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Popular Culture January 2021
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| I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are by Rachel BloomWhat it is: a chatty and self-deprecating essay collection from Emmy Award-winning Crazy Ex-Girlfriend co-creator and star Rachel Bloom.
What's inside: intimate musings on Bloom's mental health battles; insights on navigating male-dominated spaces in the entertainment industry; dish on attending award shows; childhood diary entries.
Don't miss: "Inside Jokes Can Leave Many Outside," the earnest newspaper editorial Bloom wrote as a teen. |
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| Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics by Dolly Parton with Robert K. OermannFeaturing: annotated lyrics to 175 of country legend Dolly Parton's songs, grouped by subject matter or theme; memorabilia and never-before-seen photographs from Parton's archives.
Read it for: Parton's candid assessment of her artistic output, peppered with her trademark sense of humor: "I've killed a lot of puppies and kids and ladies in my songs." |
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| One Life by Megan Rapinoe with Emma BrockesWhat it's about: Olympic gold medalist and two-time Women’s World Cup champion Megan Rapinoe's soccer career and dedication to social justice activism.
Why you might like it: Rapinoe's frank and inspiring memoir offers a hopeful outlook on addressing inequality both on and off the field.
Topics include: Rapinoe playing on a boy's soccer team at age six, where she outshone her peers; coming out in 2012; equal pay advocacy; solidarity with Colin Kaepernick during national anthem protests. |
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| Singular Sensation: The Triumph of Broadway by Michael RiedelWhat it is: a richly detailed history of Broadway in the 1990s, which saw the arrival -- and massive success -- of productions including Rent, The Lion King, and Angels in America.
Book buzz: Theater critic Michael Riedel's fast-paced follow-up to Razzle Dazzle, his dishy history of Broadway in the 1970s and '80s, offers a nostalgic peek behind the curtain.
Featuring: interviews with more than 100 theater luminaries involved in the hits (or flops) of the era. |
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Spotlight on: Grammy Award Winners
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| Queen Bey: A Celebration of the Power and Creativity of Beyoncé Knowles-Carter by Veronica Chambers (editor)What it is: a balanced collection of 19 essays that thoughtfully celebrates and critiques Beyoncé's cultural impact.
Contributors include: Luvvie Ajayi, Brittney Cooper, Michael Eric Dyson, Kid Fury, Lena Waithe, and more.
Don't miss: Melissa Harris-Perry and Mankaprr Conteh debate the merits of "Beyoncé feminism" in "Grown Women: A Conversation About Coming of Age with an Icon." |
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| Me & Patsy Kickin' Up Dust: My Friendship with Patsy Cline by Loretta Lynn with Patsy Lynn Russell; foreword by Dolly PartonWhat it's about: the life-changing bond between country stars Loretta Lynn and Patsy Cline.
Why you might like it: Lynn's heartwarming and humorous tribute is written in a plainspoken style that evokes the way she speaks.
Don't miss: Cline taking Nashville newbie Lynn under her wing in 1959 and helping her navigate the ins and outs of showbiz life. |
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| Let's Go (So We Can Get Back): A Memoir of Recording and Discording with Wilco, Etc. by Jeff TweedyWhat it's about: Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy's artistic coming-of-age, fueled by his battles with anxiety and addiction.
Book buzz: A New York Times bestseller, Let's Go was named a Best Music Book of 2018 by Pitchfork and Rolling Stone.
Try this next: For another funny yet moving memoir from a 1990s alt-rock musician, check out Ben Folds' A Dream About Lightning Bugs. |
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| Liner Notes: On Parents & Children, Exes & Excess, Death & Decay & a Few of My Other... by Loudon Wainwright IIIWhat it is: a witty memoir from folk musician Loudon Wainwright III offering self-deprecating musings on his well-to-do yet turbulent upbringing, his famous family (including his four children, all fellow musicians), fame, and creativity.
Want a taste? "When I'm not thinking of myself as the greatest singer-songwriter who ever lived, I consider myself to be a talentless fraud." |
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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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