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Biography and Memoir March 2022 |
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| Go Back to Where You Came From: And Other Helpful Recommendations on How to Become... by Wajahat AliWhat it's about: Raised in the San Francisco Bay Area by Pakistani Muslim parents, journalist and playwright Wajahat Ali spent his life dodging racist and xenophobic comments, becoming an "accidental activist" in the wake of 9/11.
What's inside: a witty and self-deprecating "guide" on how to be an American, featuring insights on Ali and his family's immigrant experience; tongue-in-cheek chapter titles including "Be Moderate So America Will (Maybe) Love You (Conditionally) One Day (Inshallah)." |
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| Just Pursuit: A Black Prosecutor's Fight for Fairness by Laura CoatesWhat it's about: how CNN senior legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Laura Coates' time in the courtroom and her lived experience as a Black woman have informed her perspective on America's flawed criminal justice system.
Read it for: "a personal, heartfelt, eloquent, and sobering examination of the nexus of justice and humanity" (Booklist Reviews).
For fans of: attorney Brittany K. Barnett's memoir A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom. |
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| Putting the Rabbit in the Hat by Brian CoxWhat it is: a candid memoir from renowned actor Brian Cox, currently garnering praise for his role in TV's Succession.
Topics include: Cox's working-class upbringing in Dundee, Scotland; his career beginnings in theater; the toll his professional life has taken on his personal one.
Don't miss: Cox's gossipy, headline-making reflections on the projects he's worked on and his relationships with co-stars and industry peers. |
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| Foreverland: On the Divine Tedium of Marriage by Heather HavrileskyWhat it is: a laugh-out-loud memoir exploring the joys and pressures of modern married life, "the world's most impossible endurance challenge."
About the author: "Ask Polly" advice columnist Heather Havrilesky is the author of How To Be A Person in the World.
Who it's for: Perceptive and insightful, Harvilesky's sardonic ode to (and critique of) the institution of marriage will appeal to partnered readers and singletons alike. |
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| Miss Me with That: Hot Takes, Helpful Tidbits, and a Few Hard Truths by Rachel LindsayWhat it is: the debut essay collection from attorney and Extra correspondent Rachel Lindsay, the Bachelor contestant who became the franchise's first Black Bachelorette in 2017.
What's inside: Lindsay's thought-provoking reflections on the Bachelor franchise's handling of race; intimate details of her privileged upbringing in Dallas and early dating mishaps; frank advice on finding love.
Want a taste? "Contrary to popular belief, the best gift I ever received was not a wedding ring. It was the permission I gave myself to be imperfect." |
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| Letters to the Sons of Society: A Father's Invitation to Love, Honesty, and Freedom by Shaka SenghorThen: In 1991, 19-year-old Shaka Senghor was convicted of murder, spending the next 20 years in prison.
Now: After his release in 2010, Senghor devoted himself to caring for his two sons -- Jay, whose childhood he missed while he was incarcerated, and Sekou, born shortly after Senghor's release.
Why you should read it: Senghor's compelling collection of letters to his sons offers a moving exploration of trauma, familial bonds, and Black manhood that will resonate with fans of Ta-Nehisi Coates. |
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| Lorraine Hansberry: The Life Behind A Raisin in the Sun by Charles J. ShieldsWhat it is: a well-researched biography chronicling the life and career of playwright and social activist Lorraine Hansberry.
Featuring: correspondence and diary entries written by Hansberry; interviews with her loved ones and colleagues.
Further reading: Radical Vision: A Biography of Lorraine Hansberry by Soyica Diggs Colbert. |
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| Camera Man: Buster Keaton, the Dawn of Cinema, and the Invention of the Twentieth... by Dana StevensWhat it is: an engaging mix of biography and cultural history that explores how silent film icon Buster Keaton came of age alongside the nascent film industry.
Read it for: a thoughtful and engaging portrait that places a giant of the silver screen within the context of his times.
Try this next: Buster Keaton: A Filmmaker's Life by James Curtis. |
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| Funny Farm: My Unexpected Life with 600 Rescue Animals by Laurie ZaleskiWhat it's about: Laurie Zaleski's mother, domestic violence survivor Annie, always dreamed of running an animal rescue. After Annie's death in 2000, Laurie decided to make that dream a reality, opening the Funny Farm Rescue & Sanctuary in Mays Landing, New Jersey.
Featuring: dogs, cats, ducks, geese, skunks, alpacas, pigs, goats, horses, and more.
Reviewers say: "Lovers of the furry and feathery will revel in this feel-good story" (Publishers Weekly). |
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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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