History and Biographies

 

Author Graham Robb brings us France: An Adventure History. 'A wholly original history of France, filled with a lifetime’s knowledge and passion. Beginning with the Roman army’s first recorded encounter with the Gauls and ending in the era of Emmanuel Macron, France takes readers on an endlessly entertaining journey through French history. Frequently hilarious, always surprising, Graham Robb’s France combines the stylistic versatility of a novelist with the deep understanding of a scholar. Robb’s own adventures and discoveries while living, working, and traveling in France connect this tour through space and time with on-the-ground experience. There are scenes of wars and revolutions from the plains of Provence to the slums and boulevards of Paris. Robb conveys with wit and precision what it felt like to look over the shoulder of a young Louis XIV as he planned the vast garden of Versailles, and the dangerous thrill of having a ringside seat at the French revolution. Some of the protagonists may be familiar, but appear here in a very different light―Caesar, Charlemagne, Louis XIV, Napoleon Bonaparte, General Charles de Gaulle. This extraordinary narrative is the fruit of decades of research and thirty thousand miles on a self-propelled, two-wheeled time machine (a bicycle). Even seasoned Francophiles will wonder if they really know that terra incognita on the edge of Europe that is currently referred to as “France.”' (from Amazon.com)

Damien Lewis pens the biography of Josephine Baker in Agent Baker: American Beauty, French Hero, British Spy. "Singer. Actress. Beauty. Spy. During WWII, Josephine Baker, the world's richest and most glamorous entertainer, was an Allied spy in Occupied France. Prior to World War II, Josephine Baker was a music-hall diva renowned for her singing and dancing, her beauty and sexuality; she was the highest-paid female performer in Europe. When the Nazis seized her adopted city, Paris, she was banned from the stage, along with all “negroes and Jews.” Yet instead of returning to America, she vowed to stay and to fight the Nazi evil. Overnight, she went from performer to Resistance spy. In Agent Josephine, bestselling author Damien Lewis uncovers this little-known history of the famous singer’s life. During the war years, as a member of the French Nurse paratroopers—a cover for her spying work—Baker participated in numerous clandestine activities and emerged as a formidable spy. In turn, she was a hero of the three countries in whose name she served—the US, France, and Britain. Drawing on a plethora of new historical material and rigorous research, including previously undisclosed letters and journals, Lewis upends the conventional story of Josephine Baker, explaining why she fully deserves her unique place in the French Panthéon." (from Amazon.com)

Jason Kander offers a raw look at his life in Invisible Storm: A Soldier's Memoir of Politics and PTSD. "From political wunderkind and former army intelligence officer Jason Kander comes a haunting, powerful memoir about impossible choices—and how sometimes walking away from the chance of a lifetime can be the greatest decision of all. In 2017, President Obama, in his final Oval Office interview, was asked who gave him hope for the future of the country, and Jason Kander was the first name he mentioned. Suddenly, Jason was a national figure. As observers assumed he was preparing a run for the presidency, Jason announced a bid for mayor of Kansas City instead and was headed for a landslide victory. But after eleven years battling PTSD from his service in Afghanistan, Jason was seized by depression and suicidal thoughts. He dropped out of the mayor’s race and out of public life. And finally, he sought help. In this brutally honest second memoir, following his New York Times best-selling debut Outside the Wire, Jason Kander has written the book he himself needed in the most painful moments of his PTSD. In candid, in-the-moment detail, we see him struggle with undiagnosed illness during a presidential bid; witness his family buoy him through challenging treatment; and, giving hope to so many of us, see him heal." (from Amazon.com)

"Senator Reverend Raphael G. Warnock occupies a singular place in American life. As senior pastor of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, and now as a senator from Georgia, he is the rare voice who can call out the uncomfortable truths that shape contemporary American life and, at a time of division, summon us all to a higher moral ground. Senator Warnock grew up in the Kayton Homes housing projects in Savannah, the eleventh of twelve children. His dad was a World War II veteran, and as a teenager his mom picked tobacco and cotton in rural Georgia. Both were Pentecostal preachers. After graduating from Morehouse College, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s alma mater, Senator Warnock studied for a decade at Union Theological Seminary while serving at Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church. At thirty-five, he became the senior pastor at Ebenezer, where Dr. King had preached and served. In January 2021, Senator Warnock won a runoff election that flipped control of the Senate at one of the most pivotal moments in recent American history. He is the first Black senator from Georgia, only the eleventh Black senator in American history, and just the second Black senator from the South since Reconstruction. As he said in his maiden speech from the well of the senate, Senator Warnock’s improbable journey reflects the ongoing toggle between the pain and promise of the American story. A powerful preacher and a leading voice for voting rights and democracy, Senator Warnock has a once-in-a-generation gift to inspire and lead us forward. A Way Out of No Way tells his remarkable story for the first time." (from Amazon.com)

