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Biography and Memoir September 2023 |
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Better Living Through Birding: Notes From a Black Man in the Natural World
by Christian Cooper
What it is: an engaging memoir from birder and activist Christian Cooper, whose Central Park encounter with a white dog walker went viral in 2020.
Read it for: Cooper's love for the natural world; insights on how his hobby informs his experiences as a gay Black man; tips for birdwatching.
Try this next: Bird Brother: A Falconer's Journey and the Healing Power of Wildlife by Rodney Stotts.
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Thunderclap : a memoir of art and life & sudden death
by Laura Cumming
Featuring beautiful full-color images of Dutch paintings throughout, this stunning book about one of the most vibrant periods in European art and life is centered around the fascinating, little-known story of the Thunderclap– an enormous explosion in 1654 Holland that claimed the life of one of the greatest artists of the 17th century.
For fans of: In this elegant and luminous work, Cumming writes with deep feeling and knowledge about how “pictures can shore you up, remind you who you are and what you stand for.” Art lovers will be enthralled. (Publishers Weekly)
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This is reggae : my life in Jamaican music, from Zap Pow to Bob Marley and the Wailers
by Glen DaCosta
"For more than six decades, Reggae legend Glen DaCosta has worked as a musician, songwriter and producer. As a session player, his distinctive sax sound backed many international Reggae stars at Joe Gibbs' Studio and Lee Scratch Perry's Blackheart Studio. Twenty-two years in the writing, his revealing memoir gives an insider's view of the Jamaican popular music industry, and recounts his fascinating childhood and years on the road with Bob Marley and the Wailers and Zap Pow"
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No ordinary assignment : a memoir
by Jane Ferguson
In this unflinching memoir of ambition and war, the author chronicles her unlikely journey to become an award-winning war correspondent from the front lines of the most dangerous conflicts and dire humanitarian crises of our time, from the Arab Spring to Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. 50,000 first printing.
Reviewers say: While acknowledging the particularities of being a woman in her position, including the prevalence of double standards, she does not allow herself to be reduced to them.A captivating, honest, and powerful attempt to do justice to the hardest stories to tell. (Kirkus Reviews)
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| Naturally Tan by Tan FranceWhat it is: a charming coming-of-age memoir from Queer Eye fashion expert Tan France.
Why you might like it: With wit and candor, France tackles topics both affecting (the racist bullying he endured as a Pakistani Muslim teen in England) and amusing (his penchant for no-nonsense sartorial advice).
For fans of: fellow Fab Five personality Karamo Brown's Karamo: My Story of Embracing Purpose, Healing, and Hope. |
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| Sunshine Girl: An Unexpected Life by Julianna MarguliesWhat it is: a candid memoir from Emmy Award-winning ER and The Good Wife actress Julianna Margulies.
Topics include: how Margulies' unconventional upbringing fueled her desire to perform; her decision to leave ER at the height of the show's popularity, turning down $27 million to renew her contract; finding love after a series of unfulfilling relationships.
For fans of: well-crafted celebrity memoirs that favor deep reflection over gossip, like Gabriel Byrne's Walking with Ghosts. |
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| Unprotected by Billy PorterWhat it's about: Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award-winning actor Billy Porter's inspiring and hard-fought success in the entertainment industry.
Is it for you? Porter's intimate debut doesn't shy away from the hardships he's faced, including childhood sexual abuse, bankruptcy, racist and homophobic treatment in Hollywood, and living with HIV.
Try this next: Fans of moving and conversational celebrity memoirs will want to read Gabrielle Union's You Got Anything Stronger?. |
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| Just As I Am by Cicely TysonWhat it is: an engaging memoir by iconic Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress Cicely Tyson, published just two days before her death in January 2021 at age 96.
Topics include: how Tyson broke barriers and combatted stereotypes in the entertainment industry, including being the first Black actress to wear her natural hair on TV and earning an Oscar nomination for 1972's Sounder, her first lead film role; her volatile relationship with Miles Davis, to whom she was married for eight years. |
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| Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets & Advice for Living Your Best Life by Ali WongWhat is: an upbeat and unfiltered collection of letters addressed to comedian Ali Wong's toddler-age daughters, offering hard-won advice from her life on and off the stage.
Topics include: Wong's Vietnamese Chinese upbringing; early career failings; marriage and motherhood; hobnobbing with celebrities.
Reviewers say: "A down-to-earth collection that is raw but not irreverent" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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