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Biography and Memoir March 2018
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| Tears of Salt: A Doctor's Story by Pietro BartoloWhat it's about: Physician Pietro Bartolo, head of the only medical clinic on the Italian island of Lampedusa, describes 25 years of caring for the thousands of desperate Middle Eastern and African refugees who have arrived on the island in hopes of a better life.
Why you might like it: Through moving and poignant vignettes, Bartolo recounts the moments of life, hope, illness, and death that are at the heart of the European migrant crisis. Media buzz: Author Bartolo is featured in the 2016 Academy Award-nominated film Fire at Sea. |
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| The Road Not Taken: Edward Lansdale and the American Tragedy in Vietnam by Max BootWhat it is: a biography of CIA operative Edward Lansdale that challenges commonly held perceptions of the man who orchestrated the American "hearts and minds" strategy during the Vietnam conflict.
Don't miss: With the aid of Lansdale's own writings, author Max Boot details the operative's life -- he was once called "one of the ten greatest spies of all time" by CIA Director William Colby -- while also providing a detailed military history of the Vietnam war.
You might also like: The Spy Who Loved Us by Thomas Bass. |
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| Furnishing Eternity: A Father, a Son, a Coffin, and a Measure of Life by David GiffelsWhat it's about: With the help of his 81-year-old father, author David Giffels embarks on a surprising endeavor -- to build his own coffin -- only to unexpectedly lose his mother and his best friend. In this moving memoir, Giffels shares the extraordinary events of that year, offering a heartfelt meditation on life, mortality, and his Midwestern roots.
Reviewers say: "Tender, witty and, like the woodworking it describes, painstakingly and subtly wrought" (New York Times Book Review). |
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| The Gambler: How Penniless Dropout Kirk Kerkorian Became the Greatest Deal... by William C. RempelWhat it is: the rags-to-riches life story of billionaire Kirk Kerkorian, who died at the age of 98 in 2015. Journalist William Rempel examines Kerkorian's activities as an aviator in World War II, his investments in the high-stakes world of Las Vegas real estate, and his complicated personal life, which became tabloid fodder despite his reclusive nature.
Reviewers say: "A remarkably detailed and fascinating look at the career of an idiosyncratic tycoon" (Booklist). |
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| Andre the Giant: Life and Legend by Box BrownWhat it's about: French-born André Roussimoff (better known as Andre the Giant -- famous for both his wrestling career and the movie The Princess Bride) was larger than life, measuring an astounding seven feet, four inches tall.
Why you might like it: In this "exquisitely rendered" (Kirkus Reviews) graphic novel, Box Brown chronicles André's complex life, from the medical condition that caused his gigantism to his roles in the ring and on screen.
Further reading: For another graphic biography on the legendary wrestler, try Andre the Giant by Brandon Easton. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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