New Biographies – August 2009

Age is Just a Number: Achieve Your Dreams at Any Stage in Your Life
Dara Torres with Elizabeth Weil
B TORRES
From the Olympic medalist who competed at the age 41, comes a  memoir about aging gracefully and pursuing your dreams.

Bad Girls Go Everywhere: The Life of Helen Gurley Brown
Jennifer Scanlon
B BROWN
The life of the longtime editor of Cosmopolitan and an influential feminist.

The Big Rewind: A Memoir Brought to You by Pop Culture
Nathan Rabin
B RABIN
As a child and teenager, pop culture was the author’s means of escape.  Today, pop culture is his life.

Blue Collar, Blue Scrubs: The Making of a Surgeon
Michael J. Collins
B COLLINS
The story of a construction worker who decided to become a doctor and his path to becoming a surgeon.

Bobby and Jackie: A Love Story
C. David Heymann
B KENNEDY
The complex relationship between RFK and Jackie Kennedy is depicted by a Kennedy biographer.

The Bolter
Frances Osborne
B SACKVILLE
The author relates the story of her great-grandmother, Idina Sackville, and her adventurous and scandal filled life as the “high priestess” of the “Happy Valley Set” in Kenya.

Closing Time: A Memoir
Joe Queenan
B QUEENAN
The humorist turns his sights on his own coming-of-age in Philadelphia during the 1960s.

Crazy for the Storm: A Memoir of Survival
Norman Ollestad
B OLLESTAD
Trained by he father from the age of three to become a “Boy Wonder,” the skills he learned saved his life at age eleven when he and his father were victims of an airplane crash during a blizzard.

Duchess of Death: The Unauthorized Biography of Agatha Christie
Richard Hack
B CHRISTIE
The romance, scandal and betrayal that marked the life of the  popular novelist is presented in an intimate biography.

Harry Truman’s Excellent Adventure: The True Story of a Great American Road Trip
Matthew Algeo
B TRUMAN
After his term as president, Mr. and Mrs. Truman decided to hit the road.

Home Game: An Accidental Guide to Fatherhood
Michael Lewis
B LEWIS
The author explores the difference between the idea of fatherhood and his actual experiences.

In the Sanctuary of Outcasts: A Memoir
Neil White
B WHITE
Following conviction for bank fraud, the author spent a year in a prison in Carville, Louisiana, housed in the last leper colony in mainland America.

The Lady in Red: An Eighteenth-Century Tale of Sex, Scandal and Divorce
Hallie Rubenhold
B WORSLEY
The marriage of Lady Seymour Dorothy Fleming and Sir Richard Worsley might have been a fairy tale marriage, but ended in one of the most scandalous and publicized divorces in history.

Lance: The Making of the World’s Greatest Champion
John Wilcockson
B LANCE
The remarkable and controversial life of the seven time winner of the Tour de France.

Magnificent Desolation: The Long Journey Home from the Moon
Buzz Aldrin with Ken Abraham
B ALDRIN
The flight of Apollo 11 made Aldrin one of the most famous persons on the planet; here is the rest of his story.

My Remarkable Journey
Larry King
B KING
The life of the iconic interviewer as he looks back over 50 years in broadcasting.

Perfection: A Memoir of Betrayal and Renewal
Julie Metz
B METZ
Julie Metz’s life changes forever when her husband suddenly collapses and dies.  She soon learns that he had another life that he had kept hidden from her.

Perfectly Imperfect: A Life in Progress
Lee Woodruff
B WOODRUFF
The author of In an Instant, the chronicle of her husband’s recovery from an injury sustained in Iraq, now looks at her life in terms both personal and universal.

Prairie Tale: A Memoir
Melissa Gilbert
B GILBERT
The child star of Little House on the Prairie tells the story of her life and her recovery from self-destructive behavior.

Red and Me: My Coach, My Lifelong Friend
Bill Russell
B RUSSELL
The great basketball player discusses his relationship with one of the best coaches in all of sports.

