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Biography and Memoir April 2026 |
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| Judy Blume: A Life by Mark OppenheimerHistorian and journalist Mark Oppenheimer’s “fitting tribute” (Booklist) to author Judy Blume provides a detailed, chronological view of an ambitious, talented woman seeking something beyond the strictures of her early marriage and motherhood. Though her work was sometimes controversial, Oppenheimer pinpoints the secret of Blume’s success: she was able to produce children’s stories with a keen sense of realism in which young readers could actually see themselves. |
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| Freedom Lost, Freedom Won: A Personal History of America by Eugene RobinsonJournalist Eugene Robinson, who spent COVID-imposed downtime unearthing documentation of his Black family’s history, relates the two centuries of struggle that family endured to simply be American. Though the stories of Robinson’s ancestors’ accomplishments inspire, his impressively researched book reveals a sobering theme: throughout its history, the United States has repeatedly found insidious ways to claw back hard-won African American liberties. Read-alike: The Stained Glass Window by David Levering Lewis. |
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| The Last Kings of Hollywood: Coppola, Lucas, Spielberg, and the Battle for the Soul of American Cinemaby Paul FischerDocumentarian Paul Fischer’s collective biography charts the early careers of Hollywood titans Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg, whose rise coincided with the fall of the old studio system and ushered in the era of the blockbuster. Though each director has his own style and vision, Fischer’s gossipy, novelistic narrative shows the influence they had on each other as friends, competitors, and co-conspirators while changing the way movies are made. Read-alikes: The Blues Brothers by Daniel De Vise and The Wild Bunch by W. K. Stratton. |
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Getting Naked: The Quiet Work of Becoming Perfectly Imperfect by Valerie BertinelliTelevision actor and cooking show maven Valerie Bertinelli strips away the polished facade and shares what it's really like to grow older, love harder, and start over. Getting Naked isn't just a story of survival. It's a reckoning -- with her past, her family history, and the generational pain that shaped her. It's about the myths we believe when we're young -- about beauty, love, success -- and how we carry them until they break us open. It's about unlearning the script that says women must please, endure, and stay silent. Try this next: Brooke Shields is Not Allowed to Get Old by Brooke Shields
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| Young Man in a Hurry: A Memoir of Discovery by Gavin NewsomCalifornia governor and potential 2028 presidential candidate Gavin Newsom’s book briskly lays out his rise in the Democratic party, reveals some of the struggles early in his life that propelled him into politics, and talks about some key achievements of his tenure, including overseeing California’s legalization of same-sex marriage seven years prior to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling. Try this next: The Deeper the Roots by Michael Tubbs. |
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Arsenio: A Memoir by Arsenio HallArsenio Hall holds a uniquely prominent place in American culture--celebrated late-night host and comedic actor, famed for starring roles in the cultural touchstones "Coming to America" and "Harlem Nights." Now, he pulls back the curtain and takes us to a different time in Hollywood. This bracingly candid memoir offers a new appreciation for this raw talent and gifted storyteller, who nightly, for six years, hosted what felt like a televised party that changed the landscape of late-night television and brought Black culture into living rooms across America. Read-alike: Top Billin' by Bill Bellamy.
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| Bonfire of the Murdochs: How the Epic Fight to Control the Last Great Media Dynasty Broke a Family--and the Worldby Gabriel ShermanIn media tycoon Rupert Murdoch’s winner-takes-all worldview, his four children -- Lachlan, Liz, James, and Prudence -- become little more than negotiators across the conference table vying for control of his mega-corporation. Biographer Gabriel Sherman documents the family drama, cynicism, and ruthlessness of all concerned in Bonfire of the Murdochs. For fans of: Unscripted: The Epic Battle for a Media Empire and the Redstone Family Legacy by James B. Stewart and Rachel Abrams; the HBO dramedy series "Succession." |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Forsyth County Public Library
660 W. Fifth St., Winston-Salem, NC 27101
336-703-2665forsythlibrary.org |
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