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Biography and Memoir January 2026 |
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| Lucy & Desi: The Love Letters by Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz; Lucie Arnaz, compilerLucie Arnaz, daughter of America’s premier midcentury TV couple, has curated a selection of her parents’ letters to each other during the blossoming years of their relationship. The young lovers’ missives, many written during Arnaz's military service, intimately reveal their longing and affection while occasionally giving a glimpse of their quarrels and jealousies. For more candid couples' communication, try Kirk and Anne: Letters of Love, Laughter, and a Lifetime in Hollywood by Kirk and Anne Douglas. |
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| Simply More: A Book for Anyone Who Has Been Told They're Too Much by Cynthia ErivoTheater, music, and film star Cynthia Erivo reflects on how far she has come while encouraging her readers to consider their own unrealized potential. Confident from an early age that she had a lot to offer the world, Erivo nevertheless had her share of detractors and setbacks, and she inspires readers to persist in their dreams, seek balance, and keep moving forward. For another stirring memoir of succeeding through struggle, try Leslie F*cking Jones by Leslie Jones. |
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| Joan Crawford: A Woman's Face by Scott EymanFilm historian Scott Eyman unveils a comprehensive and evenhanded biography of Joan Crawford, an original “femme fatale” of Hollywood’s golden age. Noted for her unfaltering work ethic over a five-decade career, Crawford was closely guarded about her private life. Eyman unearths sources that highlight her impoverished upbringing, multiple marriages, and the allegations of abuse of her adopted children in this “juicy Hollywood saga”. |
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| Insomnia by Robbie RobertsonIn a posthumous autobiography, musician and songwriter Robbie Robertson relates a rapid-fire, impressionistic collection of anecdotes surrounding an extended lost weekend in 1970s Los Angeles with film director Martin Scorsese. Exiled from their family home by his wife for bad behavior, Robertson moved in with Scorsese, dove into a pile of cocaine, and partied with the stars while the pair assembled the raw footage of The Last Waltz concert film. |
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| Bread of Angels by Patti SmithPoet, musician, author, and all-around artist Patti Smith impresses with a life-spanning memoir. Smith’s writing is always lyrical, dreamlike, and filled with literary references, but here she uses it to reveal snippets of her restless, sickly childhood and intimate fragments of her marriage to the late Fred “Sonic” Smith. Somewhat of a return to form from her recent work, Bread of Angels is highly recommended for fans of Smith’s National Book Award-winning autobiography Just Kids. |
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Nobody Can Give You Freedom: The Political Life of Malcolm X
by Kehinde Andrews
In Nobody Can Give You Freedom, Kehinde Andrews draws on the speeches and writings of Malcolm X to upend the conventional understanding of Malcolm-from his alleged misogyny to his putative proclivity for violence. Instead, Andrews argues that Malcolm X embraced equality across genders and foresaw a more inclusive approach to Black liberation that relied on grassroots efforts and community building. Far from a doomed ideologue, Malcolm X was in fact one of the most important, and misunderstood, intellectuals of the twentieth century, whose lessons on how to fight white supremacy are more important than ever.
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Cancer Is Complicated: And Other Unexpected Lessons I've Learned
by Clea Shearer
Cancer Is Complicated is the book that Clea wishes she'd had when she started on her cancer journey. It is a memoir and a guidebook, blending Clea's experiences and all the wisdom and advice she's gathered through this process. The book follows Clea through every step of her journey, from the moment she first felt a lump in her breast, through treatment, to where she is today. Clea also offers insights on questions big and small from how to be your own biggest advocate, to knowing whom in your circle to share your diagnosis with, to understanding the emotional side of cancer, to what to bring with you to chemo, to things to eat when nothing else tastes good, and so much more.
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Eleanor Roosevelt's Nightly Prayer: The Religious Life of the First Lady of the World
by Donn Mitchell
A deep exploration of how Eleanor Roosevelt's Christian faith led her to become one of the most well-known and praised humanitarians.A fresh take on the influences that formed a key figure in 20th-century American history. -Publishers Weekly A great woman who was heavily involved in politics, Eleanor Roosevelt is considered one of the most important and beloved First Ladies and female leaders. Her faith and beliefs are commonly dismissed as confines of her upbringing that she broke free from; however, her dedication to the Episcopal Church and her reliance on Jesus's teachings imply otherwise. Her nightly prayer, famously recorded in her writing, demonstrates her approach to serving her community and nation, and her inspiration and strength in the politics she was involved in become apparent when understanding the context of her religion and considering the fulfillment of her beliefs through her actions. In reviewing observations from family members, her own writing, and her participation in the church, Mitchell examines the impact of Eleanor's faith on her work, and by extension, its impact on the world.
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Does Anyone Else Feel This Way?
Essays on Conquering the Quarter-Life Crisis
by Eli Rallo
From TikTok star and the author of I Didn't Know I Needed This Eli Rallo, a reflection on the anxiety of transitioning into adulthood, navigating the quarter-life crisis, and realizing you're actually not alone. Does anyone else feel like they're the only one having a quarter-life crisis? As a senior in college, Eli Rallo expected her post-grad years to be filled with certainty, that she would finally feel that she was the adult she had long dreamed she'd be, with a cool job, an amazing apartment, fabulous friends, and lots of fun and flirty date nights. Instead she was met with crippling social anxiety, no idea what direction her career was taking, an inability to stop comparing herself to her peers' picture-perfect lives on social media, and a looming sense that she may never feel certain. With a look at her own misadventures and hard-won life lessons, Eli shares the journey she's been on to find herself as an adult, and the twists and turns she's taken while navigating her own quarter-life crisis.
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Water Mirror Echo: Bruce Lee and the Making
of Asian America
by Jeff Chang
Bruce Lee’s arrival on the big screen was seismic, as recounted here by Asian American author Jeff Chang. Lee leveraged a potent mix of “magnetism and physical talents” (Kirkus Reviews) to gain renown as a martial arts teacher and later as an actor in Hong Kong and Hollywood, soon becoming the original Asian megastar. For fans of: The Golden Screen: The Movies That Made Asian America by Jeff Yang.
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Carole King: She Made the Earth Move
by Jane Eisner
Carole King's extraordinary career has defined American popular music for more than half a century. Born in New York City in 1942, she shaped the soundtrack of 1960s teen culture with such songs as "Will You Love Me Tomorrow," one of many Brill Building classics she wrote with her first husband, Gerry Goffin. She was a leading figure in the singer-songwriter movement of the 1970s, with dozens of Billboard Hot 100 hits and music awards -her 1971 album Tapestry won a record four Grammys. Yet she struggled to reconcile her fame with her roles as a wife and mother and retreated to the backwoods of Idaho, only to emerge in recent years as a political activist and the subject of the Tony-winning Broadway show Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.
Journalist and author Jane Eisner places King's life in historical and cultural context, revealing details of her humble beginnings in Jewish Brooklyn, the roots of her musical genius, her four marriages, and her anguish about public life. Drawing on numerous interviews as well as historical and contemporary sources, this book brings to life King's professional accomplishments, her personal challenges, and her lasting contributions to the great American songbook.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Michigan City Public Library
100 E. 4th Street
Michigan City, Indiana 46360
219-873-3044mclib.org/ |
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