Michigan City Public Library: Biography and Memoir: March 2026

Recent Releases

Kings and Pawns: Jackie Robinson and Paul Robeson in America
by Howard Bryant

Sports journalist Howard Bryant's affecting history details how trailblazing Black actor Paul Robeson and Major League Baseball player Jackie Robinson's differing political ideologies often put them at odds with each other, culminating in Robinson's 1949 appearance at the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), where he testified against Robeson. For fans of: The Sword and the Shield: The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. by Peniel E. Joseph.

Bernie for Burlington: The Rise of the People's Politician
by Dan Chiasson

Poet, journalist, and Burlington, Vermont native Dan Chiasson remembers growing up in the small city that a young Brooklynite named Bernie Sanders adopted as his hometown. Chiasson recalls that Sanders was seen as a tad eccentric when he first ran for mayor, yet he was able to garner support on complex local issues while earning a reputation as a fearless underdog’s champion. For fans of: Pete Buttigieg’s Shortest Way Home: One Mayor’s Challenge and a Model for America’s Future.

Rebel of the Regency: The Scandalous Saga of Caroline of Brunswick, Britain's Queen...
by Ann Foster

Caroline of Brunswick, niece of Britain’s King George III, was chosen as queen-to-be for his profligate heir, George Augustus Frederick, Prince of Wales. Never mind that she was treated cruelly by George’s family and thoughtlessly cast aside soon after his coronation: the Regency royals were so detested by the British populace that Caroline quickly became a heroine of the emerging tabloid press. History podcaster Ann Foster dishes all the dirt. Try this next: The Duchess Countess: The Woman Who Scandalized Eighteenth Century London by Catherine Ostler.

The Insider: Malcolm Cowley and the Triumph of American Literature
by Gerald Howard

A biography of the little-known editor and literary critic Malcolm Cowley, who helped shape the American literary landscape in the first half of the twentieth century and established the careers and cemented the legacies of famed writers such as William Faulkner, Jack Kerouac, and Ken Kesey.

Black Dahlia: Murder, Monsters, and Madness in Midcentury Hollywood
by William J. Mann

Biographer William J. Mann's (Bogie & Bacall) well-researched true crime account offers fresh insights on the 1947 murder of actress Elizabeth Short, who posthumously came to be known by the moniker "Black Dahlia." Further reading: Sisters in Death: The Black Dahlia, the Prairie Heiress, and Their Hunter by Eli Frankel.

Racebook: A Personal History of the Internet
by Tochi Onyebuchi

Beginning with the current moment when everything, including personal identity, is a matter of dispute, and tracing his online persona in reverse chronological order back to Web 1.0's promises of greater equality and a bright digital future, Onyebuchi deftly examines the evolution of internet culture and the ways that culture has shifted in the ensuing decades. From the ever-changing nature of personal writing and free expression, to gaming, manga, fandom, and virtual reality--Onyebuchi examines the internet alongside works of literature both classic and new, and asks if our vision for what is possible has really broadened. And given the inequities Black people are still subject to, on and off the page, does the Internet only amplify our failures of imagination? A new, compelling investigation of race through the lens of the modern Internet age, and a profound intellectual journey in pursuit of community online, Onyebuchi argues for a liberation of the individual behind the code.

After the Flood: Inside Bob Dylan's Memory Palace
by Robert Polito

Biographer Robert Polito refutes the popularly accepted version of Bob Dylan’s late-career output in After the Flood. Although critical reception of his work has been up and down over the last few decades, Polito instead asserts that Dylan has produced some of the most challenging work of his life in this time frame, including powerful retellings from the Great American Songbook, two books, paintings, and over 3,000 concerts. Try this next: I’m Your Man: The Life of Leonard Cohen by Sylvie Simmons.

Contact your librarian for more great books!