Faith

Faith
Author: Itoro Bassey
Publisher: Malarkey Books
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2022-01-15
Genre:
ISBN: 9781087991474

Faith is a poignant conversation between the dead and the living, the past and the present, and a young woman grappling to find her place in it all.

Growing up and Finding Her

Growing up and Finding Her
Author: Brad and Mary Buettner
Publisher: iUniverse
Total Pages: 377
Release: 2011-03-21
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1450291031

Chicagos East Side and its Fox Valley suburbs form the backdrop for Growing Up and Finding Her, a memoir told with the poignancy that only a true story can deliver. Authors Brad and Mary Buettner recount how their lives stream together following the difficult challenges of the 1950s and 60s when their families struggled to overcome poverty, misfortune, and mental illness. The contrast between Brad Buettners small-town environment and Mary Ellen Janowskis big-city experience is one aspect of the story. However, when Brad is six, the death of his sister, Bobby, plunges his family into a spiral of grief and anguish. Meanwhile, Mary battles personal insecurities after being rejected by her closest friend. The pair grapple with life independently until red corduroy, of all things, provides the nudge that blends them together in a union lasting more than forty-five years. In this moving tale, Richard Nixon and Dwight Eisenhower make a brief appearance, and the Vietnam War poses an unexpected obstacle three days before the couples wedding. Growing Up and Finding Her is a story of pain, friendship, and love which unfolds with sincere warmth and humor.

The Library Book

The Library Book
Author: Susan Orlean
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Total Pages: 336
Release: 2019-10-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 1476740194

Susan Orlean’s bestseller and New York Times Notable Book is “a sheer delight…as rich in insight and as varied as the treasures contained on the shelves in any local library” (USA TODAY)—a dazzling love letter to a beloved institution and an investigation into one of its greatest mysteries. “Everybody who loves books should check out The Library Book” (The Washington Post). On the morning of April 28, 1986, a fire alarm sounded in the Los Angeles Public Library. The fire was disastrous: it reached two thousand degrees and burned for more than seven hours. By the time it was extinguished, it had consumed four hundred thousand books and damaged seven hundred thousand more. Investigators descended on the scene, but more than thirty years later, the mystery remains: Did someone purposefully set fire to the library—and if so, who? Weaving her lifelong love of books and reading into an investigation of the fire, award-winning New Yorker reporter and New York Times bestselling author Susan Orlean delivers a “delightful…reflection on the past, present, and future of libraries in America” (New York magazine) that manages to tell the broader story of libraries and librarians in a way that has never been done before. In the “exquisitely written, consistently entertaining” (The New York Times) The Library Book, Orlean chronicles the LAPL fire and its aftermath to showcase the larger, crucial role that libraries play in our lives; delves into the evolution of libraries; brings each department of the library to vivid life; studies arson and attempts to burn a copy of a book herself; and reexamines the case of Harry Peak, the blond-haired actor long suspected of setting fire to the LAPL more than thirty years ago. “A book lover’s dream…an ambitiously researched, elegantly written book that serves as a portal into a place of history, drama, culture, and stories” (Star Tribune, Minneapolis), Susan Orlean’s thrilling journey through the stacks reveals how these beloved institutions provide much more than just books—and why they remain an essential part of the heart, mind, and soul of our country.

Growing Up

Growing Up
Author: Russell Baker
Publisher: Rosetta Books
Total Pages: 353
Release: 2011-09-06
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0795317158

The Pulitzer Prize–winning memoir about coming of age in America between the world wars: “So warm, so likable and so disarmingly funny” (The New York Times). One of the New York Times’ “50 Best Memoirs of the Past 50 Years” Ranging from the backwoods of Virginia to a New Jersey commuter town to the city of Baltimore, this remarkable memoir recounts Russell Baker’s experience of growing up in pre–World War II America, before he went on to a celebrated career in journalism. With poignant, humorous tales of powerful love, awkward sex, and courage in the face of adversity, Baker reveals how he helped his mother and family through the Great Depression by delivering papers and hustling subscriptions to the Saturday Evening Post—a job which introduced him to bullies, mentors, and heroes who endured this national disaster with hard work and good cheer. Called “a treasure” by Anne Tyler and “a blessing” by Time magazine, this autobiography is a modern-day classic—“a wondrous book [with scenes] as funny and touching as Mark Twain’s” (Los Angeles Times Book Review). “In lovely, haunting prose, he has told a story that is deeply in the American grain.” —The Washington Post Book World “A terrific book.” —St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Sorted

