Thom Gossom

Light Hardcover (1 lb or less)

Missouri

Gossom did not set out to be a groundbreaker. He did not apply to Auburn University with the goal of being the first black athlete to graduate from the almost all-white college. He just knew he wanted to play football-- and he wanted to play football at Auburn. When he was accepted in 1970 and fought for his place on the team, he became a part of history.

Walk-On

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Margaret Powell

West Virginia

The Classic Kitchen Maid's Memoir That Inspired Upstairs, Downstairs and Downton Abbey

Brilliantly evoking the long-vanished world of masters and servants portrayed in Downton Abbey and Upstairs, Downstairs, Margaret Powell's classic memoir of her time in service, Below Stairs, is the remarkable true story of an indomitable woman who, though she served in the great houses of England, never stopped aiming high. Powell first arrived at the servants' entrance of one of those great houses in the 1920s. As a kitchen maid - the lowest of the low - she entered an entirely new world; one of stoves to be blacked, vegetables to be scrubbed, mistresses to be appeased, and bootlaces to be ironed. Work started at 5.30am and went on until after dark. It was a far cry from her childhood on the beaches of Hove, where money and food were scarce, but warmth and laughter never were. Yet from the gentleman with a penchant for stroking the housemaids' curlers, to raucous tea-dances with errand boys, to the heartbreaking story of Agnes the pregnant under-parlormaid, fired for being seduced by her mistress's nephew, Margaret's tales of her time in service are told with wit, warmth, and a sharp eye for the prejudices of her situation. Margaret Powell's true story of a life spent in service is a fascinating "downstairs" portrait of the glittering, long-gone worlds behind the closed doors of Downton Abbey and 165 Eaton Place.

Below Stairs

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Molly Crabapple

Hardcover (1 to 2 lbs)

New York

Art was my dearest friend.
To draw was trouble and safety, adventure and freedom.
In that four-cornered kingdom of paper, I lived as I pleased.
This is the story of a girl and her sketchbook.

In language that is fresh, visceral, and deeply moving—and illustrations that are irreverent and gorgeous—here is a memoir that will change the way you think about art, sex, politics, and survival in our times.

From a young age, Molly Crabapple had the eye of an artist and the spirit of a radical. After a restless childhood on New York's Long Island, she left America to see Europe and the Near East, a young artist plunging into unfamiliar cultures, notebook always in hand, drawing what she observed.

Returning to New York City after 9/11 to study art, she posed nude for sketch artists and sketchy photographers, danced burlesque, and modeled for the world famous Suicide Girls. Frustrated with the academy and the conventional art world, she eventually landed a post as house artist at Simon Hammerstein's legendary nightclub The Box, the epicenter of decadent Manhattan nightlife before the financial crisis of 2008. There she had a ringside seat for the pitched battle between the bankers of Wall Street and the entertainers who walked among them—a scandalous, drug-fueled circus of mutual exploitation that she captured in her tart and knowing illustrations. Then, after the crash, a wave of protest movements—from student demonstrations in London to Occupy Wall Street in her own backyard—led Molly to turn her talents to a new form of witness journalism, reporting from places such as Guantanamo, Syria, Rikers Island, and the labor camps of Abu Dhabi. Using both words and artwork to shed light on the darker corners of American empire, she has swiftly become one of the most original and galvanizing voices on the cultural stage.

Now, with the same blend of honesty, fierce insight, and indelible imagery that is her signature, Molly offers her own story: an unforgettable memoir of artistic exploration, political awakening, and personal transformation.

Drawing Blood

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Oregon

Friendship, Strength, and Recovery after Boston's Worst Day

Four lives brought together in a deadly moment prove that being in the wrong place at the worst time can lead to life's biggest adventures and most important relationships

As Roseann Sdoia waited to watch her friend cross the finish line of the Boston Marathon in 2013, she had no idea her life was about to change-that in a matter of minutes she would look up from the sidewalk, burned and deaf, staring at her detached foot, screaming for help amid the smoke and blood.

In the chaos of the minutes that followed, three people would enter Roseann's life and change it forever. The first was Shores Salter, a college student who, when the bomb went off, instinctively ran into the smoke while his friends ran away. He found Roseann lying on the sidewalk and, using a belt as a tourniquet, literally saved her life that day. Then, Boston police officer Shana Cottone arrived on the scene and began screaming desperately at passing ambulances, all full, before finally commandeering an empty paddy wagon. Just then a giant appeared, in the form of Boston firefighter Mike Materia, who carefully lifted her into the fetid paddy wagon. He climbed in and held her burned hand all the way to the hospital. Since that day, he hasn't left her side, and today they are planning their life together.

