under a different name: Barbara Millicent Roberts. If Barbie began as a blank space, the world has spent seven decades filling it in. No doll has elicited more adoration from fans, more hatred from detractors, and more eyerolls from the indifferent. To boosters, she is the ultimate symbol of unabashed girlhood, an 11.5-inch figurine who shot to the moon before American women could get credit cards, an evolving illustration that, per one tagline, we girls can do anything. To critics, she represents an inane vision of femininity that was going out of style just years after she was born--an homage to impossible body proportions, an emblem of Eurocentric beauty standards, a bimbo built on an empire of polyethylene. For everyone else, Barbie is to dolls what Xerox is to copy machines, or Kleenex is to tissues. She is, for better or for worse, an American icon. Barbie's conquest over the toy market did not happen by accident. It is the byproduct of meticulous marketing, occasional backstabbing, squadrons of designers with strong opinions on coral lip shades, and covert corporate maneuvers--many of which replicate, in miniature, the economic trajectory of the country Barbie seems to represent.
|
|
|
|
The Insider: Malcolm Cowley and the Triumph of American Literature
by Gerald Howard
A biography of the little-known editor and literary critic Malcolm Cowley, who helped shape the American literary landscape in the first half of the twentieth century and established the careers and cemented the legacies of famed writers such as William Faulkner, Jack Kerouac, and Ken Kesey.
|
|
|
|
The Greatest Sentence Ever Written
by Walter Isaacson
To celebrate America's 250th anniversary, Walter Isaacson takes readers on a ... deep dive into the creation of one of history's most powerful sentences: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.' Drafted by Thomas Jefferson and edited by Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, this line lays the foundation for the American Dream and defines the common ground we share as a nation. Isaacson unpacks its genius, word by word, illuminating the then-radical concepts behind it.
|
|
|
|
Guided: The Secret Path to an Illuminated Life
by Laura Lynne Jackson
The renowned psychic medium and New York Times bestselling author of Signs explains how our loved ones who have passed continue to communicate with us, steering us to discover our purpose and create lives of meaning, connection, and love. Who am I, really? Why am I here? How can I more fully understand my connections to others and the world around me? And how does that understanding reveal the magic the universe has to offer? According to Laura Lynne Jackson, to answer these questions is to live an illuminated life. Jackson knows that her psychic gifts are not unique to her. She believes that everyone is capable of perceiving energy and identifying and interpreting messages sent to us by the Other Side. In Guided, Jackson shows that our loved ones who have passed form our own Team of Light, and that they never stop sharing their wisdom with us. By embracing the connections they reveal, we are put on a path to our best life--a life that Jackson calls illuminated. An illuminated life is one characterized by connectedness and creativity. It is one of alignment with purpose. It is a life of peace and confidence. And it is a life every one of us can discover for ourselves, if only we are open to the guidance that is sent our way. In Guided, Jackson shares the unforgettable and moving experiences of regular people who have learned how to respond to the messages sent to them by their Teams of Light in order to discover their higher paths. Offering solace and comfort though times of grief, and full of inspiring, motivating stories, Guided points the way toward an illuminated life for us all.
|
|
|
|
Holy Disruptor: Shattering the Shiny Facade by Getting Louder with the Truth
by Amy Duggar King
In Holy Disruptor, Amy Duggar King--'Crazy Cousin Amy' from 19 Kids and Counting--shares her unfiltered testimony of what it was really like behind the scenes in the Duggar family. Through her story, you will discover how to break free from toxic environments, shed lies and manipulation, and become a 'holy disruptor' with your own voice.
