Category Archives: Biography

I’m Afraid of Men by Vivek Shraya

30 Wednesday Oct 2024

Posted by in Biography, Non-fiction

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

The cover of this book displays the title, the back cover displays the words, “men are afraid of me.” I thought Shraya’s observations, experiences, and insights from her perspective as a trans woman are profound and moving. 

“Shraya crafts each of her memories in prose made poetic with touches of metaphor. She writes with honesty and vulnerability, all the while asking challenging and personal questions that inspire deeper reflection. This crucial addition to shelves offers the vital and often ignored perspective of a trans woman of color. A book to carry with you.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Vivek Shraya’s writing is always empathetic but challenging, kind but sharp, and I’m Afraid of Men forces you to confront what you think you know about masculinity, privilege, and fear. Reading Shraya’s writing will make you a better person, through and through.”—Scaachi Koul, author of One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter

“Emotional and painful but also layered with humour, I’m Afraid of Men will widen your lens on gender and challenge you to do better. This challenge is a necessary one—one we must all take up. It is a gift to dive into Vivek’s heart and mind.”—Rupi Kaur, bestselling author of The Sun and Her Flowers and Milk and Honey

Find this book

The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin

09 Monday Sep 2024

Posted by in Biography, memoir, United States

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

This was one of the best memoirs I’ve read in a while. While raising their kids in a California suburb, the author and her husband are arrested for a series of crimes stemming from their drug addiction. In jail and in recovery, Lara finds the power of her voice in this compelling story.

“Grips you as suddenly as any psychological thriller… Readers will experience the lows and highs of addiction, incarceration and rehabilitation as Love Hardin assembles the pieces of her shattered life into something beautiful again in this inspiring chronicle.” —BookPage

“A hilarious and heartbreaking confession that will not let you go until it is done—and then it will haunt you. It will give you hope in what is possible for each of us if we allow others—and ourselves—to move beyond our shame, find redemption, and write a new, more inspiring story of our lives.” —Lori Gottlieb, author of the New York Times bestseller, Maybe You Should Talk to Someone

“A compelling and timely rebuttal to the perverse and unjust notion that people who are convicted of crimes can only be criminals. This critically important idea is essential for a nation that has been so derailed by destructive “law and order” narratives that have left us both less just and less safe.” —Bryan Stevenson, author of the New York Times bestseller Just Mercy

Find this book large print audio cd’s

Chasing Beauty : the Life of Isabella Stewart Gardner by Natalie Dykstra

08 Monday Jul 2024

Posted by in Biography, Non-fiction, United States

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

If you enjoyed The Lioness of Boston, you’ll love learning even more about the life and art of Isabella Stewart Gardner in this wonderfully written biography.

“Marshalling vivid facts, fluent insights, and narrative radiance, Dykstra fully captures Gardner’s dynamism, intrepidity, creativity, and singular achievements”— Booklist (starred review)

“The complex, magnificent life of Isabella Stewart Gardner pours through the pages of Natalie Dykstra’s wonderful, definitive biography. Gardner left an incomparable legacy; at long last, she has found a biographer who can match her in range, profundity, and eye for detail. It is thrilling to watch the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum rise again in this powerful, timely book.” — Rachel Cohen, author of A Chance Meeting: American Encounters

“Dykstra’s deeply researched biography reveals the complex modern woman behind Isabella Stewart Gardner’s trademark gauzy veils. It’s such a compelling tale, how a woman born into a Victorian world of privilege and propriety stepped outside the dos and don’ts of her social set to become an incomparable entrepreneur and cultural visionary.”  — Wanda M. Corn, author of Georgia O’Keeffe: Living Modern

Find this book audio cd’s

An Unfinished Love Story : a Personal History of the 1960s by Doris Kearns Goodwin

08 Wednesday May 2024

Posted by in Biography, History, memoir, Non-fiction, United States

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

In their last years together, Doris and Dick Goodwin tackle the 300 plus boxes of historical documents, pictures, and memorabilia collected over the years only to discover they had an  “unparalleled personal time capsule of the 1960s, illuminating public and private moments of a decade when individuals were powered by the conviction they could make a difference”.  If you lived during the sixties, you will find this to be a riveting, enlightening and tender read.