Perfect Strangers is about recovery, about choosing joy and human connection over anger and resentment, and most of all, it's about an unlikely but enduring friendship that grew out of the tragedy of Boston's worst day.

Perfect Strangers

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California

The stand-up comedian, television host, best-selling author and actress candidly discusses her personal life, her professional career and describes what it was like to become a judge on American Idol. 750,000 first printing.

Seriously... I'm Kidding

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Maryland

A Memoir

The author describes his coming of age as a teacher, storyteller, and writer, a personal journey during which he spent fifteen years finding his voice in the classroom, and came to terms with the undervalued importance of teaching.

Teacher Man

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Casey Schwartz

Pennsylvania

"A rich inquiry into what it means to pay (and maintain) attention in a world increasingly permeated with distraction and interference." -Publisher's Weekly

Combining expert storytelling with genuine self-scrutiny, Casey Schwartz details the decade she spend taking Adderall to help her pay attention (or so she thought) and then considers the role of attention in defining our lives as it has been understood by thinkers such as William James, David Foster Wallace, and Simone Weil. From our craving for distraction to our craving for a cure, from Silicon Valley consultants and psychedelic researchers to the findings of trauma expert Dr. Gabor Mate, Schwartz takes us on an eye-opening tour of the modern landscape of attention.

Blending memoir, biography, and original reporting, Schwarz examines her attempts to preserve her authentic life and decide what is most important in it. Attention- A Love Story will resonate with readers who want to determine their own minds, away from the siren call of their screens.

Attention: a Love Story

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Rated a very respectable 3.8 out of 5 on Goodreads.
New, hard cover book that does have a ripple across the top of the front jacket cover.￼ 

One Man's Discovery of Beauty and Truth in Times of Crisis

The publisher and editor of the influential "Crisis" magazine tells for the first time his story of how his conservative upbringing led him to convert to Roman Catholicism.

An American Conversion

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Ali Vincent

How Being the Biggest Loser Won Me Back My Life

When Ali Vincent was selected to be a contestant on the hit NBC show The Biggest Loser, her weight was at an alltime high of 234 pounds-and her life had reached an all-time low. Like millions of Americans, Ali struggled for years with poor eating habits, family problems, stress, and low-self-esteem. After years of being afraid, ashamed, and unhappy, she resolved to change her life, once and for all- to lose weight, get healthy, and pursue her dreams. Before she was even offered a spot on The Biggest Loser campus, Ali made up her mind that she was going to not only drop the weight- but win the competition. In her bedroom at The Biggest Loser ranch, Ali rang a little bell she kept on her bedside table each night before she went to sleep and again when she awoke in the morning, repeating the phrase that had become her mantra- Believe it, be it. Seven months later, she emerged from the grueling competition as its first-ever female champion, claiming the title, the grand prize and, most of all-winning back her life. In Believe It, Be It, Ali shares for the first time her intimate story of personal and physical transformation and provides a rare glimpse inside life at the famous Biggest Loser ranch. Ali also shares the weight-loss strategies, eating habits, and workout tips that helped her lose-and keep off-more than 100 pounds. For anyone who has ever battled with weight loss or struggled to accept themselves for who they are, Ali Vincent's story provides hope that a happier, healthier, more fulfilling life is within reach. It all begins with believing that it's possible. Believe it, and be it.

Believe It, Be It

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New Jersey

In Life and Leadership

It Worked for Me

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Love, Morgenthau, and Me

"Lucinda Franks recounts her marriage to Robert Morgenthau, Jr., a man decades her senior who subscribes to a vastly different lifestyle"--

