Biographies

Etched-- upon my heart : what we learn and why we never forget
Jill Kelly.

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Simon Peter in Scripture and memory : the New Testament apostle in the early church
Markus Bockmuehl.
"After Jesus, Peter is the most frequently mentioned individual both in the Gospels and in the New Testament as a whole, yet we know very little about this formative figure of the early church. Markus Bockmuehl introduces the New Testament Peter by asking how first and second-century sources may be understood through the prism of 'living memory' among the disciples of the apostolic generation and the students of those disciples. He argues that early Christian memory of Peter underscores his central role as a bridge-building figure holding together the diversity of first-century Christianity. Drawing on more than a decade of research, Bockmuehl applies cutting-edge scholarship to the question of the history and traditions of Simon Peter. New Testament students and professors will value Bockmuehl's fresh insight into the biblical witness and early Christian tradition." -- Publisher description.
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Outrageous courage : what God can do with raw obedience and radical faith
Kris Vallotton & Jason Vallotton.
"Two bestselling authors team up to tell one woman's amazing story of what happens when radical faith meets raw obedience to God's promptings"--Provided by publisher.
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Banished : surviving my years in the Westboro Baptist Church
Lauren Drain with Lisa Pulitzer.
"In the bestselling tradition of Escape and Stolen Innocence, the first look behind the curtains of the Westboro Baptist Church, by a young woman cast out from its clutches"--Provided by the publisher.
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In the body of the world : a memoir
Eve Ensler.
The author of The Vagina Monologues describes being diagnosed and treated for uterine cancer and how her illness forced her to reconnect with her own body and gave her a better understanding of the resilience of humans.
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Henry Ford
Vincent Curcio.
"Most great figures in American history reveal great contradictions, and Henry Ford is no exception. He championed his workers, offering unprecedented wages, yet crushed their attempts to organize. Virulently anti-Semitic, he never employed fewer than 3,000 Jews. An outspoken pacifist, he made millions producing war materials. He urbanized the modern world, and then tried to drag it back into a romanticized rural past he'd helped to destroy. As the American auto industry struggles to reinvent itself, Vincent Curcio's timely biography offers a wealth of new insight into the man who started it all. Henry Ford not only founded Ford Motor Company but institutionalized assembly line production and, some would argue, created the American middle class. By constantly improving his product and increasing sales, Ford was able to lower the price of the automobile until it became a universal commodity. He paid his workers so well that, for the first time in history, the people who manufactured a complex industrial product could own one. This was "Fordism"--social engineering on a vast scale. But, as Curcio displays, Ford's anti-Semitism would forever stain his reputation. Hitler admired him greatly, both for his anti-Semitism and his autocratic leadership, displaying Ford's picture in his bedroom and keeping a copy of Ford's My Life and Work by his bedside. Nevertheless, Ford's economic and social initiatives, as well as his deft handling of his public image, kept his popularity high among Americans. He offered good pay, good benefits, English language classes, and employment for those who struggled to find jobs--handicapped, African-American, and female workers. Such was his popularity that in 1923, the homespun, clean-living, xenophobic Henry Ford nearly won the Republican presidential nomination. This new volume in the Lives and Legacies series explores the full impact of Ford's indisputable greatness, the deep flaws that complicate his legacy, and what he means for our own time"-- Provided by publisher.
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A brief history of Cleopatra
M.J. Trow.

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Thomas Jefferson : the art of power
Jon Meacham.
"Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power" gives readers Jefferson the politician and president, a great and complex human being forever engaged in the wars of his era. Philosophers think; politicians maneuver. Jefferson's genius was that he was both and could do both, often simultaneously, catapulting him into becoming the most successful political leader of the early republic, and perhaps in all of American history.
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From Manassas to Appomattox : memoirs of the Civil War in America
by James Longstreet, Lieutenant-General, Confederate Army

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All the great prizes : the life of John Hay, from Lincoln to Roosevelt
John Taliaferro.

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One colonial woman's world : the life and writings of Mehetabel Chandler Coit
Michelle Marchetti Coughlin.

