Biography and MemoirSeptember 2025
Recent Releases
Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler
by Susana M. Morris

Georgia Institute of Technology professor Susana M. Morris’ well-researched biography of trailblazing science fiction author Octavia E. Butler thoughtfully places Butler’s works within the sociocultural and historical contexts that shaped her, utilizing correspondence, unpublished manuscripts, and interviews. Try this next: Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture by Ytasha Womack.
Nothing More of This Land: Community, Power, and the Search for Indigenous Identity
by Joseph Lee

Aquinnah Wampanoag journalist Joseph Lee explores the limitations of Indigenous identity and sovereignty in this “searching and timely” (Kirkus Reviews) blend of memoir and history. Try this next: Thinning Blood: A Memoir of Family, Myth, and Identity by Leah Myers.
Althea: The Life of Tennis Champion Althea Gibson
by Sally H. Jacobs

Former Boston Globe reporter Sally H. Jacobs' biography of trailblazing tennis player Althea Gibson, the first African American to win a Grand Slam tournament, offers a comprehensive portrait of a complex woman who battled racial and gender discrimination, poverty, and abuse in her journey toward stardom. Further reading: Serving Herself: The Life and Times of Althea Gibson by Ashley Brown.
Coming Up Short: A Memoir of America
by Robert B. Reich

Former United States Secretary of Labor Robert B. Reich’s sobering yet hopeful blend of memoir and political analysis incisively explores how the rise of partisanship and tribalism has hindered American economic progress. Try this next: The Theft of a Decade: Baby Boomers, Millennials, and the Distortion of Our Economy by Joseph C. Sternberg.
The art of power : my story as America's first woman Speaker of the House by Nancy Pelosi
The art of power : my story as America's first woman Speaker of the House
by Nancy Pelosi

The first woman to ascend to the most powerful legislative role in our nation, passing laws that save lives and livelihoods, tells the story of her transformation from housewife to House Speaker, becoming a prophetic voice on the major moral issues of the day who's not afraid of a good fight
The last manager : how Earl Weaver tricked, tormented, and reinvented baseball
by John W. Miller

Chronicles the life and career of the innovative and fiery Baltimore Orioles manager who revolutionized baseball with data-driven strategies, colorful theatrics and groundbreaking decisions that shaped the modern game while navigating the sport's transition into the free agency era. Illustrations.
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