Culpeper County Library271 Southgate Shopping Center, Culpeper, Virginia 22701 | 540-825-8691https://www.cclva.org
Biography and Memoir
February 2026

Recent Releases
Ain't Nobody's Fool: The Life and Times of Dolly Parton
by Martha Ackmann

Martha Ackmann’s biography of country music legend Dolly Parton goes beyond the glamour to reveal the grit that propelled her to international stardom. Parton’s phenomenal talent was discovered while she was a teenager. Her business savvy and philanthropic generosity would be discovered later, namely by sexist Nashville executives trying to control her skyrocketing career. For the story of another feminist music star who refused to be put in a box, try Madonna: A Rebel Life by Mary Gabriel.
Your Roots Don't Define You: Transform Your Life. Create Your Comeback. by Chris Appleton
Your Roots Don't Define You: Transform Your Life. Create Your Comeback.
by Chris Appleton

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERYou can never have a bad hair day when you are with Chris, both inside and out --DREW BARRYMOREA candid and empowering guide to reinventing yourself from the inside out -- from world-renowned celebrity hairstylist, advice expert, and TikTok sensation Chris Appleton. We all know that feeling: when you're stuck in self-doubt, boxed in by the person you've been in the past, crippled by fear that you'll never break free from the lies and insecurities holding you back. But what if you had the chance to reinvent yourself from the ground up?In this book, you'll learn: The secret connection between style and self-worth How to silence your inner critic The real reason confidence isn't about luck or looks How to detox from relationships that drain you The formula to becoming unapologetically YOUWorld-renowned celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton gives us the hard-earned advice to do just this. After years of working with the most badass women on the planet, he's seen firsthand how transformation is possible at any stage of life, even when society tells you that you're too old, when it feels like the whole world is closing in on you, or when the person you thought you'd spend your life with is now your ex. You don't have to feel limited by your roots. The comeback you want can be yours.With tips and stories from Chris's life and anonymous clients, this remarkable self-help book is your invitation to take a seat in Chris's chair and experience the inside-out transformation that you didn't know you needed.
Being Thomas Jefferson: An Intimate History by Andrew Burstein
Being Thomas Jefferson: An Intimate History
by Andrew Burstein

The deepest dive yet into the heart and soul, secret affairs, unexplored alliances, and bitter feuds of a generally worshipped, intermittently reviled American icon.
The Flower Bearers by Rachel Eliza Griffiths
The Flower Bearers
by Rachel Eliza Griffiths

On September 24, 2021, Rachel Eliza Griffiths married her husband, the novelist Salman Rushdie. On the same day, hundreds of miles of away, Griffiths' closest friend and chosen sister, the poet Kamilah Aisha Moon, who was expected to speak at the wedding, died suddenly. Eleven months later, as Griffiths attempted to piece together her life as a newlywed with heartbreak in one hand and immense love in the other, a brutal attack nearly killed her husband. As trauma compounded trauma, Griffiths realized that in order to survive her grief, she would need to mourn not only her friend, but the woman she had been on her wedding day, a woman who had also died that day. In the process of rebuilding a self, Griffiths chronicles her friendship with Moon, the seventeen years since their meeting at Sarah Lawrence College. Together, they embraced their literary foremothers-Lucille Clifton, Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, to name a few-and fought to embrace themselves as poets, artists, and Black women. Alongside this unbreakable bond, Griffiths weaves the story of her relationship with Rushdie, of the challenges they have faced and the unshakeable devotion that endures-- Provided by publisher.
Focus on: Black History Month
The Essential Dick Gregory
by Dick Gregory; Christian Gregory, editor

Black comedy legend and raconteur Dick Gregory grew up in St. Louis and first received widespread acclaim after successful sets at Chicago’s Playboy Club. As the 1960s progressed, Gregory became increasingly involved in the civil rights movement, eventually becoming just as well-known for his activism as his comedy. This book collects writings and speeches from all phases of his storied career, edited by his son Christian. Try this next: Sidney Poitier: The Great Speeches of an Icon Who Moved Us Forward, compiled by Joanna Poitier.
The Garretts of Columbia: A Black South Carolina Family from Slavery to the Dawn of...
by David Nicholson

Author and former journalist David Nicholson dives deep into family archives to pen the sweeping story of his ancestors from before the Civil War to the mid-20th century. Beginning with an enslaved patriarch who purchased freedom for himself and family members, notable Garretts would go on to become soldiers, scholars, and lawyers, steadfastly building a legacy of success despite an unsympathetic and, at times, antagonistic society. For fans of: The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson.
Contact your librarian for more great books!
Culpeper County Library271 Southgate Shopping Center, Culpeper, Virginia 22701 | 540-825-8691https://www.cclva.org