|
|
|
|
Family of Spies: A World War II Story of Nazi Espionage, Betrayal, and the Secret History Behind Pearl Harbor
by Christine Kuehn
A propulsive, never-before-told story of one family's shocking involvement as Nazi and Japanese spies during WWII and the pivotal role they played in the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It began with a letter from a screenwriter, asking about a story. Your family. World War II. Nazi spies. Christine Kuehn was shocked and confused. When she asked her seventy-year-old father, Eberhard, what this could possibly be about, he stalled, deflected, demurred, and then wept. He knew this day would come. The Kuehns, a prominent Berlin family, saw the rise of the Nazis as a way out of the hard times that had befallen them. When the daughter of the family, Eberhard's sister, Ruth, met Nazi leader Joseph Goebbels at a party, the two hit it off, and they had an affair. But Ruth had a secret--she was half Jewish--and Goebbels found out. Rather than having Ruth killed, Goebbels instead sent the entire Kuehn family to Hawaii, to work as spies half a world away. There, Ruth and her parents established an intricate spy operation from their home, just a few miles down the road from Pearl Harbor, shielding Eberhard from the truth. They passed secrets to the Japanese, leading to the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor. After Eberhard's father was arrested and tried for his involvement in planning the assault, Eberhard learned the harsh truth about his family and faced a decision that would change the path of the Kuehn family forever. Jumping back and forth between Christine discovering her family's secret and the untold past of the spies in Germany, Japan, and Hawaii, Family of Spies is fast-paced history at its finest and will rewrite the narrative of December 7, 1941.
|
|
|
|
Blank Space: A Cultural History of the Twenty-First Century
by W. David Marx
An NPR Most Anticipated Book of Fall 2025 A revealing exploration of a quarter century of cultural stagnation, examining the commercial and technological forces that have come to dominate contemporary culture--from music and fashion to art, film, TV, and beyond Over the past twenty-five years, pop culture has suffered from a perplexing lack of reinvention. We've entered a cultural blank space--an era when reboots, rehashes, and fads flourish, while bold artistic experimentation struggles to gain recognition. Why is risk no longer rewarded, and how did playing it safe become the formula for success? Acclaimed cultural historian W. David Marx sets out to uncover the answers. In this ambitious cultural history, Marx guides us through the blur of the twenty-first century so far, from the Obama era to the rise of K-pop, from Paris Hilton to the Marvel cinematic universe, from Beyoncé and Taylor Swift to . . . Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, whose enduring influence highlights both their adaptability and the broader shifts in pop culture. Combining sociological, economic, and political insights with a deep dive into art, street culture, fashion, and technology, Blank Space dissects the rise of profit-driven, formulaic trends and the shifting cultural norms that often prioritize going viral over innovation. He reveals how backlash against indie snobbery and nineties counterculture gave rise to a counter-counterculture--one marked by antiliberal sentiment, the celebration of business heroes, and the increasing influence of industry plants and the elite class. In a world of crypto bros, nepo babies, and AI-driven art, Marx offers readers a much-needed dose of clarity and context. Vibrantly narrated and sharply argued, Blank Space is an essential guide for anyone looking to understand the chaos of the twenty-first century, the trends, tastemakers, and icons who shaped it, and how we might push our culture forward over the next quarter century--through renewed emphasis on creativity, community, and the values that transcend mere profit.
|
|
|
|
Healing the Wounds of Rejection: Moving Forward with Strength, Confidence, and the Ability to Trust Again
by Joyce Meyer
An intimate, vulnerable and, compassionate conversation about the pain of rejection, filled with practical, biblical guidance to heal and move on with personal stories from beloved Bible teacher Joyce Meyer, Ginger Stache, and other women who have risen from the ashes of loss. In this era of epidemic loneliness, widely beloved Bible teacher Joyce Meyer and her partner in ministry Ginger Stache offer a vulnerable, intimate, and compassionate conversation about the shame and the pain of rejection and the pathway to healing. We live in a time of overwhelming loneliness and disconnection. At least one in four Americans today are living in estrangement from a family member, and over 50% of us experience periods of disconnection from close relatives. No matter who we are, the sting of rejection touches us. As a child, you may have experienced bullying or even a parent or sibling who failed to acknowledge your value and love you as you needed to be loved. As we grow older, the rejections we experience pile upon one another--a boss who offers constant criticism, a spouse who walks away and leaves us devastated, a friend who ditches us when life gets tough. Rejection is a common denominator of the human experience, and many of us develop into people who view the world through the lens of rejection as our pain causes us to burrow further into isolation, disappointment, and sadness. Here, through Joyce's personal story of abuse and abandonment and Ginger's journey of shock and betrayal in marriage, you will find community in the fact that you are not alone, as well as hope for the dawning of new possibilities. In this book, Joyce Meyer and Ginger Stache are determined to banish the stigma of rejection by leading readers to the healing balm of God's unconditional love. Through facing our pain head-on, learning to embrace the truth of our absolute acceptance in Christ, and understanding how others may react to us and to the world out of their own lens of rejection, we can grow in confidence, develop healthy relationships, and find lasting acceptance. This book also contains study questions with each chapter, perfect for group study or individual reflection.