New Adult Nonfiction

"The beloved best seller has been revised and expanded for the fifth edition. Jolene Brackey has a vision: that we will soon look beyond the challenges of Alzheimer's disease to focus more of our energies on creating moments of joy. When people have short-term memory loss, their lives are made up of moments. We are not able to create perfectly wonderful days for people with dementia or Alzheimer's, but we can create perfectly wonderful moments, moments that put a smile on their faces and a twinkle in their eyes. Five minutes later, they will not remember what we did or said, but the feeling that we left them with will linger. The new edition of Creating Moments of Joy is filled with more practical advice sprinkled with hope, encouragement, new stories, and generous helpings of humor. In this volume, Brackey reveals that our greatest teacher is having cared for and loved someone with Alzheimer's and that often what we have most to learn about is ourselves." (from Amazon.com)

"Pig Years catapults American nature writing into the 21st century, and has been hailed by Lydia Davis and Aimee Nezhukumatathil as “engrossing” and “a marvel.” As a farmer in Upstate New York and Vermont, Ellyn Gaydos lives on the knife edge between loss and gain. Her debut memoir draws us into this precarious world, conjuring with stark simplicity the lifeblood of the farm: its livestock and stark full moons, the sharp cold days lives near to the land. Joy and tragedy are frequent bedfellows. Fields go barren and animals meet their end too soon, but then their bodies become food in a time-old human ritual. Seasonal hands are ground down by the hard work, but new relationships are formed, love blossoms and Gaydos yearns to become a mother. As winter’s dark descends, Pig Ears draws us into a violent and gorgeous world where pigs are star-bright symbols of hope and beauty surfaces in the furrows, the sow, even in the slaughter. In hardy, lyrical prose that recalls the agrarian writing of Annie Dillard and Wendell Berry, Gaydos asks us to bear witness to the work that sustains us all and to reconsider what we know of survival and what saves us. Pig Years is a rapturous reckoning of love, labor, and loss within a landscape given to flux." (from Amazon.com)

"What makes puzzles—jigsaws, mazes, riddles, sudokus—so satisfying? Be it the formation of new cerebral pathways, their close link to insight and humor, or their community-building properties, they’re among the fundamental elements that make us human. Convinced that puzzles have made him a better person, A.J. Jacobs—four-time New York Times bestselling author, master of immersion journalism, and nightly crossworder—set out to determine their myriad benefits. And maybe, in the process, solve the puzzle of our very existence. Well, almost. In The Puzzler, Jacobs meets the most zealous devotees, enters (sometimes with his family in tow) any puzzle competition that will have him, unpacks the history of the most popular puzzles, and aims to solve the most impossible head-scratchers, from a mutant Rubik’s Cube, to the hardest corn maze in America, to the most sadistic jigsaw. Chock-full of unforgettable adventures and original examples from around the world—including new work by Greg Pliska, one of America’s top puzzle-makers, and a hidden, super-challenging but solvable puzzle that will earn the first reader to crack it a $10,000 prize*—The Puzzler will open readers’ eyes to the power of flexible thinking and concentration. Whether you’re puzzle obsessed or puzzle hesitant, you’ll walk away with real problem-solving strategies and pathways toward becoming a better thinker and decision maker—for these are certainly puzzling times." (from Amazon.com)

"Are you ready to get out of your chair, challenge your mind, and have some fun in the process? If so, then open up the pages of I Remember That! - Captivating Stories, Interesting Facts and Fun Trivia for Seniors, and embark on this epic trivia challenge that was written specifically for your generation. You’ll take an engaging stroll down memory lane to test just how much you remember from the biggest moments in history, pop culture, and science from the first four decades after World War II. But if you’re not a senior, don’t worry, you’ll also have fun playing along. There’s really no right or wrong way to read I Remember That!, but just remember to have fun! In this book you will find out the answers to some of these questions:

• How did the internet go from a military project to the universities in the 1980s?
• When did Elvis Presley perform on the Ed Sullivan Show?
• What ever happened to 8-track tapes?
• Who was Lewis Urry and what did he have to do with flashlights and portable radios?
• How and when did the Berlin Wall go up?

