Be Someone Else for a While: Read a Memoir
070.92 DAV Davis, Joshua. The Underdog: how I survived the world's most outlandish competitions. Joshua Davis recounts
how he managed to survive competing in some of the world's most grueling and unusual competitions, including armwrestling, sumowrestling, bullfighting, and sauna competitions.
070.92 GRO Grogan, John, 1957-. The Longest Trip Home. Bestselling author John Grogan reflects on his life, discussing his
childhood, adulthood, illness, faith, family, and identity.
070.924 BAK
Baker, Russell. Growing Up. The memoirs of the Pulitzer prizewinning columnist of the New York Times.
155.9 VIN Vincent, Erin. Grief Girl: My True Story. Author Erin Vincent describes her life after her parents were both killed in a car
accident, leaving her parentless at the age of fourteen with a seventeen-year-old sister and a three-year-old brother; and gives a
description of the stages of grief she experienced.
301.451 GRI Griffin, John Howard. Black Like Me by: The author tells of his experiences after he darkened his skin and traveled
through the South in order to find out how it feels to be black.
305.23 CAN Canada, Geoffrey. fist, stick, knife, gun. When Geoff Canada was growing up in the Bronx, the "sidewalk" boys learned
the codes of the block from their elders and were ranked--and to some degree protected--through the rituals of fist, stick, and knife.
305.23 SUM Summer, Lauralee. Learning Joy from Dogs without Collars. Lauralee Summer tells the story of her life growing up
as the child of a single, often homeless mother, and discusses how circumstances conspired to gain her entrance to Harvard where
she majored in children's studies, finally came to know her father, and figured out her place in the world.
305.235 TRO Trope, Zoe. Please Don't Kill the Freshman. A memoir of the then-fifteen-year-old author's high school experience to
that point, in which diary entries reflect her struggles, angst, and rebellion.
305.4 AVA Avakian, Arlene Voski. Lion Woman's Legacy: An Armenian-American Memoir.
305.4 CON Conway, Jill K. The Road From Coorain. In a memoir that pierces and delights us, Jill Ker Conway tells the story of her
astonishing journey into adulthood — a journey that would ultimately span immense distances and encompass worlds, ideas, and ways
of life that seem a century apart.
305.48 MOA Moaveni, Azadeh. Lipstick Jihad: a memoir of growing up Iranian in America and American in Iran. The author
examines her life as an American-born Iranian and the frustration and confusion of trying to live in both worlds and describes her
decision to move to Tehran as a journalist and the cultural, political, and social upheaval she encountered.
305.48 ROD Rodriguez, Deborah. Kabul Beauty School: an American woman goes behind the veil. Hairdresser Deborah
Rodriguez details her experiences in post-Taliban Afghanistan, discussing the opening of her beauty school and recalls the personal
stories of various women who overcame obstacles to obtain an education in cosmetology.
306.7 BEN Benson, Amy. The Sparkling-Eyed Boy: a Memoir of Love, Grown Up. Presents over thirty essays in which the
author, looking back from the perspective of adulthood, imagines what might have happened had she pursued a relationship with the
sparkling-eyed boy who became the first big love of her teenage years.
306.76 BON Bono, Chastity. Family Outing. Chastity Bono discusses the emotions, phases, advantages, and consequences of
telling her family and the world that she was gay.
306.874 SWE Sweeney, Kevin Father Figures: Three Wise Men Who Changed A Life. Kevin Sweeney, three-years-old when his
father died, recalls childhood and tells how, at age eight, he selected three men from the community, unbeknownst to them, that he
decided to emulate on his path to manhood.
323.092 JOR Jordan, Vernon E.. Vernon Can Read!. Lawyer and civil rights worker Vernon Jordan tells his life story, from his
childhood in Atlanta to his years as a leader in the NAACP, the United Negro College Fund, and the National Urban League and as an
advisor to both businessmen and presidents.
