|
|
Biography and Memoir July 2025 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
When you're ready : a love story
by Kareem Rosser
Documents the romance that blossomed from a shared passion for horses amidst stark socioeconomic contrasts and was shattered by a tragic accident that jeopardized Lee's life, leading the author to confront deep-seated grief and unresolved trauma as he grappled with his mental health and the ghosts of his past.
|
|
|
|
Uncommon Favor : basketball, North Philly, my mother, and the life lessons I learned from all three
by Dawn Staley
"For the first time, Dawn Staley shares her inspiring life story. A three-time Olympic Gold medalist, six-time WNBA All-Star, and the first person to win the Naismith College Player of the Year award as both a player and coach, Staley has shattered expectations at every level of the game. While her name resonates with both longtime WNBA fans and newcomers, she has kept her personal life private. Uncommon Favor reveals the journey that led to Staley's success, including the challenges she faced. From dealing with sexism on the court to feeling isolated in new environments, Staley honed her skills and learned valuable life lessons about mental fortitude and maturity that have grounded her throughout her career. Beginning with her humble origins on the North Philadelphia basketball court and her rise to national fame at the University of Virginia -- where she led her team to three Final Fours -- Staley recounts the key moments that shaped her winning mindset. Her iconic career in the WNBA and her groundbreaking coaching journey at the University of South Carolina highlight the milestones and turning points that have defined her success, both on and off the court. Fearless and authentic, Uncommon Favor shares the rewards of leading with conviction and the courage to redefine the limits of what is possible"
|
|
|
|
How to lose your mother : a daughter's memoir
by Molly Jong-Fast
A darkly funny and deeply honest memoir exploring a daughter's complex relationship with her famous, elusive mother, the impact of dementia, blending humor, heart and raw reflection on loss, family and identity.
|
|
|
|
I regret almost everything / : A Memoir
by Keith McNally
This candid and witty memoir from the visionary restaurateur traces his journey from a tough London childhood to creating iconic New York eateries, while reflecting on acting, travel, relationships, a life-altering stroke and unexpected social media fame
|
|
|
|
Bob Dylan : Jewish Roots, American Soil
by Harry Freedman
"From the day that Bobby Zimmerman first turned on the radio in his parents' home in Hibbing, he'd had a pretty good idea that big things were happening, that old values were changing, that something new was on the way. Bob Dylan arrived in New York one winter morningin 1961. His music and spirit would go on to capture the hearts andminds of a generation, but what no one knew then was that, like so many before him, Dylan was concealing his Jewish origins. For HarryFreedman, Dylan's roots are the key to grasping how this complete unknown burst onto the scene and reinvented not only himself, but popular music. The instinct for escape and reinvention has defined Dylan's long career. In this insightful biography Freedman traces the heady atmosphere of the 1960s and the folk-rock revolution spearheaded by Dylan. Right up until the moment in 1966 when Dylan stepped outonto the stage and went electric - exploring how his musical decisions, genius for reinvention and his Jewishness go inescapably hand in hand."--
|
|
|
|
The dry season : a memoir of pleasure in a year without sex
by Melissa Febos
"A wise and transformative look at relationships and self-knowledge In the wake of a disastrous two-year relationship, Melissa Febos decided to take a break--for three months she would abstain from dating, from relationships, even from casual sex. Her friends were amused. Did she really think three months was a long time? But to Febos, it was. Ever since her teens, she had been in one relationship or another. As she puts it, she could trace a "daisy chain of romances" from then to now, in her mid-thirties. It was time to focus on herself and examine the lifelong patterns that had produced her midlife disaster. When those three months ended, she feared relapsing into old habits and decided to extend her celibate period. She knew she was taking on a challenge, but had no idea that this year would become the most fulfilling and sensual of her life. No longer defined by her romantic pursuits, she learned to relish the delights of solitude, the thrill of living on her own terms, the sensual pleasures unmediated by lovers, and the freedom to pursue her ideals without distraction or guilt. Bringing her own celibate experiences into conversation with those of women throughout history--from Hildegard von Bingen to the radical feminist group Cell 16--Febos explores how women's decisions to forego sexual intimacy with others (and particularly with men) became a route to freedoms that would otherwise have been inaccessible. The Dry Season is a memoir of celibacy, but it is ultimately a profound exploration of independence, sexuality, and deep self-knowledge. By abstaining from all forms of romantic entanglement, Febos began to see her life and her self-worth in a radical new way. Her year of divestment transformed her relationships with friends and peers, her spirituality, her creative practice, and most of all her relationship to herself"
|
|
|
|
Claire McCardell : the designer who set women free
by Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson
"Claire McCardell forever changed fashion-and most importantly, the lives of women. She shattered cultural norms around women's clothes, and today much of what we wear traces back to her ingenious, rebellious mind. McCardell invented ballet flats and mix-and-match separates, and she introduced wrap dresses, hoodies, leggings, denim, and more into womenswear. She tossed out corsets in favor of a comfortably elegant look and insisted on pockets, even as male designers didn't see a need for them. She made zippers easy to reach because a woman "may live alone and like it," McCardell once wrote, "but you may regret it if you wrench your arm trying to zip a back zipper into place." After World War II, McCardell fought the severe, hyper-feminized silhouette championed by male designers, like Christian Dior. Dior claimed that he wanted to "save women from nature." McCardell, by contrast, wanted to set women free. Claire McCardell became, as the young journalist Betty Friedan called her in 1955, "The Gal Who Defied Dior." Filled with personal drama and industry secrets, this story reveals how Claire McCardell built an empire at a time when women rarely made the upper echelons of business. At its core, hers is a story about our right to choose how we dress-and ourright to choose how we live"
|
|
|
|
Not My Type : One Woman Vs. a President
by E. Jean Carroll
An autobiography of journalist and advice columnist E. Jean Carroll. Includes transcripts of testimony in the defamation trial against Donald Trump.
