<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[bl results for  (su:"Biography." OR ge:"Biography." OR tp:"Biography." OR  ca:"BIO*") AND  fo:(EBOOK)]]></title><description><![CDATA[bl results for  (su:"Biography." OR ge:"Biography." OR tp:"Biography." OR  ca:"BIO*") AND  fo:(EBOOK)]]></description><link>https://gateway.bibliocommons.com/v2/libraries/smcl/rss/search?query=%20%28su%3A%22Biography.%22%20OR%20ge%3A%22Biography.%22%20OR%20tp%3A%22Biography.%22%20OR%20%20ca%3A%22BIO%2A%22%29%20AND%20%20fo%3A%28EBOOK%29&amp;searchType=bl&amp;f_PRIMARY_LANGUAGE=eng&amp;sort=NEWLY_ACQUIRED&amp;title=Biography%20%26%20Autobiography&amp;_=&amp;view=grouped</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Thu, 12 Mar 2026 08:19:15 GMT</lastBuildDate><item><title><![CDATA[Defiance]]></title><description><![CDATA["An unprecedented and unforgettable first-person account of the Syrian Civil War from a young Alawite journalist--raised with deep family ties to the authoritarian government--who risked everything to rebel against the regime"-- Provided by publisher.]]></description><link>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S76C3790379</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S76C3790379</guid><category><![CDATA[EBOOK]]></category><category><![CDATA[eng]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mrie, Loubna]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 31 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/item/comment/3790379076</comments><format>EBOOK</format><subtitle>A Memoir of Awakening, Rebellion, and Survival in Syria</subtitle><language>eng</language><image_url>https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9781984880017/MC.GIF&amp;client=penlibsys&amp;type=xw12&amp;oclc=</image_url></item><item><title><![CDATA[Kids, Wait Till You Hear This!]]></title><description><![CDATA[<B>“A bombshell, jaw-dropping memoir”<BR /> —People Magazine</B><BR /><B>Global icon Liza Minnelli shares her inspiring story: stepping out from the long shadow of a mega-star mother and legendary film director father, fighting a lifetime battle with addiction</B><B>, and emerging from it all to become a once-in-a-lifetime artist.</B><BR /><I>Kids, Wait Till You Hear This!</I> is the autobiography of EGOT icon Liza Minnelli. This fascinating, untold story reveals the intimate truth of the only child born to Hollywood legends Vincente Minnelli and Judy Garland. For the first time, here is Liza up close: Raw, strong, sexy, hilarious and heartbreaking.<BR /> Liza decided at the age of 16  that “sympathy is my mother’s business. I give people joy.” That veil of joy, however, masks a lifelong struggle with Substance Use Disorder ("SUD," which Liza inherited from her mother's branch of her family), boundless love to give and an equal need to receive it, broken marriages, multiple miscarriages, and hospitalizations—the highs and lows of unparalleled artistic success and lifelong friendships, as well as chronic anxiety and the threat of financial ruin.  <BR /> Despite every challenge, Liza’s is a life wrapped in laughter and her tremendous capacity to give and receive love. Today at nearly 80, she opens her heart, mind and memories, sharing secrets we never knew. Liza’s book celebrates supreme artistry and, more importantly, her human rights activism.<BR /> “It’s time to tell the truth," Liza says, “and help people heal, as I have, one day at a time.”   ]]></description><link>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C11843174</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C11843174</guid><category><![CDATA[EBOOK]]></category><category><![CDATA[eng]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Minnelli, Liza]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 31 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/item/comment/11843174980</comments><format>EBOOK</format><subtitle/><language>eng</language><image_url>https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9781538773680/MC.GIF&amp;client=penlibsys&amp;type=xw12&amp;oclc=</image_url></item><item><title><![CDATA[You with the Sad Eyes]]></title><description><![CDATA[<B>"Funny, furious, and profane." —<I>The New York Times</I><BR /> “Not your typical celebrity memoir.” —Jimmy Kimmel</B><BR /><B>Unflinchingly honest and darkly funny, <I>You with the Sad Eyes </I>unveils a side of Christina Applegate we’ve never seen, forever cementing her formidable and iconoclastic legacy. </B><BR /> Christina Applegate came of age on sets and stages, expected to be on time, with lines learned, ready for lights-camera-action. What started as a financial necessity soon became an emotional escape from a tumultuous home life in the infamous Laurel Canyon scene of the 70s and 80s. She rocketed to stardom on the sitcom <I>Married...with Children</I> and went on to captivate audiences in classics like <I>Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitters Dead…, Anchorman</I>, and <I>Dead to Me</I> in her five-decade long career.<BR /> Then it all stopped. A Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis in 2021 confined her to a king-sized bed and the company of memories she’d rather forget: memories of the self-doubt and body dysmorphia that stalked her meteoric rise, of her mother’s fight against addiction and abuse after her father left, and of the tax life had taken on her body and mind that was suddenly coming due.  </P><P> Now, at her most intimate and vulnerable, she unveils a story not even those closest to her fully know. She returns to the diaries she kept her whole life, finding the pain matched by joy, the losses mitigated by the extraordinary, and the weight of life lifted by her unrelenting belief that something greater lay ahead. No longer willing to lock herself away and with the perspective only our own mortality can bring, she knew it was imperative to tell it all. <BR />                    <BR /><I>You with the Sad Eyes </I>presents a remarkable woman and her legacy. In her own words, “I truly believe that books can make people feel less alone. That’s why I’m doing this. <I>You with the Sad Eyes</I> won’t be some big violin scratching for my life. But it will be real. It will be filled with the ups and downs, the humor and grief of life.<BR /> So here I am.<BR /> Real me.<BR /> Lots to say.” </P>]]></description><link>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C12094860</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C12094860</guid><category><![CDATA[EBOOK]]></category><category><![CDATA[eng]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Applegate, Christina]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 31 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/item/comment/12094860980</comments><format>EBOOK</format><subtitle>A Memoir</subtitle><language>eng</language><image_url>https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9780316594943/MC.GIF&amp;client=penlibsys&amp;type=xw12&amp;oclc=</image_url></item><item><title><![CDATA[Heartland]]></title><description><![CDATA[<b>From the <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of <i>Charlie Hustle</i> and <i>Fly Girls</i> comes one of America's greatest sports stories: the improbable rise of Larry Bird and the Indiana State Sycamores.</b><BR>In the fall 1974, Larry Bird—one of the greatest players to ever pick up a basketball—was lost, and in danger of slipping away.<BR> <BR>He had dropped out of Indiana University, spurning legendary Hoosiers head coach Bobby Knight. He returned home to French Lick, a tiny town in the second poorest county in Indiana, and he got a job hauling trash.