I Remember That! is divided into four chapters for each decade, with each chapter divided into subsections of history, pop culture, and science. At the end of each subsection is a ten-question quiz that you can play with your friends and family. There is also a “Did You Know?” page at the end of each subsection that adds a few more interesting tidbits to the subject. So, what are you waiting for? Open the book up and see what you remember about the world you grew up in!" (from Amazon.com)

New Large Print Nonfiction

"Piglet: The Unexpected Story of a Deaf, Blind, Pink Puppy and His Family by Melissa Shapiro fully illustrates this heartwarming story of one special little puppy with a purpose to teach the power of empathy, love, and kindness. When Connecticut veterinarian Melissa Shapiro gets a call about a tiny deaf blind puppy rescued from a hoarding situation in need of fostering, she doesn’t hesitate to say, “yes.” Little does she know how that decision will transform her, her family, and legions of admirers destined to embrace the saga of the indomitable pink pup. One of the most anxious dogs Melissa had ever encountered, the traumatized Piglet weighed under two pounds upon his welcome into the Shapiro household—which included Melissa’s husband Warren and their three college-aged kids, plus six other rescued dogs. After weeks of reassurance, and lots of love, Piglet connected, gained confidence, and his extraordinary spirit emerged. Melissa soon forged a powerful bond with Piglet, allowing the two to communicate without sound or visual cues. Two months later, when the day arrived to say good-bye to the now dashing, six-pound pink boy dog with the larger than life spirit, Melissa faced a heart-wrenching decision. Could she hand him over to someone willing to give Piglet the full-time attention he required or could she adapt her schedule and her household to make a permanent place for him in her life and work? Of course, the answer was simple: love would find a way. Curious, engaged, and incredibly eager to learn, Piglet quickly became part of the family. What started out as a few simple Facebook posts of Piglet and his pack rapidly evolved into a global celebration of Piglet’s infectiously positive mindset." (from Amazon.com)

"Renowned historian Max Hastings recreates one of the most thrilling events of World War II: Operation Pedestal, the British action to save its troops from starvation on Malta—an action-packed tale of courage, fortitude, loss, and triumph against all odds. In 1940, Hitler had two choices when it came to the Mediterranean region: stay out, or commit sufficient forces to expel the British from the Middle East. Against his generals’ advice, the Fuhrer committed a major strategic blunder. He ordered the Wehrmacht to seize Crete, allowing the longtime British bastion of Malta to remain in Allied hands. Over the fall of 1941, the Royal Navy and RAF, aided by British intelligence, used the island to launch a punishing campaign against the Germans, sinking more than 75 percent of their supply ships destined for North Africa. But by spring 1942, the British lost their advantage. In April and May, the Luftwaffe dropped more bombs on Malta than London received in the blitz. A succession of British attempts to supply and reinforce the island by convoy during the spring and summer of 1942 failed. British submarines and surface warships were withdrawn, and the remaining forces were on the brink of starvation. Operation Pedestal chronicles the ensuing British mission to save those troops. Over twelve days in August, German and Italian forces faced off against British air and naval fleets in one of the fiercest battles of the war, while ships packed with supplies were painstakingly divided and dispersed. In the end only a handful of the Allied ships made it, most important among them the SS Ohio, carrying the much-needed fuel to the men on Malta. As Hastings makes clear, while the Germans claimed victory, it was the British who ultimately prevailed, for Malta remained a crucial asset that helped lead to the Nazis’ eventual defeat. While the Royal Navy never again attempted an operation on such scale, Hasting argues that without that August convoy the British on Malta would not have survived. In the cruel accountancy of war, the price was worth paying." (from Amazon.com)

"A powerful memoir from the Saturday Night Live cast member Cecily Strong about grieving the death of her cousin—and embracing the life-affirming lessons he taught her—amid the coronavirus pandemic. Cecily Strong had a special bond with her cousin Owen. And so she was devastated when, in early 2020, he passed away at age thirty from the brain cancer glioblastoma. Before Strong could attempt to process her grief, another tragedy struck: the coronavirus pandemic. Following a few harrowing weeks in the virus epicenter of New York City, Strong relocated to an isolated house in the woods upstate. Here, trying to make sense of Owen’s death and the upended world, she spent much of the ensuing months writing. The result is This Will All Be Over Soon—a raw, unflinching memoir about loss, love, laughter, and hope. Befitting the time-warped year of 2020, the diary-like approach deftly weaves together the present and the past. Strong chronicles the challenges of beginning a relationship during the pandemic and the fear when her new boyfriend contracts COVID. She describes the pain of losing her friend and longtime Saturday Night Live staff member Hal Willner to the virus. She reflects on formative events from her life, including how her high school expulsion led to her pursuing a career in theater and, years later, landing at SNL. Yet the heart of the book is Owen. Strong offers a poignant account of her cousin’s life, both before and after his diagnosis. Inspired by his unshakable positivity and the valuable lessons he taught her, she has written a book that—as indicated by its title—serves as a moving reminder: whatever challenges life might throw one’s way, they will be over soon. And so will life. So make sure to appreciate every day and don’t take a second of it for granted." (from Amazon.com)