|
|
|
|
Cooler than cool : the life and work of Elmore Leonard
by C. M. Kushins
"Over the course of his sixty-year career, Elmore Leonard, "the Dickens of Detroit," published forty-five novels that have had enduring appeal to readers around the world. Revered by Martin Amis, Margaret Atwood, Raymond Carver, and Stephen King, his books were innovative in their blending of a Hemingway--inspired noirish minimalism and a masterful use of realistic dialogue over exposition--a direct evolution spurred by his years as a screenwriter"
|
|
|
|
Hunger Like a Thirst : From Food Stamps to Fine Dining, a Restaurant Critic Finds Her Place at the Table
by Beshaleba Rodell
https://margate.bibliocommons.com/v2/search?query=Hunger%20Like%20a%20Thirst%20&searchType=smart"A witty and lively memoir from food writer and New York Times contributor Besha Rodell, (formerly) one of the world's last anonymous restaurant critics. When Besha Rodell moved from Australia to the United States with her mother at fourteen, she was a foreigner in a new land, missing her friends, her father, and the food she grew up eating. In the years that followed, Rodell began waitressing and discovered the buzz of the restaurant world, immersing herself in the lifestyle and community while struggling with the industry's shortcomings. As she built a family, Rodell realized her dream, though only a handful of women before her had done it: to make a career as a restaurant critic. From the streets of Brooklyn to lush Atlanta to sunny Los Angeles to traveling and eating around the world, and, finally, home to Australia, Rodell takes us on a delicious, raw, and fascinating journey through her life and career and explores the history of criticism and dining and the cultural shifts that have turned us all into food obsessives. Hunger Like a Thirst shares stories of the joys and hardships of Rodell's coming-of-age, the amazing (and sometimes terrible) meals she ate along the way, and the dear friends she made in each restaurant, workplace, and home.""--Publisher
|
|
|
|
Dirty kitchen : a memoir of food and family
by Jill Damatac
In this memoir a former undocumented immigrant reflects on her Filipino roots, family struggles and search for identity while cooking traditional recipes as she explores themes of immigration, belonging and the power of food to heal and reconnect
|
|
|
|
Wild thing : a life of Paul Gauguin
by Sue Prideaux
"Paul Gauguin's legend as a transgressive genius arises as much from his biography as his aesthetically daring Polynesian paintings. Gauguin is chiefly known for his pictures that eschewed convention, to celebrate the beauty of an indigenous people and their culture. In this gorgeously illustrated, myth-busting work, Sue Prideaux reveals that while Gauguin was a complicated man, his scandalous reputation is largely undeserved.Self-taught, Gauguin became a towering artist in his brief life, not just in painting but in ceramics and graphics. He fled the bustle of Paris for the beauty of Tahiti, where he lived simply and worked consistently to expose the tragic results of French Colonialism. Gauguin fought for the rights of Indigenous people, exposing French injustices and corruption in the local newspaper and acting as advocate for the Tahitian people in the French colonial courts. His unconventional career and bold, breathtaking art influenced not only Vincent van Gogh, but Matisse and Picasso"
|
|
|
|
Don't look back, you'll trip over : my guide to life
by Michael Caine
"The Hollywood screen legend brings his wit, insight, entertaining stories and wisdom to answer questions about every aspect of his long life--inspiring us all to Be More Michael Caine. 'I'm always asked questions--by fans, by other actors and friends, by my grandchildren. They want to know how I've lasted so long, how I handle fame, why I chose to do some of my films, which films and actors I like best and so forth.' They also want to know what makes me tick, what makes me get up in the morning in my 90s, and whether I'll ever retire. (The answer to that one is "No!") Over a long life, I've learnt a lot and had the opportunity to reflect. I've seen a new generation grow up, among them my own grandchildren, facing the world with all its challenges and problems"
|
|
|
|
A clean mess / : A Memoir of Sobriety After a Lifetime of Being Numb
by Tiffany Jenkins
"After a brutal struggle with opioid addiction that landed her four months in prison, Tiffany was ready for a fresh start. What she didn't expect was just how fast life would happen once she was out of prison. She went from felon to married, sober mom ofthree in just two years. But life doesn't stop happening; her marriage collapsed a few years later, a crisis that forced her reckoning with the foundations of her mental health and sobriety. As she forged her future, Tiffany learned to feel emotions and live life without numbing herself with drugs. She had to figure out how to be a mom, how to have a career, how to be married, how to get divorced, how to be an adult, and how to have feelings all at the same time. With dark humor and page-turning storytelling, she shows how she learned to survive when her crutches and band aids were taken away from her, and the gratitude and peace she found on the other side of addiction"
|
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|