“A touching invitation to eavesdrop on a long marriage between two people who had an unusual level of access to presidential policy and personality.”—San Francisco Chronicle

“Just as An Unfinished Love Story is a testament to the Kearns Goodwin marriage, so is it a love story of the United States and its democratic government. The many speeches written by Goodwin, the writings of Kearns Goodwin and both their reflections demonstrate that words do indeed matter.”—The Columbus Dispatch

“An intimate political history….about the love of historical research, in this case demonstrated by a joint examination of 300 boxes of documents, drafts, and the personal flotsam accumulated over the course of a marriage played out in the arena of American politics. And about the love of America, its past and future, its struggles and promise”—The Boston Globe

Find this book audio cd’s

This Boy’s: Life: a Memoir by Tobias Wolff

24 Wednesday Apr 2024

Posted by in 20th century, Biography, memoir

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

Nice to read a “oldy but goody” every now and then.  First published in 1989, this memoir has become a classic of the genre, as notable for its artful structure and finely wrought prose as for the events it describes. The book essentially launched the memoir craze that has been going strong ever since. It was made into a movie in 1993.

“Wolff writes in language that is lyrical without embellishment, defines his characters with exact strokes and perfectly pitched voices, [and] creates suspense around ordinary events, locating the deep mystery within them.” –Los Angeles Times Book Review

“Wolff’s genius is in his fine storytelling. This Boy’s Life reads and entertains as easily as a novel. Wolff’s writing and timing are superb, as are his depictions of those of us who endured the “50s.” –Oregonian

“A work of genuine literary art . . . as grim and eerie as Great Expectations, as surreal and cruel as The Painted Bird, as comic and transcendent as Huckleberry Finn.” –Philadelphia Inquirer

Find this book                     audio cd’s                        playaway

Salt Path: a Memoir by Raynor Winn

12 Friday Jan 2024

Posted by in Biography, England, memoir, nature, Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

The true story of a couple (married 32 years) who lost everything (literally – lost their family farm, all their assets, plus one gets a terrible diagnosis) and embarked on a transformative journey walking the South West Coast Path in England. Uplifting and inspiring.

“Raynor Winn is a master of writing about nature and grief. The coast is the backbone of her memoir … a gripping story about a search for home, resilience and emotion, all the while in conversation with the sea.”—Guardian

“An astonishing narrative of two people dragging themselves from the depths of despair along some of the most dramatic landscapes in the country, looking for a solution to their problems and ultimately finding themselves.”—Independent (UK)

“Winn’s chronicle is filled with beauty, humor and surprises. Glorious landscape a given, the loveliest scenery is the pair themselves, their affection and easy camaraderie treasures to behold. Facing grief, harsh elements, starvation and judgment about being homeless, they relish growing feelings of achievement and purpose. When, miraculously, Moth starts to feel better, their future grows more unclear. The Salt Path is a great travelogue of surroundings, passersby and local merchants, but its heart is in Winn and Moth finding meaning in the chaos.”—Shelf Awareness

Find this book

All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family Keepsake by Tiya Miles

04 Saturday Nov 2023

Posted by in Biography, Non-fiction

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

This is a story of legacy. One rough cotton bag, called “Ashley’s Sack,” is embroidered with just a handful of words that evoke a sweeping family story of loss and of love. In 1850s South Carolina, just before nine-year-old Ashley was sold, her mother, Rose, gave her this sack filled with just a few things as a token of her love.  It was passed down through generations. 

NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER • NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

WINNER: PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award, Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, Ralph Waldo Emerson Prize, Lawrence W. Levine Award, Darlene Clark Hine Award, Cundill History Prize, John Kelly Memorial Prize, Massachusetts Book Award

“[A] brilliant and compassionate account.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Through [Miles’s] interpretation, the humble things in the sack take on ever-greater meaning, its very survival seems magical, and Rose’s gift starts to feel momentous in scale.”—Rebecca Onion, Slate 

Find this book large print

Strip Tees by Kate Flannery

27 Friday Oct 2023

Posted by in Biography, History, United States

≈ Leave a comment

This memoir tells the story of the millennial feminist meeting toxic patriarchal culture at American Apparel. Hilariously funny – I was cheering for Kate the whole way! 

“A racy, thoughtful memoir of [Flannery’s] tenure during the rise and fall of the controversial company…Flannery’s conversion from credulous retail recruit to company woman doesn’t trade in hyper-intellectual #MeToo-era analysis or retrospective scolding. Instead, its currency is the prickly panic of realizing your life doesn’t match your principles, spiked with salacious specifics that evoke the highly sexed environment of American Apparel’s cultural and commercial peak.”
―New York Times Book Review

“[A] bold debut memoir…Flannery succeeds in illustrating the fashion industry’s blurred lines in the decade prior to #MeToo, and the tough choices women faced between professional success and personal safety. This is an authentic portrait of the battle to remain true to oneself.―Publishers Weekly

“Begins like a classic Hollywood noir…Strip Tees goes down as easy as a rum and Diet Coke, breezily written and punctuated at its intermission by a few pages of glossy photos…[it’s] as if Flannery were recounting the saga of her ill-fated years at American Apparel directly to you ― not in a suburban basement, but perhaps over frozen rosé outside a hotel bar, where we can smell the pool water and swimsuit Lycra.”―Washington Post

Find this book

The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World by Jonathan Freedland

04 Wednesday Oct 2023

Posted by in 20th century, Biography, History, Non-fiction

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

National Jewish Book Award – Biography, 2022

Best selling novelist Jonathan Freedland tells the astonishing true story of Rudolf Vrba, the man who broke out of Auschwitz to warn the world of a truth too few were willing to hear.  Should his name be as famous as Anne Frank, Oskar Schindler, and Primo Levi?

 “Concentration camp stories make for painful reading, but British journalist and broadcaster Freedland relates a riveting tale with a fascinating protagonist . . . Freedland delivers a gripping description of Vrba and a companion’s planning, breakout, and grueling walk to Slovakia . . . A powerful story of a true hero who deserves more recognition.” — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“It’s an astonishing account, both of human brutality and resilience, and although it’s non-fiction, it reads like a thriller.” — C.J. Carey, author of Widowland

“A brilliant and heart-wrenching book, with universal and timely lessons about the power of information—and misinformation. Is it possible to stop mass murder by telling the truth?” — Yuval Noah Harari, bestselling author of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind and Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow

Find this book large print audio cd’s

Look for Me There: Grieving My Father, Finding Myself by Luke Russert

18 Friday Aug 2023

Posted by in adventure, Biography, meaning of life, Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,

What began as several open-ended months of travel to decompress and take the time to mourn his larger-than-life father (NBC Tim Russert) who died too young morphed into a three-plus-year odyssey across six continents.  Armchair travel at its best.

‘This starts as the story of one father and one son, and soon grows into something much deeper and more profound: a meditation on loss, and grief, a search for home, a journey to find a missing hero that leads the author finally back to himself. It is Luke Russert’s story but in the end, the main character is you, the reader.’ — Wright Thompson, senior ESPN writer and bestselling author of Pappyland and The Cost of These Dreams

‘A rich and compelling account of family, grief and coming of age. Luke Russert turns tragedy into rich lessons of life.’ — Tom Brokaw, legendary journalist and author of The Greatest Generation

‘In Look For Me There, Luke Russert traverses terrain both physical and deeply personal. On his journey to some of the world’s most stunning destinations, he visits the internal places of grief, family, faith, ambition and purpose–with intense self-reflection, honesty and courage.’ — Savannah Guthrie, co-anchor Today

Find this book