<BR> <BR>It could have ended right there for Bird, were it not for two men: Bob King, an old coach with bad knees, and Bill Hodges, a man who knew what it was like to be poor and overlooked. In the spring of 1975, during one of the darkest chapters of Bird's life, King and Hodges convinced Bird to leave French Lick and play basketball at Indiana State University, a college that couldn't even fill its arena, much less compete with Bobby Knight. Then, while no one was watching, King and Hodges built a team of players around Bird who were just like him: they were castoffs and leftovers, ready to work.<BR> <BR>Four years later, in March 1979, this unheralded team would put together one of the greatest seasons in American sports history. By the time it was over, more than 50 million people would tune in to watch the Indiana State Sycamores play in the NCAA finals against Magic Johnson and Michigan State.<BR> <BR>What happened that night would change college basketball and the NBA. Perhaps more importantly, it would change the members of this hardscrabble team, binding them together forever. In some ways, their one shining moment would never end. <BR> <BR>Drawing on exclusive, in-depth interviews with players, coaches, and staffers, <I>New York Times</I> bestselling author and PEN American award–winning biographer Keith O'Brien offers a stirring account of the mighty Indiana State Sycamores. With its unforgettable ensemble cast, <I>Heartland</I> is more than just a sports book. It's the story of a group of young men who achieved the greatest feat of all: immortality.]]></description><link>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C11986974</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C11986974</guid><category><![CDATA[EBOOK]]></category><category><![CDATA[eng]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[O'Brien, Keith]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 31 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/item/comment/11986974980</comments><format>EBOOK</format><subtitle>A Forgotten Place, an Impossible Dream, and the Miracle of Larry Bird</subtitle><language>eng</language><image_url>https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9781668211724/MC.GIF&amp;client=penlibsys&amp;type=xw12&amp;oclc=</image_url></item><item><title><![CDATA[Streetwise]]></title><description><![CDATA[<b>From the long-tenured head of an institution legendary for its culture of success comes a candid memoir of global leadership in an age of extreme turbulence.<br>“Lloyd Blankfein is scary smart about people, markets, and life generally. His 10,000 Small Businesses idea proved to be a huge winner, and I personally witnessed the time and effort he devoted to its success. During the 2008–2009 financial crisis, Lloyd acted decisively, and he tells the story of what happened with unique insights.” —Warren Buffett</b><br>When Lloyd Blankfein was attacked as a Wall Street fat cat, he had to smile, thinking of his precarious childhood in the notorious public housing projects of East New York, Brooklyn, and attending a high school so chaotic he didn’t feel safe leaving class to go to the bathroom in his time there. Harvard University was a total moonshot, and his outsider status never wore off, there or at Harvard Law. When he struck people as street-y, it wasn’t Wall Street they were thinking of. But if the chip never quite left Blankfein's shoulder, neither did a wry, resilient spirit and a lucid, democratic intelligence that saw through airs and found talent and ideas in unlikely places.<br><i>Streetwise</i> is a delightfully honest, sharp and often very funny reckoning with the author’s education—in finance, human nature, and the workings of the world. It abounds with lessons about leading teams of brilliant, aggressive, competitive people and harmonizing them around shared goals; changing when times are hard and when they’re good; managing risk; and knowing a crisis is at hand before it swamps you so you can guide your team to the further shore. Blankfein is famed for his calm hand on Goldman Sachs’s tiller during the global financial crisis, and that story is told in full here, among many other decisive episodes.<br>Suffusing <i>Streetwise</i> is the author’s deep and abiding respect for the partnership culture of Goldman Sachs. We follow the never-ending work to protect and preserve that culture through all sorts of tumult—the challenge behind every other challenge. He is open about when he and the firm got it wrong, which was often enough, but the creative, risk-taking spirit was never snuffed—even as the fail-safes put in place to protect the firm and its clients held when they were needed the most. A powerful blueprint for the wise stewardship of a cause that is larger than yourself, <i>Streetwise</i> will inspire and inform readers throughout the global business community and beyond.]]></description><link>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C11986367</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C11986367</guid><category><![CDATA[EBOOK]]></category><category><![CDATA[eng]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Blankfein, Lloyd]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 31 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/item/comment/11986367980</comments><format>EBOOK</format><subtitle>Getting to and Through Goldman Sachs</subtitle><language>eng</language><image_url>https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9798217058938/MC.GIF&amp;client=penlibsys&amp;type=xw12&amp;oclc=</image_url></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Glorians]]></title><description><![CDATA[<p><b>"I go to Terry Tempest Williams for the reasons I go to Whitman and Thoreau: to recover a capacious spirit and to rejoin the urgent living world. She gives me something bigger than hope."―Richard Powers, author of <i>The Overstory</i></b></p><p><b>From the visionary <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author, a revelatory work of narrative nonfiction exploring beauty in the desert, climate change, and, transformative moments of power in a world beset by uncertainty</b></p><p><i>Whether we believe it or not, rapid change is upon us. I am searching for grace.</i></p><p>In this time of political fragility, climate chaos, and seeking beauty wherever we can find its glimmer, Terry Tempest Williams introduces us to the Glorians. They are not distant deities, but the ordinary, often overlooked presences—animal, plant, memory, moment—that reveal our shared vulnerability and interconnectedness with the natural world. The Glorians can be as small as an ant ferrying a coyote willow blossom to its queen or as commonplace as the night sky. But what they can collectively show us—about the radical act of attending to beauty and carrying forward against all odds—is immense.</p><p>Journeying through encounters with the Glorians in the red rock desert of Utah during the pandemic to Harvard University where she teaches in the Divinity School, Williams weaves a story of astonishing personal and societal insight. As she grapples with the unsettled state of the world, she turns not to despair but to deep reflection. She sees how the Glorians are calling us to attention, not as an army, but as fellow inhabitants of our sacred, threatened home. They remind us of the power of contact between species and the profound courage—and awareness—it will take to dream a more cohesive future into being.</p><p>Wise and lyrical, <i>The Glorians</i> is a testament to the power of witness, a field guide to finding grace in the unexpected, and a moving invitation to engage with one another and our surroundings with renewed intention. In a modern world filled with increasing noise and anxiety, Terry Tempest Williams offers honest sustenance for the mind and spirit and distinguishes herself again as a trusted voice to whom we can turn to more fully understand our times.