|
Biography and Memoir October 2017
|
|
|
|
|
Unstoppable: My Life So Far
by Maria Sharapova
The five-time Grand Slam winner presents the remarkable story of how her father relocated her at the age of 7 from their native Russia to America to develop her tennis talents before she embarked on a record-setting career shaped by astonishing competitions, her provocative beliefs and her recent fight to return to the court.
|
|
| Shooting Ghosts: A U.S. Marine, a Conflict Photographer, and Their Journey Back... by Thomas J. Brennan and Finbarr O'ReillyIn Shooting Ghosts, Marine veteran Thomas Brennan and battle photographer Finbarr O'Reilly team up to offer insight into their experiences in Afghanistan. Both of them were psychologically traumatized by their ordeals -- Brennan by his wounds from an explosion and O'Reilly's from the intensity of what he witnessed. Though civilian O'Reilly found help relatively easily, Brennan had to negotiate the complex military bureaucracy as well as the Marine culture of machismo. In this account, they defy the tradition that psychological trauma is a source of shame and make an appeal for mental health treatment for veterans. |
|
|
The Sky Below
by Scott Parazynski
A man who was a NASA astronaut for 17 years discusses his amazing life, including a global ozone-mapping mission, serving as John Glenn's crewmate, a death-defying spacewalk, becoming the only astronaut to summit Mt. Everest and much more.
|
|
| The Kelloggs: The Battling Brothers of Battle Creek by Howard MarkelBrothers John Harvey and Will Kellogg made Battle Creek, Michigan famous for their work in promoting health (and healthy breakfast cereal) from the 1870s to the mid-20th century. Ironically, they hated each other! In The Kelloggs, Dr. Howard Markel, a professor of the history of medicine, details the brothers' lives, careers, and intra-family warfare. Business history, medical history, and legal history combine in this "superb warts-and-all" (Kirkus Reviews) presentation of two radically different personalities whose success depended on their sibling rivalry. |
|
| Playing Hurt: My Journey from Despair to Hope by John Saunders with John U. BaconSports journalist John Saunders started his professional life in hockey, but switched to sportscasting in his early twenties and was acclaimed for his work on ABC and ESPN television. In Playing Hurt, he reveals his abusive childhood, his struggles with addiction, and his battle with major depression. Introducing his affecting life story, he states his goal of breaking a major taboo: "the taboo that tells men they must never confess that they suffer from mental illness." Saunders died in 2016 of natural causes shortly after completing the first draft of this book. |
|
Award-Winning Biographies and Memoirs
|
|
| The Fry Chronicles by Stephen FryAcclaimed British actor and novelist Stephen Fry was a convicted criminal, an alcohol addict, and a failed suicide when he entered Cambridge University as an undergraduate. He thought he would be sent away immediately, but instead found his niche in acting, in addition to excelling academically. Revealing many of his personal struggles, praising his actor colleagues, especially comedy and writing partner Hugh Laurie, and wittily describing his student and professional triumphs, Fry's engrossing memoir won the 2010 Biography/Autobiography of the Year from the British Book Awards (the "Nibbies"). |
|
| Jack London: An American Life by Earle LaborWidely celebrated American author Jack London was also a social activist who included some of his views on workers' rights in his stories and novels. In this Spur Award-winning biography, Earle Labor, curator of the Jack London Museum in Shreveport, Louisiana, explores London's life and philosophy in addition to his writing. Drawing on London's personal papers and those of his wife, as well as on interviews with people who were close to London, Labor distinguishes the legends about the larger-than-life man from the facts (which are equally impressive). Fans of American literature won't want to miss this impressive life study. |
|
| The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo by Tom ReissIf you've ever wondered where the 19th-century French novelist Alexandre Dumas, père learned to swashbuckle, biographer Tom Reiss has the answer in The Black Count. The novelist's father, called Alex, was born in Santo Domingo to a black slave and a French aristocrat. Later brought to France, Alex rose through the ranks in the French Army and eventually served in Napoleon's Egyptian campaign. However, he was captured by enemies, languished in prison, and died before his son was four. Alexandre idolized his father and used parts of his life's story in his novels, including The Count of Monte Cristo. Reiss' Pulitzer Prize-winning biography completes the picture of Alex's actual life. |
