Publisher: McSweeney's Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/12/2012
ISBN-13: 9781936365531
ISBN-10: 1936365537

A true Renaissance man, David Byrne is a painter, photographer, and writer in addition to being a Rock-and-Roll Hall of Fame inductee and co-founder of the new wave band Talking Heads. In How Music Works, which Booklist calls "endlessly fascinating, insightful, and intelligent," he presents a celebration of music that offers insight into a plethora of topics. From mixtapes and venues to birdsong and technology, the book ranges broadly -- and entertainingly. Though his topic of choice is the evolution of music, Talking Heads fans will appreciate his riffs on the band, as well.

Publisher: Crown Archetype
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/18/2012
ISBN-13: 9780307952363
ISBN-10: 0307952363

Best known for films like Basic Instinct and Fatal Attraction (and perhaps, in some quarters, for his marriage to actress Catherine Zeta-Jones), Michael Douglas has been doing movies since the late 1960s, though it wasn't until a TV role on The Streets of San Francisco that he really developed a following. This biography, for which he was not interviewed, portrays Douglas' rise to prominence, his relationship with Zeta-Jones, the father-son tensions between him and his father, Kirk Douglas, and his friendships with other stars. For a contemporary's take, try Kathleen Turner's memoir, Send Yourself Roses.

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Publisher: It Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/18/2012
ISBN-13: 9780061966866
ISBN-10: 006196686X

How did a baby born in a Haitian slum grow up to be a hip-hop star in the U.S. before running for the Haitian presidency in the wake of the country's horrific 2010 earthquake? For Wyclef Jean, learning how to rap helped him with his English, while his expanding association with East Coast rappers put him in the right place at the right time when the group that eventually became the Fugees hit it big. Though he covers topics from the Fugees' success to his relationship with Lauryn Hill to his efforts to help the Haitian people, his focus is always on his goal to live life with purpose, and this energy is apparent throughout his memoir.

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Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 10/09/2012
ISBN-13: 9780547368924
ISBN-10: 0547368925

Growing up, Barbara Streisand wanted to be an actress, not a singer. But although her singing voice gave her her start, Barbra (she modified her name early on) seems to have accomplished it all -- as one of the most successful women in show business, she's also written, produced, and directed. This biography, which covers her breakout years in the 1960s, traces the hard work leading up to her starring role in Funny Girl. "Surprisingly suspenseful and masterfully paced" (Kirkus Reviews), it sheds light on a hardworking woman by combining interviews with archival research, mixing personal and professional in equal measure.

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Publisher: William Morrow
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/04/2012
ISBN-13: 9780062136152
ISBN-10: 0062136151

Can a father be a successful single parent? NBA all-star Dwyane Wade certainly thinks so, having been raised by one himself -- and having fought (and won) a battle to retain custody of his kids in the wake of an acrimonious divorce. In this heartfelt, contemplative, and deeply personal memoir, Wade alternates between sharing his thoughts on parenthood and relaying his rise to basketball superstardom. The combination of the two topics offers a well-rounded look at a man who must balance the needs of his children with the demands of a professional basketball career.

Publisher: Pocket Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 11/04/2008
ISBN-13: 9781416554950
ISBN-10: 1416554955

There's no disputing the fact that Harry Potter, boy wizard, took the world by storm. If you, like so many other fans, want to know more about "The Boy Who Lived," there's a plethora of books (and websites) to avail yourself of. But Harry, a History, is a different animal, for it's an analysis of the pop culture phenomenon surrounding the Harry Potter series, written by a woman who helped in part to build it, founder of the popular Leaky Cauldron website Melissa Anelli. Complemented by an interview with J.K. Rowling herself, this evaluation of how the books inspired international camaraderie and a generation of new readers displays both passion and devotion in a manner that is "endearing and undeniably infectious" (Booklist).

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Publisher: W.W. Norton
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 10/30/2007
ISBN-13: 9780393061444
ISBN-10: 0393061442

Thanks to nearly 200 years of cultural evolution, "Frankenstein" is a name familiar to most, whether what comes to mind is Boris Karloff's interpretation, the comic version, the purple Frankenberry cereal, or the literary creation that started it all. Starting with Mary Shelley's literary masterpiece in 1818, author Susan Hitchcock offers an engaging history of the Frankenstein myth and evaluates the shifts in morality and science over time that shaped the story's various interpretations. Though it's definitely written with Frankenstein fans in mind, readers interested in cultural icons, their reinventions, and their roles in society will be also find much of interest.

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Publisher: W. W. Norton
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 08/30/2010
ISBN-13: 9780393069624
ISBN-10: 0393069621

Though this book appears at first glance to be a biography of a fictional hero, focusing on iconic Chinese-American sleuth Charlie Chan (often portrayed onscreen by non-Asian actors) allows author Yunte Huang to address the history of racial attitudes in early 20th-century America. Chan may have been based in part on a real-life Chinese immigrant living in Honolulu, but it is certainly true that mystery writer Earl Derr Biggers depicted his fictional sleuth as a wisecracking and wise investigator rather than a stereotype at a time when others were passing anti-Chinese immigration legislation. This "always entertaining book" (The New York Times) ranges widely -- you'll learn as much about Hollywood as about Hawaiian history and the treatment of Chinese immigrants.

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Publisher: Morrow
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 11/01/2003
ISBN-13: 9780060538118
ISBN-10: 0060538112

This illustrated reference to Egypt during the late 19th and early 20th centuries is everything a fan of the Amelia Peabody mysteries could want. Featuring contributions from leading archaeologists and Egyptologists and essays on Victorian social mores, it provides plenty of context for the redoubtable Victorian archaeologist and amateur sleuth, not to mention new information about the series' characters and previously unpublished journal essays from Amelia herself. Not to be missed by longtime fans or newcomers to the series, this compendium "entertainingly blurs fact and fiction" (Publishers Weekly).

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Publisher: Harcourt
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/05/2006
ISBN-13: 9780156030564
ISBN-10: 015603056X

Since she first appeared on the scene in her blue roadster in 1930, Nancy Drew has cheerfully solved dozens of mysteries, and throughout her multiple iterations she's been a part of many childhoods ever since. In Girl Sleuth, author Melanie Rehak focuses primarily on Nancy's creators and the social forces that molded them; though created by Stratemeyer Syndicate head Edward Stratemeyer, the Nancy Drew books were primarily written and edited by Syndicate writer Mildred Wirt Benson and by Stratemeyer's daughter, Harriet. If you have fond memories of the intrepid Nancy Drew, you'll enjoy this fascinating, informative look at her origins.

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