Biographies and autobiographies

  • The missing millionaire : the true story of Ambrose Small and the city obsessed with finding him

    Creator

    Daubs, Katie

    Abstract

    In December 1919, Ambrose Small, the mercurial owner of the Grand Opera House in Toronto, closed a deal to sell his network of Ontario theatres, deposited a million-dollar cheque in his bank account, and was never seen again. As weeks turned to years, the disappearance became the most "extraordinary unsolved mystery" of its time.

    Audience
    Adult**
    Publisher (Source)

    Toronto, Ontario

    McClelland & Stewart

    Not specified
  • Levels of the game

    Creator

    John, McPhee

    Abstract

    This account of a tennis match played by Arthur Ashe against Clark Graebner at Forest Hills in 1968 begins with the ball rising into the air for the initial serve and ends with the final point. McPhee provides a brilliant, stroke-by-stroke description while examining the backgrounds and attitudes which have molded the players' games.

    Audience
    Adult**
    Publisher (Source)

    [London]

    [Aurum Press]

    Not specified
  • Beyond magenta : transgender teens speak out

    Creator

    Kuklin, Susan

    Abstract

    A 2015 Stonewall Honor Book. A groundbreaking work of LGBT literature takes an honest look at the life, love, and struggles of transgender teens. Author and photographer Susan Kuklin met and interviewed six transgender or gender-neutral young adults and used her considerable skills to represent them thoughtfully and respectfully before, during, and after their personal acknowledgment of gender preference. Portraits, family photographs, and candid images grace the pages, augmenting the emotional and physical journey each youth has taken.

    Audience
    Adolescent
    Publisher (Source)

    Somerville, Massachusetts

    Candlewick Press

    Not specified
  • An astronaut's guide to life on earth

    Creator

    Hadfield, Chris

    Abstract

    As Commander of the International Space Station, Chris Hadfield captivated the world with stunning photos and commentary from space. Now, in his first book, Chris offers readers extraordinary stories from his life as an astronaut, and shows how to make the impossible a reality. Chris Hadfield decided to become an astronaut after watching the Apollo moon landing with his family on Stag Island, Ontario, when he was nine years old, and it was impossible for Canadians to be astronauts.

    Audience
    Adult**
    Publisher (Source)

    Toronto

    Random House Canada

    Not specified
  • Forever Terry : a legacy in letters

    Creator

    Fox, Darrell

    Abstract

    Terry Fox defined perseverance and hope for a generation of Canadians. Forty years after Terry's run ended, Forever Terry reflects what Terry's legacy means to us now, and in the future. To mark the 40th anniversary of the Marathon of Hope, Forever Terry: A Legacy in Letters recounts the inspiration, dedication, and perseverance that Terry Fox embodied, and gives voice to an icon whose example spoke much louder than his words.

    Audience
    Adult**
    Publisher (Source)

    New York

    Penguin Canada

    Not specified
  • House of dreams : the life of L. M. Montgomery

    Creator

    Rosenberg, Liz

    Abstract

    An affecting biography of the author of Anne of Green Gables is the first for young readers to include revelations about her last days and to encompass the complexity of a brilliant and sometimes troubled life. Once upon a time, there was a girl named Maud who adored stories. When she was fourteen years old, Maud wrote in her journal, "I love books. I hope when I grow up to be able to have lots of them." Not only did Maud grow up to own lots of books, she wrote twenty-four of them herself as L. M. Montgomery, the world-renowned author of Anne of Green Gables .

    Audience
    Juvenile**
    Publisher (Source)

    Somerville, MA

    Candlewick Press

    Not specified
  • Laughing in the hills : a season at the racetrack

    Creator

    Barich, Bill

    Abstract

    Bill Barich burst onto the literary scene more than twenty-five years ago with this remarkable account of racetrack life. Holed up in a cheap motel in Albany, California, only a few miles from Golden Gate Fields, he looked to the track to help him make sense of his life during a dark peiod of loss and challenge. With rare sensitivity, he captured the gritty world of the backstretch, and also its poetry, as few other writers have done.

    Audience
    Adult**
    Publisher (Source)

    New York, NY

    Skyhorse Publishing

    Not specified
  • Brave face : a memoir

    Creator

    Hutchinson, Shaun David

    Abstract

    “[P]rofound…a triumph—a full-throated howl to the moon to remind us why we choose to survive and thrive.” —Brendan Kiely, New York Times bestselling author of Tradition

    “Razor-sharp, deeply revealing, and brutally honest…emotionally raw and deeply insightful.” —Booklist (starred review)

    The critically acclaimed author of We Are the Ants opens up about what led to an attempted suicide in his teens, and his path back from the experience.

    “I wasn’t depressed because I was gay. I was depressed and gay.”

    Audience
    Adolescent
    Publisher (Source)

    New York

    Simon Pulse

    Not specified
  • Enrique's journey : the story of a boy's dangerous odyssey to reunite with his mother

    Creator

    Sonia, Nazario

    Abstract

    An astonishing story that puts a human face on the ongoing debate about immigration reform in the United States, now updated with a new Epilogue and Afterword, photos of Enrique and his family, an author interview, and more—the definitive edition of a classic of contemporary America.

    Audience
    Adult**
    Publisher (Source)

    New York

    Random House Publishing Group

    Not specified
  • Bad Indians : a tribal memoir

    Creator

    Miranda, Deborah A.

    Abstract

    “If we allow the pieces of our culture to lie scattered in the dust of history, trampled on by racism and grief, then yes, we are irreparably damaged. But if we pick up the pieces and use them in new ways that honor their integrity, their colors, textures, stories—then we do those pieces justice, no matter how sharp they are, no matter how much handling them slices our fingers and makes us bleed.”

    Audience
    Adult**
    Publisher (Source)

    Toronto

    Heyday

    Not specified