Biography and Memoir
by Sharon Gless
What it is: two-time Emmy Award-winning actress Sharon Gless' dishy and moving memoir reflecting on her five decades in showbiz.
Topics include: Gless' rocky path to stardom; mental health and addiction battles; groundbreaking roles on TV's Cagney & Lacey and Queer as Folk, and more.
Don't miss: the author's ill-fated date in the early 1970s with up-and-coming director Steven Spielberg.
by Rachel Trethewey
What it is: an engaging collective biography that explores Winston Churchill's relationships with his daughters.
Read it for: a richly detailed portrait of how the three Churchill sisters aided in their father's political campaigns and the war effort, supplemented with archival materials and previously unpublished letters.
Further reading: Josh Ireland's Churchill & Son, which examines Churchill's turbulent bond with his only son, Randolph.
by Michael Tubbs
What it's about: Michael Tubbs' political ascent, from his days interning in the Obama White House to his election as Stockton, California's first Black mayor and its youngest in history.
Why you might like it: Tubbs' candid and moving debut chronicles his triumphs against "the soft bigotry of low expectations" and his efforts to give back to the community that raised him.
Reviewers say: "an inspiring look at what it means to serve a community from a young political mind on the rise" (Publishers Weekly).
by Gayle Jessup White
How it began: Spurred to investigate her family's claims that they were descendants of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, Gayle Jessup White spent years researching her family history, and in 2014 DNA tests confirmed her lineage.
What happened next: White now serves as the Public Relations & Community Engagement Officer at Monticello, where she works to reframe the narratives surrounding Jefferson's legacy and incorporate the stories of the people he enslaved.
by Sara Faith Alterman
What it's about: At 12, Sara Faith Alterman discovered that her seemingly straitlaced father, Ira, was the author of pornographic books. Though she kept her discovery secret for years, she was later entrusted to help Ira with his career after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
Read it for: an unforgettable memoir of love and loss that's equal parts funny and cringe-inducing.
For fans of: the My Dad Wrote a Porno podcast and its tie-in book of the same name.
by Michael D. Lemonick
What it is: a moving biography of multi-hyphenate artist Lonni Sue Johnson, who developed severe amnesia after contracting encephalitis in 2007 and lives her life in the "perpetual now."
Who it's for: Scientific American journalist Michael D. Lemonick's compassionate and accessible portrait will appeal to fans of Oliver Sacks, science lovers interested in memory and the brain, and biography readers who enjoy life-affirming reads.
by Okey Ndibe
What it is: an engaging account of Nigerian novelist Okey Ndibe's early immigrant experiences in America.
Topics include: Ndibe's culture shock and how he navigated stereotypes and racial profiling; his friendships with fellow Nigerian authors Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka.
Don't miss: the author's charming and evocative writing style.
by Meaghan O'Connell
What it's about: how author Meaghan O'Connell navigated an unexpected pregnancy in her 20s.
Is it for you? O'Connell's frank and darkly humorous debut doesn't shy away from the anxieties and resentments of new motherhood.
Try this next: I'm Just Happy to Be Here: A Memoir of Renegade Mothering by Janelle Hanchett.
68 Calhoun St.
Charleston, South Carolina 29401
843-805-6930
Original source can be found here.
Alerts Sign-up