|
| Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? by Jeanette WintersonWhen English novelist Jeanette Winterson was a child, her adoptive mother limited her activities to a narrow religious framework. Winterson responded by finding ways to take refuge in creativity -- especially in writing, after her mother burned her books -- and by running away at age 16 to live on her own. Her first novel, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, won a Costa award and received acclaim for its depiction of a lesbian's coming of age. In her Lambda Literary Award-winning memoir Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?, Winterson reveals her own coming-of-age struggles -- which gradually led her to understand what it means to love. |
|
|
AARP Smart Driver Course
Thursday, October 19, 1:00 pm
Library Meeting Room
Sign up now for the new and improved AARP Smart Driver Course, the nation’s largest driving refresher course. Although the course is geared to drivers age 50 and older, the course is open to people of all ages. AARP membership is not required to take the course and there are no tests to pass. Some insurance companies offer discounts for taking the course. The classroom course is $15 for AARP members and $20 for non-members. Call 219-873-3049 to register.
|
|
|
Scary Stories with Grant Fitch
Friday, October 20, 10:00 am
Library Meeting Room
Storyteller Grant Fitch will share spooky tales just in time for Halloween. A program for the young and the young at mind.
|
|
|
Bookmarks: Killers of the Flower Moon
Friday, October 20, 2:00 pm
Library Meeting Room
Therese Oniskin will review Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the F.B.I. by David Grann. In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Indian Nation in Oklahoma due to the oil found on their land. Then, one by one, they began to be killed off. A masterpiece of narrative nonfiction, the book is a searing indictment of the prejudice toward Native Americans that allowed the murderers to operate with impunity. The program will also be offered at the Westchester Township Historical Museum on Thursday, October 19 at 2:00 pm.
|
|
|
Writing Out Loud: Tara Betts
Saturday, October 21, 7:30 pm
Library Meeting Room
Writing Out Loud concludes with Tara Betts. An author and professor, Betts wrote Break the Habit (2016) and Arc & Hue (2009). Her chapbooks include 7×7: kwansabas (2015) and The GREATEST!: An Homage to Muhammad Ali (2013). She is also an editor for The Beiging of America: Personal Narratives About Being Mixed Race in the 21st Century (2017). Her poetry and prose have appeared in various journals and anthologies. She has contributed to many interdisciplinary collaborations and has appeared in the Black Family Channel series Spoken with Jessica Care Moore. The program will be followed by a reception and book signing hosted by the Friends of the Michigan City Public Library.
|
|
|
Keith Scott Blues
Sunday, October 22, 2:00 pm
Library Meeting Room
Have a ball, y’all! Remarkably versatile, Chicago-based blues/rock guitarist Keith Scott will perform a concert of his (and your) favorite heavy blues tunes. Join us for a raucous time of fun and funky!
|
|
|
Axis 360 eBooks
Find popular fiction, non-fiction, and picture e-books and e-audiobooks for children, teens, and adults! It's simple--just download the app on your device, search for "Michigan City Public Library", and log in with your library card number and PIN.
|
|
|
Biography in Context
Research notable people from the past and today using this multimedia site with articles, books, photos, and videos. Log in with your library card number.
|
|
|
NoveList Plus
Looking for more books by your favorite author, or want to find similar authors? On hold for the newest bestseller and need something to read while you wait? Not sure of the next book in the series you’re reading? Found a book you love and want more books like it? Then try NoveList Plus, the online readers’ resource that helps you uncover your next great read, whether it’s fiction or nonfiction. Log in with your library card number.
|
|
|
Library Catalog
Look up books and other materials, place items on hold, and more.
|
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|
Michigan City Public Library 100 E. 4th Street Michigan City, Indiana 46360 219-873-3044mclib.org/ |
|
|
|