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The lost daughter
Mary Williams.
The adopted daughter of Jane Fonda describes her youth in 1970s Oakland, California, her daunting prospects in the face of her dysfunctional biological family, and the ways in which a structured home life enabled her eventual reconnection with her biological family.
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Bolivar : American liberator
Marie Arana.
An authoritative portrait of the Latin-American warrior-statesman draws on a wealth of primary documents to set his life against a backdrop of the explosive tensions of 19th-century South America, providing coverage of such topics as his role in the 1813 campaign for Colombian and Venezuelan independence, his legendary love affairs and his achievements as a strategist, abolitionist and diplomat.
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Go big or go home : taking risks in life, love, and tattooing
Kat Von D, with Sandra Bark.
"Kat Von D chronicles her journey to develop greater personal strength by taking bigger risks in life, love, and her art ... [writing] candidly about her greatest desires, fears, successes, and failures"--P. [2] of cover.
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Mickey and Willie : Mantle and Mays : the parallel lives of baseball's golden age
Allen Barra.
"Culturally, Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays were light years apart. Yet they were nearly the same age, almost the same size, and came to New York at the same time. They possessed virtually the same talents, and played the same position. They were both products of generations of baseball-playing families, for whom the game was the only escape from a lifetime of brutal manual labor. Both were nearly crushed by the weight of the outsized expectations placed on them, first by their families and later by America. Both lived secret lives far different from those their fans knew. What their fans also didn't know was that the two men shared a close personal friendship--and that each was the only man who could truly understand the other's experience"-- Provided by publisher.
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Hank Greenberg : the hero of heroes
John Rosengren.
Baseball in the 1930s was more than a national pastime; it was a cultural touchstone that galvanized communities and gave a struggling country its heroes despite the woes of the Depression. Hank Greenberg, one of the most exciting sluggers in baseball history, gave the people of Detroit a reason to be proud. But America was facing more than economic hardship. With the Nazis gaining power across Europe, political and social tensions were approaching a boiling point. As one of the few Jewish athletes competing nationally, Hank Greenberg became not only an iconic ball player, but also an important and sometimes controversial symbol of Jewish identity and the American immigrant experience. When Hank joined the Detroit Tigers in 1933, they were headed for a dismal fifth-place season finish. The following year, with Hank leading the charge, they were fighting off the Yankees for the pennant. As his star ascended, he found himself cheered wherever he went. But there were other noises also. On and off the field, he met with taunts and anti-Semitic threats. Yet the hardship only drove him on to greater heights, sharing the spotlight with the most legendary sluggers of the day, including Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx, and Lou Gehrig. Hank Greenberg offers an intimate account of the man's life on and off the field. It is a portrait of integrity, triumph over adversity, and one of the greatest baseball players to ever grace the field.
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Facing Ted Williams : players from the golden age of baseball recall the greatest hitter who ever lived
edited by Dave Heller

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Eleven rings : the soul of success
Phil Jackson and Hugh Delehanty.

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Sum it up : 1,098 victories, a couple of irrelevant losses, and a life in perspective
Pat Summitt with Sally Jenkins.
Pat Summitt, the all-time winningest coach in NCAA basketball history and bestselling author, tells for the first time her story of victory and resilience, as well as facing down her greatest challenge: early-onset Alzheimer's disease.
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An American caddie in St. Andrews : growing up, girls, and looping on the old course
Oliver Horovitz.

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The outsider : a memoir
Jimmy Connors.

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The laws of the ring
Urijah Faber, with Tim Keown.
Reflecting upon personal experiences, the martial artist discusses how his thirty-six "laws of power" have enabled him to make a successful career out of a dangerous and demanding sport.
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Detroit : an American autopsy
Charlie LeDuff.
An explosive expose of Detroit, icon of America's lost prosperity, from Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Charlie LeDuff.
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American Savage : insights, slights, and fights on faith, sex, love, and politics
Dan Savage.

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Out of a far country : a gay son's journey to God : a broken mother's search for hope
Christopher Yuan and Angela Yuan.

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Whitey Bulger : America's most wanted gangster and the manhunt that brought him to justice
Kevin Cullen and Shelley Murphy.

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Whitey : the life of America's most notorious mob boss
Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill.
Whitey Bulger was the crime boss and killer who brought the FBI to its knees. Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill examine and reveal the factors and forces that created the monster. This is a deeply rendered portrait of evil that spans nearly a century, taking Whitey from the streets of his boyhood Southie in the 1940s to his cell in Alcatraz in the 1950s to his cunning, corrupt pact with the FBI in the 1970s and, finally, to Santa Monica, California where for fifteen years he was hiding in plain sight as one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted. In a lifetime of crime and murder that ended with his arrest in June 2011, Whitey Bulger became one of the most powerful and deadly crime bosses of the twentieth century.
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On the run with Bonnie & Clyde
John Gilmore.

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Official truth : 101 proof : the official story of Pantera
Rex Brown

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98% funky stuff : my life in music
Maceo Parker.

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My way : an autobiography
by Paul Anka with David Dalton.
In My Way the smooth, charismatic singer and songwriter pens his long-awaited autobiography revealing a life that has been much more dramatic than his crooning reveals.
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I would die 4 u : why Prince became an icon
Toure.