323.092 SAC Sachs, Albie. Running to Maputo. A moving account of exiled South African lawyer after being maimed in an
assassination attempt inspired by his antiapartheid activities.
323.4 GAR Robinson, Jo Ann Gibson. The Montgomery Bus Boycott and the Women Who Started It: the memoir of Jo Ann
Gibson Robinson.
325.21092 DAU Dau, John Bul. God Grew Tired of Us. Presents a first-person account of the terror, suffering, and tragedy of the
Sudanese Civil War and how the author, John Bul Dau, eventually made his way out of the country to America.
327.73 WIL Wilson, Joseph C. The Politics of Truth: inside the lies that led to war and betrayed my wife's CIA identity: a
diplomat's memoir. Joseph Wilson chronicles his career as a diplomat, and discusses the attacks launched against him and his wife,
a CIA agent, after he published claims that George W. Bush knowingly lied when he told the nation that Saddam Hussein had tried to
buy uranium from Africa.
328.73092 BRA Bradley, Bill. Time Present, Time Past.
333.72 MEL Melville, Greg. Greasy Rider: two dudes, one fry-oil-powered car, and a cross-country search for a greener future.
Details the experiences of the author and his college friend during their one hundred and ninety-two hour journey across the United
States--from Vermont to California--in a car that has been modified to run on vegetable oil.
333.72092 MAA Maathai, Wangari. Unbowed. Kenyan environmentalist, feminist, and political activist Wangari Maathai, winner of
the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize, tells her life story.
355 EXU Exum, Andrew. This Man's Army: a soldier's story from the front lines of the war on terrorism. Andrew Exum recalls
his service in Afghanistan as a platoon commander with the 10th Mountain Division, discussing his early life in Tennessee, his Ivy
League education which he financed by joining the ROTC, and sharing insights into the war on terrorism and what it is like to come
home again.
362.1 ALS Alsop, Stewart. Stay of Execution: a sort of memoir.
362.1 DOM Dominick, Andie. Needles: a Memoir of Growing Up with Diabetes. Andie Dominick discusses how her life changed
after she was diagnosed with diabetes.
362.1 DOT
Doty, Mark. Heaven's Coast.
362.1 GRE Grealy, Lucy. Autobiography of A Face. Lucy Grealy describes her journey to find physical beauty after surgery left her
face disfigured.
362.1 HAY Hayden, Torey L. Ghost Girl. A teacher of emotionally disturbed children tells of her work with a silent and withdrawn
eight-year-old girl who is the possible victim of ritual abuse.
362.1 ROZ Rozelle, Ron. Into That Good Night. When his father began to show signs of Alzheimer's disease, Rozelle watched the
man's painful transformation into a dependent and ultimately foreign person.
362.1 WHI White, Ryan. Ryan White, My Own Story. Ryan White describes how he got AIDS, engaged in a legal battle to return to
school, and became a celebrity and spokesman for issues concerning the deadly disease.
362.196 MOO Moore, Judith. Fat Girl: a true story. The author describes her childhood, during which her father abandoned her,
her mother abused her, and she suffered physical and emotional pain because of her obesity, and reflects upon her love-hate
relationship with food in adulthood.
362.28 RUN Runyon, Brent. The Burn Journals. Presents the true story of Brent Runyon, who at fourteen set himself on fire and
sustained burns over eighty percent of his body and describes the months of physical and mental rehabilitation that followed as he
attempted to pull his life together.
362.29 DOR Dorris, Michael. The Broken Cord. Michael Dorris' story of his adopted son Adam, born with fetal alcohol syndrome
(FAS), explores the enormous scope of the disease and parallels one father's endless battle to overcome the problem.
362.29 SHE Sheff, David. Beautiful Boy: a father's journey through his son's addiction. Journalist David Sheff tells the story of
his son Nic's happy early childhood, the transformation wrought by Nic's addiction to methamphetamine, and his own obsession with
Nic's well-being.