Food Can Bring Us Together

Kwame Onwuachi pens his memoir in Notes From a Young Black Chef. "By the time he was twenty-seven years old, Kwame Onwuachi (winner of the 2019 James Beard Foundation Award for Rising Star Chef of the Year) had opened—and closed—one of the most talked about restaurants in America. He had launched his own catering company with twenty thousand dollars that he made from selling candy on the subway, yet he’d been told he would never make it on television because his cooking wasn’t “Southern” enough. In this inspiring memoir about the intersection of race, fame, and food, he shares the remarkable story of his culinary coming-of-age. Growing up in the Bronx, as a boy Onwuachi was sent to rural Nigeria by his mother to “learn respect.” However, the hard-won knowledge gained in Africa was not enough to keep him from the temptation and easy money of the streets when he returned home. But through food, he broke out of a dangerous downward spiral, embarking on a new beginning at the bottom of the culinary food chain as a chef on board a Deepwater Horizon cleanup ship, before going on to train in the kitchens of some of the most acclaimed restaurants in the country and appearing as a contestant on Top Chef. Onwuachi’s love of food and cooking remained a constant throughout, even when he found the road to success riddled with potholes. As a young chef, he was forced to grapple with just how unwelcoming the world of fine dining can be for people of color, and his first restaurant, the culmination of years of planning, shuttered just months after opening. A powerful, heartfelt, and shockingly honest story of chasing your dreams—even when they don’t turn out as you expected—Notes from a Young Black Chef is one man’s pursuit of his passions, despite the odds." (from Amazon.com)

"Chef José Andrés arrived in Puerto Rico four days after Hurricane Maria ripped through the island. The economy was destroyed and for most people there was no clean water, no food, no power, no gas, and no way to communicate with the outside world. Andrés addressed the humanitarian crisis the only way he knew how: by feeding people, one hot meal at a time. From serving sancocho with his friend José Enrique at Enrique’s ravaged restaurant in San Juan to eventually cooking 100,000 meals a day at more than a dozen kitchens across the island, Andrés and his team fed hundreds of thousands of people, including with massive paellas made to serve thousands of people alone.. At the same time, they also confronted a crisis with deep roots, as well as the broken and wasteful system that helps keep some of the biggest charities and NGOs in business. Based on Andrés’s insider’s take as well as on meetings, messages, and conversations he had while in Puerto Rico, We Fed an Island movingly describes how a network of community kitchens activated real change and tells an extraordinary story of hope in the face of disasters both natural and man-made, offering suggestions for how to address a crisis like this in the future. Beyond that, a portion of the proceeds from the book will be donated to the Chef Relief Network of World Central Kitchen for efforts in Puerto Rico and beyond." (from Amazon.com)

Author Struan Stevenson and Chef Tony Singh MBE bring you ten meals that changed the course of history. "Some of the most consequential decisions in history were decided at the dinner table, accompanied—and perhaps influenced—by copious amounts of food and drink. This fascinating book explores ten of those pivotal meals, presenting the contexts, key participants, table talk, and outcomes of each. It offers unique insight into the minds and appetites of some of history’s most famous and notorious characters, including Bonnie Prince Charlie, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, Adolf Hitler, Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, and Richard Nixon. Feasting on leg of lamb, Bonnie Prince Charlie doomed the Jacobite Army at Culloden. A uniquely American menu served with French wine lubricated the conversation between rivals Jefferson and Hamilton that led to the founding of the US financial system and the location of the nation’s capital in Washington. After schweinwürst and sauerkraut with Adolf Hitler at his Berghof residence, Austrian chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg agreed to the complete integration of Austria into the Third Reich. Celebrity chef Tony Singh has researched the menus and recipes for all ten dinners down to the last detail and recreates them here. The book contains fifty-five recipes from soup to desert and lists the spirits as well." (from Amazon.com)

