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Biography and Memoir November 2025 |
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Heart of a Stranger: An Unlikely Rabbi's Story of Faith, Identity, and Belonging
by Angela Buchdahl
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 Korea and grew up in Tacoma, Washington, the daughter of a Korean Buddhist mother and Jewish American father. Profoundly spiritual from a young age, felt a connection to God when only a child and felt the first stirrings to become a rabbi at age sixteen. Despite the naysayers and periods of self-doubt, she stayed the course, which took her first to Yale, then to rabbinical school, cantorial school, and finally to the pulpit of one of the largest, most influential congregations in the world. Today, she is revered by Jews and non-Jews alike for her invigorating, joyful approach to worship, and her belief in the power of faith, gratitude, and responsibility for each other, regardless of religion.
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Here We Go: Lessons for Living Fearlessly from Two Traveling Nanas
by Eleanor Hamby
Eleanor Hamby and Dr. Sandra Hazelip, the two irresistible women who have become known as the TikTok travelling grannies, deliver a book of life lessons drawn from their late-in-life friendship, and the daring and transformational adventures they've undertaken. Together, they have traveled to twenty countries since they turned 80. Life on the road at their age has given them essential wisdom, and they have written this reflection with the goal of sharing their affirming and joyous insights with the world. Ellie and Sandy's life lessons come from the intersections of their discoveries about aging, their shared faith, and their deep friendship. The photographer and doctor duo immerse themselves in the communities they visit, always learning more about themselves and the world around them.
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107 Days
by Kamala Harris
Your Secret Service code name is Pioneer. You are the first woman in history to be elected vice president of the United States. On July 21, 2024, your running mate, Joe Biden, announces that he will not be seeking reelection. The presidential election will occur on November 5, 2024. You have 107 days. Written with candor, a unique perspective, and the pace of a page-turning novel, 107 Days takes you inside the race for the presidency as no one has ever done before--
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The Elephants of Thula Thula
by Françoise Malby-Anthony
Françoise Malby-Anthony's The Elephants of Thula Thula is a powerful, gripping story about an extraordinary herd of elephants and the woman dedicated to keeping them safe. 'Somehow, the elephants got into my soul, and it became my life's work to see them safe and happy. There was no giving up on that vision, no matter how hard the road was at times.' Françoise Malby-Anthony is the owner of a game reserve in South Africa with a remarkable family of elephants whose adventures have touched hearts around the world. The herd's feisty matriarch Frankie knows who's in charge at Thula Thula, and it's not Françoise. But when Frankie becomes ill, and the authorities threaten to remove or cull some of the herd if the reserve doesn't expand, Françoise is in a race against time to save her beloved elephants . . . The joys and challenges of a life dedicated to conservation are vividly described in this book.
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That's a Great Question, I'd Love to Tell You
by Elyse Myers
Elyse Myers is known to her twelve million followers as 'The Internet's Best Friend,' sharing her relatable stories and comedic sketches and serving as an advocate for topics such as neurodivergence, impostor syndrome, body image, and more. Whether she's making people laugh with tales of disastrous dates or giving a voice to that awkward internal monologue many of us have, she has three simple goals behind everything she makes: To make people feel known, loved, and like they belong. In [this book], Elyse delivers a debut collection of deeply personal stories and hand-drawn illustrations, offering even more intimate reflections beyond what fans have seen on her social media
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We Should All Be Birds: A Memoir
by Brian Buckbee
A charming and moving debut memoir about how a man with a mystery illness saves a pigeon, and how the pigeon saves the man. I loved every page of this book: funny, sad, romantic, and full of pigeons.--Sy Montgomery
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Charlie Chaplin vs. America: When Art, Sex, and Politics Collided
by Scott Eyman
The story of Charlie Chaplin's years of self-imposed exile from the United States, when he had become a pariah during the 1950s Red Scare. While living abroad he made his last, and by general agreement, worst films, only to return home years later to a triumphant reception--
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The Season: A Fan's Story
by Helen Garner
n The Season, Helen Garner trains her keen journalistic eye on the most difficult time of all: adolescence. Garner and her grandson Amby are deep in the throes of a shared obsession with Australian Rules football -or "footy"- as Amby advances into his local club's Under-16s. From her trademark remove, Garner documents the camaraderie and the competition on the field: the bracing nights of training, the endurance of pain, the growth of a gaggle of laughing boys into a formidable, focused team. The Season is part dispatch on boyhood, chronicling the tenderness between young men that so often scurries away under too bright a spotlight, and part love letter to parenthood and family, as Garner becomes enmeshed in the community that gathers to watch their boys do battle.
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Compassion in the Court: Life-Changing Stories from America's Nicest Judge
by Frank Caprio
From 1985, when he first took the bench, to when he stepped down in 2023, Judge Caprio dispensed true compassion to a continuous flow of regular people in his municipal traffic court in Providence, Rhode Island. [Here] Judge Caprio shares transformative stories and lessons from his life and courtroom.
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The Broken King
by Michael Thomas
A personal memoir of race, trauma, alcoholism, parenting, mental illness, and ultimately hope in a portrait of three generations of Black American men. Thomas explores fathers and sons, lovers and the beloved, trauma and recovery, soccer and baseball in a unique, urgent, and timeless memoir. The title is borrowed from T. S. Eliot's line in 'Little Gidding': 'If you came at night like a broken king,' and the work ponders the process of being broken. Thomas's memoir unfolds through six powerful, interlocking and overlaying parts focusing on the lives of five men: his father--a philosopher, Boston Red Sox fan, and absent parent; his estranged, lawless older brother; his two sons growing up in Brooklyn; and always, heartbreakingly himself. At the center of The Broken King is the story of Thomas's own breakdown, a result of inherited family history and his own experiences, from growing up Black in the Boston suburbs to publishing a prizewinning novel with 'the house of Beckett.'
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On the Ground: My Life as a Foreign Correspondent
by Brian Stewart
A memoir revealing the pressures, joys, and traumas of witnessing history up close and personal, from one of Canada's most prominent and decorated foreign correspondents. Brian Stewart is a trusted voice who brought stories of the world home to Canadians for decades on CBC's The National . He saw it all firsthand--triumph and ecstasy; carnage and unspeakable suffering--and bore the responsibility of shining a light on the most exciting and most horrifying moments of the late 20th century, including the Gulf War and the Ethiopian famine, reporting from sandstorms and shootouts, palaces and embassies. He spoke with the likes of Margaret Thatcher, Pope John Paul II, and Nelson Mandela; with armed militants, activists, aid workers, and more. Now, for the first time, he is sharing his experience of the cost, both personal and professional, of bringing truth home from around the world.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Côte Saint-Luc Public Library
5851 Cavendish Blvd.
Côte Saint-Luc, Quebec H4W 2X8
514-485-6900csllibrary.org/ |
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