</p>]]></description><link>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C12073720</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C12073720</guid><category><![CDATA[EBOOK]]></category><category><![CDATA[eng]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Williams, Terry Tempest]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 31 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/item/comment/12073720980</comments><format>EBOOK</format><subtitle>Visitations from the Holy Ordinary</subtitle><language>eng</language><image_url>https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9780802165855/MC.GIF&amp;client=penlibsys&amp;type=xw12&amp;oclc=</image_url></item><item><title><![CDATA[Remember Us]]></title><description><![CDATA[<p><strong>NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER</strong></p><p><strong>Amazon Editor's Pick</strong></p><p><strong>"An intimate, moving look at the war that extracts deep meaning from the carnage and loss." – Publishers Weekly</strong></p><p><strong>What happens when you lose your freedom and the people who eventually get it back for you are no longer alive to thank? </strong></p><p>Remember Us, by Robert Edsel—#1 New York Times bestselling author of The Monuments Men—begins in the pre-dawn hours of Hitler's invasion of Western Europe on May 10, 1940, when his forces rolled into the small rural province of Limburg in the Netherlands shattering more than 100 years of peace. Their freedom gone, the Dutch lived through four-and-a-half years of occupation until American forces reached Limburg in September 1944, the last portion of Western Europe liberated by the Allies before their advance on Nazi Germany slammed to a halt.</p><p>Like The Monuments Men, Remember Us is an ensemble piece that follows twelve main characters over a six-year span, zeroing in on ordinary people including Frieda van Schäik, a teenager who falls in love with an American soldier; Lieutenant Colonel Robert Cole, the first member of the 101st Airborne to receive the Medal of Honor; and Sergeant Jeff Wiggins of the 960th Quartermaster Service Company, who escaped the poverty and racism of Alabama for yet another indignity—digging graves.</p><p>Drawing on never-before-seen letters, diaries, and other historical records, Edsel shows the painful price of freedom, on the battlefields and inside American homes. In this rich, dramatic, and suspenseful story, he captures both the horrors of war and the transcendent power of gratitude, showing the extraordinary measures the Dutch have taken to thank their liberators. Remember Us is exactly the book we need—a reminder that grief is universal, that humanity knows no national or racial boundaries, and that we all want to be remembered, somehow, someway, by somebody.</p>]]></description><link>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C11330393</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C11330393</guid><category><![CDATA[EBOOK]]></category><category><![CDATA[eng]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[M. Edsel, Robert, Witter, Bret]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 31 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/item/comment/11330393980</comments><format>EBOOK</format><subtitle>American Sacrifice, Dutch Freedom, and A Forever Promise Forged in World War II</subtitle><language>eng</language><image_url>https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9781400337828/MC.GIF&amp;client=penlibsys&amp;type=xw12&amp;oclc=</image_url></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz]]></title><description><![CDATA[<p><b>THE INSTANT <i>USA TODAY</i> BESTSELLER<br>Moving and powerful, this is a vivid portrait of the women who came together to form an orchestra in order to survive the horrors of Auschwitz. <br><i><br>New York Times</i> bestselling author of <i>Les Parisiennes </i>and <i>That Woman: A Life of Wallis Simpson</i> now examines how a disparate band of young girls struggled to overcome differences and little musical knowledge to please the often-sadistic Nazi overseers.</b><br>In 1943, German SS officers in charge of Auschwitz-Birkenau ordered that an orchestra be formed among the female prisoners. Almost fifty women and girls from eleven nations were drafted into a band that would play in all weathers marching music to other inmates, forced laborers who left each morning and returned, exhausted and often broken, at the end of the day. While still living amid the harshest of circumstances, with little more than a bowl of soup to eat, they were also made to give weekly concerts for Nazi officers, and individual members were sometimes summoned to give solo performances. For almost all of the musicians chosen to take part, being in the orchestra saved their lives. But at what cost?<br> What role could music play in a death camp? What was the effect on those women who owed their survival to their participation in a Nazi propaganda project? And how did it feel to be forced to provide solace to the perpetrators of a genocide that claimed the lives of their family and friends? In The Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz, award-winning historian Anne Sebba traces these tangled questions of deep moral complexity with sensitivity and care.<br> From Alma Rosé, the orchestra's main conductor, niece of Gustav Mahler and a formidable pre-war celebrity violinist, to Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, its teenage cellist and last surviving member, Sebba draws on meticulous archival research and exclusive first-hand accounts to tell the full and astonishing story of the orchestra, its members, and the response of other prisoners for the first time.</p>]]></description><link>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C11424247</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C11424247</guid><category><![CDATA[EBOOK]]></category><category><![CDATA[eng]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Sebba, Anne]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 31 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/item/comment/11424247980</comments><format>EBOOK</format><subtitle>A Story of Survival</subtitle><language>eng</language><image_url>https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9781250287601/MC.GIF&amp;client=penlibsys&amp;type=xw12&amp;oclc=</image_url></item><item><title><![CDATA[Animal Bodies: On Death, Desire, and Other Difficulties]]></title><description><![CDATA[Longlisted for the 2023 PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay<BR /> How do we reckon with our losses? In <I>Animal Bodies</I> Suzanne Roberts explores the link between death and desire and what it means to accept our own animal natures, the parts we most often hide, deny, or consider only with shame—our taboo desires and our grief. In landscapes as diverse as Salamanca's cobbled streets, the Mekong River's floating markets, Fire Island's windswept beaches, Nashville's honky-tonks, and the Sierra Nevada's snowy slopes, Roberts interrogates her memory and tries to make sense of her own private losses (deaths of people and relationships), as well as more public losses, including a mass shooting in her hometown and environmental devastation in the Amazon rainforest.<BR /> With lyricism, insight, honesty, and dark humor, these essays illuminate the sometimes terrible beauty of what it means to be human, deepening the conversation on death and grief, sexuality, and the shame that comes from surviving the world in a female body with all of its complexities.]]></description><link>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C8624913</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C8624913</guid><category><![CDATA[EBOOK]]></category><category><![CDATA[eng]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Roberts, Suzanne]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 31 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/item/comment/8624913980</comments><format>EBOOK</format><subtitle/><language>eng</language><image_url>https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9781496231871/MC.GIF&amp;client=penlibsys&amp;type=xw12&amp;oclc=</image_url></item><item><title><![CDATA[An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth]]></title><description><![CDATA[Hadfield takes readers into his years of training and space exploration to show how to make the impossible possible. He developed an unconventional philosophy at NASA: Prepare for the worst-- and enjoy every moment of it. By thinking like an astronaut, you can change the way you view life on Earth-- especially your own -- Source other than Library of Congress.]]