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Drinking and tweeting : and other Brandi blunders
Brandi Glanville with Leslie Bruce.
"She's the brutally honest breath of fresh air on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, known for her dramatic divorce, her barely-there clothing, and her inability to keep her mouth shut. So why should she change now? Brandi Glanville tells all in this hilarious, no-holds-barred memoir. Fans have been waiting for Brandi's scoop on one of the biggest divorces of the decade, since her husband of eight years abandoned her and their two sons to marry country singer LeAnn Rimes. Not only does Brandi spill the beans about her side of the split, the lovable housewife shares the incredible wild ride that took her from a life in the ghetto to Hollywood's most elite circles. For the first time, Brandi talks about how she escaped a rough neighborhood on the outskirts of Sacramento and stumbled into a successful modeling career that swept her into a world of Paris Fashion Weeks, private jets, and uncircumcised penises. Before she knew it, Brandi was the perfect Hollywood trophy wife--at least until her marriage exploded. Today, the refreshingly filter-free housewife and unapologetic mom is the newest full-time cast member of Bravo's juggernaut franchise, where she often elicits raised eyebrows and gossip from her costars for her refusal to be the scorned ex-wife, to be bullied, to change her sarcastic sense of humor, or--on most occasions--to wear a bra. Sassy, raunchy, and compulsively readable, Drinking and Tweeting perfectly captures Brandi's open-book attitude, as she dishes about everything from her DUI, her cheating ex, her one-night stands, and the secret plastic surgery that made her "seventeen" again. You're sure to enjoy every page of this funny, upbeat, honest tale. Clear your schedule for an afternoon and grab your favorite cocktail, a comfy seat. and maybe a Xanax. But that's for later"-- Provided by publisher.
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I can barely take care of myself : tales from a happy life without kids
Jen Kirkman.
A memoir from the stand-up comedian, writer, and actress that focuses on her oft-questioned (by others) decision to remain childless.
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Inside Linda Lovelace's deep throat : degradation, porno chic, and the rise of feminism
by Darwin Porter.