362.29 SHE Sheff, Nic. Tweak: growing up on methamphetamines. The author describes his childhood in California, his addiction
to crystal meth and heroin at a young age, his relapse after eighteen months of sobriety, and his path to recovery.
362.4 MCH McHugh, Mary. Special Siblings. Mary McHugh discusses what it was like to grow up with her mentally disabled
brother.
362.43 HOC Hockenberry, John. Moving Violations: war zones, wheelchairs, and declarations of independence.
362.73 RHO Rhodes-Courter, Ashley. Three Little Words. Ashley Rhodes-Courter provides an account of her life, focusing on the
nine years she spent in Florida's foster care system after being removed from her mother at the age of three, and explaining how her
life changed after she was adopted.
362.74 ERL Erlbaum, Janice. Girlbomb: a Halfway Homeless memoir. A columnist describes her adolescence as a runaway in
New York City, explaining why she exchanged her home for life on the city streets, her struggle to balance school, the shelter system,
and her battle to rescue herself from street life.
362.74 ERL Erlbaum, Janice. Have You Found Her. Janice Erlbaum recounts her experiences working with the residents of a
homeless shelter she lived at more than twenty years earlier, reflecting on her friendship with one troubled young woman who
reminded Janice of the girl she used to be.
362.82 WAL Walls, Jeannette. The Glass Castle. The author recalls her life growing up in a dysfunctional family with an alcoholic
father and distant mother and describes how she and her siblings had to fend for themselves until they finally found the resources and
will to leave home.
363.2 BUS Busby, Cylin. The Year We Disappeared: a father-daughter memoir. Father and daughter, Cylin and John Busby,
share their memories of the challenges they faced after their family was forced to go into hiding in order to protect themselves from a
killer who had already shot John, a police officer, once and was determined to finish the job.
363.34 PIC Picciotto, Richard. Last Man Down. Richard Picciotto provides an account of his activities and those of his fellow
firefighters on September 11, 2001.
364.1 ROD Rodriguez, Luis J. Always Running: La Vida Loca, Gang Days In L.A.. A clear and compelling account of a gang
member's life in Los Angeles in the late 60s and early 70s.
364.134 CAM Cameron, James. A Time of Terror. With a noose around his neck, Cameron watched as his two friends were hung.
He tells the story of a lynching from an unusual perspective – the victim.
364.15 QUI Quin, Mary. Kidnapped in Yemen: one woman's amazing escape from captivity. Mary Quin recounts the
experiences she had after being captured in the Yemen desert, recalling how she managed to escape from her kidnappers and find
safety in a foreign country.
370.193 KOZ Kozol, Jonathan. Death at an Early Age. Reveals the numerous failings of a poor segregated Boston school in the
1960s.
371.10092 MCC McCourt, Frank. Teacher Man. Celebrated American author Frank McCourt recounts his thirty-year teaching
career, and describes some of his unconventional teaching methods that have left an impact of his students.
372.11 COD Codell, Esme Raji. Educating Esme. Presents the diary of teacher Esme Raji Codell's first year in charge of a fifthgrade classroom in an inner-city public school.
420 RODRIGUEZ Rodriguez, Richard. Hunger of Memory. The author, a disadvantaged Mexican American, writes of feelings of
alienation from his family as he learned English and earned a Ph.D.
610 WEISMAN Weisman, Jamie. As I Live and Breathe: notes of a patient-doctor. A memoir in which the author, born with a rare
defect in her immune system, looks at illness and medicine from her dual perspectives as both a patient and a doctor, discussing the
fickleness of disease, and the real desire of both patients and physicians for restored health.
610.92 DAV Davis, Samson. The Pact: three young men make a promise and fulfill a dream. Samson Davis discusses how he
and two friends stuck together and supported one another as they overcame the many challenges they faced while growing up in New
Jersey.
616.85 CHA Chase, Truddi. When Rabbit Howls. An account of the life of Truddi Chase, a woman who developed multiple
personalities as a result of childhood abuse and incest.
