Biography and Memoir
September 2025
Recent Releases
Cover of Baldwin by Nicholas Boggs
Baldwin: A Love Story
by Nicholas Boggs

Drawing on interviews and previously unreleased archival materials, National Humanities Center fellow Nicholas Boggs’ moving and intimate biography of writer and civil rights activist James Baldwin examines how his personal relationships impacted his life and career. Further reading: James Baldwin: Living in Fire by Bill V. Mullen.
Cover of Awake by Jen Hatmaker
Awake: A Memoir
by Jen Hatmaker

A candid, humorous, and emotionally raw memoir of personal upheaval, charting the collapse of a long marriage, the unraveling of identity and belief systems and the painful but empowering journey toward healing, self-reliance and unexpected renewal.
Cover of Positive Obsession by Susana M. Morris
Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler
by Susana M. Morris

Georgia Institute of Technology professor Susana M. Morris’ well-researched biography of trailblazing science fiction author Octavia E. Butler thoughtfully places Butler’s works within the sociocultural and historical contexts that shaped her, utilizing correspondence, unpublished manuscripts, and interviews. Try this next: Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture by Ytasha Womack.
Cover of Coming Up Short by Robert B. Reich
Coming Up Short: A Memoir of America
by Robert B. Reich

Former United States Secretary of Labor Robert B. Reich’s sobering yet hopeful blend of memoir and political analysis incisively explores how the rise of partisanship and tribalism has hindered American economic progress. Try this next: The Theft of a Decade: Baby Boomers, Millennials, and the Distortion of Our Economy by Joseph C. Sternberg.
Cover of The Feather Detective by Chris Sweeney
The Feather Detective: Mystery, Mayhem, and the Magnificent Life of Roxie Laybourne
by Chris Sweeney

Journalist Chris Sweeney's richly detailed debut profiles pioneering forensic ornithologist and Smithsonian Institution taxidermist Roxie Laybourne (1910-2003), who utilized her avian expertise to solve murders, investigate poaching activities, and inspect bird-related plane crashes, the latter of which led to aircraft safety reforms. For fans of: 18 Tiny Deaths: The Untold Story of Frances Glessner Lee and the Invention of Modern Forensics by Bruce Goldfarb.
Focus on: Sports Biographies
Cover of Althea by Sally H. Jacobs
Althea: The Life of Tennis Champion Althea Gibson
by Sally H. Jacobs

Former Boston Globe reporter Sally H. Jacobs' biography of trailblazing tennis player Althea Gibson, the first African American to win a Grand Slam tournament, offers a comprehensive portrait of a complex woman who battled racial and gender discrimination, poverty, and abuse in her journey toward stardom. Further reading: Serving Herself: The Life and Times of Althea Gibson by Ashley Brown.
Cover of Path Lit by Lightning by David Maraniss
Path Lit by Lightning: The Life of Jim Thorpe
by David Maraniss

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Maraniss' well-researched and insightful biography of multi-hyphenate athlete Jim Thorpe, the first Indigenous American to win Olympic gold for the United States, looks at the man beyond the myth, exploring how Thorpe grappled with racist treatment, poverty and alcoholism, and fraught family relationships amid his career triumphs. Further reading: Native American Son: The Life and Sporting Legend of Jim Thorpe by Kate Buford. 
Cover of Changeover by Giri Nathan
Changeover: A Young Rivalry and a New Era of Men's Tennis
by Giri Nathan

A vivid chronicle of men's tennis in 2024, capturing the end of the Djokovic-Nadal-Federer era and the rise of prodigies Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner as they reshape the sport while the old guard fiercely resists fading away.
Cover of Beyond Fast by Sean Brosnan
Beyond Fast: How a Renegade Coach and His Unlikely High School Team Revolutionized Distance Running
by Sean Brosnan

The gripping true story of a once-overlooked high school cross country team that, through total commitment and bold leadership, rose to national dominance, shattered records and redefined the limits of youth athletic achievement and perseverance.
Contact your librarian for more great books!
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