Three Very Different New Biographies

You might be hard pressed to find a more diverse three people than the ones in our most recent group of biographies.  Each of the ones mentioned here can be found in our New Non-Fiction shelves.

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 The first is 'A Time for Truth' by Ted Cruz, who is currently campaigning to be the GOP candidate for the presidency.

The son of a Cuban immigrant whose father experienced brutality in the Cuban prison system, Cruz became a success story who not only made it into an Ivy League school, but became the 34th US Senator from Texas.

In this autobiography, he covers both the history of his parents as well as his own story from his birth in Calgary, Alberta, Canada to his current campaign.

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The second biography, 'Model Woman' by Robert Lacey, is about Eileen Ford who, along with her husband Jerry, created the Ford Modeling Agency - the largest and most successful modeling agency in the twentieth century with many of fashion's best known models on their roster : Suzy Parker, Naomi Campbell, Christie Brinkley, Jerry Hall, Christy Turlington and many others.

This biography on Eileen Ford draws on four years of interviews with Ford herself prior to her passing in 2014 as well as interviews with her associates.  He was also allowed exclusive access to agency documents and other memorabilia all of which he uses to flesh out the story of the modeling agency and the woman at its center.

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Finally, the third biography is 'Deal' by Bill Kreutzman with Benjy Eisen - a rock 'n roll memoir of one of the founding members and the drummer of the Grateful Dead.

This memoir covers the founding of the Grateful Dead and follows along the path of their thirty year/over 2,300 concert career.  Kreutzman not only gives an insider view to the band and the other groups that they interacted with over the years.  He also lets the reader in on what he felt and thought about the events and people making it a very personal account that any Grateful Dead fan should enjoy.

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These and many other biographies are waiting for you at our library.  Enjoy!

In My Father's House

I was very sad when I learned about E. Lynn Harris' death in 2009. In My Father's House is Harris' last book, and it was finished posthumously and published in June 2010. This book is full of candor and honesty and speaks for all of those readers who can't or refuse to live their lives as a lie. In My Father's House is the first book in a new series for Harris. Set in Miami's South Beach, the series features Bentley Dean, owner of the hottest modeling agency in town, who specializes in finding the perfect Aftrican-American model for exclusive jobs. Bentley was ousted from his family by his dad, when he announced that he was gay and was moving away to be in a relationship with a man. Ever since that day, Bentley has worked hard to make it on his own, steadily wishing that he could have a second chance with his dad. Five years later, the economy is taking its toll on Bentley's agency and he takes a "risky" job supplying models as "eye-candy" at an A-List party for a Hollywood movie star. When one of Bentley's close friends falls in love with a closeted actor, all bets are off as Bentley struggles to help his friend while maintaining the secrecy of his agency's clients. Bentley's life spirals further downward when his dad has a sudden heart attack and Bently must face him again. The writing in this story is beautiful and Harris' characters come alive. This book is truly a fitting epitaph for a great writer who will be missed.