Timeless

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Jim Norton

WhenNew York Timesbestselling author and comedian Jim Norton isn't paying for massages with happy endings, or pretending to be fooled by transsexuals he picks up, he spends his time wondering what certain people would look like on fire...What do Heather Mills, the Reverend Al Sharpton, and Dr. Phil have in common? Jim Norton hates their guts. And he probably hates yours, too, especially if you're a New York Yankee, Starbucks employee, or Steve Martin.In thirty-five hilarious essays,New York Timesbestselling author and comedian Jim Norton spews bile on the people he loathes. Enjoy his blistering attacks on Derek Jeter, Hillary Clinton, fatso Al Roker, and mush-mouthed Jesse Jackson. It's utterly hilarious -- and utterly relatable if you've ever bitten a stranger's face or thrown a bottle through the TV screen while watching the news.But don't think Jim just dishes loads of shit on his self-proclaimed enemies; he is equally atrocious to himself. He savages himself for his humiliating days as a white homeboy, his balletlike spins in the outfield during a little league game, and his embarrassingly botched attempt at a celebrity shout-out while taping his new HBO stand-up series.Uncomfortably honest,I Hate Your Gutsis probably the best example of emotional vomiting you'll ever read. But there is hope; at the end of each essay, Jim generously offers helpful suggestions as to how the offender can make things right again: Eliot Spitzer: If you run for re-election, instead of shaking hands with voters, let them smell your fingers.Reverend Al Sharpton: The next time you feel the need to protest, do so dressed as an elk in Ted Nugent's backyard.Hillary Clinton: When you absolutely must make a point of laughing publicly, don't fake it. Just think of something that genuinely makes you laugh, like lowering taxes or any random male having his penis cut off.For the legions of devoted fans who know Jim Norton for his raw, sometimes brutal comedy,I Hate Your Gutsis what you've been waiting for. But even more important -- it's a great book to read while taking a shit.

I Hate Your Guts

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Passion and Property in Manhattan

An investigation into the secretive world of Manhattan luxury real estate offers insight into the workings of carriage-trade brokers, co-op boards, and the homes of such figures as Jerry Seinfeld, Barbra Streisand, and Tommy Hilfiger.

The Sky's the Limit

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Katharine Hepburn

Illinois

Stories of My Life

Photographs from Hepburn's personal collection highlight the candid memoirs of the life, long career, friendships, and loves of the legendary Hollywood actress

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#hardcover #memoir #nonfiction #celebrities #celebrity #comedian #comedians #funny 

Tennessee

Yes Please

The author describes her life in the contemporary American West and the skills she developed to survive in a man's world as she details her experiences with blizzards, prairie fires, and extreme isolation in the harsh western landscape.

Breaking Clean

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Embracing Risk to Change the World

Becoming a Dangerous Woman

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Heavy Hardcover (2 to 4 lbs)

Hard Choices 

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Defending America at the United Nations and Abroad

Surrender Is Not an Option

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#hardcover #memoir #irish #ireland #newyork #immigration 

The author offers a memoir of life in New York City during the freewheeling 1960s, detailing his quest for fame and fortune, family life, battle with alcoholism, and reunion with his long-estranged father

A Monk Swimming

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Frank McCourt

Minnesota

The #1 New York Times bestselling sequel to the beloved Pulitzer Prize-winning classic memoir, Angela’s Ashes, about McCourt’s coming of age as an immigrant in America. Frank McCourt's glorious childhood memoir, Angela's Ashes, has been loved and celebrated by readers everywhere for its spirit, its wit and its profound humanity. A tale of redemption, in which storytelling itself is the source of salvation, it won the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Los Angeles Times Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. Rarely has a book so swiftly found its place on the literary landscape. And now we have 'Tis, the story of Frank's American journey from impoverished immigrant to brilliant teacher and raconteur. Frank lands in New York at age nineteen, in the company of a priest he meets on the boat. He gets a job at the Biltmore Hotel, where he immediately encounters the vivid hierarchies of this "classless country," and then is drafted into the army and is sent to Germany to train dogs and type reports. It is Frank's incomparable voice -- his uncanny humor and his astonishing ear for dialogue -- that renders these experiences spellbinding. When Frank returns to America in 1953, he works on the docks, always resisting what everyone tells him, that men and women who have dreamed and toiled for years to get to America should "stick to their own kind" once they arrive. Somehow, Frank knows that he should be getting an education, and though he left school at fourteen, he talks his way into New York University. There, he falls in love with the quintessential Yankee, long-legged and blonde, and tries to live his dream. But it is not until he starts to teach -- and to write -- that Frank finds his place in the world. The same vulnerable but invincible spirit that captured the hearts of readers in Angela's Ashes comes of age. As Malcolm Jones said in his Newsweek review of Angela's Ashes, "It is only the best storyteller who can so beguile his readers that he leaves them wanting more when he is done...and McCourt proves himself one of the very best." Frank McCourt's 'Tis is one of the most eagerly awaited books of our time, and it is a masterpiece.

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Amber Tamblyn

Alabama

Coming of Age in a Time of Rage and Revolution

A passionate and deeply personal exploration of feminism during divisive times from one of the founders of Time's Up: actor, filmmaker, and activist Amber Tamblyn.