></description><link>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S76C3787766</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S76C3787766</guid><category><![CDATA[EBOOK]]></category><category><![CDATA[eng]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hadfield, Chris]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/item/comment/3787766076</comments><format>EBOOK</format><subtitle></subtitle><language>eng</language><image_url>https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9780316365314/MC.GIF&amp;client=penlibsys&amp;type=xw12&amp;oclc=</image_url></item><item><title><![CDATA[You Better Believe I'm Gonna Talk About It]]></title><description><![CDATA[<p><b>From the <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author and breakout star of The Traitors comes the first memoir from beloved actress, Housewife, and pop culture icon, Lisa Rinna. From her career, to her personal life, she's spilling ALL the tea! If she's experienced it... you better believe she's gonna talk about it!</b></p><p><b>"This mouth has gotten me in so much trouble." —Lisa Rinna</b></p><p>For decades, Lisa Rinna has been captivating audiences—whether as a soap opera icon, reality TV powerhouse, fearless social media provocateur or slaying in haute couture down the catwalks of Paris. But even though she's always said it like she means it, there's still so much more to the woman whose lips launched a thousand memes.</p><p>In <i>You Better Believe I'm Gonna Talk About It</i>, Lisa peels back the curtain on her rollercoaster career and her unapologetic approach to life, dishing on the highs, the lows, and the "did-she-really-just-say-that?" moments that made her a household name. Yes, she's spilling all the tea from the soundstages of <i>Days of Our Lives</i> to the drama of <i>The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills</i>, but she's also opening up about what it means to grow older in an industry obsessed with youth, the lessons she's learned about reinvention, parenting a daughter with a chronic illness, keeping her well-documented marriage alive and healthy, and being forced to grieve in public after the loss of her mother and beloved <i>Beverly Hills</i> fan favorite, Lois.</p><p>Bold, brash, refreshingly honest, and told with her signature wit and candor, <i>You Better Believe I'm Gonna Talk About It</i> is the story of a woman who understands that you go the furthest by playing by your own rules. It's the story of a woman who realizes aging is just a chance at a new chapter. It's the story of a Hollywood icon who refuses to let the world script her story for her. And she's owning every bit of it, baby!</p>]]></description><link>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C11531631</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C11531631</guid><category><![CDATA[EBOOK]]></category><category><![CDATA[eng]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Rinna, Lisa]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 31 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/item/comment/11531631980</comments><format>EBOOK</format><subtitle/><language>eng</language><image_url>https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9780063425347/MC.GIF&amp;client=penlibsys&amp;type=xw12&amp;oclc=</image_url></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Irish Goodbye]]></title><description><![CDATA[<p><strong>A new, genre–defying volume that explores family, marriage, motherhood, place, and coming of age with singular wit and emotional clarity.</strong></p>
<p>What can we learn from an ordinary life observed with extraordinary skill? In The Irish Goodbye, Beth Ann Fennelly writes of the small moments that shape a life, whether moving or perplexing or troubling or gladdening, in the process dignifying the diminutive through the act of attention. Fennelly explores her roles as a friend, wife, mother, and daughter, documenting a brush with an old flame or the devastating death of her sister in crystalline, precise sentences.</p>
<p>The longer essays concern Fennelly's relationships—with a beloved mother-in-law, a decades-long friendship between five former college roommates, an artist who paints a series of nude portraits in Fennelly's town, for which she poses. Interspersed between these longer memoirs are sections of flash nonfiction, a form Fennelly innovated in the genre-defying Heating & Cooling. With dazzling verve and wit, they capture the interstitial interactions—encounters with strangers, quirky observations, unexpected flights of fancy—that make up a richly lived life.</p>
The Irish Goodbye offers a rare pleasure: intimacy. With emotional clarity and nimble prose, Fennelly invites readers to share her affirming worldview—one in which even our smallest interactions are rife with possibility.]]></description><link>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C12119694</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C12119694</guid><category><![CDATA[EBOOK]]></category><category><![CDATA[eng]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Fennelly, Beth Ann]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 31 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/item/comment/12119694980</comments><format>EBOOK</format><subtitle>Micro-Memoirs</subtitle><language>eng</language><image_url>https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9781324117414/MC.GIF&amp;client=penlibsys&amp;type=xw12&amp;oclc=</image_url></item><item><title><![CDATA[First They Killed My Father]]></title><description><![CDATA[<p>"A riveting memoir. . . an important, moving work that those who have suffered cannot afford to forget and those who have been spared cannot afford to ignore." — San Francisco Chronicle</p><p>From a childhood survivor of the Cambodian genocide under the regime of Pol Pot, this is a riveting narrative of war crimes and desperate actions, the unnerving strength of a small girl and her family, and their triumph of spirit.</p><p>One of seven children of a high-ranking government official, Loung Ung lived a privileged life in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh until the age of five. Then, in April 1975, Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge army stormed into the city, forcing Ung's family to flee and, eventually, to disperse. Loung was trained as a child soldier in a work camp for orphans, her siblings were sent to labor camps, and those who survived the horrors would not be reunited until the Khmer Rouge was destroyed.</p><p>Harrowing yet hopeful, Loung's powerful survival story is an unforgettable memoir of a family shaken and shattered, yet miraculously sustained by courage and love in the face of unspeakable brutality.</p><p> </p><p>How does a family's love endure when a nation is consumed by hate?</p><li><b>A Child's Perspective on War:</b> Experience the fall of Phnom Penh and the horrors of the Khmer Rouge regime through the eyes of five-year-old Loung Ung.</li><li><b>The Fight for Family:</b> Witness the harrowing dispersal of a once-privileged family, with siblings sent to brutal labor camps and parents facing an unspeakable fate.</li><li><b>Survival Against All Odds:</b> From a life of privilege to a work camp for orphans, this is a raw and unforgettable account of a young girl's resilience in the face of starvation and brutality.