IndyPL Staff Picks 2023- Best of Biographies and MemoirsLike this list

18 items

• Hijab Butch Blues

  a Memoir

  H, Lamya,

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  Lamya, a queer devout Muslim immigrant woman, makes sense of her identity by drawing from the wisdom of the Quran. "Beautiful memoir!" - IndyPL_AllyM and 2 other staff members

• King

  a Life

  Eig, Jonathan,

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  "A telling portait of a flawed and inspiring person. And an unfliching look at the status quo that was fightng to hold power." - Mike C.

• Starstruck

  a Memoir of Astrophysics and Finding Light in the Dark

  Nance, Sarafina,

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  "I loved this memoir by Egyptian-American astrophysicist and women's health advocate Sarafina El-Badry Nance. From an early age Nance loved stars and her father really encouraged her but others did not. Nance opens each chapter with a science lesson…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Talk

  Bell, Darrin,

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  "Pulitzer prize winner Bell delivers a beautiful memoir of finding his place and his voice while also trying to understand his mother and father. Absolutely terrific! " - IndyPL_TamiE

• The Love You Save

  a Memoir

  Taylor, Goldie,

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  "Goldie Taylor has been a working journalist for over 35 years and she has a gift for the written work. Like Educated this book is painful and inspiring. I hurt for what Taylor endured as a young girl but was so inspired as through books, reading,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Madame Restell

  the Life, Death, and Resurrection of Old New York's Most Fabulous, Fearless, and Infamous Abortionist

  Wright, Jennifer, 1986-

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  "A biography of Ann Trow Sommers Lohman, who remade herself into Madame Restell. Lohman gained wealth and notoriety in New York, where she ran a very successful business helping woman prevent and terminate pregnancies. This novel is full of details…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Strong Female Character

  Brady, Fern, 1986-

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  "I adored watching Fern Brady on the UK comedy show Taskmaster, and so was excited when I saw that her autobiography was coming out and was expecting more quick-witted banter and almost surreal humor from what little I knew about her. Though I knew…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Pageboy

  a Memoir

  Page, Elliot, 1987-

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  "Elliot writes a poignant coming up in Hollywood and navigating fame and his sexuality all while creating art. " -IndyPL_MaggieW

• The Longest Race

  Inside the Secret World of Abuse, Doping, and Deception on Nike's Elite Running Team

  Goucher, Kara,

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  "A chilling and eye-opening memoir - Kara Goucher describes the escalating abuse she received at the hands of elite running coach for Nike Alberto Salazar, from damaging comments about her weight and abilities to outright sexual assault. Kara's…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Inverse Cowgirl

  a Memoir

  Weigel, Alicia Roth,

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  "This was such a powerful memoir by activist Alicia Roth Weigel. Two percent of the world's population is born intersex and Weigel is one of them. She endured surgeries that the doctor's told her parents were medically necessary as a baby. She…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• White House Wild Child

  How Alice Roosevelt Broke All the Rules and Won the Heart of America

  Mickle, Shelley Fraser,

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  "Theodore Roosevelt famously said about his daughter, “I can be President of the United States, or I can control Alice. I cannot possibly do both.” Alice Roosevelt was a celebrity before there were movie stars. When her father told her she was…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Lesbian Love Story

  a Memoir in Archives

  Possanza, Amelia,

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  "Amelia Possanza journeys into various archives to retell the love stories of seven lesbian couples throughout history. Through these retellings, Possanza reveals their own lesbian love story" -IndyPL_GlorianyP

• It. Goes. So. Fast.

  the Year of No Do-overs

  Kelly, Mary Louise,

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  "As a successful reporter at NPR, Mary Louise Kelly faced the same struggle as many working parents - finding time to balance her family with her career. Suddenly her oldest is a year away from college and all the time she planned to make up has…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Hell If We Don't Change Our Ways

  a Memoir

  Means, Brittany,

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  "A funny, touching, gut-wrenching memoir set in the fields, streets, and highways of Indiana. Will be remembered as a classic of the genre!" - Ross K.

• The Forgotten Girls

  a Memoir of Friendship and Lost Promise in Rural America

  Potts, Monica,

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  "Monica Potts and her best friend Darci both wanted to get out of their small Arkansas town but their lives took very different paths. This is Potts investigation into how the two friends lives turned out so very different and how many outside…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Choosing to Run

  a Memoir

  Linden, Des, 1983-

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  "The inspirational memoir from runner Des Linden - featuring the story of her running career as well as her historic 2018 Boston Marathon win in desolate conditions." - IndyPL_KathyH and 1 other staff member

• Making It So

  a Memoir

  Stewart, Patrick, 1940-

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  "I have to admit, I'm not too familiar with theater or Shakespeare (though I do like both) and could probably only be described as an on-the-fringes Trekkie, but I watched most of Star Trek: The Next Generation with my Dad so Sir Stewart is "my"…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• They Called Us Exceptional

  and Other Lies That Raised Us

  Gupta, Prachi (Journalist),

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  "Prachi Gupta is an award-winning journalist and former senior reporter at Jezebel. In this beautifully written memoir Gupta shares her struggles with growing up as a what appears to the outside world as the perfect Asian-American family with two…Read moreRead more of this annotation