Right Time, Right Place: Coming of Age with William F. Buckley Jr. and the Conservative Movement
Richard Brookhiser
B BROOKHISER
The author became a National Review senior editor at age 23.  He tells the story of his relationship with the conservative icon throughout their tumultuous friendship.

Satchel: The Life and Times of an American Legend
Larry Tye
B PAIGE
The great story of athlete, showman, and philosopher, Leroy “Satchel” Paige.

A Son of the Game: A Story of Golf, Going Home, and Sharing Life’s Lessons
James Dodson
B DODSON
The author of Final Rounds, returns to the world of golf and to the famous courses at Pinehurst, North Carolina to recover a lost passion and to share that passion with his son.

Stormy Weather: The Life of Lena Horne
James Gavin
B HORNE
A portrait of the celebrated singer and actress.

We Two: Victoria and Albert: Rulers, Partners, Rivals
Gillian Gill
B VICTORIA
An enduring love story and the most influential marriage of the 19th century is related in this personal history by a noted author.

The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America
Douglas Brinkley
B ROOSEVELT
The “naturalist president” set aside more than 230 million acres of wild America for posterity between 1901 and 1909, making conservation a universal endeavor.

Wildflower: An Extraordinary Life and Untimely Death in Africa
Mark Seal
B ROOT
In January 2006, Joan Root, a sixty-nine-year-old naturalist and filmmaker was murdered in her home on the shore of a beautiful Kenyan lake.  The author explores this real-life mystery and the remarkable life of a noted conservationist.

New Biographies – May 2009

A. Lincoln
B LINCOLN
Ronald C. White Jr.
A well-reviewed, expansive biography of the president whose moral compass holds the key to understanding his life.

Abigail & John: Portrait of a Marriage
B ADAMS
Edith B. Gelles
The romantic story of two important figures of early American history.

Abraham Lincoln
B LINCOLN
James M. McPherson
A very concise, illuminating portrait of the 16th president.

Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist
Michael J. Fox
B FOX
The actor recounts his years with Parkinson’s Disease and learning to live a new life when he was happy with his old one.

The Art of the Heist: Confessions of a Master Art Thief, Rock-and-Roller, and Prodigal Son
Myles J. Connor and Jenny Siler
B CONNOR
The story of legendary art thief, Myles Connor.

The Black Girl Next Door
B BASZILE
Jennifer Baszile
The author relates her coming-of-age experiences in an exclusive California white suburb in the 1970’s and 1980’s.

Charles Darwin: The Concise Story of an Extraordinary Man
Tim M. Berra
B DARWIN
The fascinating story of the man and the idea.

Crazy Love: A Memoir
B STEINER
Leslie Morgan Steiner
Even though she seemed to have the perfect life, at 22-years-of-age, the author fell in love with the wrong person.

Growing Up Again: Life, Loves, and Oh Yeah, Diabetes
Mary Tyler Moore
B MOORE
The well-known actress recounts her life with diabetes over the course of the past 40 years.

Hands of My Father: A Hearing Boy, His Deaf Parents, and the Language of Love
Myron Uhlberg
B UHLBERG
The author’s first language was American Sign Language.  His second language was English and as he learned it, he became his father’s ears and mouth in his Brooklyn neighborhood.

Happens Every Day: An All-Too-True Story
Isabel Gillies
B GILLIES
Happily married, or so she thought, the author’s marriage dissolved and a friend told her that it “happens every day.”

Honeymoon in Tehran: Two Years of Love and Danger in Iran
Azadeh Moaveni
B MOAVENI
Reporting for Time magazine, the author married an Iranian man and learned about life on the inside of this tumultuous country.

I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti: A Memoir
Giulia Melucci
B MELUCCI
Fizzled romances and steamy recipes!

Last Lion: The Fall and Rise of Ted Kennedy
Peter S. Canellos, ed.
B KENNEDY
The tumultuous life of the youngest of the Kennedy brothers.