616.85 DAN Danquah, Meri Nana-Ama. Willow Weep for Me: a black woman's journey through depression. A memoir in which
the author shares her struggles with clinical depression, and discusses how her African-American culture and traditions affected her
ability to triumph over her illness.
616.85 HOR Hornbacher, Marya. Wasted: a Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia. The author describes her troubled years with
anorexia and bulimia, disorders she embraced until a bout with them during her college years changed her perspective.
616.85 MCE McElwain, Jason. The Game of my Life: a true story of challenge, triumph, and growing up autistic. Chronicles the
experiences of Jason McElwain, a young man with autism who served as his high school basketball team's manager and shocked
everyone with his shooting skills during a game in which the coach allowed him to play.
616.85 STY Styron, William. Darkness Visible: a memoir of madness.
616.85 SUM Summers, Marc. Everything in its Place: my Trial and Triumphs with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Television
personality Summers shares the story of his sometimes harrowing, often humorous, struggles with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
616.85 WUR Wurtzel, Elizabeth. Prozac Nation: young and depressed in America. The author describes her battle with
depression, including her breakdowns, suicide attempts, hospitalizations, and experiences with medications, and also discusses her
feelings about depression in 1990s America.
616.86 WUR Wurtzel, Elizabeth. More, Now, Again: a memoir of addiction.
616.86 ZAI Zailickas, Koren. Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood. The author discusses her relationship with alcohol, telling
how she began drinking at the age of fourteen and continued drinking for the express purpose of getting drunk, bolstering her courage,
or medicating her moods, and sharing the reasons why she decided to give up alcohol nine years later.
616.89 FLY Flynn, Laura, 1966-. Swallow the Ocean. A memoir in which Laura Flynn recalls her childhood and the charmed life she
enjoyed with her family, especially her free-spirited, imaginative mother, and discusses how everything changed when her mother lost
her grip on reality due to schizophrenia.
616.89 KAY Kaysen, Susanna Girl, Interrupted. Kaysen’s startling account of her two-year stay at a Boston psychiatric hospital 25
years ago.
616.9 GUN Gunther, John. Death Be Not Proud. Johnny Gunther was only seventeen years old when he died of a brain tumor.
During the months of his illness, everyone near him was unforgettably impressed by his level-headed courage, his wit and quiet
friendliness, and, above all, his unfaltering patience through times of despair. This deeply moving book is a father's memoir of a brave,
intelligent, and spirited boy.
720.92 LUB Kehoe, Louise. In This Dark House. In This Dark House is a riveting memoir of a daughter's search to uncover the true
identity of a mysterious father whose secretive past extends long shadows on a family's life.
781.66 KEN Kennedy, Dan, 1967-. Rock On. Dan Kennedy recounts his experiences working with a major record label in 2002,
revealing how what he thought would be his dream job turned into an eye-opening look at the inner workings of the music
785.42 GUT Guthrie, Woody. Bound for Glory. Woody Guthrie was born in Oklahoma and traveled this whole country over -not by
jet or motorcycle, but by boxcar, thumb, and foot.
785.42 SEA Seaman, Frederic. The Last Days of John Lennon. Frederic Seaman was John Lennon's personal assistant, driver
and companion Here is his revealing memoir of Lennon, including Lennon's virtual imprisonment in his apartment house, his obsession
with food and sex, John and Yoko's fascination with the Occult, John's premonition of his violent death, and more.
791.43 FOX Fox, Michael J. Lucky Man. A memoir in which actor Michael J. Fox shares the story of his life, discussing his childhood
in Canada, his career in show business, his marriage and family, and his struggle with Parkinson's disease.
792.82 KIR Kirkland, Gelsey. Dancing on my Grave. The shattering story of a dream which became a heartbreaking nightmare for
one of America's most famous ballerinas, Gelsey Kirkland, who chronicles her brilliant start as a dancer with George Balanchine, her
legendary partnership with Mikhail Baryshnikov, her agonizing descent into drugs, and her struggles to rise again.
