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Biography and Memoir January 2020
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Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee
by Casey N. Cep
What it's about: A documentation of the story of 1970's Alabama serial killer Willie Maxwell and the true-crime book on the Deep South's racial politics and justice system that consumed Harper Lee in the years after To Kill a Mockingbird.
Library Journal recommends it for: "all who enjoy true crime and legal dramas and essential for those hoping to learn more about Lee's enigmatic life."
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Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir
by Ruth Reichl
What it is: A chronicle of Reichl's groundbreaking tenure as editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine and her work with legendary fellow epicureans to transform how America thinks about food.
The author is: The six-time James Beard Award-winning journalist and best-selling author of My Kitchen Year.
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| All Blood Runs Red: The Legendary Life of Eugene Bullard -- Boxer, Pilot, Soldier, Spy by Phil Keith with Tom ClavinStarring: the first African American fighter pilot, Eugene Bullard, a war hero whose remarkable life has been largely forgotten by history.
What he did: Bullard achieved fame as boxer "Black Sparrow," served in the French Foreign Legion during both world wars, ran a Paris nightclub during World War II that he used to spy on Germans, and much more.
Don't miss: the surprising connection Bullard's life had to Casablanca; a jaw-dropping who's who of famous figures. |
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Family Papers: A Sephardic Journey Through the Twentieth Century
by Sarah Abrevaya Stein
What it's about: An award-winning historian uses the letters and correspondence of one Sephardic family to tell the story of their journey from Salonica, Greece, through their migration across the continents and how they were almost eradicated by the Holocaust.
Library Journal calls it: "a moving, wonderfully written history of a fascinating family that will attract readers of history and those interested in Judaic studies."
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| In the Dream House by Carmen Maria MachadoWhat it's about: In this inventive collection of short essays, award-winning author Carmen Maria Machado (Her Body and Other Parties) unflinchingly recounts a relationship with an unstable woman that devolved into physical and psychological abuse.
What sets it apart: Machado's fragmented, genre-defying prose plays with storytelling tropes, offering a multilayered view of her relationship as a choose your own adventure, a noir, a stoner comedy, and more.
Book buzz: In the Dream House was longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction. |
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| Wedding Toasts I'll Never Give by Ada CalhounWhat it is: an expansion of Ada Calhoun's 2015 essay "The Wedding Toast I'll Never Give," originally published in the New York Times' Modern Love column.
What's inside: a funny and insightful exploration of marriage -- both Calhoun's own and the concept itself -- aided by extensive research and interviews with couples, scholars, and clergy.
Who it's for: Newlyweds and longtime spouses alike will appreciate this engaging collection blending personal reflections with frank advice. |
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| Insomniac City: New York, Oliver, and Me by Bill HayesWhat it's about: After the death of his longtime partner, Bill Hayes moved to New York City in 2009 and found a second chance at love with renowned neurologist and writer Oliver Sacks, who died in 2015.
Read it for: a moving portrait of Sacks' late-in-life acceptance of his sexuality; Hayes' poignant recollections of Sacks' idiosyncrasies.
Don't miss: Sacks wearing protective googles to pop his first bottle of champagne. |
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| Eleanor and Hick: The Love Affair That Shaped a First Lady by Susan QuinnWhat it's about: the 30-year relationship between First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and reporter Lorena Hickok, who championed each other's pursuits to make the world a better place.
Why you might like it: Fast-paced and meticulously researched, this illuminating dual biography chronicles the evolution of an empowering love. |
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The Last Englishmen: Love, War, and the End of Empire
by Deborah Baker
What it is: the true story of a pioneering geologist and an explorer/surveyor and their escalating rivalry as they fell in love with the same woman and also wanted to be the first Englishman to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
The author is: A Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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