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Biography and Memoir April 2019
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| The Bold World: A Memoir of Family and Transformation by Jodie Patterson
What it's about: Jodie Patterson is the mother of five children, including her ten-year-old transgender son Penelope, the catalyst for the author's reexamination of identity within her own dynamic household--and the wider world. This inspiring and highly personal debut memoir goes on to examine Jodie's extended families' African American experiences with racism and civil rights, and her own coming of age in New York City in the 1970s and 80s, and later on as a wife, mother, and activist. With a novelist's sense of artful structure and pacing, Jodie turns her lens on a range of subjects--from the women who raised her and provided strength and comfort, all the while going against cultural norms and gender expectations, to her own children, who acted as a vehicle for Jodie's own growth and ultimately her acceptance of her very diverse family. The result is an exquisite study in transformation, identity, courage, and love.
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Don't Stop Believin by Olivia Newton-John
What it's about: With candor, humor, and warmth, legendary musician, actress, activist, and icon Olivia Newton-John reveals her life story, from her unforgettable rise to fame in the classic musical 'Grease' to her passionate advocacy for health and wellness in light of her battles with cancer.
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| First: Sandra Day O'Connor, An Intimate Portrait of the First Woman Supreme Court... by Evan Thomas
What it's about: a deeply researched biography of Sandra Day O'Connor, who in 1981 became the first woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
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| The Master Plan: My Journey from Life in Prison to a Life of Purpose by Chris Wilson with Bret Witter
What it's about: At 17, Chris Wilson was sentenced to life in prison after killing a man in self-defense. Though his sentence was commuted after 10 years, he spent the intervening time working on his "Master Plan" for success, completing an Associate's Degree and learning new languages.
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Maybe You Should Talk to Someone : A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb
What it's about: From a New York Times best-selling author, psychotherapist, and national advice columnist, a hilarious, thought-provoking, and surprising new book that takes us behind the scenes of a therapist's world--where her patients are looking for answers (and so is she).
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| Game of Crowns: Elizabeth, Camilla, Kate, and the Throne by Christopher AndersenWhat it is: an engaging collective biography of the three most powerful women in the British monarchy -- reigning queen Elizabeth II; Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall; and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.
Why you might like it: Bestselling royal biographer Christopher Andersen's "catnip for royal watchers" (Vanity Fair) offers a dishy and detailed examination of the monarchy's possible futures following Elizabeth's death or abdication. |
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| Victoria The Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire by Julia BairdWhat it is: a lively and sympathetic portrait of Queen Victoria, Britain's second-longest reigning monarch (after Elizabeth II).
Read it for: journalist Julia Baird's thoughtful myth-debunking -- contrary to popular belief, Victoria did not shirk her royal duties following the death of her beloved husband Prince Albert.
Reviewers say: "readers will feel as though the story of the famous British queen is being told for the first time" (Booklist). |
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| Daughters of the Winter Queen: Four Remarkable Sisters, the Crown of Bohemia... by Nancy GoldstoneStarring: Elizabeth Stuart, a granddaughter of Mary, Queen of Scots whose disastrous political marriage precipitated the Thirty Years' War; Elizabeth's four spirited daughters, whom she raised in exile during the Dutch Golden Age.
Why it matters: Elizabeth's determination to maintain her daughters' royal power and influence still resonates, as every British monarch since George I can be traced "in unbroken line" to this lesser-known family. |
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| A Royal Experiment: Love and Duty, Madness and Betrayal -- The Private Lives of King... by Janice HadlowWhat it's about: "Mad King" George III of the dysfunctional Hanover line sought to be a moral compass for his subjects by conducting a virtuous public and private life -- often at the expense of his own relationships.
Read it for: George's faithful yet complicated marriage to Queen Charlotte, who bore him 15 children and often sublimated her own desires to ensure the success of his reign.
Book buzz: Originally published in the UK as The Strangest Family, A Royal Experiment was a 2014 Booklist Editors' Choice pick. |
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| Four Princes: Henry VIII, Francis I, Charles V, Suleiman the Magnificent and the Obsessions... by John Julius NorwichWhat it is: a sweeping group biography of four long-reigning 16th-century monarchs who dramatically shaped the era's politics and culture.
Want a taste? "Sometimes friends, more often enemies, always rivals, the four of them together held Europe in the hollow of their hands."
About the author: The late John Julius Norwich was a popular historian and the author of Absolute Monarchs: A History of the Papacy. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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