|
Biography and Memoir February 2021
|
|
|
|
| Sometimes You Have to Lie: The Life and Times of Louise Fitzhugh, Renegade Author of... by Leslie BrodyWhat it is: An engrossing and well-researched biography of Harriet the Spy author Louise Fitzhugh (1928-1974).
Read it for: A compelling portrait of a woman who rejected mid-century social and gender norms -- Fitzhugh lived openly as a lesbian among the Greenwich Village set and created a queer-coded heroine who has resonated with LGBTQIA readers for more than 50 years.
About the author: Leslie Brody is an award-winning playwright who adapted Harriet the Spy for the stage. |
|
|
The Lost Memoir
by Lou Gehrig
What it is: The lost memoir from baseball icon Lou Gehrig-a major historical discovery, published for the first time as a book, with "color commentary" from historian Alan Gaff.
History: In 1927, the legendary Lou Gehrig sat down to write the remarkable story of his life and career. He was at his peak, fresh off a record-breaking season with the fabled '27 World Series champion Yankees. It was an era unlike any other. Gehrig's personal remembrances were published that year as popular weekly columns in The Oakland Tribune. Until now, those pages were lost to history.
What readers are saying: Lou comes alive in his captivating memoir.
|
|
| Aftershocks by Nadia OwusuWhat it's about: Abandoned by her Armenian American mother as a toddler, Nadia Owusu spent her childhood globetrotting due to her Ghanaian father's United Nations career, never feeling like she fit in anywhere: "I have perpetually been a them rather than an us."
Read it for: A moving account of reckoning with trauma and finding a second chance at happiness.
Try this next: For another coming-of-age memoir by a woman navigating biracial identity and family dysfunction, check out T Kira Madden's Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls. |
|
|
Anger is my Middle Name: A Memoir
by Lisbeth Zornig Andersen
What it's about: The harrowing tale of Andersen and her three brothers as they bounce from foster homes, to state run institutions, and back to their dysfunctional parents.
Reviewers say: “The inspiring story of overcoming unimaginable adversity....Andersen writes with striking clarity.”
|
|
Focus on: Black History Month
|
|
|
Living in Color: What's Funny About Me
by Tommy Davidson
What it's about: The popular performer and standup comedian describes his life growing up black in a loving white family and the racial barriers he helped to break down on In Living Color alongside Jim Carrey, Jamie Foxx and the Wayans brothers.
Read it for: The never-before-told behind-the-scenes story of the first show born of the Hip Hop Nation: through guest-star skirmishes to backstage tensions and the eventual fall of this pop-culture touchstone, plus his very personal story of living with - and being inspired and empowered by - two distinct family histories.
|
|
|
How We Fight for Our Lives
by Saeed Jones
What it's about: Award-winning poet Saeed Jones candidly reflects on his fraught coming-of-age and his struggle to make a life for himself.
Want a taste? "If America was going to hate me for being black and gay, then I might as well make a weapon out of myself."
Book buzz: A Kirkus Prize winner, How We Fight For Our Lives counts Roxane Gay and Jacqueline Woodson among its many fans.
|
|
| The Book of Delights by Ross GayWhat it is: National Book Critics Circle Award-winning poet Ross Gay's wide-ranging collection of 102 "essayettes" celebrating life's big and small joys.
Why it matters: Gay's engaging reflections on everything from race and masculinity to hobbies and popular culture offer a thought-provoking rejoinder to narratives that center on Black suffering. |
|
| This Will Be My Undoing: Living at the Intersection of Black, Female, and Feminist... by Morgan JerkinsWhat it is: The debut essay collection from ZORA editor Morgan Jerkins exploring the trials and triumphs of contemporary Black womanhood.
Why you should read it: Jerkins' thoughtful memoir offers a much-needed perspective on misogynoir in mainstream feminist spaces.
Try this next: Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower by Brittney Cooper. |
|
| Prince of Darkness: The Untold Story of Jeremiah G. Hamilton, Wall Street's First... by Shane White(Re)introducing: Jeremiah Hamilton, Haiti-born Wall Street broker and America's richest Black man at the time of his death in 1875.
Read it for: A rags-to-riches tale largely forgotten by history.
Book buzz: Employing "superb scholarship and sprightly style" (Kirkus Reviews), Australian historian Shane White vividly depicts Hamilton and the cutthroat circles in which he operated. |
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|
|
|
|