Biographies and autobiographies

  • Chasing Chopin : a musical journey across three centuries, four countries, and a half-dozen revolutions

    Creator

    LaFarge, Annik

    Abstract

    A modern take on a classical icon: this original, entertaining, well-researched book uses the story of when, where, and how Chopin composed his most famous work, uncovering many surprises along the way and showing how his innovative music still animates popular culture centuries later. The Frédéric Chopin Annik LaFarge presents here is not the melancholy, sickly, romantic figure so often portrayed.

    Audience
    Adult**
    Publisher (Source)

    New York

    Simon & Schuster Audio

    Not specified
  • Butts : a backstory

    Creator

    Radke, Heather

    Abstract

    *ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF FALL: Esquire, Time, LitHub, The Every Girl, BookPage* "Lively and thorough, Butts is the best kind of nonfiction--the kind that forces you to see something ordinary through completely new eyes."--Esquire, Best Books of 2022 So Far "One of the year's most ingenious and eye-opening cultural studies." --Publishers Weekly, Best Books of 2022.

    Audience
    Adult**
    Publisher (Source)

    New York

    Simon & Schuster Audio

    Not specified
  • Boys keep swinging : a memoir

    Creator

    Shears, Jake

    Abstract

    "Wow! So brutally honest and such a really addictive read."--Elton John "One courageous joyride of a memoir. It should be illegal for rock stars to write so beautifully."--Armistead Maupin "A wild, sexy, emotional ride through underground New York at the millenniuma tale that speaks to the outsider in all of us." -Andy Cohen In this deeply affecting memoir, one of rock music's most entrancing figures transforms the vividness of his musical world into an unforgettable literary account of overcoming odds and finding his true voice.

    Audience
    Adult**
    Publisher (Source)

    New York

    Simon & Schuster Audio

    Not specified
  • Bamboozled by Jesus : how God tricked me into the life of my dreams

    Creator

    Orji, Yvonne

    Abstract

    Thriving stand-up comic and actress Yvonne Orji--best known as Issa Rae's BFF on the HBO series, Insecure--shares the secrets to living the life of your dreams. Yvonne Orji has never shied away from being unapologetically herself, and that includes being outspoken about her faith. Known for interpreting Biblical stories and metaphors to fit current times, her humorous and accessible approach to faith leaves even non-believers inspired and wanting more.The way Yvonne sees it, God is a Sovereign Prankster, punking folks long before Ashton Kutcher made it cool.

    Audience
    Adult**
    Publisher (Source)

    New York

    Worthy Books

    Not specified
  • Why Sinatra matters

    Creator

    Hamill, Pete

    Abstract

    In honor of Sinatra's 100th birthday, Pete Hamill's classic tribute returns with a new introduction by the author. In this unique homage to an American icon, journalist and award-winning author Pete Hamill evokes the essence of Sinatra-examining his art and his legend from the inside, as only a friend of many years could do. Shaped by Prohibition, the Depression, and war, Francis Albert Sinatra became the troubadour of urban loneliness.

    Audience
    Adult**
    Not specified
  • Time is tight : my life, note by note

    Creator

    Jones, Booker T.

    Abstract

    The long-awaited memoir of Booker T. Jones, leader of the famed Stax Records house band, architect of the Memphis soul sound, and one of the most legendary figures in music. From Booker T. Jones's earliest years in segregated Memphis, music was the driving force in his life. While he worked paper routes and played gigs in local nightclubs to pay for lessons and support his family, Jones, on the side, was also recording sessions in what became the famous Stax Studios-all while still in high school. Not long after, he would form the genre-defining group Booker T.

    Audience
    Adult**
    Not specified
  • Showboat : the life of Kobe Bryant

    Creator

    Lazenby, Roland

    Abstract

    The definitive portrait of Kobe Bryant, from the author of Michael Jordan . "Lazenby's detailed research and fantastic writing paint a complex, engaging picture of one of the NBA's greats" (Kurt Helin, NBC Sports). Eighteen-time All-Star, scorer of 81 points in a single game, MVP, and one of the best shooting guards in NBA league history: Kobe Bryant is among basketball's absolute greatest players, and his importance to the sport is undeniable.

    Audience
    Adult**
    Not specified
  • Set the night on fire : living, dying, and playing guitar with the doors

    Creator

    Krieger, Robby

    Abstract

    In his first book ever, legendary Doors guitarist, Robby Krieger, one of Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time," opens up about The Doors' meteoric career, his own darkest moments, and the most famous black eye in rock 'n' roll. Few bands are as shrouded in the murky haze of rock mythology as The Doors, and parsing fact from fiction has been a virtually impossible task. But now, after fifty years, The Doors' notoriously quiet guitarist is finally breaking his silence to set the record straight.

    Audience
    Adult**
    Not specified
  • Michael Jordan : the life

    Creator

    Lazenby, Roland

    Abstract

    The definitive biography of a legendary athlete. The Shrug. The Shot. The Flu Game. Michael Jordan is responsible for sublime moments so ingrained in sports history that they have their own names. When most people think of him, they think of his beautiful shots with the game on the line, his body totally in sync with the ball — hitting nothing but net. But for all his greatness, this scion of a complex family from North Carolina's Coastal Plain has a darker side: he's a ruthless competitor and a lover of high stakes.

    Audience
    Adult**
    Not specified
  • The way it was : my life with Frank Sinatra

    Creator

    Weisman, Eliot

    Abstract

    A candid and eye-opening inside look at the final decades of Sinatra's life told by his longtime manager and friend, Eliot Weisman. By the time Weisman met Sinatra in 1976, he was already the Voice, a man who held sway over popular music and pop culture for forty years, who had risen to the greatest heights of fame and plumbed the depths of failure, all the while surviving with the trademark swagger that women pined for and men wanted to emulate.

    Audience
    Adult**
    Not specified