LibraryAware New Nonfiction Releases May 2025

Biography & Memoir

The Afterlife of Malcolm X: An Outcast Turned Icon's Enduring Impact on America
by Mark Whitaker

Explores the iconic freedom fighter's posthumous influence on Black Power, hip-hop, literature, sports, and politics while also detailing the wrongful convictions in his assassination, offering a broad view of his lasting impact on American culture and history.

Class Clown: The Memoirs of a Professional Wiseass: How I Went 77 Years Without Growing Up
by Dave Barry

America’s most beloved wiseass finally tells his life story with all the humor you’d expect from a man who made a career out of making fun of pretty much everything.

Karen: A Brother Remembers
by Kelsey Grammer

The author's sister was kidnapped and murdered at age eighteen, and he poignantly remembers her and the impact her loss had on his life and family, exploring with raw honesty the devastation after her death and the long and arduous journey toward healing.

Mark Twain
by Ron Chernow

Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Ron Chernow illuminates the full, fascinating, and complex life of the writer long celebrated as the father of American literature, Mark Twain

Marsha: the Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson
by Tourmaline

A Black trans luminary brings to life the first definitive biography of one of the most important and remarkable figures in LGBTQ+ history, revealing her story, her impact, and her legacy.

Queen of All Mayhem: the Blood-Soaked Life & Mysterious Death of Belle Starr, the Most Dangerous Woman in the West
by Dane Huckelbridge

A deeply researched, blood-on-the-spurs biography of Belle Starr, the most legendary female outlaw of the American West.

General Nonfiction

1861: the Lost Peace
by Jay Winik

From an award-winning historian and New York Times bestselling author, a gripping, fly-on-the-wall account of the weeks leading up to Abraham Lincoln's decision to go to war against the Confederacy.

The Art Spy: The Extraordinary Untold Tale of WWII Resistance Hero Rose Valland
by Michelle Young

A saga set in Paris during World War II uncovers how an unlikely heroine infiltrated the Nazi leadership to save the world's most treasured masterpieces.

Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again
by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson

From two of America’s most respected journalists, an unflinching and explosive reckoning with one of the most fateful decisions in American political history: Joe Biden’s run for reelection despite evidence of his serious decline—amid desperate efforts to hide the extent of that deterioration

Freedom Ship: The Uncharted History of Escaping Slavery by Sea
by Marcus Rediker

This comprehensive account uncovers the long-overlooked maritime origins of the Underground Railroad, highlighting the pivotal role of sea routes in aiding enslaved people's escapes and featuring figures like Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman in the fight for freedom.

The Last Secret Agent: My Life as a Spy Behind Nazi Lines
by Pippa Latour

This posthumously published memoir details the remarkable life of Pippa Latour, the last surviving female British operative of WWII, who conducted sabotage and intelligence work in occupied France, risking her life to fight against Nazi forces and then keeping her actions secret for decades.

The Peepshow: The Murders at Rillington Place
by Kate Summerscale

Delves into the murders at 10 Rillington Place, exploring the life of Reg Christie, the tabloid frenzy surrounding the case, and the possibility of a wrongful conviction, while uncovering the origins of society's obsession with true crime and offering new insights into one of the century's most infamous cases.

Taking Midway: Naval Warfare, Secret Codes, and the Battle that Turned the Tide of World War II
by Martin Dugard

Chronicles the events leading to the pivotal Battle of Midway, highlighting Lt. Commander Joseph Rochefort's efforts to decode Japanese plans despite skepticism from U.S. Navy leadership, and detailing the high-stakes strategies and dramatic confrontations that turned the tide of World War II in the Pacific.

Whack Job: A History of Axe Murder
by Rachel McCarthy James

Examines the axe's foundational role in human history, from prehistoric violence, to war and executions, to newspaper headlines and popular culture.

Miscellaneous

The Art of Winning: Lessons From My Life in Football
by Bill Belichick

A successful NFL coach delivers important life lessons that he learned from his time coaching.

Bad Friend: How Women Revolutionized Modern Friendship
by Tiffany Watt Smith

A thought-provoking memoir, history and cultural critique about the turmoil and complexity of female friendship.

Big Dumb Eyes: Stories From a Simpler Mind
by Nate Bargatze

From one of the hottest stand-up comedians, Nate Bargatze brings his everyman comedy to the page in this hilarious collection of personal stories, opinions, and confessions.

The Courage to Change: Saying Goodbye to Good Enough and Embracing the Promise of What Can Be
by Joyce Meyer

Change is inevitable. And sometimes it’s confusing and difficult, even when it’s good. We can’t keep change from coming, but we can allow it to transform us rather than derail us by facing it and embracing it through the lens of God’s unchanging promises to us.

Hollywood High: a Totally Epic, Way Opinionated History of Teen Movies
by Bruce Handy

A Vanity Fair explores nearly a century of teen movies, connecting iconic films to cultural shifts, societal anxieties and youth influence, revealing how classics from Rebel Without a Cause to Mean Girls shaped and reflected generations of adolescence in America.

Is a River Alive?
by Robert Macfarlane

The best-selling author of Underland explores the concept of rivers as living entities, weaving together travel writing, natural history and reporting from Ecuador, India and Canada to illuminate the interconnectedness of humans and rivers.

Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes
by Leah Litman

A Crooked Media podcast host shines a light on what she sees as the unabashed lawlessness embraced by conservative U.S. Supreme Court justices and shows Americans how to fight back.

They Poisoned the World: Life and Death in the Age of Forever Chemicals
by Mariah Blake

A landmark investigation of the chemical industry's decades-long campaign to hide the devastating effects of "forever chemicals," told through the story of a small town on the frontline of an epic public health crisis.

Warhol's Muses: The Artists, Misfits, and Superstars Destroyed by the Factory Fame Machine
by Laurence Leamer

Examines the lives of ten women who inspired Andy Warhol's art and underground films, exploring their rise within his famed Factory, the turbulent 1960s Manhattan scene, and the exploitation, creativity, and chaos that defined their relationships with the iconic artist.

We All Want to Change the World: My Journey Through Social Justice Movements from the 1960s to Today
by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Studies the history of transformative protest movements in America, from civil rights to LGBTQ and women's rights, blending the author's personal activism with reflections on how protests drive social change and remain essential to addressing contemporary injustices.

We Can Do Hard Things: Answers to Life's 20 Questions
by Glennon Doyle

Explores twenty essential life questions, offering wisdom, personal insights, and transformative lessons designed to help readers confront challenges, find healing, and share inspiration through courage, solidarity, and meaningful conversations.

What My Father and I Don't Talk About: Sixteen Writers Break the Silence
by Michele Filgate

A collection of stories breaks the silence on the complex—and sometimes contentious—relationships we have with our fathers.