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Biography and Memoir September 2026 |
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| Unsayable: A Life in Writing by Michael CunninghamIn his memoir, acclaimed novelist Michael Cunningham (The Hours) continually returns to the concept of articulation, claiming that writing is simply finding a way to express that which resists being put into words. Cunningham cannily pinpoints moments from his early life -- bouncing a ball, or watching his mother bake a cake -- as opportunities to fall in love with and ponder our relationship with language. Unsayable is a book for “readers hungry for gorgeous prose” (Publishers Weekly). |
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| All That's Unseen: An Appalachian Memoir by Emilee HackneyAfter a devastating betrayal that called her Pentecostal faith into question, debut memoirist Emilee Hackney left her small Appalachian town in Virginia for Harvard. Amidst the culture shock, Hackney realized that leaving home was the right move for her. But it also made her see that home in a new light, and she found herself defending the land of her birth against those quick to dismiss and stereotype the South and its people. For another coming-of-age memoir about feeling pulled in opposite directions, try Between Two Trailers by J. Dana Trent. |
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| American Alt: A True Story of Madness and Friendship in a Fractured Country by Chris LockhartIn 2021, Michael Dodd, a veteran and avid outdoorsman, was committed to a mental hospital for plotting to kidnap the governor of Washington. Dodd, who was diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder, requested the help of his childhood friend, the author Chris Lockhart, in piecing together his fractured sense of self through narrative therapy. Their talks form the backbone of Lockhart’s haunting “exploration of mental illness and friendship in the wreckage of American decline” (Publishers Weekly). |
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| Keeper of My Kin: Memoir of an Immigrant Daughter by Ada FerrerPulitzer Prize-winning historian Ada Ferrer (Cuba: An American History) relates the toll that emigrating from Cuba to the United States took on her family, especially her older half-brother Poly. When 10-month-old Ada and her mother left for New York City in 1963, a dispute with Poly’s father meant the boy had to be left behind, a heartbreaking turn that the author believes cast a shadow over the rest of Poly’s troubled life. For more emotionally intense stories of immigrant families, try Why Didn’t You Tell Me? by Carmen Rita Wong and A Body Across Two Hemispheres by Victoria Buitron. |
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A Passionate Mind in Relentless Pursuit: The Vision of Mary McLeod Bethune
by Noliwe Rooks
Historian Noliwe Rooks thoughtfully chronicles the trailblazing career of educator and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955), who worked tirelessly to obtain voting rights, economic independence, and educational opportunities for Black Americans. For fans of: Madam C.J. Walker: The Making of an American Icon by Erica L. Ball.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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