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Biography and Memoir July 2023 |
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| The Talk by Darrin BellThen: At age six, Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Darrin Bell had a terrifying encounter with a police officer while playing with a friend's water gun, prompting a conversation with his mother about racism.
Now: While recalling the racist experiences he has dealt with throughout his life, Bell contemplates whether or not his own young son is ready for "the talk."
Art alert: Bell's debut graphic memoir features expressive artwork in alternating blue and sepia hues (the latter for flashbacks). |
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| Never Give Up: A Prairie Family's Story by Tom BrokawWhat it is: Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist Tom Brokaw's moving tribute to his working-class parents, Red and Jean.
What's inside: Brokaw's heartfelt reflections on how his family navigated the challenges of the Great Depression and World War II in small-town South Dakota.
Words to live by: The title of this memoir was inspired by Red's life philosophy. |
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| Better Living Through Birding: Notes From a Black Man in the Natural World by Christian CooperWhat it is: an engaging memoir from birder and activist Christian Cooper, whose Central Park encounter with a white dog walker went viral in 2020.
Read it for: Cooper's love for the natural world; insights on how his hobby informs his experiences as a gay Black man; tips for birdwatching.
Try this next: Bird Brother: A Falconer's Journey and the Healing Power of Wildlife by Rodney Stotts. |
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| The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael FinkelStarring: prolific French art thief Stéphane Breitwieser, who conducted more than 200 heists throughout Europe over an eight-year period, stealing an estimated $1 to $2 billion worth of objects.
Book buzz: author Michael Finkel expands upon his 2019 GQ article about Breitwieser in this suspenseful blend of biography and true crime.
Featuring: maps and color photographs of some of the stolen artwork. |
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| An Amerikan Family: The Shakurs and the Nation They Created by Santi Elijah HolleyWhat it is: a richly detailed collective biography of the Shakur family, whose activism and influence shaped the Black liberation movement.
Featuring: Black Panther Party member Afeni Shakur; her son, rapper Tupac Shakur; activist Assata Shakur, currently living in Cuban exile.
Reviewers say: "essential reading" (Booklist); "a vital chapter in the history of the struggle for racial justice" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| Orphan Bachelors: A Memoir: On Being a Confession Baby, Chinatown Daughter... by Fae Myenne NgWhat it's about: how the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 impacted multiple generations of author Fae Myenne Ng's immigrant family.
Why you should read it: Ng's sweeping and sobering "book of living memory" offers an unvarnished look at the immigrant experience.
Further reading: Mott Street: A Chinese American Family's Story of Exclusion and Homecoming by Ava Chin. |
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| Pageboy by Elliot PageWhat it is: the intimate debut memoir from Academy Award-nominated actor and trans activist Elliot Page.
Is it for you? Though he offers plenty of gossip and behind-the-scenes career anecdotes, Page also candidly addresses the transphobia and harassment he has endured in Hollywood and beyond.
Book buzz: Pageboy was named a Most Anticipated Book by Salon, Elle, Bustle, and more. |
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| My Friend Anne Frank: The Inspiring and Heartbreaking True Story of Best Friends Torn... by Hannah Pick-GoslarWhat it is: Bergen-Belsen survivor Hannah Pick-Goslar's heartwrenching and moving account of her friendship with Anne Frank.
Read it for: a vivid account of the Holocaust that reveals another perspective on Anne Frank's legacy.
Try this next: The Last Secret of the Secret Annex: The Untold Story of Anne Frank, Her Silent Protector, and a Family Betrayal by Joop Van Wijk-Voskuijl and Jerden De Bruyn. |
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| When the World Didn't End by Guinevere TurnerWhat it's about: actor/director/screenwriter Guinevere Turner's abusive upbringing in the Lyman Family doomsday cult.
Featuring: reflections drawn from diaries Turner kept in her youth: "There have been points in my life when keeping a record of what was happening to me felt like the only power I had."
For fans of: affecting memoirs of surviving unconventional childhoods, like Tara Westover's Educated. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Atlantic County Library System | 40 Farragut Avenue, Mays Landing, NJ 08330
Phone: (609) 625-2776 | www.atlanticlibrary.org
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|  | Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson
Atlantic County Board of Commissioners, John W. Risley, Jr., Chairman |
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