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Biography and MemoirDecember 2014
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"If it sounds good, it is good." ~ Duke Ellington (1899-1974), American composer and band leader
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New and Recently Released!
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| Why Football Matters: My Education in the Game by Mark EdmundsonUniversity English professor Mark Edmundson played high school football, during which he developed self-discipline and learned about teamwork but also faced physical and psychological liabilities. In Why Football Matters, he examines his experiences in sports and discusses the positive and negative values of athletic competition. Relating his personal observations to broader cultural implications, including literary references to writers such as Homer and James Dickey, Edmundson's memoir provides thought-provoking commentary on football's significance in American culture. |
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| Rebel Yell: The Violence, Passion, and Redemption of Stonewall Jackson by S.C. GwynneIn this insightful character study of Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, author S.C. Gwynne weaves incidents from various parts of Jackson's life into a chronological account of his Civil War actions. A reserved and deeply religious man, Jackson seemed to be stern, stubborn, and even arbitrary in his military leadership. Yet he was so bold and effective in battle that he was considered the greatest of the Confederacy's leaders. Gwynne's compelling biography is essential reading matter for Civil War and general military buffs. |
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| Herbie Hancock: Possibilities by Herbie Hancock with Lisa DickeyAcclaimed jazz pianist and composer Herbie Hancock has worked with numerous stellar musicians, starting with Miles Davis and later collaborating with others, including Sting, Lang Lang, and Carlos Santana. In this autobiography, Hancock relates his early years in Chicago, where he was recognized by age 11 as a prodigy. The post-college start to his career was (as for many musicians) rocky, but working with Miles Davis provided a solid foundation from which to launch his own bands and experiment with eclectic sources for his compositions. This frank and inspiring account portrays a life in which "each moment is special and everything is always new" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| Outpost: Life on the Frontlines of American Diplomacy: A Memoir by Christopher R. HillFormer ambassador Christopher Hill started his international career as diplomat's child. After growing up in various posts around the world, he served in the Peace Corps and later joined the U.S. diplomatic corps. He has received assignments to significant places during tense and momentous periods, as well as closely observing political maneuvers in Washington. Outpost provides a veteran insider's view of world affairs as Hill relates what he accomplished and observed in each position. Anyone interested in global diplomacy or curious about the nature of the Foreign Service will appreciate this engaging and witty memoir. |
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| Embattled Rebel: Jefferson Davis as Commander in Chief by James M. McPhersonJefferson Davis, who served as president of the Confederate States of America, was often criticized as an ineffective figurehead during the Civil War -- and many still hold this view of him. In Embattled Rebel, award-winning Civil War historian James McPherson argues that Davis was a tireless worker who visited the front lines, strove to manage his contentious military leaders, and opposed ill-advised demands from the state governors. Though he was unavoidably swamped with bureaucratic duties, he passionately promoted the South's cause, even after General Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox. This engrossing biography provides a "fair-handed treatment from a towering historian and sterling writer" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| Life Is a Gift: The Zen of Bennett by Tony BennettIn this amiable, conversational memoir by legendary crooner Tony Bennett, names like Lady Gaga appear alongside Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra, and Aretha Franklin. Bennett's vast array of celebrity-studded stories captures hilarious, heartwarming, and inspirational moments from his extraordinary 60-year career, but he also shares the wisdom he's gained from his own experiences and from the people he met along the way. For more on his life and career, try David Evanier's thoroughly researched and engaging biography, All The Things You Are. |
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| Sweet Judy Blue Eyes: My Life in Music by Judy CollinsSinging legend Judy Collins has "looked at life from both sides now," and in this appealing memoir she reveals both ups and downs in her personal life and her career. Focusing especially on the 1960s, when folk singers were at the peak of their popularity, Collins provides intimate views of the Los Angeles and New York music scenes, including recording sessions and parties with other famous musicians (such as Joan Baez and Leonard Cohen). She also discusses her health issues and struggles with addiction as well as her multiple love affairs. Sweet Judy Blue Eyes is a "forthright, radiant work," according to Publishers Weekly. |
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| Kansas City Lightning: The Rise and Times of Charlie Parker by Stanley CrouchKansas City native Charlie Parker was born during the Depression and rose to prominence during the time that jazz was gaining widespread popularity. In this detailed, thoughtful, and vividly descriptive biography, MacArthur fellow and music critic Stanley Crouch explores Parker's childhood and early professional life. Though drug addiction slowed Parker down, it didn't prevent him from achieving success while working with such figures as Lester Young and Buster Smith. Kansas City Lightning covers Parker's life to 1940; look forward to the completion of his life story in a planned 2nd volume. |
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| The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power... by Steve LopezThe Soloist, which was made into a 2009 film, documents the unlikely, sometimes rocky friendship between the author, Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez, and a schizophrenic, homeless African-American virtuoso named Nathaniel Ayers, who once attended Julliard. The two men met when Lopez spied Ayers playing a two-stringed violin on the street and approached him. Recounting Ayers' early years as well as Lopez's attempts to help him get his life back on track (efforts that sometimes backfired), this is a moving but unsentimental account of a strong bond between two very different individuals and the disruptive power of mental illness. |
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| Lennon: The Man, the Myth, the Music -- The Definitive Life by Tim RileyIn this thorough and insightful biography of John Lennon, music critic Tim Riley explores both familiar biographical territory and less-noted details of Lennon's musical career. Covering his early life, the Beatles years (1960-69), and the subsequent decade before his 1980 murder, Riley draws on standard accounts and often overlooked primary sources to create a detailed portrait of the fabled rock musician and composer. Neatly separating myth from reality as he examines Lennon's relationships with the other Beatles and his wife, Yoko Ono, Riley delivers "one of the most thorough yet accessible rock biographies to appear in recent years" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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West Babylon Public Library 211 Route 109 West Babylon, New York 11704 (631) 669-5445http://wbpl.us |
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