LibraryAware October 2025

Recent Releases

Knocking on windows : a memoir
by Jeannine Atkins

"Acclaimed author Jeannine Atkins tells her story in this brave and powerful memoir-in-verse about memory, healing, and finding her voice as a writer, perfect for fans of Amber Smith and Speak. Six weeks after the start of her freshman year of college, Jeannine Atkins finds herself back in her childhood bedroom after an unimaginable trauma. Now back home in Massachusetts, she's struggling to reclaim her life and her voice. Seeking comfort in the words of women, she turns to the lives and stories of Sylvia Plath, Maya Angelou, and Emily Dickinson. A searingly honest memoir told through gorgeous verse, Knocking on Windows stands as a beacon of hope and a celebration of the enduring spirit of survivors of sexual assault--and of writers"

Awake
by Jen Hatmaker

Popular Christian living author and podcaster Jen Hatmaker courageously explores the heartbreaking and humiliating end of her marriage of 26 years and the challenges of reclaiming her independence. Hatmaker, suddenly a single mother of five, is relatable as she searchingly poses questions about her purpose and identity that she had taken for granted for so long. For fans of: Untamed by Glennon Doyle.

Backstage: Stories of a Writing Life
by Donna Leon

Celebrated mystery author and creator of the Guido Brunetti series Donna Leon gives her readers a peek into the workings of a prolific creative mind. In brief but gorgeously crafted essays, Leon relates memorable scenes from her life and talks about some of her inspirations, including Venice, the books of Ruth Rendell, and Baroque music. Readers looking for other authors’ musings about life and art should try A Memoir of My Former Self: A Life in Writing by Hilary Mantel.

Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist
by Daniel Pollack-Pelzner

Theater and culture writer Daniel Pollak-Pelzner’s debut charts the startling rise of Lin-Manuel Miranda -- creator of the Broadway hits Hamilton and In the Heights -- from inner-city kid to worldwide phenomenon. Pollack-Pelzner interviewed Miranda and other intimate sources, and his background and expertise render him an “astute observer of the more human side of creating art” (Kirkus Reviews). Try this next: How to Survive a Killer Musical by Douglas J. Cohen.

Softly, As I Leave You: Life After Elvis
by Priscilla Beaulieu Presley with Mary Jane Ross

More than 50 years after her divorce from the King of Rock and Roll, Priscilla Beaulieu Presley candidly recalls finding her independence after her relationship with Elvis, which had dominated her life since she was 14. Presley is frank about her triumphs (success as an actor) and tragedies (the deaths of her daughter and grandson), as well as the grief she felt after her ex-husband’s death. Try this next: Splinters: Another Kind of Love Story by Leslie Jamison.

Mother Mary Comes to Me
by Arundhati Roy

Booker Prize-winning author Arundhati Roy shares vivid memories of growing up poor in India and her complicated relationship with her single mother, Mary. It is a raw account of living with a headstrong, volatile, and sometimes abusive parent, but one who also ignited the author’s dedication to Indian women’s rights, and whose death in 2022 left Arundhati overcome with grief. For fans of: I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy.

Lovers in Auschwitz : a true story
by Keren Blankfeld

The incredible true story of two Holocaust survivors who fell in love in the notorious Auschwitz prison camp only to be separated after the end of the war, and how they were miraculously reunited 70 years later. 45,000 first printing.

Sister Wife: A Memoir of Faith, Family, and Finding Freedom
by Christine Brown Woolley

Reality TV star Christine Brown Woolley speaks earnestly about her Mormon faith and upbringing and candidly about her choice -- following the conclusion of her TLC show Sister Wives -- to leave the tradition of fundamentalist polygamy in which she was raised. If you like this, be sure to read Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear by Jinger Duggar Vuolo.

Contact your librarian for more great books!