|
|
|
|
Give Me a Word: The Promise of an Ancient Practice to Guide Your Year
by Christine Valters Paintner
In Give Me a Word, spiritual director, poet, and teacher Christine Valters Paintner invites us on a transformative journey through thirty contemplative and creative practices. Learn to listen and wait and open yourself to deeper sources of wisdom in order to embrace a guiding word that will anchor your life for the coming year.
|
|
|
|
Grit, Spit, and Never Quit: A Marine's Guide to Comedy and Life
by Rob Riggle
Comedian Rob Riggle's frank, funny, and inspirational memoir about how the lessons he learned while serving in the US Marines prepared him for life, especially when it came to pursuing his comedy dreams. Before he graced movie screens in films like The Hangover and television in shows like The Daily Show, Rob Riggle served his country as a Marine for twenty-three years. He helped liberate an embassy in Liberia, served at a refugee camp in Albania before going into Kosovo, did search and rescue at Ground Zero, and was deployed to Afghanistan twice. He learned the hard way that you need to embrace the suck and never give up if you want to get anywhere in life. And those lessons came in handy, especially when he faced tough crowds as he tried to establish his comedy career. He's been heckled (by idiots), shot at (by bigger idiots), rejected for roles, and flopped more often than a European soccer player in the World Cup. But no matter what he was doing, every time Riggle wanted to throw in the towel, he channeled his inner Marine and kicked his ass in gear. Grit, Spit, and Never Quit has action, tear-jerker scenes, side-splitting laughs, and plenty of bumper sticker moments. He's jumped out of planes, he's become one of the most recognizable comedians in the country--but at his core, Rob is a regular guy from Kansas with grit, spit, and the will to never quit.
|
|
|
|
Insomnia
by Robbie Robertson
The rock legend tells the story of his wild ride with Martin Scorsese--as friends, adventure-seekers, and boundary-pushing collaborators--with all the heart of his New York Times bestselling memoir Testimony. For four decades, Robbie Robertson produced music for Martin Scorsese's films, a relationship that began when Robertson convinced Scorsese to direct The Last Waltz, the iconic film of the Band's farewell performance at the Winterland Ballroom on Thanksgiving 1976. The closing of the Band's story with that landmark concert thrust Robertson into a new and uncertain world. With his relationship with his bandmates deteriorating and his marriage collapsing, Robertson arrived on Scorsese's Beverly Hills doorstep only to find his friend in similar straits. Before the night was out, Scorsese had invited him to move in. Both men, already culture-transforming stars before the age of thirty-five, stood at a creative precipice, searching for the beginning of a new phase of life and work. As their friendship deepened into a career-altering collaboration, their shared journey would take them around the world and down the rabbit hole of American culture in the long hangover of the seventies. Buffeted on either side by temptation and paranoia, veering closer to self-destruction than either wanted to admit, together they had devoted themselves to a partnership defined by equal parts admiration and ambition. With a cast of characters featuring Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, Federico Fellini, Sophia Loren, Sam Fuller, Liza Minelli, Tuesday Weld, and many more, Insomnia is an intimate portrait of a remarkable creative friendship between two titans of American arts, one that would explore the outer limits of excess and experience before returning to tell the tale.