</li><li><b>Triumph of the Human Spirit:</b> Discover the unbreakable bonds of love that sustained a family through one of the darkest chapters of modern history.</li>]]></description><link>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C454404</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C454404</guid><category><![CDATA[EBOOK]]></category><category><![CDATA[eng]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Ung, Loung]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 31 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/item/comment/454404980</comments><format>EBOOK</format><subtitle>A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers</subtitle><language>eng</language><image_url>https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9780062036544/MC.GIF&amp;client=penlibsys&amp;type=xw12&amp;oclc=</image_url></item><item><title><![CDATA[Young Man in a Hurry]]></title><description><![CDATA[<b>From California Governor Gavin Newsom comes an intimate and poignant account of identity, belonging, and the defining moments that inspired a life in politics</b><br>“Go slow,” his political elders advised him, but Gavin Newsom has never known such a speed. For Newsom, the California Dream is what lured his father’s family from County Cork, Ireland, six generations ago. His great-great-grandfather, a cop, walked a beat in San Francisco, where almost 150 years later, Newsom would be elected as mayor, running on the values instilled in him by his family history: that California’s open arms must continue to extend to each new generation.<br>Newsom has never lived anywhere but California. Born in San Francisco, his parents divorced at a young age, and his childhood was spent being tugged between two worlds: his mother worked three jobs in order to care for her children while his father, a close friend of the Getty family, brought Newsom into San Francisco society, a world of wealth and connections. The dissonance was frustrating, and made all the more difficult because of undiagnosed dyslexia, but the vantage point was valuable: he inherited his mother’s perseverance and his father’s reverence of California, not only its wildness, but its opportunity.<br>In <i>Young Man in a Hurry</i>, Newsom traces the forces that have defined his ambitions as a politician and have pushed him to outpace the nation on myriad cutting-edge social issues that have since entered the mainstream. As mayor of San Francisco, he made waves when he violated state law in order to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, more than ten years before the Supreme Court made such unions legal. He launched bold efforts to counter climate change, improve mental health care, and enhance gun safety, and worked to preserve the California Dream for his constituents. Elected as governor on the eve of unprecedented wildfires and entering office into immediate hyper-partisan headwinds from Washington, DC, Newsom has constantly and consistently stuck his neck out. Here for the first time, he reflects on the long personal journey that ultimately shaped him into one of the most recognizable and accomplished elected officials in America. Filled with intimate family history and written with candor and remarkable personal insight, here is a deeply resilient California story of identity, belonging, and the defining moments that inspired a life in politics.]]></description><link>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C11349682</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C11349682</guid><category><![CDATA[EBOOK]]></category><category><![CDATA[eng]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Newsom, Gavin]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 31 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/item/comment/11349682980</comments><format>EBOOK</format><subtitle>A Memoir of Discovery</subtitle><language>eng</language><image_url>https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9781984881946/MC.GIF&amp;client=penlibsys&amp;type=xw12&amp;oclc=</image_url></item><item><title><![CDATA[A World Appears]]></title><description><![CDATA[<b>The Instant <i>New York Times </i>Bestseller<br>"Pollan’s real genius—the word is not too strong—remains intact. That is his uncanny ability to scent the direction in which the culture is headed. He did it with food and psychedelics, and now, though <i>A World Appears</i> focuses on AI only intermittently, he has done it again." —Charles Finch, <i>The Atlantic</i><br>From the #1 <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of <i>How to Change Your Mind</i>, a panoptic exploration of consciousness—what it is, who has it, and why—and a meditation on the essence of our humanity</b><br>When it comes to the phenomenon that is consciousness, there is one point on which scientists, philosophers, and artists all agree: it feels <i>like</i> something to be us. Yet the fact that we have subjective experience of the world remains one of nature’s greatest mysteries. How is it that our mental operations are accompanied by feelings, thoughts, and a sense of self? What would a scientific investigation of our inner life look like, when we have as little distance and perspective on it as fish do of the sea? In <i>A World Appears</i>, Michael Pollan traces the unmapped continent that is consciousness, bringing radically different perspectives—scientific, philosophical, literary, spiritual and psychedelic—to see what each can teach us about this central fact of life.<br>When neuroscientists began studying consciousness in the early 1990s, they sought to explain how and why three pounds of spongy gray matter could generate a subjective point of view—assuming that the brain is the source of our perceived reality. Pollan takes us to the cutting edge of the field, where scientists are entertaining more radical (and less materialist) theories of consciousness. He introduces us to “plant neurobiologists” searching for the first flicker of consciousness in plants, scientists striving to engineer feelings into AI, and psychologists and novelists seeking to capture the felt experience of our slippery stream of consciousness.<br>In Pollan’s dazzling exploration of consciousness, he discovers a world far deeper and stranger than our everyday reality. Eye-opening and mind-expanding, <i>A World Appears</i> takes us into the laboratories of our own minds, ultimately showing us how we might make better use of the gift of awareness to more meaningfully connect with the world and our deepest selves.]]></description><link>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C12327240</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C12327240</guid><category><![CDATA[EBOOK]]></category><category><![CDATA[eng]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Pollan, Michael]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 31 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/item/comment/12327240980</comments><format>EBOOK</format><subtitle>A Journey into Consciousness</subtitle><language>eng</language><image_url>https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9781984882004/MC.GIF&amp;client=penlibsys&amp;type=xw12&amp;oclc=</image_url></item><item><title><![CDATA[We the Women]]></title><description><![CDATA[<b><i>NEW YORK TIMES</i> BESTSELLER • A vivid portrait of the unsung American women from 1776 to today who changed the course of history in their fight for freedom and helped shape a more perfect union</b><br><b><br>“This terrific book reveals the central, though often hidden role that women have played at every stage of our country’s history.”