796.22092 HAW Hawk, Tony. Hawk: Occupation, Skateboarder. In Hawk, Tony takes a look at skateboarding's most recent history
while telling the exhilarating story of his rise to fame.
796.323 CON Conroy, Pat. My Losing Season. The author reflects on his days at a South Carolina military college. He recalls his
love of basketball and its value to him as a means of self-expression, and shares experiences that shed new light on his novel "The
Great Santini.".
796.33 PLI Plimpton, George. Paper Lion. A literary classic about the author's attempt at professional football for the Detroit Lions,
funny and insightful….even if you aren’t a football fan!
796.342 ASH
Ashe, Arthur. Days of Grace.
796.357 GOO Goodwin, Doris Kearns. Wait Till Next Year. The author explores her childhood in Rockville Centre, Long Island and
how baseball, especially the New York Dodgers, was important in her relationships with family, friends, and neighbors.
796.51 RAL Ralston, Aron. Between a Rock and a Hard Place. In this memoir, the author recounts his harrowing experiences of
being trapped for six days in Blue John Canyon in Utah and having to amputate his own right arm in order to save his life.
796.52 KRA Krakauer, Jon. Into Thin Air: a personal account of the Mount Everest disaster. The author relates his experience of
climbing Mount Everest during its deadliest season and examines what it is about the mountain that makes people willingly subject
themselves to such risk, hardship, and expense.
796.6 HOF Hoffman, Mat The Ride of my Life. Bike stunt pioneer Mat Hoffman tells the story of his life, explaining how his
childhood of hazardous behavior led him to BMX freestyling, and retracing his path to the top of the sport.
797.2 FER Ferreras, Francisco. The Dive: a Story of Love and Obsession. In this memoir, champion free diver Pipín Ferreras
shares the story of his relationship with his wife, Audrey Mestre, a marine biology student who came to share his passion, and provides
an account of her death in 2002 while trying to accomplish a record-breaking 170 meter dive.
798.8 SCD Scdoris, Rachael. No End in Sight: my life as a blind Iditarod racer. Rachael Scdoris recounts her experiences
running the Iditarod Race as the only legally blind competitor, and reflects on how she has faced the challenges of blindness and
excelled when no one else believed in her.
798.809 PAU Paulsen, Gary. Winterdance. Gary Paulsen presents an unforgettable account of his participation in the 1,100-milelong dogsled race called the "Iditarod."
810.9 STY Styron, William. Darkness Visible: a memoir of madness. A work of great personal courage and a literary tour de
force, this bestseller is Styron's true account of his descent into a crippling and almost suicidal depression. Styron is perhaps the first
writer to convey the full terror of depression's psychic landscape, as well as the illuminating path to recovery.
811.6 COR Corrigan, Eireann. You Remind Me of You: a Poetry Memoir. A collection of poems in which the author details her
struggle with eating disorders and her changed outlook on life after the suicide attempt of her boyfriend.
811.6 MER Merrell, Billy. Talking in the Dark: a poetry memoir. Presents a collection of poems by Billy Merrell in which he
explores themes of love, sadness, and happiness.
811.6 SCH Schutz, Samantha. I Don't Want to Be Crazy. A poetry memoir in which the author tells of the pressures that led her to
suffer debilitating anxiety attacks, and the path she took to coping and recovery.
813 CRU Crutcher, Chris. King of the Mild Frontier: an Ill-Advised Autobiography. Chris Crutcher, author of young adult novels
such as "Ironman" and "Whale Talk," as well as short stories, tells of growing up in Cascade, Idaho, and becoming a writer.
813 GAN Gantos, Jack. Hole in my Life. The author relates how, as a young adult, he became a drug user and smuggler, was
arrested, did time in prison, and eventually got out and went to college, all the while hoping to become a writer.
