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Biography and Memoir June 2023 |
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| Why Fathers Cry at Night: A Memoir in Love Poems, Recipes, Letters, and Remembrances by Kwame AlexanderWhat is it: Newbery Award-winning children's author and poet Kwame Alexander's candid and lyrical meditations on learning to embrace familial and romantic love.
Topics include: parenting, divorce, grief, sexuality, career inspirations.
Featuring: poetry; letters to the author's children; recipes for 7UP pound cake, jollof Caesar salad, fried chicken, and hot buttered rolls. |
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| Camera Girl: The Coming of Age of Jackie Bouvier Kennedy by Carl Sferrazza AnthonyWhat it is: a biography of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy's young adult life that chronicles her time spent in Paris during a study abroad program, photojournalism aspirations, and early courtship with John F. Kennedy.
Why you might like it: Focused solely on the years 1949-1953 and featuring interviews, oral histories, and archival materials, this engaging portrait offers a fresh appraisal on Bouvier Kennedy's legacy by spotlighting a lesser-known era in her life. |
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| Fatherland: A Memoir of War, Conscience, and Family Secrets by Burkhard BilgerWhat it's about: New Yorker staff writer Burkhard Bilger's decade-long journey to discover the truth about his grandfather, Karl Gönner, a Nazi Party chief who worked in the occupied French region of Alsace and was later imprisoned for war crimes.
Read it for: Bilger's atmospheric reconstruction of Gönner's contradictory wartime exploits, including his possible role in a farmer's murder and his protection of the villagers in his charge.
Featuring: visits to key sites and interviews with Alsace villagers. |
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| A Renaissance of Our Own: A Memoir & Manifesto on Reimagining by Rachel E. CargleWhat it's about: how Black queer activist Rachel E. Cargle created her knowledge, empathy, and action (KEA) framework to dismantle oppressive systems and create healing ones in their place.
For fans of: incisive and empowering self-help books.
Reviewers say: "Cargle opens the door into a possibility-rich world of acceptance, accountability, and allyship" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| Mott Street: A Chinese American Family's Story of Exclusion and Homecoming by Ava ChinWhat it's about: When Ava Chin discovered that multiple generations from both sides of her Chinese immigrant family once lived in the same building in Manhattan, she set out to learn more about her family history.
Read it for: a sweeping, richly detailed portrait of immigrant life in America, supplemented with oral histories, photographs, archival materials, the author's visits to important sites, and more.
Try this next: Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang. |
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| King: A Life by Jonathan EigWhat it is: a comprehensive biography of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Why you should read it: Award-winning biographer Jonathan Eig's painstakingly researched account demythologizes the complex man behind the icon, offering a nuanced look at his triumphs and flaws.
Reviewers say: "an enthralling reappraisal that confirms King's relevance to today's debates over racial justice" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| Quietly Hostile: Essays by Samantha IrbyWhat it is: the 4th freewheeling essay collection from comedian and New York Times bestselling author Samantha Irby that is equal parts moving and irreverent.
Topics include: life during COVID; repairing fraught family bonds; fandom obsessions.
Don't miss: Irby's signature wordplay and self-deprecating sense of humor; her incisive blend of personal reflection and cultural commentary. |
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| Wildflower by Aurora JamesWhat it is: the debut memoir from fashion designer and activist Aurora James, the first Black American woman to win a Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) award.
What's inside: a candid account of James' path to success, including her philanthropic efforts to support Black-owned businesses and how she found creative inspiration in her travels to Namibia, South Africa, and Kenya.
Try this next: For another inspiring memoir written by a Black fashion luminary, read More Than Enough by Elaine Welteroth. |
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| Chita by Chita Rivera with Patrick PachecoWhat it is: Broadway icon and three-time Tony Award winner Chita Rivera's lively and intimate memoir chronicling her seven-decade career on the stage.
Featuring: reflections on originating roles in West Side Story, Bye Bye Birdie, and Chicago; dish on working with Sammy Davis Jr., Liza Minelli, Dick Van Dyke, and Bob Fosse.
Reviewers say: "This deserves a standing ovation" (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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