—Doris Kearns Goodwin</b><br>Over a decades-long, distinguished career, award-winning journalist Norah O’Donnell has made it her mission to shed light on untold wom­en’s stories. Now, in honor of America’s 250th birthday, O’Donnell focuses that passion on the American heroines who helped change the course of history. <br><i>We the Women </i>presents a fresh look at American his­tory through the eyes of women, introducing us to inspiring patriots who demanded that the country live up to the prom­ises made 250 years ago in the Declaration of Independence: “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Since the signing of that document, the pressing question from women has been: <i>Why don’t those unalienable rights apply to us? </i><br>Through extensive research and interviews, as well as historical documents and old photos, O’Donnell curates a compelling portrait of these fierce fighters for freedom. From Mary Katherine Goddard, who printed the first signed Declaration of Independence, to the Forten family women, who were active in the abolition and suffrage movements and were considered the “Black Founders” of Philadelphia, to the first women who served in the armed forces even before they had the right to vote, O’Donnell brings these extraordinary women together for the first time, and in doing so writes the American story anew.]]></description><link>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C12119930</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C12119930</guid><category><![CDATA[EBOOK]]></category><category><![CDATA[eng]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[O'Donnell, Norah, Brower, Kate Andersen]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 31 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/item/comment/12119930980</comments><format>EBOOK</format><subtitle>The Hidden Heroes Who Shaped America</subtitle><language>eng</language><image_url>https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9780593727034/MC.GIF&amp;client=penlibsys&amp;type=xw12&amp;oclc=</image_url></item><item><title><![CDATA[All About Allergies]]></title><description><![CDATA[<b>From viral social media sensation Dr. Zachary Rubin, an in-depth look at both common and surprising allergies, spotlighting patient stories, the history and science behind allergies, common myths, treatment options, and more</b><br>Millions of people suffer from various allergic diseases. They're some of the most common but widely misunderstood afflictions today, and Dr. Rubin has made it his mission to pull back the curtain and help everyday people understand their allergies and find ways to feel better. <br>In<i> All About Allergies,</i> Dr. Rubin explores and explains dozens of allergies and diseases and provides actionable treatment options and information. Sections on the history of allergies, asthma, contact dermatitis, sinusitis, food allergies, anaphylaxis, medication allergies, and more pair with treatment info on medications, immunotherapy, and biologics to equip people with the tools they need to tackle their allergies. <br>Grounded by expert research and propelled by patient stories, science, history, and, of course, Dr. Rubin’s engaging voice, <i>All About Allergies </i>is the ultimate resource for anyone who’s ever felt in the dark about their health.]]></description><link>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C11942092</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C11942092</guid><category><![CDATA[EBOOK]]></category><category><![CDATA[eng]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Rubin, Zachary]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 31 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/item/comment/11942092980</comments><format>EBOOK</format><subtitle>Everything You Need to Know About Asthma, Food Allergies, Hay Fever, and More</subtitle><language>eng</language><image_url>https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9798217047987/MC.GIF&amp;client=penlibsys&amp;type=xw12&amp;oclc=</image_url></item><item><title><![CDATA[I Told You So!]]></title><description><![CDATA[<p><b>An energetic and impassioned work of popular science about scientists who have had to fight for their revolutionary ideas to be accepted—from Darwin to Pasteur to modern day Nobel Prize winners.<br></b>For two decades, Matt Kaplan has covered science for the <i>Economist</i>. He's seen breakthroughs often occur in spite of, rather than because of, the behavior of the research community, and how support can be withheld for those who don't conform or have the right connections. In this passionately argued and entertaining book, Kaplan narrates the history of the 19th century Hungarian physician Ignaz Semmelweis, who realized that Childbed fever—a devastating infection that only struck women who had recently given birth—was spread by doctors not washing their hands. Semmelweis was met with overwhelming hostility by those offended at the notion that doctors were at fault, and is a prime example of how the scientific community often fights new ideas, even when the facts are staring them in the face.<br>In entertaining prose, Kaplan reveals scientific cases past and present to make his case. Some are familiar, like Galileo being threatened with torture and Nobel laureate Katalin Karikó being fired when on the brink of discovering how to wield mRNA–a finding that proved pivotal for the creation of the Covid-19 vaccine. Others less so, like researchers silenced for raising safety concerns about new drugs, and biologists ridiculed for revealing major flaws in the way rodent research is conducted. Kaplan shows how the scientific community can work faster and better by making reasonably small changes to the forces that shape it.</p>]]></description><link>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C11842610</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C11842610</guid><category><![CDATA[EBOOK]]></category><category><![CDATA[eng]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Kaplan, Matt]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 31 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/item/comment/11842610980</comments><format>EBOOK</format><subtitle>Scientists Who Were Ridiculed, Exiled, and Imprisoned for Being Right</subtitle><language>eng</language><image_url>https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9781250372284/MC.GIF&amp;client=penlibsys&amp;type=xw12&amp;oclc=</image_url></item><item><title><![CDATA[William and Catherine]]></title><description><![CDATA[<B><b>With exclusive insight and access, <i>William and Catherine</i> reveals the deeply human story behind the public understanding of the Prince and Princess of Wales</b></B><BR>From the relentless media scrutiny and controversies of their 2022 Caribbean Tour to the shock cancer diagnoses of both the Princess of Wales and the King, this captivating biography by acclaimed royal journalist Russell Myers intimately traces the story of William and Catherine's relationship from their earliest meeting at St Andrews University to the present day.<BR> <BR> Drawing on exclusive access to numerous palace insiders, it offers never-before-told context about the biggest stories to have followed the Prince and Princess of Wales in recent years – including the Sussex departure, the forming of the 'Cambridge way,' and the death of Queen Elizabeth II – and provides an unprecedented glimpse into their private lives.<BR> <BR> Highlighting the couple's resilience and dedication in the face of adversity, <I>William and Catherine</I> presents a deeply personal perspective on how the events the Prince and Princess have weathered together will shape their distinct vision for a modern monarchy – as they set out to secure its safe continuation at a time of extreme change and turmoil.]]