Biography/Autobiography
The Last Lecture, Randy Pausch
When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to
give such a lecture, he didn't have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been
diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave—"Really Achieving Your
Childhood Dreams"—wasn't about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming
obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because "time is all
you have…and you may find one day that you have less than you think"). It was a
summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living.
Dreams From My Father, Barack Obama
Years before becoming the 44th President-elect of the United States, Barack Obama
published this lyrical, unsentimental, and powerfully affecting memoir, which became a
#1 New York Times bestseller when it was reissued in 2004. Dreams from My Father
tells the story of Obama’s struggle to understand the forces that shaped him as the son of
a black African father and white American mother—a struggle that takes him from the
American heartland to the ancestral home of his great-aunt in the tiny African village of
Alego.
Wright Brothers: How They Invented the Airplane, Russell Freedman
Youngsters cannot fail to come away with a heightened understanding of the Wrights'
dedication to manned flight and to the painstakingly slow process of invention. Chinese Cinderella, Adeline Yen Mah
A riveting memoir of a girl's painful coming-of-age in a wealthy Chinese family during
the 1940s.
It’s Not About the Bike, Lance Armstrong
It's Not About the Bike is the amazing story of Armstrong's long, hard climb from
inauspicious beginnings through early success, near-fatal cancer, recovery, victory in the
Tour de France, marriage, and first-time fatherhood. Told in Armstrong's down-to-earth
Texas style, it's an unforgettable story about tragedy, transformation and ultimate
triumph.
The Diary of Anne Frank, Anne Frank
Anne Frank and her family, fleeing the horrors of Nazi occupation, hid in the back of an
Amsterdam warehouse for two years. She was thirteen when she went into the Secret
Annex with her family.
The First Woman Doctor, Rachel Baker (Biography)
The story of Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman doctor.
The Reagan Diaries, Ronald Reagan
The Reagan Diaries reveals more than just Reagan's political experiences: many entries
are concerned with the president's private thoughts and feelings—his love and devotion
for Nancy Reagan and their family, his belief in God and the power of prayer. Seldom
before has the American public been given access to the unfiltered experiences and
opinions of a president in his own words.
Invincible Louisa, Cornelia Meigs (Biography)
A true story about the author of Little Women Louisa May Alcott.
Night, Elie Wisel (Autobiographical)
The true and terrifying story of the author and his life as a Jew under the Nazis.
George H.W. Bush, Michael A. Schuman
Explores the life of the forty-first president, including his service in the Navy, his years in
politics, and his impact on United States history.
Colin Powell: A Biography, Richard Steins
Beginning with his humble origins, this biography traces Powell's experiences from
childhood, moving from his early days in the military through his climb to the highest
echelons of power in Washington D.C.