813 UMR Umrigar, Thrity N. First Darling of the Morning: selected memories of an Indian childhood. A memoir in which Thrity
Umrigar looks back on her childhood and adolescence in Bombay, discussing the paradoxes in her life, and the parallels between her
coming-of-age, and the changes that occurred in her home country at the time.
813.52 HEM Hemingway, Gregory H.. Papa: a personal memoir.
813.52 HEM Hotchner, A. E. Papa Hemingway;: a personal memoir.
813.54 WOL Wolff, Tobias. This Boy's Life. Wolff’s account of his boyhood and the process of growing up includes paper routes,
whiskey, scouting, fistfights, friendship, betrayal, and America in the fifties.
813.54 CLARK Clark, Mary Higgins. Kitchen Privileges. Popular novelist Mary Higgins Clark recalls her life, discussing her
childhood in the Bronx, her school years, early work as a switchboard operator and a flight attendant, and her marriage to long-time
crush Warren Clark, and describes the experiences that inspired her to become a writer.
813.54 FLE Fleischman, Sid. The Abracadabra Kid: a writer's life. The autobiography of the Newbery award-winning children's
author who set out from childhood to be a magician.
813.54 MIC Michener, James A. The World is my Home..
813.54 MYE Myers, Walter Dean. Bad Boy. Author Walter Dean Myers describes his childhood in Harlem in the 1940s and 1950s,
discussing his loving stepmother, his problems in school, his reasons for leaving home, and his beginnings as a writer.
813.54 PAU Paulsen, Gary. How Angel Peterson Got His Name: and other outrageous tales about extreme sports. Author
Gary Paulsen relates tales from his youth in a small town in northwestern Minnesota in the late 1940s and early 1950s, such as skiing
behind a souped-up car and imitating daredevil Evel Knievel.
813.54 SAR Saroyan, Strawberry. Girl Walks into a Bar. Strawberry Saroyan traces her journey from girl- to womanhood, reflecting
on her struggle to discover who she is and who she wants to be.
813.54 SCH Scheeres, Julia. Jesus Land. The author recalls her childhood in a strict religious Midwestern town, her brother's and
her education in a Christian reform school in the Dominican Republic, the trials of adolescence and racism.
813.6 BUR Burroughs, Augusten. Running with Scissors. The author chronicles his life from age twelve to sixteen, living in the
bizarre home of his mother's psychiatrist, where he was sexually abused by the doctor's thirty-three-year-old adopted son.
817 GIL Gilbreth, Frank B. Cheaper by the Dozen. A memoir by two children of the Gilbreth clan recounting the lives of their
parents, Frank and Lillian, discussing their careers as engineers and the adventures they encountered raising a family with twelve
children.
818 HAI
Haines, John Meade. The Stars, the Snow, the Fire: twenty-five years in the northern wilderness.
818.5409 ANG Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Poet Maya Angelou's chronicle of her early life, focusing on her
childhood, including her rape at the age of five, her subsequent years of muteness, and the strength she gained from her grandmother
and Mrs. Bertha Flowers, a respected African-American woman in her town.
820.9 NAF Nafisi, Azar. Things I've Been Silent About: memories. A memoir that discusses the author's unhappy family life while
growing up in Tehran, Iran, covering her parents' political involvement and relationship troubles prior to the Islamic Revolution of 19781979.
863.64 ALL Allende, Isabel. Paula. The autobiography of Isabel Allende written for her daughter, Paula, who has slipped into a
coma.
895.6 MUR Murakami, Haruki, 1949-. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. The author reflects on how running has
influenced his life and writing, discussing the places he has trained, the people he has met, and the races he has run.
910.4 WIS Wisner, Franz. Honeymoon with my Brother. Franz Wisner shares how losing the woman and the career he loved
prompted him to change his life, giving up all the amenities he had become accustomed to in order to travel through Eastern Europe,
South America, Asia, and Africa with his newly-divorced brother.
940.53 HOU Houston, Jeanne Wakatsuki. Farewell to Manzanar. Biography of Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston relating her experiences
of living at the Manzanar internment camp during World War II and how it has influenced her life.