Science and Medicine Non-Fiction

"Pulse of Perseverance--by Joseph Semian, Jr. MD; Pierre Johnson MD; and Maxime Madhere MD--is the honest, deeply personal tale of three young black men's refusal to succumb to failure and how, together, they overcame daunting odds to take their place among the just five percent of U.S. doctors who are black. Through writing as passionate as it is relatable, the authors provide an unflinching look at the barriers black Americans face as they try to move out of the place society has designated for them. This book is a searing indictment of our still separate and unequal education system, one that ensures the road to becoming a doctor, or a lawyer or professor, will be much harder for black children than it will be for white. Yet, at its core, Pulse of Perseverance is an inspirational story of what can be accomplished with dedication, the support of people with similar goals, and the investment from institutions dedicated to black success. This book is the North Star for every black child who sees something greater for himself than the world would have him believe."(Publisher's description)

The story of poison is the story of power--at least according to Eleanor Herman in The Royal Art of Poison: Filthy Palaces, Fatal Cosmetics, Deadly Medicine, and Murder Most Foul. "For centuries, royal families have feared the gut-roiling, vomit-inducing agony of a little something added to their food or wine by an enemy. To avoid poison, they depended on tasters, unicorn horns and antidotes tested on condemned prisoners. Servants licked the royal family's spoons, tried on their underpants and tested their chamber pots. Ironically, royals terrified of poison were unknowingly poisoning themselves daily with their cosmetics, medications and filthy living conditions. Women wore makeup made with lead. Men rubbed feces on their bald spots. Physicians prescribed mercury enemas, arsenic skin cream, drinks of lead filings and potions of human fat and skull, fresh from the executioner. Gazing at gorgeous portraits of centuries past, we don't see what lies beneath the royal robes and the stench of unwashed bodies; the lice feasting on private parts; and worms nesting in the intestines. The Royal Art of Poison is a hugely entertaining work of popular history that traces the use of poison as a political - and cosmetic - tool in the royal courts of Western Europe from the Middle Ages to the Kremlin today." (Alibris.com)

"A smart and compelling examination of the science of immunity, the public policy implications of vaccine denial, and the real-world outcomes of failing to vaccinate. If you have a child in school, you may have heard stories of long-dormant diseases suddenly reappearing―cases of measles, mumps, rubella, and whooping cough cropping up everywhere from elementary schools to Ivy League universities because a select group of parents refuse to vaccinate their children. Between Hope and Fear by Michael Kinch tells the remarkable story of vaccine-preventable infectious diseases and their social and political implications. While detailing the history of vaccine invention, Kinch reveals the ominous reality that our victories against vaccine-preventable diseases are not permanent―and could easily be undone.This book relates the remarkable intersection of science, technology and disease that has helped eradicate many of the deadliest plagues known to man." (Amazon.com)

"Science doesn’t speak for itself. Neck-deep in work that can be messy and confounding and naïve in the ways of public communication, scientists are often unable to package their insights into the neat narratives that the public requires. Enter celebrities, advocates, lobbyists, and the funders behind them, who take advantage of scientists’ reluctance to provide easy answers, flooding the media with misleading or incorrect claims about health risks. Amid this onslaught of spurious information, Americans are more confused than ever about what’s good for them and what isn’t. In Bad Advice (Or Why Celebrities, Politicians, and Activists Aren't Your Best Source of Health Information), Paul A. Offit shares hard-earned wisdom on the dos and don’ts of battling misinformation. For the past twenty years, Offit has been on the front lines in the fight for sound science and public heath. Stepping into the media spotlight as few scientists have done―such as being one of the first to speak out against conspiracy theories linking vaccines to autism―he found himself in the crosshairs of powerful groups intent on promoting pseudoscience. Bad Advice discusses science and its adversaries: not just the manias stoked by slick charlatans and their miracle cures but also corrosive, dangerous ideologies such as Holocaust and climate-change denial. Written with wit and passion, Offit’s often humorous guide to taking on quack experts and self-appointed activists is a must-read for any American disturbed by the uptick in politicized attacks on science." (Publisher's description)

Memorable Memoirs

“The Choice: Embrace the Possible” is a memoir by internationally renowned psychologist Dr. Edith Eger. As one of the last remaining Holocaust survivors, Edith Eger tells her incredible story of resilience and survival in one of the darkest chapters of human history. At sixteen, Edith, a trained ballet dancer and gymnast, was sent to Auschwitz where she was forced to dance for the amusement of Josef Mengele. He rewarded her with a loaf of bread which she shared with her fellow prisoners—a choice that would later save her life. Along with her sister, Edith survived multiple death camps and the Death March. In 1945, when American troops liberated the camps, Edith was found barely alive in a pile of corpses. She spent decades struggling with flashbacks, nightmares, and survivor’s guilt. She remained silent about her experiences even as she raised a family and practiced psychology. Thirty-five years after the war, Edith returned to Auschwitz and was finally able to forgive the one person she blamed the most for her tragic history—herself.

