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Biography and Memoir September 2026 |
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| Unsayable: A Life in Writing by Michael CunninghamIn his memoir, acclaimed novelist Michael Cunningham (The Hours) continually returns to the concept of articulation, claiming that writing is simply finding a way to express that which resists being put into words. Cunningham cannily pinpoints moments from his early life -- bouncing a ball, or watching his mother bake a cake -- as opportunities to fall in love with and ponder our relationship with language. Unsayable is a book for “readers hungry for gorgeous prose” (Publishers Weekly). |
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| A Guide to Open Water Lifesaving: Lessons on Love, Care, and Survival by Virginia EubanksIn 2015, journalist Virginia Eubanks’ partner, J., was the victim of two separate assaults near their home, one of which resulted in serious injuries. The PTSD that J. suffered over the ensuing years was soon passed along to Eubanks, as she became J.’s primary (unpaid) caregiver. She found a way of coping by immersing herself in lifesaving and wilderness survival, and her book reveals striking parallels between emergency rescue and care work, which too often falls to loved ones. For another exploration of the costs of unpaid labor, try Everyone but Myself by Julie Chavez. |
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| All That's Unseen: An Appalachian Memoir by Emilee HackneyAfter a devastating betrayal that called her Pentecostal faith into question, debut memoirist Emilee Hackney left her small Appalachian town in Virginia for Harvard. Amidst the culture shock, Hackney realized that leaving home was the right move for her. But it also made her see that home in a new light, and she found herself defending the land of her birth against those quick to dismiss and stereotype the South and its people. For another coming-of-age memoir about feeling pulled in opposite directions, try Between Two Trailers by J. Dana Trent. |
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My Next Breath: A Memoir
by Jeremy Renner
The gripping and inspiring story of acclaimed actor Jeremy Renner's near-fatal accident, and what he learned about inner strength, endurance and hope as he overcame insurmountable odds to recover, one breath at a time.--Provided by publisher.
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Cosmic Music: The Life, Art, and Transcendence of Alice Coltrane
by Andy Beta
Jazz pianist and harpist Alice Coltrane has always labored in the long shadow of her more famous husband, John. But music journalist Andy Beta’s new biography gives Alice her due. Her unique solo recordings meld elements of jazz, gospel, and eastern and western classical musics into a dreamlike, meditative tapestry that speaks to the composer’s strong spiritual foundation. For fans of: Billie Holiday: the Musician and the Myth by John Szwed.
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Focus on: Hispanic Heritage Month
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Chita
by Chita Rivera with Patrick Pacheco
Broadway icon and three-time Tony Award winner Chita Rivera's lively and intimate memoir chronicles her seven-decade career on the stage, featuring her reflections on originating roles in West Side Story, Bye Bye Birdie, and Chicago. For fans of: Rita Moreno by Rita Moreno.
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| Keeper of My Kin: Memoir of an Immigrant Daughter by Ada FerrerPulitzer Prize-winning historian Ada Ferrer (Cuba: An American History) relates the toll that emigrating from Cuba to the United States took on her family, especially her older half-brother Poly. When 10-month-old Ada and her mother left for New York City in 1963, a dispute with Poly’s father meant the boy had to be left behind, a heartbreaking turn that the author believes cast a shadow over the rest of Poly’s troubled life. For more emotionally intense stories of immigrant families, try Why Didn’t You Tell Me? by Carmen Rita Wong and A Body Across Two Hemispheres by Victoria Buitron. |
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Children of the Land
by Marcelo Hernandez Castillo
Poet Marcelo Hernandez Castillo's debut memoir details the author's difficult coming of age as an undocumented immigrant, which was compounded by frequent ICE raids, his father's deportation back to Mexico, and the rigidity of the United States immigration system. Try this next: Solito by Javier Zamora.
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My side of the river : a memoir
by Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez
Exploring separation, generational trauma and the toll of the American dream, the author recounts what happened when, at 15, her parents were forced back to Mexico, leaving her and her brother to fend for themselves as underage victims affected by broken immigration laws.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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