></description><link>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C12295941</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C12295941</guid><category><![CDATA[EBOOK]]></category><category><![CDATA[eng]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Myers, Russell]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 31 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/item/comment/12295941980</comments><format>EBOOK</format><subtitle>The Monarchy&apos;s New Era: The Inside Story</subtitle><language>eng</language><image_url>https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9798897101375/MC.GIF&amp;client=penlibsys&amp;type=xw12&amp;oclc=</image_url></item><item><title><![CDATA[Genius Makers]]></title><description><![CDATA["This colorful page-turner puts artificial intelligence into a human perspective. Through the lives of Geoff Hinton and other major players, Metz explains this transformative technology and makes the quest thrilling."<b><br>—Walter Isaacson, </b>author of <i>The Code Breaker</i><b><i><br></i></b>Recipient of starred reviews in both <i>Kirkus </i>and <i>Library Journal</i><b><br><i><br></i>THE UNTOLD TECH STORY OF OUR TIME</b><br>  <br> What does it mean to be smart? To be human? What do we really want from life and the intelligence we have, or might create?<br>  <br> With deep and exclusive reporting, across hundreds of interviews, <i>New York Times</i> Silicon Valley journalist Cade Metz brings you into the rooms where these questions are being answered. Where an extraordinarily powerful new artificial intelligence has been built into our biggest companies, our social discourse, and our daily lives, with few of us even noticing.  <br>  <br> Long dismissed as a technology of the distant future, artificial intelligence was a project consigned to the fringes of the scientific community. Then two researchers changed everything. One was a sixty-four-year-old computer science professor who didn’t drive and didn’t fly because he could no longer sit down—but still made his way across North America for the moment that would define a new age of technology. The other was a thirty-six-year-old neuroscientist and chess prodigy who laid claim to being the greatest game player of all time before vowing to build a machine that could do anything the human brain could do.<br>  <br> They took two very different paths to that lofty goal, and they disagreed on how quickly it would arrive. But both were soon drawn into the heart of the tech industry. Their ideas drove a new kind of arms race, spanning Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and OpenAI, a new lab founded by Silicon Valley kingpin Elon Musk. But some believed that China would beat them all to the finish line.<br>  <br> <i>Genius Makers</i> dramatically presents the fierce conflict among national interests, shareholder value, the pursuit of scientific knowledge, and the very human concerns about privacy, security, bias, and prejudice. Like a great Victorian novel, this world of eccentric, brilliant, often unimaginably yet suddenly wealthy characters draws you into the most profound moral questions we can ask. And like a great mystery, it presents the story and facts that lead to a core, vital question:<br>  <br> How far will we let it go?]]></description><link>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C5599626</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C5599626</guid><category><![CDATA[EBOOK]]></category><category><![CDATA[eng]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Metz, Cade]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 31 Jan 2021 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/item/comment/5599626980</comments><format>EBOOK</format><subtitle>The Mavericks Who Brought AI to Google, Facebook, and the World</subtitle><language>eng</language><image_url>https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9781524742683/MC.GIF&amp;client=penlibsys&amp;type=xw12&amp;oclc=</image_url></item><item><title><![CDATA[Relish]]></title><description><![CDATA[<p>Lucy Knisley loves food. The daughter of a chef and a gourmet, this talented young cartoonist comes by her obsession honestly. In her forthright, thoughtful, and funny memoir, Lucy traces key episodes in her life thus far, framed by what she was eating at the time and lessons learned about food, cooking, and life. Each chapter is bookended with an illustrated recipe—many of them treasured family dishes, and a few of them Lucy's original inventions. <br>A welcome read for anyone who ever felt more passion for a sandwich than is strictly speaking proper, <i>Relish</i> is a graphic novel for our time: it invites the reader to celebrate food as a connection to our bodies and a connection to the earth, rather than an enemy, a compulsion, or a consumer product.<br>A <i>Publishers Weekly</i> Best Children's Book of 2013<br>An NPR Best Book of 2013</p>]]></description><link>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C1805490</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C1805490</guid><category><![CDATA[EBOOK]]></category><category><![CDATA[eng]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Knisley, Lucy]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/item/comment/1805490980</comments><format>EBOOK</format><subtitle>My Life in the Kitchen</subtitle><language>eng</language><image_url>https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9781466827097/MC.GIF&amp;client=penlibsys&amp;type=xw12&amp;oclc=</image_url></item><item><title><![CDATA[Motherland]]></title><description><![CDATA[<p><b>FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD</b> <b>NAMED ONE OF THE 10 BEST BOOKS OF 2025 BY THE <i>WASHINGTON POST</i> NAMED ONE OF THE 100 NOTABLE BOOKS OF 2025 BY THE <i>NEW YORK TIMES</i> A <i>GUARDIAN BEST BOOK OF 2025 </i></b> <b>NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF FALL 2025 BY <i>ELLE</i></b> <b>ONE OF CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY'S MUST-READ BOOKS OF 2025 </b></p><p><b>Acclaimed journalist Julia Ioffe tells the story of modern Russia through the history of its women, from revolution to utopia to autocracy.</b></p><p>In 1990, seven-year-old Julia Ioffe and her family fled the Soviet Union. Nearly twenty years later, Ioffe returned to Moscow—only to discover just how much Russian society had changed while she had been living in America. The Soviet women she had known growing up—doctors, engineers, scientists—seemed to have been replaced by women desperate to marry rich and become stay-at-home moms. How had Russia gone from portraying itself as the vanguard of world feminism to becoming a bastion of conservative Christian values?</p><p>In <i>Motherland</i>, Ioffe turns modern Russian history on its head, telling it exclusively through the stories of its women. From her own physician great-grandmothers to Lenin's lover, a feminist revolutionary; from the hundreds of thousands of Soviet girls who fought in World War II to the millions of single mothers who rebuilt and repopulated a devastated country; from the members of Pussy Riot to Yulia Navalnaya, the wife of opposition leader Alexey Navalny, Ioffe chronicles one of the most audacious social experiments in history and documents how it failed the very women it was meant to liberate—and how that failure paved the way for the revanche of Vladimir Putin.</p><p>Part memoir, part journalistic exploration, part history, <i>Motherland</i> paints a portrait of modern Russia through the women who shaped it. With deep emotion, Ioffe reveals what it means to live through the cataclysms of revolution, war, idealism, and heartbreak—and how the story of Russia today is inextricably tied to the sacrifices of its women.</p><p><Br></p><p>This meticulously researched history interweaves the personal and the political to explore:</p><p><Br></p><li><b>The Russian Revolution:</b> Discover the forgotten women who started the revolution, from textile workers on strike to feminist revolutionaries like Alexandra Kollontai.</li><li><b>A Grand Social Experiment:</b> Trace the audacious Soviet attempt to emancipate women—and document how its failure paved the way for Vladimir Putin.</li><li><b>World War II Through Women's Eyes:</b> Meet the hundreds of thousands of Soviet girls who served as snipers, medics, and fighter pilots in all-female squadrons during the war.