“A Speck in the Sea: A Story of Survival and Rescue” is the story of the harrowing ordeal of being lost at sea written by John Aldridge and Anthony Sosinski. In the dead of night on July 24, 2013, John Aldridge was thrown off the back of the Anna Mary—the fishing boat he co-owns with Anthony Sosinski. Anthony was fast asleep down below at the time and could not here his partner’s cries for help. Hours ticked by as Anthony, their families, the local fishing community, and the US Coast Guard in three states mobilized an unparalleled search effort that ended with an unlikely and thrilling success. Interwoven with the narrative of the massive rescue effort are the harrowing details of John’s struggle to survive. This is a story of survival and perseverance, but also one of community and cooperation among strangers.

“Sin Bravely: A Memoir of Spiritual Disobedience” is by Maggie Rowe. Maggie grew up in a moderately religious household, but she took the idea of salvation very seriously. This obsession with salvation eventually turned into a childhood terror and, at nineteen, Maggie checked herself into an Evangelical psychiatric facility—and, so begins her story. She finds herself surrounded by a group of rabble that includes a former biker meth-head, a set of identical twins obsessed with their mother, and a chronic depressive who becomes Maggie’s greatest confidante. Told with both humor and reverence, Maggie decides to make the most of her treatment and, thus begins a crusade to live by the words of Martin Luther, “Sin bravely in order to know the forgiveness of God.”

“Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery” is the memoir of Astronaut Scott Kelly. As a veteran of four spaceflights and the American record holder of the most consecutive days spent in space, Scott Kelly relays his record-breaking year aboard the International Space Station. This is also the story of the brash young man who became a Navy pilot and, along with his twin brother, Mark, became an astronaut. Kelly describes how he navigates the extreme challenge of long-term spaceflight, the devastating effects on the body and psyche, how colliding with space junk can be catastrophic, and how helpless you feel when tragedy strikes at home. Kelly’s remarkable compassion, humor, and determination shine through as he describes his New Jersey childhood, his inspirations for walking the path to becoming an astronaut, and his genuine wonder about our universe.

The Memoir of a Gentleman Golfer

On September 25, 2016, the golfing world lost its King - Arnold Palmer.

With his book that has become his parting gift to his many fans, Arnold Palmer shares his thoughts, advice, and memories - no only about golf, but also about business and life.

In Arnold Palmer's own words : "It's such a pleasure for me to share these stories with my army of fans.  I hope this book illuminates for you some of the important lessons I learned along the way.

The book reached the number two position on the New York Times best seller list for sports related books in November 2016 and is now available on our New Adult Nonfiction shelves.

Large Print Memoirs For Your Enjoyment

      "This Cider Still Tastes Funny!: Further Adventures of a Game Warden in Maine" is a memoir by John Ford. The author spent twenty years as a game warden in Waldo County in central Maine after completing a four year stint in the Air Force. Upon his retirement in 1990, he was elected county sheriff and re-elected in 1994. He carved out a reputation as a man of the law, but he wasn't a by-the-book enforcer. His quick wit and gift as a storyteller afforded a good quip as he slipped the cuffs on a criminal, but he wasn't above accepting a lesson learned as sufficient penalty for breaking the law. The fact that he is also able to laugh at himself endears him to the readers of his newspaper column and the Northwoods Sporting Journal to which he regularly contributes material.  

   

     "We Were Brothers" is a memoir by Barry Moser. Barry and Tommy Moser were born of the same parents, raised in the same small Tennessee town, and were both indoctrinated by their family's deep racism and anti-semitism. As the two grew older, however, their perspectives and paths diverged further and further apart. Their attitudes about race, politics, money, and even food became so different that they could no longer find any common ground. They could not talk to each other as they once had and, for many years, there was more strife than affection between the two. When Barry reached his late fifties and Tommy his early sixties, their simmering tensions reached a boiling point and their relationship shattered. From then on, the two would not speak to one another. Barry, recalls the raw, emotional reasons for their final reconciliation.  

    "Tough As They Come" is an autobiography by SSG Travis Mills with Marcus Brotherton. United States Army Staff Sergeant Travis Mills was sure he would become another statistic when he was caught in an IED blast four days before his twenty-fifth birthday. Against all odds, however, Travis lived, but at a severe cost—he became one of only five soldiers from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to survive a quadruple amputation. He was suddenly forced to face the fact that he had no arms or legs and that his future would be drastically different than what he had always envisioned. He would never again be able to lead his squad, stroke his fingers against his wife's cheek, or pick up his baby girl. It took tremendous willpower and endurance, not to mention the unconditional love of his family and a huge helping of faith to get through the painful and anxious days of his rehabilitation. Travis made a remarkable recovery, however, and even without limbs, he still swims, dances with his wife, rides mountain bikes, and drives his daughter to school.