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Rita Moreno : a memoir
Rita Moreno.
"In this luminous memoir, Rita Moreno shares her remarkable journey from impoverished Puerto Rican girl to Hollywood legend--and one of the few performers, and the only Hispanic, to win an Oscar, Grammy, Tony and two Emmys. Born Rosita Dolores Alverio in the idyll of Puerto Rico, Moreno, at age five, embarked on a harrowing sea voyage with her mother and wound up in the harsh barrios of the Bronx, where she discovered dancing, singing, and acting as ways to escape a tumultuous childhood. Making her Broadway debut by age thirteen--and moving on to Hollywood in its Golden Age just a few years later--she worked alongside such stars as Elizabeth Taylor, Clark Gable, and Lana Turner. Rita, who was made over as the "Latina Liz Taylor" by MGM head Louis B. Mayer, became an instant sensation. From dancing with Gene Kelly in Singin' in the Rain to her Oscar-winning performance in West Side Story, she catapulted to fame--yet found herself repeatedly typecast as a Latina spitfire, a role she found almost impossible to elude. Here, for the first time, Rita reflects on her struggles to break through Hollywood's racial and sexual barriers. She explores the wounded little girl behind the glamorous facade--and what it took to find her place in the world. She talks candidly about her relationships with Elvis Presley and Howard Hughes, and the passionate romance with Marlon Brando that drove her to attempt suicide in his bed. And she reveals the secrets behind her "perfect" marriage and the incomparable joys of motherhood. Infused with Rita Moreno's astounding wit and deep insight, this memoir is the dazzling portrait of a stage and screen star who longed to become who she really is--and triumphed"-- Provided by publisher.
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Unsinkable : a memoir
Debbie Reynolds and Dorian Hannaway.
"The definitive, tell-all memoir by film legend Debbie Reynolds, UNSINKABLE is a story of heartbreak, hope, and survival"-- Provided by publisher.
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Instant mom
Nia Vardalos.
Writer and star of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Nia Vardalos firmly believed she was supposed to be a mom, but Mother Nature and modern medicine stood in her way. So she made a choice that shocked friends, family, and even herself: with only fourteen hours' notice, she adopted a preschooler. This is Vardalos's hilarious and poignant true chronicle of trying to become a mother while fielding nosy "frenemies" and Hollywood reporters. With her signature wit and candor, she describes her and husband Ian Gomez's bumpy road to parenting, how they found their daughter, and what happened next. Vardalos includes a comprehensive how-to-adopt section and explores innovative ways to conquer the challenges all new moms face, from sleep to personal grooming. She learns that whether via biology, relationship, or adoption--motherhood comes in many forms.--From publisher description.
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After visiting friends : a son's story
Michael Hainey.
"A decade in the writing, the haunting story of a son's quest to understand the mystery of his father's death-- a universal memoir about the secrets families keep and the role they play in making us who we are. Michael Hainey had just turned six when his uncle knocked on his family's back door one morning with the tragic news: Bob Hainey, Michael's father, was found alone near his car on Chicago's North Side, dead, of an apparent heart attack. Thirty-five years old, a young assistant copy desk chief at the Chicago Sun-Times, Bob was a bright and shining star in the competitive, hard-living world of newspapers, one that involved booze-soaked nights that bled into dawn. And then suddenly he was gone, leaving behind a young widow, two sons, a fractured family-- and questions surrounding the mysterious nature of his death that would obsess Michael throughout adolescence and long into adulthood. Finally, roughly his father's age when he died, and a seasoned reporter himself, Michael set out to learn what happened that night. Died "after visiting friends," the obituaries said. But the details beyond that were inconsistent. What friends? Where? At the heart of his quest is Michael's all-too-silent, opaque mother, a woman of great courage and tenacity-- and a steely determination not to look back. Prodding and cajoling his relatives, and working through a network of his father's buddies who abide by an honor code of silence and secrecy, Michael sees beyond the long-held myths and ultimately reconciles the father he'd imagined with the one he comes to know-- and in the journey discovers new truths about his mother. A stirring portrait of a family and its legacy of secrets, After Visiting Friends is the story of a son who goes in search of the truth and finds not only his father, but a rare window into a world of men and newspapers and fierce loyalties that no longer exists"-- Provided by publisher.
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Mom & me & mom
by Maya Angelou.
In Mom & Me & Mom, Angelou details what brought her mother to send her away and unearths the well of emotions Angelou experienced long afterward as a result.
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The cooked seed : a memoir
Anchee Min.
From Anchee Min, the author of the internationally bestselling memoir "Red Azalea" -- the eagerly awaited sequel, in which she comes to America to find her way, her voice, and her love.
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For the love of physics : from the end of the rainbow to the edge of time-- a journey through the wonders of physics
Walter Lewin with Warren Goldstein.
Largely autobiographical account of the author's life as one who fell in love first with physics and then with teaching physics to students.
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Robert Oppenheimer : a life inside the center
Ray Monk.
An exploration of the enigma of Robert Oppenheimer's life and personality and his contributions to the revolution in twentieth-century physics.
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Brotherhood : dharma, destiny, and the American dream
Deepak Chopra and Sanjiv Chopra.
Traces the lives of the Chopra brothers from India to America, where they both excelled in healing, one as a world-renowned spiritual teacher, the other as a professor at Harvard Medical School.
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Living and dying in Brick City : an E.R. doctor returns home
Sampson Davis with Lisa Frazier Page.
Presents a narrative exploration of the health-care crisis in inner-city communities as drawn from the author's experiences as an emergency room resident in the Newark community where he grew up, in an account that illuminates the complicated human realities behind the statistics.
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Brain on fire : my month of madness
by Susannah Cahalan.
The story of twenty-four-year-old Susannah Cahalan and the life-saving discovery of the autoimmune disorder that nearly killed her -- and that could perhaps be the root of "demonic possessions" throughout history.
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The last best cure : my quest to awaken the healing parts of my brain and get back my body, my joy, and my life
Donna Jackson Nakazawa.
Science journalist Donna Jackson Nakazawa explores the autoimmune disorders that plagued her for a decade, curious to know what mind-body strategies might help her, including meditation, yoga, and acupuncture.
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Nine lives : a chef's journey from chaos to control
Brandon Baltzley.
" A rising young chef lays bare his gripping story of culinary triumphs, consuming drug addictions, and his continuing quest to stay on top while staying sober At twenty-six years old, Brandon Baltzley was poised for his star turn as the opening chef at Chicago's hotspot Tribute. People called him a prodigy-the Salvador Dali of cooking-and foodie blogs followed his every move. Instead, Brandon walked away from it all and entered rehab to deal with the alcohol and cocaine addiction that had enslaved him most of his adult life. Brandon grew up in the South with no father and an addict mother. At nine, he was prepping vegetables in the back of a gay bar. From there, he went on to deep-frying with Paula Deen to cooking in an array of Michelin-starred restaurants, including Grant Achatz's world-renowned Alinea. In between, he was touring the country with his heavy metal band, Kylesa-and doing his first stint in rehab. Like Gabrielle Hamilton's Blood, Butter and Bones, Brandon's Nine Lives is about blazing a way out from a rough childhood through talent and an unbridled passion for the craft of cooking. A story that's still being written as Brandon works with Crux, the pop-up culinary collective he founded, and plans for the opening of his own restaurant, Nine Lives serves up a raw and riveting memoir about food, rock-and-roll, and redemption"-- Provided by publisher.
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Steal the menu : a memoir of forty years in food
by Raymond Sokolov.
"Four decades of memories from a gastronome who witnessed the food revolution from the (well-provisioned) trenches--a delicious tour through contemporary food history. When Raymond Sokolov became food editor of The New York Times in 1971, he began a long, memorable career as restaurant critic, food historian, and author."-- Publisher
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Fresh off the boat : a memoir
Eddie Huang.

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