940.5318 BLA Blady Szwajger, Adina. I Remember Nothing More: a memoir of the Warsaw Children's Hospital and the Jewish
resistance..
940.5318 FLU Flutsztejn-Gruda, Ilona. When Grownups Play at War: a Child's Memoir. The author recounts her childhood in Nazioccupied Poland, describing how life as she knew it ended when she was nine years old.
940.5318 JAC Jackson, Livia Bitton. I Have Lived a Thousand Years: growing up in the Holocaust. A memoir of Elli Friedmann
in which she tells about her experiences at Auschwitz concentration camp where she was taken at the age of thirteen in 1944 when the
Nazis invaded her native Hungary.
940.5318 SCH Schindler, Emilie. Where Light and Shadow Meet.. The wife of businessman and Jewish sympathizer Oskar
Schindler describes her life before and during her marriage, her struggles to care for her husband's Jewish employees during World
War II, and his involvement with the Nazis.
940.5318 SEN Sender, Ruth Minsky. The Cage. A teenage girl recounts the suffering and persecution of her family under the Nazis,
in a Polish ghetto, during deportation, and in a concentration camp.
940.5318 WIE Wiesel, Elie. Night. A terrifying account of the Nazi death camp horror that turns a young Jewish boy into an agonized
witness to the death of his family...the death of his innocence...and the death of his God.
940.54 MIC Michaelis, Arlette deMonceau. Beyond the Ouija Board: A WWII teenager in occupied Belgium. Arlette Michaelis
spent the war years as a teenager in Brussels during the Nazi occupation. Readers will enjoy Arlette's stories of how her family solved
many of the problems associated with the occupation. She makes solving these difficulties sound like fun; yet under cover of her humor
is the fact that Arlette was living in dangerous times, especially because she, her sister, and her parents were helping and hiding Jews.
Being teenagers, Arlette, her sister, her brother, and many of their friends were clothed in a cloak of invincibility typical of young
people's mentality. Young readers will be able to relate to her story, and older readers will remember their tribulations with their war
memories as well as the "Great Depression" and the sacrifices those entailed. Yet, all will be inspired by Arlette and her family who did
whatever they could do to resist the Nazis and fight for their freedom.
949.742 FIL Filipovic, Zlata. Zlata's Diary: a Child's Life in Sarajevo. In a voice both innocent and wise, Zlata wrote of the horrors
of the war in Sarajevo--the deaths of friends, a shortage of food, and days spent in fear.
951 WU
Wu, Harry. Bitter Winds: a memoir of my years in China's Gulag.
951.05 BO Bo, Ma. Blood Red Sunset: a memoir of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. In a startlingly vivid, strangely objective,
personal narrative, Ma Bo, who was denounced as an "active counterrevolutionary" in 1968, opens a window on the Chinese psyche
that no work of history can provide, telling a passionate tale of a humanity that survives against all odds--a tale of ideology and
disillusionment that will speak to all readers.
951.056 JIA Jiang, Ji-li. Red Scarf Girl: a Memoir of the Cultural Revolution. The author tells about the happy life she led in China
up until she was twelve-years-old when her family became a target of the Cultural Revolution, and discusses the choice she had to
make between denouncing her father and breaking with her family, or refusing to speak against him and losing her future in the
Communist Party.
951.058 DUK
massacre.
Duke, Michael S. The Iron House: a memoir of the Chinese democracy movement and the Tiananmen
956.7044 KOP Kopelman, Jay. From Baghdad, with Love: a Marine, the war, and a dog named Lava. Guilford, CT: Lyons Press,
2006. Tells the true story of a dog named Lava, who was rescued from an abandoned house in Fallujah, Iraq, cared for by the Marines
who found him, and eventually permitted to come to the United States.