Musical Biographies and Memoirs

     “Waylon: Tales of My Outlaw Dad” is a biography of the late Waylon Jennings written by his son, Terry Jennings, with David Thomas. Terry was born when Waylon was only nineteen years old, so he was coming of age when his father’s career began its meteoric rise with hits like “I’ve Always Been Crazy” and “Good Hearted Woman”—one of Waylon’s most popular duets with Willie Nelson. Terry dropped out of high school to join his father on the road and the two became more like brothers than father and son. As a result, Terry spent formative years with legends like Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, and Jessi Colter—Waylon’s fourth and final wife. There was also a lot of hard partying, women, and drugs. Even as his father’s success grew with his critical acclaim, bestselling albums, sold-out tours, and even TV stardom with The Dukes of Hazzard, Waylon suffered from a myriad of demons. He went through three divorces, crippling debt, and bouts of depression that Terry believes traces back to the premature death of Buddy Holly. (Waylon was supposed to be on that doomed flight.) Terry debunks myths and shares never-before-told stories of his father with the great love and honesty.

     “Un-Ashamed” is an autobiography of rap artist Lecrae with Johnathan Merritt. This two–time Grammy winning artist has been through his share of adversity. He suffered through childhood abuse, drugs and alcoholism with a stint in rehab, an abortion, and an unsuccessful suicide attempt. Somewhere along the way, however, Lecrae found an unshakeable faith in Jesus and began turning to God for affirmation. He learned the lesson, “if you live for people’s acceptance, you’ll die from their rejection.” Now, he ignores the haters and makes peace with his craft. Lecrae holds nothing back as he reveals the most intimate details of his life as well as sharing handwritten journal entries and models how to be a Christian in a secular world.

     “Porcelain: A Memoir” is by DJ and musician Moby. There are many reasons why Moby should not have been as hugely popular in the unchecked, drug fueled, hedonism of the pumping underground dance clubs of NYC in the late 1980s and 1990s. First, he was a poor skinny white kid from Connecticut, but he was also a devout Christian, a vegan, and a teetotaler. He learned what it meant to be spat upon and to live on almost nothing. With the rise of AIDS and crack, it was a tough time for an artist to live on almost nothing in New York City, but it was also the time of a defiantly festive underworld culture. Moby managed to make his way, but he prepared to put his career behind him and poured all of his emotion into what he thought would be his swan song. Instead, it was the beginning of a surprisingly new phase in his life: the multimillion-selling album Play. This sincere portrait of a man with a passion for making music that steadied him in rough seas will inspire anyone pursuing a dream.

     “Kill ‘Em and Leave: Searching for James Brown and the American Soul” is a biography written by James McBride. For the author, this book is about more than James Brown. It is a metaphor for American life: the tension between North and South, black and white, rich and poor. McBride’s travels take him to the country town where Brown’s family and thousands of others were displaced by America’s largest nuclear power bomb-making facility; a South Carolina field where a long-forgotten cousin recounts, in the dead of night, a richer history of Brown’s sharecropping childhood—which had always been shrouded in mystery. He also seeks out the American expat in England who co-created the James Brown sound, visits the trusted manager who was Brown’s right hand for forty-one years, and relates the visit of Michael Jackson to the Augusta, Georgia funeral home where he sat all night with his musical godfather. Finally, McBride discusses the monster legal battles fought over Brown’s estate which prevented money from reaching the poor schoolchildren in Georgia and South Carolina, cost the estate millions in legal fees, and left James Brown’s body to lie in a gilded coffin in his daughter’s yard in South Carolina for more than eight years.

Two Recent Show Business Biographies

We have added the biographies of two very different show business personalities to our New Adult Nonfiction collection.

The first is A Girl's Got to Breathe about theatre and movie actress, Teresa Wright (1918-2005).  Though her name may not be well known today, she was the only actress to ever be nominated for her first three films (The Little Foxes, The Pride of the Yankees, and Mrs. Miniver), winning the award on her third nomination.  She also continues to garner critical acclaim for her work in the films Shadow of a Doubt and The Best Years of Our Lives.

However,  it was the real-life drama of breaking her contract with Samuel Goldwyn that put her mark on history and changed the way that stars were treated in Hollywood.   Author Donald Spoto was appointed as her official biographer by her family and heirs.  Given exclusive access to her letters and papers, he brings to life the woman who once said "I never wanted to be a star. I only wanted to be an actress."