A Little Bit Wicked (Life, Love, and Faith in Stages)
Kristin Chenoweth
B CHENOWETH
The story of a talented gal from Kansas who takes Broadway by storm.

Losing Mum and Pup: A Memoir
B BUCKLEY
Christopher Buckley
The well-known author and only child of famous parents recounts the year in which both of them died.

Love Child: A Memoir of Family Lost and Found
Allegra Huston
B HUSTON
The author was four years old when her mother was killed and she was introduced to the film director John Huston with the words, “This is your father.”  Later, at age twelve, she was introduced to her real father, British historian John Julius Norwich.

Mistress of the Monarchy: The Life of Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster
B KATHERINE
Alison Weir
The story of the royal mistress who became one of the most crucial figures in the history of the British royal dynasties.

Mrs. Lincoln: A Life
B LINCOLN
Catherine Clinton
The author illuminates the remarkable, enigmatic life of the First Lady.

Not Now, Voyager: A Memoir
B SCHWARTZ
Lynne Sharon Schwartz
A memoir, both serious and amusing, about the world of travel with a personal look at the author’s experiences.

Paul Newman: A Life
B NEWMAN
Shawn Levy
The fascinating life of the legendary superstar.

Pretty in Plaid: A Memoir
B LANCASTER
Jen Lancaster
Think “David Sedaris with pearls and a supercute handbag.”

Red Princess: A Revolutionary Life
B DOLGOROUKY
Sofka Zinovieff
Born in St. Petersburg in 1907, Princess Sophy Dolgorouky’s early life was one of privilege, but ten years later, her family fled to England and then to Paris.

Seeking Peace: Chronicles of the Worst Buddhist in the World
Mary Pipher
B PIPHER
The author of Reviving Ophelia explores her own life story and the lessons she has learned.

Somewhere Towards the End
B ATHILL
Diana Athill
The 91-year-old author relates candidly the condition of being old — both the losses and gains.

Through It All: Reflections on My Life, My Family, and My Faith
Christine King Farris
B FARRIS
The only sister of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. relates her memories of growing up, family life and her revered brother.

The Ties That Bind: A Memoir of Race, Memory and Redemption
Bertice Berry
B BERRY
The author presents a reflective history of her family that encompasses both pain and hope.

Trailblazer: An Intimate Biography of Sarah Palin
Lorenzo Benet
B PALIN
An up-close view of the vice-presidential nominee from an assistant-editor of  People magazine.

The Urban Hermit
B MACDONALD
Sam MacDonald
Faced with the truth that both his debts and waistline were out of control, the author devised a plan to change his life.

The Yankee Years
B TORRE
Joe Torre and Tom Verducci
The noted manager took the Yankees, once again, to the playoffs and the World Series. What did it take to keep the Yankees on the top of the baseball world?

New Biographies 5/17/08

Audition: A Memoir
Barbara Walters
The legendary television journalist examines her own life and the many individuals she has known and interviewed.

The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century
Steve Coll
The history of the family that within two generations emerged from a poor desert canyon to being oil rich millionaires.

Chasing the Flame: Sergio Vieira de Mello and the Fight to Save the World
Samantha Power
Mello, the United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights, was killed in a terrorist attack on UN headquarters in Iraq in 2003.

Freedom’s Prophet: Bishop Richard Allen, the AME Church, and the Black Founding Fathers
Richard S. Newman
Securing his freedom during the American Revolution, Bishop Allen was a tireless minister, abolitionist and reformer and a very influential figure of the nineteenth century.

The Good Fight: Hard Lessons from Searchlight to Washington
Harry Reid
The Senate majority leader recounts the story of his life from very humble beginnings.

Hats & Eyeglasses: A Family Love Affair with Gambling
Martha Frankel
The author grew up in a warm, loving family of die-hard gamblers, where just about everything was a situation for a bet.

Home: A Memoir of My Early Years
Julie Andrews
The story of the famous actress/singer during her childhood in war-torn Britain and to her new stardom in America.

