Biography and Memoir
April 2025
Recent Releases
Notorious : Portraits of Stars From Hollywood, Fashion, Culture, and Tech
by Maureen Dowd

A sly and chatty collection of the revered Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist's most notorious celebrity profiles. It shines a white-hot spotlight on America's famous, from Hollywood legends to Broadway stars to media moguls, in a captivating assortment of the author's most compelling style features and profiles.  Try this next: CenterStage : My Most Fascinating Interviews from A-Rod to Jay-Z by Michael Kay.
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This
by Omar El Akkad

In his frank and thought-provoking blend of history and memoir, award-winning novelist Omar El Akkad (American War) examines the West's apathy and inaction toward Israel's ongoing destruction of Gaza. Try this next: The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates.
Where Madness Lies : The Double Life of Vivien Leigh
by Lyndsy Spence

Recounts the poignant journey of actress Vivien Leigh, beginning with her 1953 nervous breakdown and subsequent institutionalization, as she struggles to rebuild her life, revive her career, and save her marriage to Sir Laurence Olivier, all while battling undiagnosed manic depression and facing the challenges of her tumultuous personal life. Further reading: Truly, Madly : Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier, and the Romance of the Century by Stephen Galloway.
King of the North : Martin Luther King Jr.'s Life of Struggle Outside the South
by Jeanne Theoharis

In this myth-shattering book, an award-winning and New York Times bestselling historian argues that King's time in Boston, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago--outside Dixie--was at the heart of his campaign for racial justice. King of the North follows King as he crisscrosses the country from the Northeast to the West Coast, challenging school segregation, police brutality, housing segregation, and job discrimination.
Further reading:  King : a Life by Jonathan Eig.  
Focus on: National Poetry Month
Punch Me Up to the Gods
by Brian Broome

In his Kirkus Prize-winning debut, poet and screenwriter Brian Broome recounts coming of age Black and gay in 1980s Ohio, detailing his struggles with identity, addiction, and generational trauma. Try this next: No Ashes in the Fire: Coming of Age Black & Free in America by Darnell L. Moore.
Make Me Rain: Poems & Prose
by Nikki Giovanni

Renowned poet Nikki Giovanni's final published collection before her 2024 death poignantly explores aging, grief, injustice, and resilience. Booklist calls it "timeless and profoundly resonant for both poetry aficionados and casual readers." Further reading: This Is the Honey: An Anthology of Contemporary Black Poets edited by Kwame Alexander.
Poet Warrior
by Joy Harjo

Former United States Poet Laureate Joy Harjo's engaging follow-up to her 2012 memoir Crazy Brave explores her Muscogee upbringing with a poetry-loving mother, who encouraged the author's interest in words, and how she survived abuse from her father and stepfather to find communion with fellow Indigenous writers as a University of New Mexico student in the 1970s. Further reading: When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through: An Anthology of Native Nations Poetry edited by Harjo.
Memorial Drive: A Daughter's Memoir
by Natasha Trethewey

Years after her mother's murder, Pulitzer Prize winner and former United States Poet Laureate Natasha Tretheway returned to the scene of the crime, where she found long-buried answers to questions lingering from childhood. You might also like: Somebody's Daughter by Ashley Ford.  
The Odyssey of Phillis Wheatley: A Poet's Journeys Through American Slavery and Independence
by David Waldstreicher

Named a New York Times Notable Book of 2023, historian David Waldstreicher's thought-provoking and richly detailed biography chronicles the trailblazing life and work of Phillis Wheatley, the first known enslaved poet. Further reading: African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle & Song edited by Kevin Young.
Contact your librarian for more great books!