"A work of personal upheaval and political reckoning."--Rebecca Traister, New York Times bestselling author of Good and Mad
 
Amber Tamblyn has emerged as an outspoken advocate for women's rights. But she wasn't always so bold and self-possessed. In her late twenties, after a particularly low period fueled by rejection and disillusionment, she grabbed hold of her own destiny and entered into what she calls an Era of Ignition--a time of self-reflection that follows in the wake of personal upheaval and leads us to challenge the status quo. In the process of undergoing this metamorphosis, she realized that our country is going through an Era of Ignition of its own, and she set about agitating for change by initiating a dialogue about gender inequality.
 
In this deeply personal exploration of modern feminism, she addresses misogyny and discrimination, reproductive rights and sexual assault, white feminism and pay parity--all through the lens of her own experiences as well as those of her Sisters in Solidarity. At once an intimate meditation and a public reckoning, Era of Ignition is a galvanizing feminist manifesto that is required reading for anyone who wants to help change the world for the better.

Era of Ignition

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Jose Eugenio Soares

Clifford E. Landers

A burlesque smorgasbord of international high jinks—the “biography” of a hapless, twelve-fingered, would-be assassin who lurches from Sarajevo to Paris to Hollywood to Chicago to Rio, leaving high-stakes chaos in his wake. Our hero, Dimitri Borja Korozec, is born in the late 1800s to a Brazilian contortionist mother and a fanatically nationalist Serbian linotypist father. Dimitri enrolls in a training school for assassins, where he excels—except for his troubling propensity for fouling things up at the last moment. Part Carlos the Jackal, part Woody Allen’s Zelig, part Inspector Clouseau, and part Forrest Gump, Dimitri is a schlemiel of an assassin and anarchist who can’t seem to kill anyone. He does, however, cause enough mayhem to help start World War I, spread Spanish influenza to the American continent, and unintentionally trigger various other significant events of the twentieth century by slipping and falling, misreading signs, and misunderstanding instructions. Along the way Dimitri runs into—and, sometimes, nearly over—a diverse cast of bit players: Mata Hari, Al Capone, Carmen Miranda, Marie Curie, Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau, Irving Thalberg, George Raft, and even Aleister Crowley make their appearances. Jô Soares weaves the lives of his characters in and out of modern history, creating odd synchronicities, uncanny coincidences, and the impression that this “biography” might almost be true. True or not, it’s a laugh-out-loud romp that provides an intriguing new perspective on the history and major figures of our time, blurring the line between fact and fiction—a line which, had he encountered it on his way to an assassination, Dimitri would most certainly have tripped over.

Twelve Fingers

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#youngadult #lgbt #memoir #graphicnovel #nonfiction

Indiana

A Memoir in Pictures

From ND Stevenson, the New York Times bestselling author-illustrator of Nimona, comes a captivating, honest illustrated memoir that finds him turning an important corner in his creative journey--and inviting readers along for the ride.

In a collection of essays and personal mini-comics that span eight years of his young adult life, author-illustrator ND Stevenson charts the highs and lows of being a creative human in the world.

Whether it's hearing the wrong name called at his art school graduation ceremony or becoming a National Book Award finalist for his debut graphic novel, Nimona, ND captures the little and big moments that make up a real life, with a wit, wisdom, and vulnerability that are all his own.

Named one of Bank Street College of Education's Best Children's Books of the Year!

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Thom Gossom

Walk-On

Margaret Powell

Below Stairs

Molly Crabapple

Drawing Blood

Roseann Sdoia; Jennifer Jordan (As told to)

Perfect Strangers

Ellen DeGeneres

Seriously... I'm Kidding

Frank McCourt

Teacher Man

Casey Schwartz

Attention: a Love Story

Deal Wyatt Hudson

An American Conversion

Ali Vincent

Believe It, Be It

Colin Powell

It Worked for Me

Lucinda Franks

Timeless

Jim Norton

I Hate Your Guts

Steven Gaines

The Sky's the Limit

Katharine Hepburn

Me

Amy Poehler

Yes Please

Judy Blunt

Breaking Clean

Pat Mitchell

Becoming a Dangerous Woman

Hillary Clinton

Hard Choices

John Bolton

Surrender Is Not an Option

Malachy McCourt

A Monk Swimming

Frank McCourt

Tis

Amber Tamblyn

Era of Ignition

Jose Eugenio Soares; Clifford E. Landers

Twelve Fingers

Noelle Stevenson (Illustrator)

The Fire Never Goes Out