Hope’s Boy
Andrew Bridge
At the age of seven, the author was taken from his mother and spent the next decade in foster care. Having graduated from Harvard Law School, he is now an advocate for children’s rights.

I’m Looking Through You: Growing Up Haunted: A Memoir
Jennifer Finney Boylan
The author, an English professor, grew up in a haunted house in Pennsylvania as a boy who longed to become a girl.

The Last Lecture
Randy Pausch
The professor of CMU who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer gave a “last lecture” that was a summation of all that he had come to believe.

The Legend of Colton H. Bryant
Alexandra Fuller
The short and tragic life of a Wyoming cowboy who goes to work on an oil rig.

Life Beyond Measure: Letters to My Great-Granddaughter
Sidney Poitier
The famous actor and author reflects on his amazing life and offers inspirational advice and personal stories.

A Life with Karol: My Forty-Year Friendship with the Man Who Became Pope
Stanislaw Dziwisz
A close-up glimpse into the beloved Pope’s life and the critical events of his papacy.

Madness: A Bipolar Life
Marya Hornbacher
At the age of 24, the author was diagnosed with Type I rapid-cycle bipolar, the most severe form of bipolar disorder.

Magnifico: The Brilliant Life and Violent Times of Lorenzo de’Medici
Miles J. Unger
The uncrowned ruler of Florence during its golden age was a pivotal figure of the Renaissance.

The Man Who Loved China: The Fantastic Story of the Eccentric Scientist Who Unlocked the Mysteries of the Middle Kingdom
Simon Winchester
An eccentric Englishman who explored the scientific advances of the Chinese people, is depicted by the author of The Professor and the Madman.

The Man Who Made Lists: Love, Death, Madness, and the creation of Roget’s Thesaurus
Joshua Kendall
At the young age of eight, Roget began his quest to put everything in its rightful place, one word at a time.

Marie-Thérèse, Child of Terror: The Fate of Marie Antoinette’s Daughter
Susan Nagel
The remarkable story of the royal child who was imprisoned and orphaned during the French Revolution.

Maya Angelou: A Glorious Celebration
Marcia Ann Gillespie, Rosa Johnson Butler and Richard A. Long
The life story of Dr. Angelou is featured along with numerous photographs and letters from her years as an activist, writer, performer, and teacher.

Never Give In: Battling Cancer in the Senate
Arlen Specter
The senator from Pennsylvania tells the story of his work in the senate and as a cancer survivor.

The Place to Be: Washington, CBS, and the Glory Days of Television News
Roger Mudd
A chronicle of the consuming passion for news during this reporter’s career.

The Prince of Frogtown
Rick Bragg
The author of All Over but the Shoutin’ and Ava’s Man continues with a tale about fathers and sons.

Shakespeare’s Wife
Germaine Greer
The author resets the story of Shakespeare’s marriage in its social context and disputes the negative impression that many authors have assumed about the wife of the Bard.

sTori telling
Tori Spelling
The life of the actress, and daughter of producer Aaron Spelling, who was known for her role in “Hollywood 90210.”

The Sum of Our Days
Isabel Allende
The famous Chilean writer, relates the story of her life after the death of her daughter and shares her thoughts on love, marriage, motherhood, spirituality and memory.

Swallow the Ocean
Laura M. Flynn
The author and her two sisters experienced life with a difficult mother who was suffering from schizophrenia.

A Wolf at the Table: A Memoir of My Father
Augusten Burroughs
The author of Running with Scissors returns with a heartbreaking look at life with his father.

Woman of the House: The Rise of Nancy Pelosi
Vincent Bzdek
A look at the life and career of the country’s most powerful woman.

New Biographies 1/03/08

Beyond the White House: Waging Peace, Fighting Disease, Building Hope
Jimmy Carter

The former president reviews his accomplishments during his post-presidential years.

Blue Skies, No Fences: A Memoir of Childhood and Family
Lynne Cheney

The author recounts her childhood in the small town of Caspar, Wyoming.

