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Biography and Memoir December 2022 |
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| Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story by BonoWhat it is: Grammy Award-winning U2 frontman Bono's candid and conversational memoir discussing his life, career, and the inspiration behind his music.
Why you might like it: Forty U2 songs (each presented as a chapter title) serve as the inventive framing device for Bono's reflections.
Want a taste? "I'm discovering surrender doesn't always have to follow defeat." |
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| Ted Kennedy: A Life by John A. FarrellWhat it is: an engaging biography of Massachusetts senator Ted Kennedy.
What sets it apart: Pulitzer Prize finalist John A. Farrell utilizes never-before-seen sources, including Kennedy's personal diaries, to offer a nuanced and well-researched portrait of a complex political figure.
Awards buzz: This "definitive" (Publishers Weekly) account was longlisted for the 2022 National Book Award for Nonfiction. |
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| The World Record Book of Racist Stories by Amber Ruffin & Lacey LamarWhat it is: comedian Amber Ruffin and her sister Lacey Lamar's funny and thought-provoking follow-up to their bestselling You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories About Racism.
What's inside: frank accounts of absurd racist treatment the pair (and their friends and family members) have received.
Reviewers say: "a much-needed wake-up call for anyone who still doesn't believe the severity of anti-Black racism in America" (Kirkus). |
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| The White Mosque by Sofia SamatarStarring: fantasy novelist Sofia Samatar (The Winged Histories), born to a Swiss Mennonite mother and a Somali Muslim father.
What it's about: Samatar's 2016 pilgrimage to Uzbekistan to visit Ak-Metchet ("The White Mosque"), a village built in the late 19th century by Russian Mennonites.
Read it for: an evocative blend of memoir and travelogue that explores faith, identity, and community. |
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| The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams by Stacy SchiffWhat it is: a dramatic and page-turning biography of founding father Samuel Adams, penned by Pulitzer Prize winner Stacy Schiff (The Witches: Salem, 1692).
Why you might like it: Schiff's richly detailed chronicle reveals the pivotal yet lesser-known role Adams played in the American Revolution.
Reviewers say: "a must-read for colonial history buffs" (Publishers Weekly); "a welcome, fresh study" (Kirkus). |
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| The Impossible City: A Hong Kong Memoir by Karen CheungWhat it is: a lyrical memoir of journalist Karen Cheung's fraught coming of age against the backdrop of a Hong Kong newly under Chinese control.
Read it for: a compelling insider's look at the city, from its alternative music scene to its stratified society and protests for democracy.
Try this next: Louisa Lim's Indelible City: Dispossession and Defiance in Hong Kong or Mark Clifford's Today Hong Kong, Tomorrow the World. |
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| Deaf Utopia: A Memoir -- and a Love Letter to a Way of Life by Nyle DiMarco with Robert SiebertWhat it's about: Deaf activist, model, and actor Nyle DiMarco's journey toward becoming "the proud Deaf man I am today."
Topics include: DiMarco's upbringing in a multigenerational Deaf family in New York City; navigating ableism in the entertainment industry; coming out as sexually fluid.
Don't miss: the typed approximations of American Sign Language (ASL) DiMarco employs to convey the language's rhythms and charms. |
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| Fearlessly Different: An Autistic Actor's Journey to Broadway's Biggest Stage by Mickey RoweWhat it's about: how actor and National Disability Theater founder Mickey Rowe fulfilled his lifelong dream of acting.
Read it for: an impassioned celebration of a life well lived.
Did you know? In 2017, Rowe became the first openly autistic actor to play the lead role of autistic teenager Christopher Boone in a stage production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. |
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| The High Desert by James SpoonerWhat it is: Afro-punk artist and filmmaker James Spooner's graphic memoir depicting his coming of age in 1980s Apple Valley, California.
Art alert: Spooner's realistic, attention-grabbing illustrations and muted colors capture his struggles as a biracial kid living in a predominantly white town.
Try this next: For another bittersweet memoir about an outsider teen who finds solace in punk rock, read Phuc Tran's Sigh, Gone. |
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| In the Shadow of the Mountain: A Memoir of Courage by Silvia Vasquez-LavadoWhat it's about: Grappling with alcoholism and memories of childhood sexual abuse, Peruvian-born Silicon Valley executive Silvia Vasquez-Lavado began climbing mountains, eventually starting a nonprofit to help girls heal through adventure and becoming the first openly gay woman to climb the Seven Summits.
Movie buzz: Selena Gomez is set to star in a film adaptation of this moving memoir. |
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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, Maureen Kern, Chairwoman |
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