| The Secret to Superhuman Strength by Alison BechdelWhat it's about: beloved cartoonist Alison Bechdel's longtime obsession with exercise.
Read it for: a humorous and thought-provoking exploration of the role fitness has played in Bechdel's ongoing search for self; the connections she makes between exercise and various philosophical movements.
Art alert: This marks Bechdel's first time using full-colour illustrations, and she employs vivid watercolours to express the joys of being alive. |
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| The Windsor Diaries, 1940-45: My Childhood with the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret by Alathea Fitzalan HowardWhat it is: diary entries written in the early 1940s by aristocrat Alathea Fitzalan Howard, who spent her childhood years as a friend and neighbor of princesses Elizabeth and Margaret.
Why you might like it: Fitzalan Howard's intimate account offers a nostalgic peek behind the royal curtain.
For fans of: Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown by Anne Glenconner. |
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| The Happiest Man on Earth: The Beautiful Life of an Auschwitz Survivor by Eddie JakuWhat it is: a moving memoir from centenarian and Holocaust survivor Eddie Jaku, who spent seven years in Buchenwald and Auschwitz. Also available in eBook and eAudio.
Who it's for: Readers who enjoy short and reflective memoirs that share inspirational life lessons will be comforted by Jaku's words of wisdom.
Want a taste? "Kindness is the greatest wealth of all. Small acts of kindness last longer than a lifetime." |
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| My Time Will Come: A Memoir of Crime, Punishment, Hope, and Redemption by Ian Manuel; foreword by Bryan StevensonWhat it's about: At age 13, Ian Manuel shot a woman during a robbery. Tried as an adult, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole and spent the next 18 years in solitary confinement.
What happened next: Aided by Bryan Stevenson of the Equal Justice Initiative (who wrote the book's foreword), and with the support of the woman he had shot, Manuel was released from prison in 2016.
Don't miss: the author's unflinching prose and snippets of poetry. |
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Broken (In the Best Possible Way)
by Jenny Lawson
What it's about: humorist Jenny Lawson's battles with mental and physical illnesses. Also available in eAudio.
Why you might like it: Equal parts irreverent and reflective, Lawson's self-deprecating confessional will resonate with fans and readers who can relate to her experiences.
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Unposted, Autumn Leaves : a memoir in Essays
by Stephen Oliver
Stephen Oliver-Australasian poet and author of twenty one volumes of poetry. Travelled extensively. Signed on with the radio ship The Voice of Peace 1540 kHz broadcasting in the Mediterranean out of Jaffa, Israel in the late '70s. Free-lanced in Australia/New Zealand as production voice, narrator, newsreader, radio producer, columnist, copy and feature writer, etc. Lived in Australia for 20 years. Currently living in NZ.--Publisher information.
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Man With a Van : My Story
by Drew Pritchard
Straight talking antiques-dealer Drew Pritchard is well known around the world due to the TV series Salvage Hunters.
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Structured Chaos : The Unusual Life of a Climber
by Victor Saunders
'Mountains have given structure to my adult life. Isuppose they have also given me purpose, though I still can't guess what that purpose mightbe. And although I have glimpsed the view from the mountaintop and I still have some memory of what direction life is meant to be going in, I usually lose sight of the wood for the trees. In other words, I,like most ofus, have lived a life of structured chaos.'
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| The Times I Knew I Was Gay by Eleanor CrewesWhat it is: the debut graphic memoir from British illustrator Eleanor Crewes.
Why you might like it: Crewes' relatable recollections of her awkward and amusing attempts at coming out will resonate with readers navigating their own coming-out experiences.
Art alert: Originally published as a zine, The Times I Knew I Was Gay features cartoony, sketchbook-style pencil drawings that will appeal to fans of Noelle Stevenson. |
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A Life Lived Twice
by Allyson Hamblett
Allyson is a New Zealander who has cerebral palsy and has lived as a trans woman since 1998.
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| Fairest by Meredith TalusanWhat it's about: Raised as a boy with albinism in her native Philippines, Meredith Talusan immigrated to America at age 15, grappling with a complex set of challenges regarding her racial and gender identity. Also available in Large Print.
Topics include: Talusan's white-passing in privileged spaces; fraught family dynamics; her gender transition and search for love.
Reviewers say: Talusan's lyrical and vulnerable debut "sails past the conventions of trans and immigrant memoirs" (The New York Times). |
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The book of pride : LGBTQ heroes who changed the world
by Mason Funk
Paying tribute to more than 50 extraordinary and influential leaders who sparked the worldwide LGBTQ-rights movement, this important volume tells stories of dedication and triumph through never-before-published original interviews.
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| A Wild and Precious Life by Edie Windsor with Joshua LyonsWhat it's about: In 2013, Edie Windsor became famous as the plaintiff in United States v. Windsor, the Supreme Court case that overturned the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). In this posthumous memoir, she shares insights from her life and decades of activism.
Don't miss: intimate reflections on Greenwich Village's gay scene pre-Stonewall.
Featuring: interviews with Windsor's friends and family. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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