Sweet Dreams are Made of This is the memoir of Dave Stewart's four decade long career in the music industry.  Musician, songwriter and album producer, he covers his years starting with growing up in Northern England, his move to London and fateful meeting with a young waitress named Annie Lennox, his collaborations with other artists from Tom Petty to Mick Jagger, and his more recent ventures, such as the show Songbird, a competition-style show for aspiring songwriters.

With plenty of stories about his friends and collaborators, this is a partial story of a life that is very much still in progress.




These and other new biographies can be located in our Adult New Nonfiction section.

Could You Live in a Tiny House?

Recently, I have read a lot of material about the "Tiny House Movement." Basically, people either build or buy tiny houses--usually movable on a trailer of some kind--to reduce their bills as well as their footprint on the planet. Most are quite small, less than 700 square feet and people can get mighty creative with their tiny spaces! There is usually a loft with a ladder or perhaps some stairs with storage underneath, a tiny kitchen, and most, but not all, have a bathroom with a composting toilet. I've even seen a tiny house with a hot tub attached! These little cabins can be heated and cooled cheaply and families find themselves in very close quarters; which makes for lots of family time!
I have often wondered why someone would want to move into such a small space and give up the creature comforts that a larger home can afford. The truth is that those reasons vary as much as the people who build tiny houses. While reducing costs and impact on the planet seem to be common reasons, a sense of adventure and being able to take your home all over the country with you seem to be pretty popular reasons, too. Another reason is a sense of accomplishment. How many of us in today's world can say that we built our own home with our own hands?

In The Big Tiny: a Build-It-Myself Memoir, author Dee Williams tells the story of how she went from a money-pit of a house with a mortgage to building her own tiny house that she can park in her friends back yard. Dee's life changed in a moment when she had a near death experience at a local grocery store. She was only forty-two at the time and the doctors diagnosed her with a heart condition. Her major health scare made her take stock of her life and how she wanted to live it. She was reminded that life is short and time is precious, and she wanted to spend hers with the people and things she truly loved.
Even though she had painstakingly restored a sprawling house in the Pacific Northwest, Dee realized that the mortgage payments, constant repairs, top notch appliances, and extra rooms could not compare with the financial freedom and the ultimate luxury of time that you get when you downsize. She decided to build her own house from the ground up. Building this eighty-four-square-foot house own her own was just the beginning of her new life. Dee can now list everything she owns on a single sheet of paper, her monthly upkeep is about eight dollars, and it only takes her ten minutes to clean the entire house. She now has the time to spend with her friends and family, she has the freedom to take off on an adventure at a moment's notice, or she can simply drink a beer and watch the sunset on her tiny front porch.

This book is more memoir and less how-to when it comes to tiny house-building. The library only has the Large Print version of this book and there are only a very few black-and-white photographs, but they give you a good idea of how small Dee Williams lives. If, however, you enjoy books about how life-changing moments send people down new paths, then this is certainly a book you would enjoy.
If you would like to find out about building your own tiny house, there are several blogs that do a good job: thesmallhousecatalog.com, www.tinyhousedesign.com, and tinyhouseblog.com. The library also has small house plans as well as books on building houses, plumbing, wiring, and other DIY projects that may inspire you to build your own tiny house.

Delve into the Secret Life of Duran Duran

I am a big Duran Duran fan, and have been follwing their careers and attending their concerts since they first arrived on the music scene in the early 1980's. The book I have been eagerly anticipating, In the Pleasure Groove:  Love, Death & Duran Duran by John Taylor, has finally been published and released in the United States and has arrived at the library!  The book's author is the bassist for Duran Duran, who has undergone his own metamorphosis. Shy Taylor, born Nigel John, wasn't an obvious choice for pop stardom and being lusted after by frenzied groups of girls.  When Duran Duran formed in 1978, they were an immediate success and all five members were thrust into the limelight.  In this frank memoir, John Taylor recalls the highs of life with Duran Duran--including hanging out with icons like Bowie, Warhol and James Bond, dating Vogue models and driving fast cars--as well as glorious nights playing with the band and the self-destructive behaviors that brought him to the edge before he turned his life around.  This memoir is told with humor, honesty and wisdom and is packed with exclusive pictures.  I especially enjoy that the book is up-to-date and ends with a chapter about the last leg of their recent tour, in April 2011.  For more information on John Taylor, connect with him online at www.facebook.com/thisistherealJT or www.twitter.com/thisistherealJT or with Duran Duran at www.facebook.com/duranduran or www.duranduran.com  If you want to talk about the band, or share your own concert experiences, come visit me in my office and we will swap stories :)