Breaking Back: How I Lost Everything and Won Back My Life
James Blake

The well-known tennis star recounts a tumultuous year in his life and the perseverance that helped him through it.

The Case of Abraham Lincoln: A Story of Adultery, Murder, and the Making of a Great President
Julie M. Fenster

The story of Lincoln’s rise to the head of the new Republican Party in Illinois, against the backdrop of one of his most important legal cases.

Cheney: The Untold Story of America’s Most Powerful and Controversial Vice President
Stephen F. Hayes

A view of the life of the enigmatic and influential vice president.

Clapton: The Autobiography
Eric Clapton

The personal and professional journey of the noted rock star.

Come Be My Light
Mother Teresa

A collection of writings that reveal the inner spiritual life of an important religious figure.

The Confidante: Condoleezza Rice and the Creation of the Bush Legacy
Glenn Kessler

A portrait of the Secretary of State and her important role in United States foreign relations.

Crisis, Pursued by Disaster, Followed Closely by Catastrophe: A Memoir of Life on the Run
Mike O’Connor

The author didn’t discover the mystery behind his family’s bizarre life until he became an investigative reporter.

Don’t Bet Against Me: Beating the Odds Against Breast Cancer and in Life
Deanna Favre

The wife of the Packer’s quarterback examines her life as a breast cancer survivor and activist.

Elizabeth & Leicester
Sarah Gristwood

What was the truth about the relationship between Elizabeth I and the Earl of Leicester, Robert Dudley?

First Class Citizenship: The Civil Rights Letters of Jackie Robinson
Michael G. Long, ed.

His letters show Robinson as a fearless advocate for racial justice at the highest levels of American politics.

How Starbucks Saved My Life: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else
Michael Gates Gill

After losing almost everything, a former ad agency executive learns about life as a barista.

Journals: 1952-2000
Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.

Observations on a half-century of public life from a noted historian.

The Last Mazurka: A Family’s Tale of War, Passion, and Loss
Andrew Tarnowski

The lost world of pre-war Poland is mirrored in this tale of a once powerful family.

Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger’s
John Elder Robison

Being told, at the age of 40, that he had Asperger’s Syndrome transformed the way the author saw himself—and the world.

Marco Polo: From Venice to Xanadu
Laurence Bergreen

Marco Polo’s odyssey–along the Silk Road and through all the adentures of his life–is chronicled in illuminating detail.

Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far
Amy Grant

Reminiscences and inspiration from a popular gospel and country singer.

My Grandfather’s Son: A Memoir
Clarence Thomas

The Supreme Court justice relates the journey of his life, from rural Georgia to Washington, D.C.

One Drop: My Father’s Hidden Life—A Story of Race and Family Secrets
Bliss Broyard

Shortly before his death, literary critic Anatole Broyard revealed to his grown children that he was black and that his parents had resorted to “passing” in order to get work.

Out of the Frying Pan: A Chef’s Memoir of Hot Kitchens, Single Motherhood, and the Family Meal
Gillian Clark

A memoir of a chef’s rise from beginner to a top chef, replete with recipes.
The Preacher and the Presidents: Billy Graham in the White House
Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy

No one has ever been in a position to see the presidents, and the presidency, so intimately, over so many years as the well known evangelist.

Sage-ing While Age-ing
Shirley MacLaine

The noted actress reviews her life and sees the powerful force of synchronicity at work around her.

Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography
David Michaelis

The first biography of the brilliant, unseen man behind Peanuts.

A Skating Life
Dorothy Hamill

The Olympic gold medal winner reviews her life on and of the ice.

Song Without Words: The Photographs & Diaries of Countess Sophia Tolstoy
Leah Bendavid-Val

A collection of photographs and diary entries from a remarkable woman and the wife of Leo Tolstoy.

Touch and Go: A Memoir
Studs Terkel

At the age of 95, the writer who has written about so many other people, reviews the highlights of his own life.

Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Me
Pattie Boyd

The rock and roll muse to two exceptionally famous rock stars tells her side of the story.