Seattle Picks: Biography and MemoirLike this list

35 items

• 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows

  a Memoir

  Ai, Weiwei

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  In this intimate and thought-provoking memoir, prolific artist Ai Weiwei interweaves his life with that of his poet father’s and reflects on the intersection of art and revolution in China’s past century.

• Ducks

  Two Years in the Oil Sands

  Beaton, Kate, 1983-

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  Facing student loan debt and poor job prospects, comics artist Beaton leaves home to take a job in the Alberta oil sands, a place she discovers is toxic to the environment - and to her sense of self.

• ¡Hola Papi!

  How to Come Out in a Walmart Parking Lot and Other Life Lessons

  Brammer, John Paul, 1991-

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  Beloved LGBTQ advice columnist Brammer navigates coming-of-age and coming out with charm and tenderness in this hilarious collection of essays about growing up closeted and biracial in Middle America.

• All About Me!

  My Remarkable Life in Show Business

  Brooks, Mel, 1926-

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  Brooks’ autobiography spans from his childhood in Brooklyn through a decades-long career as a comedian, writer, actor, director, and producer for stage and screen.

• Finding Me

  Davis, Viola, 1965-

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  In this engaging autobiography, Davis describes how she overcame extreme poverty and abuse in her youth to become one of the most acclaimed award-winning actors of today.

• The Child Is the Teacher

  a Life of Maria Montessori

  De Stefano, Cristina, 1967-

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  This fascinating and comprehensive examination is the first to focus on the personal life of trailblazing educator Maria Montessori, who forever changed the way we think about child development and early childhood education.

• Ida B. the Queen

  the Extraordinary Life and Legacy of Ida B. Wells

  Duster, Michelle

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  Wells’ great-granddaughter penned this biography celebrating the life of the bold and outspoken journalist, suffragist, and civil rights activist.

• Dear Senthuran

  a Black Spirit Memoir

  Emezi, Akwaeke

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  The award-winning Nigerian author of fiction for youth and adults explores spirituality, family, and identity in this unique epistolary memoir.

• Tokyo Rose-- Zero Hour

  a Japanese American Woman's Persecution and Ultimate Redemption After World War II

  Frattino, Andre R., 1984-

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  Frattino’s daring biography, told in comics format, recounts the story of Iva Toguri, a Japanese American woman who became a propaganda radio host during her time trapped in Japan after the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.

• Hijab Butch Blues

  a Memoir

  H, Lamya

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  In this transformative and transgressive memoir, Lamya H shares the challenges and triumphs growing up gender nonconforming, Muslim, and a woman by finding strength and inspiration in stories from the Quran.

• Red Paint

  the Ancestral Autobiography of a Coast Salish Punk

  LaPointe, Sasha taqwšeblu

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  Indigenous poet and musician LaPointe reflects on home, inheritance, art, and love in this powerful memoir.

• Agent Josephine

  American Beauty, French Hero, British Spy

  Lewis, Damien

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  Lewis covers the lesser-known sides of a fascinating and influential performer whose clandestine activities supported the Allies during World War II .

• Galileo and the Science Deniers

  Livio, Mario, 1945-

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  This fresh biography reveals vital lessons from Galileo’s resilience in the face of religious persecution and science denial encountered in reaction to his radical discoveries about astronomy and the natural world.

• I'm Glad My Mom Died

  McCurdy, Jennette, 1992-

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  Former child actor and 2000s-era teen star McCurdy unflinchingly recounts the exploitation and abuse she experienced in the entertainment industry and at the hand of the mother she loved.

• Like Water

  a Cultural History of Bruce Lee

  Maeda, Daryl J.

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  Maeda’s biography of Lee focuses on the Western and Eastern influences on this global martial arts icon whose early life was split between California and Hong Kong.

• Path Lit by Lightning

  the Life of Jim Thorpe

  Maraniss, David

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  Maraniss tells the story of Thorpe, a remarkable Indigenous athlete who excelled in a wide range of sports from his school days to the Olympics to a professional league, and the racism, discrimination, and ensuing trauma he endured.

• The Dead Are Arising

  the Life of Malcolm X

  Payne, Les, 1941-2018

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  This Pulitzer Prize winning biography relies on hundreds of hours of interviews with Malcolm X and the people who knew him best to shed new light on his life and legacy.

• The Last Folk Hero

  the Life and Myth of Bo Jackson

  Pearlman, Jeff

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  Pearlman conducted over 700 interviews to tell the story of baseball and football player Bo Jackson, one of the greatest athletes of all time, and his physical feats of nearly mythological proportions.

• Unprotected

  a Memoir

  Porter, Billy

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  Thanks to his immense talent and courage, Porter survived a childhood of bullying and abuse to become the celebrated performer and activist he is today.

• Ma and Me

  a Memoir

  Reang, Putsata, 1974-

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  Seattle author and journalist Reang shares her experiences as a gay Cambodian woman living and working across continents and healing from inherited trauma, alongside efforts to understand her mother’s previously opaque personal history.