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Biography and Memoir June 2019
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| Mama's Boy: A Story from Our Americas by Dustin Lance BlackWhat it's about: Dustin Lance Black's conservative Mormon upbringing in Texas and his complicated relationship with his mother, a headstrong polio and abuse survivor.
Author alert: LGBTQIA activist Black is the Academy Award-winning screenwriter of Milk.
Reviewers say: "terrifically moving" (Kirkus Reviews); "belongs in every library" (Booklist). |
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| All That You Leave Behind by Erin Lee CarrWhat it is: a poignant elegy for Erin Lee Carr's late father, New York Times journalist David Carr, who died from lung cancer in 2015; an incisive look at the ravages of multigenerational addiction.
What's inside: texts, emails, and letters exchanged between Carr and her father that offer an insightful view into the pair's relationship.
Further reading: David Carr's award-winning 2008 memoir Night of the Gun, which chronicles his own struggles with addiction and his life as a single father. |
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| What My Mother and I Don't Talk About: Fifteen Writers Break the Silence by Michele Filgate (editor)What it is: a diverse collection of essays that illuminate the complicated relationships between the authors and their mothers.
Contributors include: Kiese Laymon, Alexander Chee, Carmen Maria Machado, and Nayomi Munaweera.
Is it for you? Haunting and lyrical, this anthology unflinchingly explores topics like abuse, estrangement, and mental illness. |
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| Becoming Dr. Seuss: Theodor Geisel and the Making of an American Imagination by Brian Jay JonesWhat it is: a comprehensive and entertaining biography of ad man-turned-beloved children's book author and cartoonist Dr. Seuss.
Don't miss: the balanced appraisal of Seuss' legacy -- though he was known for championing causes like environmentalism, he also employed racial stereotypes in his works.
Who it's for: Seuss fans and lovers of page-turning biographies. |
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| African Samurai: The True Story of Yasuke, a Legendary Black Warrior in Feudal Japan by Thomas Lockley and Geoffrey GirardWho it's about: Yasuke, the 16th-century African slave who served as a vassal to powerful warlord Oda Nobunaga and became Japan's first foreign-born samurai.
Read it for: the action-packed narrative; the evocative depiction of feudal Japan.
Movie buzz: Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman is set to play Yasuke in a forthcoming film. |
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| The Incredible True Story of Blondy Baruti: My Unlikely Journey from the Congo to Hollywood by Blondy Baruti with Joe LaydenWhat it is: an inspiring chronicle of author Blondy Baruti's life, from his impoverished childhood in the Democratic Republic of Congo to his success as a college basketball player and actor.
Author alert: Baruti made his film debut as villain Huhtar in 2017's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2.
Why you might like it: Short chapters and a friendly, conversational tone make this a quick and uplifting read. |
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| Into the Magic Shop: A Neurosurgeon's Quest to Discover the Mysteries of the Brain and the... by James R. Doty, MDWhat it's about: how James Doty survived a childhood of abuse to become a revered neurosurgeon and the director of Stanford University's Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE).
Featuring: well-researched mindfulness and visualization techniques.
Is it for you? Squeamish readers may want to steer clear of Doty's graphic descriptions of brain surgery. |
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| Butterfly: From Refugee to Olympian, My Story of Rescue, Hope, and Triumph by Yusra MardiniWhat it is: a moving account of swimmer Yusra Mardini's flight from war-torn Syria in 2015 and her subsequent asylum in Germany.
About the author: At age 18, Mardini was a member of the Refugee Olympic Athletes Team at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Reviewers say: "A rousing, exciting true story of remarkable resilience" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| Empress of the East: How a European Slave Girl Became Queen of the Ottoman Empire by Leslie PeirceStarring: Ruthenian slave Roxelana, the concubine-turned-wife of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, who became one of her husband's most influential political advisers thanks to her shrewd knack for philanthropy and diplomacy.
Why you might like it: Empress of the East traces Roxelana's rise to power with evocative descriptions of 16th-century Turkish culture, customs, and politics. |
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| A Curious Man: The Strange & Brilliant Life of Robert "Believe It or Not!" Ripley by Neal ThompsonWho it's about: eccentric playboy and cartoonist Robert Ripley, who parlayed his curiosity for all things weird into the successful multimedia empire "Believe It or Not!"
What's inside: chapter breaks interspersed with fun "Believe It!" facts.
Did you know? In his lifetime Ripley visited 150 countries, amassing oddities such as torture devices from around the world. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Plainville Public Library plainvillepubliclibrary.org/ 198 South Street Plainville, Massachusetts 02762 (508) 695-1784
Regular Library Hours: Monday 10-8pm, Tuesday 10-5pm, Wednesday 10-8pm, Thursday 10-2pm, Friday 1-6pm, Saturday 10-2pm, Sunday - Closed.
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