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Biography and Memoir October 2026 |
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| Nobody Broke Your Heart: An Intimate Biography of Elliott Smith by Jamie FisherDebut author Jamie Fisher’s scrupulously researched life story of indie-pop star Elliott Smith handles its subject with due care. Rather than linger over his 2003 death (presumed a suicide), Fisher interviewed those close to Smith to construct a nuanced portrait of the songwriter, a much-loved but sensitive and addiction-prone person who was hopelessly unprepared for the sudden success that overtook him. Fans will love this “bighearted biography that Smith and his acolytes deserve” (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| Finding Renée Richards: The Groundbreaking Story of Tennis's Trans Pioneer by Julie KliegmanJournalist Julie Kliegman weaves the controversy surrounding trans women athletes into their biography of Renée Richards, a transgender ophthalmologist and amateur tennis player who made waves in 1977 when she successfully sued for the right to compete in the U.S. Women’s Open. Richards, today happily retired at age 90 and interviewed by the author, drops a surprising bombshell at the book’s conclusion. Try this next: Fair Play: How Sports Shape the Gender Debates by Katie Barnes. |
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| Hiroshima, 8:15: The Lost Memoir by Kiyoshi TanimotoJapanese Methodist minister Kiyoshi Tanimoto happened to be across town from his Hiroshima apartment on an errand at 8:15 am on August 6th, 1945. In this detailed memoir, he records firsthand the horror he witnessed, from narrowly escaping the atomic blast to his journey home to his family. Though Tanimoto first told his story to journalist John Hersey for a piece in the New Yorker, his original manuscript was only recently rediscovered. For a similar read, try The Devil Reached Toward the Sky: An Oral History of the Making and Unleashing of the Atomic Bomb by Garrett M. Graff. |
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| The Wound Is Where the Light Enters: A Memoir of Resilience by Chris YoungFor a teenaged Chris Young, selling drugs was the only available escape from his poverty-stricken and violent domestic life. Upon being handed a mandatory life sentence after multiple felony arrests, Young startled everyone at his hearing by advocating for himself armed with nothing but his extensive reading of the books in the prison library, a speech that eventually secured his early release. Young’s story of overcoming tremendous odds is a “resonant, inspirational tale of redemption” (Booklist) that underscores the racism and injustice corrupting the penal system. |
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| The People's Historian: The Outsized Life of Howard Zinn by Dave ZirinRevisionist historian and liberal activist Howard Zinn’s sense of justice began developing early. Journalist Dave Zirin’s inspiring biography shows how Zinn’s experiences as a teenaged labor organizer and a young WWII airman were instrumental in forming his perspective as a history scholar, anti-war agitator, and author of The People’s History of the United States -- the book that made Zinn famous and earned him many enemies for its radical retelling. Try this next: Francis Fukuyama’s In the Realm of the Last Man. |
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| Monsters in the Archives: My Year of Fear with Stephen King by Caroline BicksShakespeare scholar Caroline Bicks occupies the University of Maine’s inaugural Stephen E. King Chair in Literature, a fortuitous position that quickly led to a dialogue and friendship with Mr. King. In an accessible voice, Bicks reveals creepy parallels between the works of the Bard and those of the Master of Scares, and even shares some nuggets of writing wisdom from the famous author himself. If this interests you, seek out King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. |
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| Edgar Allan Poe: A Life by Richard KopleyEnglish professor Richard Kopley offers a detailed account of Edgar Allan Poe’s brief life mixed with close readings of the author and poet’s work. With the latter, Kopley makes a persuasive case for Poe as the godfather of both the horror and detective genres, though his achievements were undermined by his demons -- namely, alcohol; grief at the death of his young wife, Virginia; and frustration at his failure to gain financial success for his writing. In a crowded field, this biography “can well be called definitive” (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| Partially Devoured: How Night of the Living Dead Saved My Life and Changed the World by Daniel KrausCelebrated author and screenwriter Daniel Kraus comes clean about the immense influence that George A. Romero’s 1968 zombie classic Night of the Living Dead had on him as a film fan and writer. Kraus doesn’t just discuss the film -- he vivisects it, guiding the reader practically frame-by-frame, in an engrossing thesis that casts the redefining of horror cinema as a metaphor for the grisly death of modern culture, “oozing with grief…while simultaneously bursting with life” (Booklist). It’s a can’t-miss feature for horror fans. |
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| Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark by Cassandra PetersonShe’s best known as the busty, pun-slinging vamp and horror hostess Elvira, but TV personality Cassandra Peterson’s backstory is one of grit and perseverance. Growing up in Colorado in a home rife with abuse and addiction, Peterson knew early on that she wanted to become a showgirl, decamping to Las Vegas fresh out of high school. After this early start, she came to many things late in life -- fame as Elvira, motherhood, and, finally, true love with her same-sex partner when she was 51. Peterson’s memoir is candid, ghoulishly funny, and inspiring. |
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| It Came from the Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror by Joe Vallese, editorPut together by NYU writing professor Joe Vallese, It Came from the Closet is an essay anthology featuring 26 queer or trans writers reflecting on the excitement, revulsion, and sense of belonging they found in horror cinema and literature. The feelings of comfort and validation the contributors describe were often not to be found in a society that ironically viewed them as “monsters.” This thought-provoking collection, while touching on disturbing themes, is shot through with humor, wit, and original ideas. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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