|
|
|
|
The Six Loves of James I
by Gareth Russell
A groundbreaking and insightful exploration of King James I, enigmatic successor to Queen Elizabeth I, from the meticulous researcher (The Wall Street Journal) and author of the enjoyable and readable (Philippa Gregory, #1 New York Times bestselling author) The Palace. From the assassination of his father to the explosive political and personal intrigues of his reign, this fresh biography reveals as never before the passions that drove King James I. Gareth Russell's rollicking, gossipy (Dan Jones, author of The Plantagenets), and scholarly voice invites us into James's world, revealing a monarch whose reign was defined by both his public power and personal vulnerabilities. For too long, historians have shied away from or condemned the exploration of his sexuality. Now, Russell offers a candid narrative that not only reveals James's relationships with five prominent men but also challenges the historical standards applied to the examination of royal intimacies. This biography stands as a significant contribution to the understanding of royal history, illuminating the personal experiences that shaped James's political decisions and his philosophical views on masculinity and sexuality.
|
|
|
|
Bread of Angels: A Memoir
by Patti Smith
The most intimate of Smith's memoirs, Bread of Angels takes us through her teenage years when the first glimmers of art and romance take hold. Arthur Rimbaud and Bob Dylan emerge as creative heroes and role models as Smith starts to write poetry, then lyrics, merging both into the iconic recordings and songs such as Horses and Easter, 'Dancing Barefoot' and 'Because the Night.' She leaves it all behind to marry her one true love, Fred 'Sonic' Smith, with whom she creates a life of devotion and adventure on a canal in St. Clair Shores, Michigan. ... She builds a room of her own, furnished with a pillow of Moroccan silk, a Persian cup, inkwell and fountain pen. The couple spend nights in their landlocked Chris-Craft studying nautical maps and charting new adventures as they start their family. As Smith suffers profound losses, grief and gratitude are braided through years of caring for her children, rebuilding her life, and, finally, writing again.
|
|
|
|
Queens at War: England's Medieval Queens Book Four
by Alison Weir
The tumultuous period in English history that marked the end of the medieval era and the rise of the Tudors comes to stunning life in the final volume of Alison Weir's four-part Medieval Queens series, filled with dramatic true stories chronicling the turbulent reigns of the last five Plantagenet queens. The fifteenth century was a violent age. In Queens at War, Alison Weir chronicles the five queens who got caught up in wars that changed the courses of their lives: the Hundred Years' War between England and France, and the Wars of the Roses between the royal Houses of Lancaster and York. Against this tempestuous backdrop, Weir describes the lives of five Plantagenet queens, who occupied the consort's throne from 1403 to 1485. Joan of Navarre was happily married to King Henry IV but was accused of witchcraft by Henry's heir and imprisoned. Paris-born Katherine of Valois's political marriage to Henry V was meant to bring peace between England and France. It didn't, and Henry died during the Hundred Years' War without ever seeing his newborn heir, Henry VI, who was wed to another French princess, Margaret of Anjou, in 1445. In the Wars of the Roses, Margaret staunchly supported her husband and son. Henry's successor, Edward IV, became embroiled in scandal after he fell in love with and married Elizabeth Widville, mother of the tragic Princes in the Tower. The notorious Richard III usurped Edward's throne and married Anne Neville, who died after losing her only child, forsaken by her husband. Underpinned by extensive reading of original sources (The Washington Post), Weir's Medieval Queens series strips away centuries of historical mythologizing to shed light on the genuine accomplishments and bravery of these fascinating female monarchs. Queens at War brings the series to an action-packed close.
|
|
|
|
|
Morton Grove Public Library
6140 Lincoln Ave
Morton Grove, Illinois 60053
(847) 965-4220www.mgpl.org |
|
|
|