956.7044 SWO Swofford, Anthony. Jarhead: a Marine's chronicle of the Gulf War and other battles.
956.9405 ZEN Zenatti, Valérie. When I Was a Soldier. Presents the memoirs of Valerie Zenatti, who at eighteen, enlisted in the
Israeli army, endured harsh conditions and surroundings, and participated in top secret missions for the Israeli Secret Service, and
describes her French-Jewish heritage and personal struggles.
956.9504 BAR Barakat, Ibtisam. Tasting the Sky: a Palestinian childhood. A memoir in which the author describes her childhood
as a Palestinian refugee, discussing her family's experiences during and after the Six-Day War, and the freedom she felt at learning to
read and write.
958.104 AKB Akbar, Said Hyder. Come Back to Afghanistan: a California teenager's story. Presents the author's first-hand
account and observations of living in Afghanistan when his father is appointed President Hamid Karzai's chief spokesman.
959.704 YAN Yang, Kao Kalia, 1980-. The Latehomecomer: a Hmong family memoir. 1st ed. Minneapolis: Coffee House Press,
2008. A memoir in which Kao Kalia Yang, born in Thailand's Ban Vinai Refugee Camp, shares the story of her family's escape from
Laos, their experiences in refugee camps, and their struggles adjusting to American life and learning after settling in St. Paul,
Minnesota, when she was six years old.
968.75 MAT Mathabane, Miriam. Miriam's Song. Mark Mathabane chronicles the life of his sister Miriam, describing the
experiences she had living in South Africa under the apartheid social system.
970.3 MED Medicine Crow, Joseph. Counting Coup: Becoming a Crow Chief on the Reservation and Beyond. A memoir of
Joseph Medicine Crow, the last traditional chief of his people, as he describes his ancestors, ancient traditions, growing up on the
reservation, World War II experiences, and how he earned the status of War Chief by completing the four war deeds required of the
Crow warrior.
973.0496 MAT Matthews, David. Ace of Spades. Writer David Matthews, child of an African-American father and white, Jewish
mother, tells his life story, discussing his abuse at the hands of his father's second wife, his close relationship with his paternal
grandmother, his troubled youth in Baltimore, his twenty years passing as white, and his search for information on his mother, who
abandoned him as an infant.
974.7 CHI Childers, Mary. Welfare Brat. Distributed to the trade by Holtzbrinck Publishers, 2005. Mary Childers discusses how her
mother's many failed relationships and her childhood spent in poverty influenced the choices she has made and her goals in life.
974.7 MCB McBride, James. The Color of Water: a Black Man's Tribute to his White Mother. An African-American male tells of
his mother, a white woman, who refused to admit her true identity.
974.7 SAN Santiago, Esmeralda. Almost a Woman. In this memoir, Esmeralda Santiago discusses what it was like to grow up as
a Puerto Rican teenager in New York and to go against the wishes of her over-protective mother and discover her true identity.
974.7 SAN Santiago, Esmeralda. When I was Puerto Rican. Memoirs of the author's childhood and youth in Puerto Rico and New
York City.
975.1 JON Jones, Jacqueline. Creek Walking: growing up in Delaware in the 1950s. A memoir in which the author recalls
growing up in the 1950s in Christiana, Delaware, and discusses the conflicts she felt between her two very different extended families,
and the changes taking place in the economy, culture, and society of the town.
977.2 KIM Kimmel, Haven. A Girl named Zippy: growing up small in Mooreland, Indiana. The author describes her small-town
childhood in Indiana, remembering her eventful 1960s and '70s family life with fondness.
979.461 KIN
Kingston, Maxine Hong. The Woman Warrior.
GN 616.85 SHI Shivack, Nadia. Inside Out: portrait of an eating disorder. A memoir, presented in graphic novel form, in which the
author illustrates her ongoing struggle with an eating disorder she has named Ed.
GN 741.5 SIE Siegel, Siena Cherson. To Dance. Follows the life and career of a ballerina, detailing her dance school experiences,
performances, and personal life. Presented in graphic novel format.
Instructional Media Center, HCRHS, Flemington, NJ 08822
May, 2009