Sorted
Author: Jackson Bird
Publisher: S&S/Simon Element
Total Pages: 336
Release: 2020-08-04
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1982130776

An unflinching and endearing memoir from LGBTQ+ advocate Jackson Bird about how he finally sorted things out and came out as a transgender man. When Jackson Bird was twenty-five, he came out as transgender to his friends, family, and anyone in the world with an internet connection. Assigned female at birth and raised as a girl, he often wondered if he should have been born a boy. Jackson didn’t share this thought with anyone because he didn’t think he could share it with anyone. Growing up in Texas in the 1990s, he had no transgender role models. He barely remembers meeting anyone who was openly gay, let alone being taught that transgender people existed outside of punchlines. In this “soulful and heartfelt coming-of-age story” (Jamia Wilson, director and publisher of the Feminist Press), Jackson chronicles the ups and downs of growing up gender-confused. Illuminated by journal entries spanning childhood to adolescence to today, he candidly recalls the challenges and loneliness he endured as he came to terms with both his gender and his bisexual identity. With warmth and wit, Jackson also recounts how he navigated the many obstacles and quirks of his transition—like figuring out how to have a chest binder delivered to his NYU dorm room and having an emotional breakdown at a Harry Potter fan convention. From his first shot of testosterone to his eventual top surgery, Jackson lets you in on every part of his journey—taking the time to explain trans terminology and little-known facts about gender and identity along the way. “A compassionate, tender-hearted, and accessible book for anyone who might need a hand to hold as they walk through their own transition or the transition of a loved one” (Austin Chant, author of Peter Darling), Sorted demonstrates the power and beauty in being yourself, even when you’re not sure who “yourself” is.

Growing Up Again

Growing Up Again
Author: Catriona McCloud
Publisher: Orion
Total Pages: 246
Release: 2009-07-09
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1409105776

What would you do if you had another shot at life - if you could turn back the clock and return to being, say, fifteen? Janie Lawson's life hasn't turned out quite the way she'd hoped. Nearly forty, she's in a marriage that's frozen over with a mother-in-law she despises. Before Janie can make the final step toward divorce, though, her fate is taken out of her hands. Janie wakes up in her old bedroom and finds it just as it was in her teens. She stumbles downstairs to the kitchen where her mother greets her, looking radiantly young. But it isn't until Janie looks in the mirror, to be confronted by her fifteen-year-old self sporting the most diabolical 80s perm, that the reality of her situation sinks in. For a woman who scoffs at anything science can't prove, being swept back decades in time is a particularly ironic twist. She's gone back to 1981 and all the signs suggest that it's a one-way trip. But there's an upside - Janie has the chance to make her life turn out the way she wanted it. She's determined to help her parents, make her fortune and do some good in the world, starting with saving Lady Diana Spencer from her fate. But things don't quite go to plan and pretty soon Janie realises that even second time around, nothing is guaranteed ... GROWING UP AGAIN is a hilarious, laugh-out-loud novel about second chances - it's clever, compassionate and hugely entertaining.

Just a Girl

Just a Girl
Author: Lucinda Jackson
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 260
Release: 2019-10-08
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1631526634

Just A Girl is the sensitive, personal story of the author’s ambition to become and succeed as a scientist during the “white man in power” era of the 1950s to 2010s. In the male-dominated science world, she struggles from girlhood unworthiness to sexist battles in jobs on the farms and in the restaurants of America, in academia’s laboratories and field research communities, and in the executive corner office. Jackson overcomes pain, shame, and self-blame, learns to believe in herself when others don’t, and becomes a champion for others. The turbulent legal and social background of sexual harassment and sexism in America over seven decades is delivered as “history with emotion.” Just a Girl is also a call to action: it identifies the court cases and lawsuits that helped advance the cultural changes we see today; outlines the pressing need for a Boys and Men Liberation (BAML) movement; highlights new approaches by parents; advocates for changes in our universities; and suggests a different direction for corporate America to take to stop the cycle of sexual harassment. Eye-opening and inspiring, it points the way to a brighter future for women everywhere.