</li><li><b>Four Generations of a Family:</b> Follow the author's own remarkable family history, from her great-grandmothers—pioneering female physicians—to her own journey from Soviet refugee to acclaimed journalist.</li><li><b>Modern Russia's Matriarchs:</b> From the members of Pussy Riot to Yulia Navalnaya, understand the present through the women shaping Russia's turbulent political landscape today.</li>]]></description><link>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C10382415</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C10382415</guid><category><![CDATA[EBOOK]]></category><category><![CDATA[eng]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Ioffe, Julia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 31 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/item/comment/10382415980</comments><format>EBOOK</format><subtitle>A Feminist History of Modern Russia, from Revolution to Autocracy</subtitle><language>eng</language><image_url>https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9780062879134/MC.GIF&amp;client=penlibsys&amp;type=xw12&amp;oclc=</image_url></item><item><title><![CDATA[Wards of the State]]></title><description><![CDATA[<P><B>Finalist for the 2025 National Book Award for Nonfiction</B></P><P><B>"An immersive, devastating look at foster children's lives." </B><I><B>(Seattle Times)</B></I></P><P><B>A compelling exploration of the broken American foster care system, told through the stories of six former foster youth. This powerful narrative nonfiction book delves into the systemic failures that lead many foster children into the criminal justice system, highlighting the urgent need for reform.</B></P><P>​This book is a must-read for anyone interested in child welfare, social justice, and the transformative power of the best narrative nonfiction.</P><P>In <I>Wards of the State</I>, award-winning journalist Claudia Rowe's storytelling is both vivid and unflinching, offering readers a deep understanding of the foster care-to-prison pipeline. Through interviews with psychologists, advocates, judges, and the former foster children themselves, Rowe paints a heartbreaking picture of the lives shaped by this broken system.</P><P>By the time Maryanne was 16 years old, she had been arrested for murder. In and out of foster and adoptive homes since age 10, she'd run away, been trafficked and assaulted, and finally pointed a gun at a man and pulled the trigger. She fled, but it didn't take long for the police to catch up with her.</P><P>In court, the defense blamed neither traffickers, nor Maryanne, but Washington state itself—or rather, its foster care system, which parents thousands of children every year. The courts didn't listen to that argument, but award-winning journalist Claudia Rowe did.</P><P>Washington state isn't alone. Each year, hundreds of thousands of children grow up in America's $30 billion foster care system, only to leave and enter its prisons, where a quarter of all inmates are former foster youth.</P><P>Weaving Maryanne's story with those of five other foster kids across the country—including an 18-year-old sleeping on the New York City subways; a dropout turned graduate student; and a foster child who is now a policy advisor to the White House—Rowe paints a visceral survival narrative showing exactly where, when, and how the system channels children into locked cells.</P><P>Rowe brings her extensive experience and investigative prowess to this eye-opening work. With a career spanning over 25 years, Rowe has written for publications such as <I>The New York Times</I> and <I>Mother Jones</I>, and her reporting has influenced policy changes in Washington State. Her previous book, <I>The Spider and the Fly,</I> was a gripping true-crime memoir that showcased her ability to blend personal narrative with broader social issues.</P>]]></description><link>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C11088839</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S980C11088839</guid><category><![CDATA[EBOOK]]></category><category><![CDATA[eng]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Rowe, Claudia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 31 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/item/comment/11088839980</comments><format>EBOOK</format><subtitle>The Long Shadow of American Foster Care</subtitle><language>eng</language><image_url>https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9781647007485/MC.GIF&amp;client=penlibsys&amp;type=xw12&amp;oclc=</image_url></item><item><title><![CDATA[It's No Wonder]]></title><description><![CDATA["Imagine a world without the music of Stevie Wonder. A world without hits like "I Was Made to Love Her" and "Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day." That's the world we would live in had it not been for Sylvia Moy, a woman whose legacy has been carefully tucked away within the annals of music history-until now. It's No Wonder examines the groundbreaking career of the pioneer who battled sexism and broke down barriers to become Motown's first certified female in-house songwriter and producer. As the lone woman in a room full of men, the odds were stacked against Moy from the start. Amidst racial strife at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, most African American women who were allowed into the music industry could only dream of a career as a singer. Nevertheless, the Detroit native found unprecedented success as both a songwriter and producer. In addition to single-handedly saving Stevie Wonder's early career at Motown, Moy solidified herself as one of the label's most prolific composers, penning many of Wonder's classic hits as well as songs for other Motown acts like "Honey Chile," "It Takes Two," "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak For You)," "My Baby Loves Me," "(We've Got) Honey Love," "Forget Me Not," "With a Child's Heart," and countless others. Meticulously researched, fiercely feminist, and told with the cooperation of Moy's estate, It's No Wonder is a historical corrective that restores Sylvia Moy to her rightful place at the forefront of music history"-- Provided by publisher.]]></description><link>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S76C3787280</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S76C3787280</guid><category><![CDATA[EBOOK]]></category><category><![CDATA[eng]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Christian, Margena A.]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 31 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/item/comment/3787280076</comments><format>EBOOK</format><subtitle>The Life and Times of Motown&apos;s Legendary Songwriter Sylvia Moy</subtitle><language>eng</language><image_url>https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9780306833656/MC.GIF&amp;client=penlibsys&amp;type=xw12&amp;oclc=</image_url></item><item><title><![CDATA[Easily Slip Into Another World]]></title><description><![CDATA["An autobiography of one of the towering figures of contemporary American music and a powerful meditation on history, race, capitalism and art"-- Provided by publisher.]]></description><link>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S76C3787302</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S76C3787302</guid><category><![CDATA[EBOOK]]></category><category><![CDATA[eng]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Threadgill, Henry]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 31 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>https://smcl.bibliocommons.com/item/comment/3787302076</comments><format>EBOOK</format><subtitle>A Life in Music</subtitle><language>eng</language><image_url>https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9781524749088/MC.GIF&amp;client=penlibsys&amp;type=xw12&amp;oclc=</image_url></item></channel></rss>