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Biography and Memoir June 2026 |
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The Art of Becoming a Citizen: A Memoir
by Gail Godwin
"He just had the presidency stolen from him." Gail Godwin first heard these words in November 1960, one of a crush of reporters eagerly awaiting the first postelection meeting between Kennedy and Nixon. Hearing an uncanny echo in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, Godwin embarks on a project to reflect on that long-ago moment and offset a mounting pressure of dread about the looming election ahead.
In looking back at her life as a young woman-her travels abroad, early marriage, friendships with Kurt Vonnegut and John Irving-juxtaposed with the lead-up to the recent election, she discovers an understory that surprises her. She asks herself, "What, at this late date, did I still want to become?" With urgency and a yearning so many now feel, Godwin's blend of history and memoir is both inspirational and rousing, encouraging readers to engage in their own reflection on the art and meaning of being a citizen.
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American Patriarch: The Life of George Washington
by H. W. Brands
From historian and Pulitzer Prize finalist H. W. Brands comes a portrait of George Washington that examines his unrivaled leadership in the birth of America. From his early military career and role among the Virginia gentry, to his leadership during the American Revolution and reluctant return to public service as the first president of the United States, American Patriarch brings to life the man who was called on time and again by his peers to lead. With a dazzling cast of characters--from the French and Indians on the Ohio frontier; to Benedict Arnold, and Baron von Steuben on the revolutionary battlefield; to Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton locked in conflict during his presidency--American Patriarch casts Washington as the icon of American virtue who wrested America free from British control, gave credibility to the Constitution, and crafted the norms that would steady America as a nation for generations to follow. Arriving in time for the 250th anniversary of American independence, this is a masterful portrait of Washington as the unrivaled leader of his times.
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Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I've Cried about: A Memoir
by Isabel Klee
From the social media superstar behind @SimonSits, Isabel Klee--known for her heartwarming tales of dog rescue--comes an utterly winning memoir about a twentysomething woman's search for true love in New York City and the dogs who helped her find it. A Jersey girl by birth, Isabel Klee had always wanted to live in New York City. At age 20, she got her chance, ditching her college upstate and moving into a grungy basement apartment in Manhattan. Dog-obsessed since childhood, her first post-grad job was becoming an assistant to a dog photographer, and something clicked into place: a career focused on helping dogs was the new dream. Isabel quickly found a passion for rehabilitating rescue dogs and helping them get adopted. At the same time, she was caught up in a whirlwind of friendships, parties, fickle boyfriends and grand romances, which she recounts in honest, tender, and sometimes devastating chapters about the search for love and belonging.
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| Selling Opportunity: The Story of Mary Kay by Mary Lisa GavenasMary Kay Ash, born Mary Kathlyn Wagner, was married with children by age sixteen, and began selling goods to housewives door-to-door to help make ends meet in Depression-era Texas. Decades later, she founded Mary Kay Cosmetics and recruited a sales army of her own. Former Glamour editor Mary Lisa Gavenas reveals the key to Ash’s success: selling the idea of financial independence to ambitious American women like herself. |
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A Perfect Coincidence: The Extraordinary Friendship and Astonishing Deaths of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson
by Jim Rasenberger
A revelatory new look at the long and complex relationship between Founding Fathers Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, who died on the same historic day--July 4, 1826, exactly fifty years after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. In creating the Declaration of Independence, approved by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, Jefferson and Adams collaborated in what Jefferson later called a perfect coincidence of thought and action. Exactly fifty years later, in the most perfect coincidence in American history, they died within hours of each other--both former US presidents, both essential architects of the nation. This book explores those two remarkable coincidences and the fifty-year relationship in between.
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This Is Me: A Reckoning
by Hayden Panettiere
Heroes and Nashville star Hayden Panettiere reclaims her story in a remarkably candid memoir. Hayden Panettiere's career in entertainment began before she was old enough to walk. From early commercials to film and television roles in hits like Remember the Titans, her career unfolded in the public eye, resulting in tremendous success by her early teens- earning acclaim for performances in Heroes, Nashville (which earned her two Golden Globe nominations), and beyond--while quietly carrying the weight of expectations that came with being Hollywood's It girl. As Hayden entered adulthood, the industry that once felt playful grew unforgiving as she learned by experience the pressure placed on young performers, the hefty price that often comes with fame, and how quickly someone else can take control of your story. She recounts being scrutinized by tabloids, watching her body and private pain become public property, and performing storylines on-screen that echoed trauma she was living through off-camera. In this memoir, Hayden shares a rare and intimate glimpse into her life behind closed doors, opening up about postpartum depression, addiction and recovery, trauma, domestic abuse, and loss. Hayden showcases her most vulnerable role yet. . .this is her story, on her terms.
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A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon
by Kevin Fedarko
This New York Times bestseller from the author of The Emerald Mile is a rollicking and poignant account of an epic 750-mile odyssey, on foot, through the heart of the Grand Canyon. Two friends, zero preparation, one dream. A few years after quitting his job to pursue an ill-advised dream of becoming a whitewater guide on the Colorado River, Kevin Fedarko was approached by his best friend, National Geographic photographer Pete McBride, with a vision as bold as it was harebrained. Together, they would embark on an end-to-end traverse of the Grand Canyon--a journey that, McBride promised, would be a walk in the park. Against his better judgment, Fedarko agreed, unaware that the small cluster of experts who had actually completed the crossing billed it as the toughest hike in the world. A singular portrait of a sublime place, A Walk in the Park is a deeply moving plea for the preservation of America's greatest natural treasure.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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