Growing Up & Liking It

Growing Up & Liking It
Author: Dolores Ayotte
Publisher: Tate Publishing
Total Pages: 196
Release: 2011-03
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1617398039

'I never truly knew the meaning of faith until I was so filled with fear. It was then that God reached out His hand and saved me from the depths of confusion and despair. This powerful experience is one I will never forget...' ...well thought out, gentle, and non-judgmental. You can feel this positive energy throughout the pages of Dolores' book...Andrea Cockerill – BA (Psychology), BSW ...an adventure filled with humorous quips and anecdotes about life's experiences. Lorraine Gauthier BA (Psychology) Sun Life Advisor ...inspiring and enjoyable...Gloria Korell ...full of insight and wisdom...Linda Briscoe ...discover simple, effective steps for finding a balanced approach to happier living... Gilbert Frontain - Retired Director of Human Resources In her second book, author Dolores Ayotte continues to offer practical, down-to-earth, and easy-to-incorporate bits of wisdom into life's daily routine. Once again, Ayotte uses her unique sense of humor, quotes, and anecdotes, as well as her gift for story telling to get across her well-thought out steps to a happier self. If you are going through a difficult time and are looking for suggestions and inspiration to get back on track, Growing Up and Liking It is the book for you!

Growing Up Queer

Growing Up Queer
Author: Mary Robertson
Publisher: NYU Press
Total Pages: 207
Release: 2018-11-27
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1479876941

LGBTQ kids reveal what it’s like to be young and queer today Growing Up Queer explores the changing ways that young people are now becoming LGBT-identified in the US. Through interviews and three years of ethnographic research at an LGBTQ youth drop-in center, Mary Robertson focuses on the voices and stories of youths themselves in order to show how young people understand their sexual and gender identities, their interest in queer media, and the role that family plays in their lives. The young people who participated in this research are among the first generation to embrace queer identities as children and adolescents. This groundbreaking and timely consideration of queer identity demonstrates how sexual and gender identities are formed through complicated, ambivalent processes as opposed to being natural characteristics that one is born with. In addition to showing how youth understand their identities, Growing Up Queer describes how young people navigate queerness within a culture where being gay is the “new normal.” Using Sara Ahmed’s concept of queer orientation, Robertson argues that being queer is not just about one’s sexual and/or gender identity, but is understood through intersecting identities including race, class, ability, and more. By showing how society accepts some kinds of LGBTQ-identified people while rejecting others, Growing Up Queer provides evidence of queerness as a site of social inequality. The book moves beyond an oversimplified examination of teenage sexuality and shows, through the voices of young people themselves, the exciting yet complicated terrain of queer adolescence.

When You Learn the Alphabet

When You Learn the Alphabet
Author: Kendra Allen
Publisher: University of Iowa Press
Total Pages: 165
Release: 2019-04-15
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1609386299

Kendra Allen’s first collection of essays—at its core—is a bunch of mad stories about things she never learned to let go of. Unifying personal narrative and cultural commentary, this collection grapples with the lessons that have been stored between parent and daughter. These parental relationships expose the conditioning that subconsciously informed her ideas on social issues such as colorism, feminism, war-induced PTSD, homophobia, marriage, and “the n-word,” among other things. These dynamics strive for some semblance of accountability, and the essays within this collection are used as displays of deep unlearning and restoring—balancing trauma and humor, poetics and reality, forgiveness and resentment. When You Learn the Alphabet allots space for large moments of tenderness and empathy for all black bodies—but especially all black woman bodies—space for the underrepresented humanity and uncared for pain of black girls, and space to have the opportunity to be listened to in order to evolve past it.