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Best Mid Atlantic U.S. Biographies

The Glass Castle: A Memoir
Now a major motion picture from Lionsgate starring Brie Larson, Woody Harrelson, and Naomi Watts. MORE THAN SEVEN YEARS ON THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER LIST The perennially bestselling, extraordinary, one-of-a-kind, “nothing short of spectacular” ( Entertainment Weekly ) memoir from one of the world’s most gifted storytellers. "Jeannette Walls has carved a story with precision and grace out of one of the most chaotic, heartbreaking childhoods ever to be set down on the page. "The Glass Castle is the saga of the restless, indomitable Walls family, led by a grand eccentric and his tempestuous artist wife.
Reviews
"Love this book dearly , I have bought it for several friends."
"Great book!"
"This is an extraordinary tale of a family that lived on the fringes of society and what became of the children of that family."
"Amazing to know that the author actually lived like the story tells!"
"Great read."
"Beautifully written memoir."
"VERY well written, an incredible story, and a fascinating psychological study."
"Really good.... Hard to put down."
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Kitchen Confidential Updated Edition: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly (P.S.)
A deliciously funny, delectably shocking banquet of wild-but-true tales of life in the culinary trade from Chef Anthony Bourdain, laying out his more than a quarter-century of drugs, sex, and haute cuisine—now with all-new, never-before-published material. His fast-lane personality and glee in recounting sophomoric kitchen pranks might be unbearable were it not for two things: Bourdain is as unsparingly acerbic with himself as he is with others, and he exhibits a sincere and profound love of good food. He'd probably hate to hear it, but Bourdain has a tender side, and when it peeks through his rough exterior and the wall of four-letter words he constructs, it elevates this book to something more than blustery memoir.
Reviews
"An easy to read book written by professional chef."
"I liked that Bourdain shares his opinions based on his experiences but was happy to share that despite his encounters, there are "other ways" and other ideas as to how other chefs think and work."
"I worked in one for 8 years, but only part time for 6 of them so it wasn't my "world" and I knew I'd be out of it once college was over, so I only know some of what's in this book as a reality."
"Bathe yourself in the deliciously frank and X-rated attitude of a guy who knows better; not because he always knew better, but because he climbed up the ladder of culinary experience and success and blew it up his nose along the way. As always, Bourdain pays homage to the immigrant, hard working slave of the kitchen, and puts a finger up the escape hole of the industry, that is pretentious ridiculousness. Hilarious and truthful humor that might change the way you think about that secret room behind the restaurant facade."
"And on the more colorful side of things, he has a whole chapter dedicated to the somewhat complex and often vulgar language of the American restaurant kitchen. And this inevitably begs the question of just how accurate all of Bourdain's stories are - and clearly this was a deliberate effort on his part in order to impart a particular message for us. It's an inspiring book that shows you what perhaps some chefs out there face in the ever busy world of professional cooking."
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Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly
From Bourdain's first oyster in the Gironde, to his lowly position as dishwasher in a honky tonk fish restaurant in Provincetown (where he witnesses for the first time the real delights of being a chef); from the kitchen of the Rainbow Room atop Rockefeller Center, to drug dealers in the east village, from Tokyo to Paris and back to New York again, Bourdain's tales of the kitchen are as passionate as they are unpredictable. His fast-lane personality and glee in recounting sophomoric kitchen pranks might be unbearable were it not for two things: Bourdain is as unsparingly acerbic with himself as he is with others, and he exhibits a sincere and profound love of good food. He'd probably hate to hear it, but Bourdain has a tender side, and when it peeks through his rough exterior and the wall of four-letter words he constructs, it elevates this book to something more than blustery memoir.
Reviews
"An easy to read book written by professional chef."
"I liked that Bourdain shares his opinions based on his experiences but was happy to share that despite his encounters, there are "other ways" and other ideas as to how other chefs think and work."
"I worked in one for 8 years, but only part time for 6 of them so it wasn't my "world" and I knew I'd be out of it once college was over, so I only know some of what's in this book as a reality."
"Bathe yourself in the deliciously frank and X-rated attitude of a guy who knows better; not because he always knew better, but because he climbed up the ladder of culinary experience and success and blew it up his nose along the way. As always, Bourdain pays homage to the immigrant, hard working slave of the kitchen, and puts a finger up the escape hole of the industry, that is pretentious ridiculousness. Hilarious and truthful humor that might change the way you think about that secret room behind the restaurant facade."
"And on the more colorful side of things, he has a whole chapter dedicated to the somewhat complex and often vulgar language of the American restaurant kitchen. And this inevitably begs the question of just how accurate all of Bourdain's stories are - and clearly this was a deliberate effort on his part in order to impart a particular message for us. It's an inspiring book that shows you what perhaps some chefs out there face in the ever busy world of professional cooking."
Find Best Price at Amazon

Best Southern U.S. Biographies

The Glass Castle: A Memoir
Now a major motion picture from Lionsgate starring Brie Larson, Woody Harrelson, and Naomi Watts. MORE THAN SEVEN YEARS ON THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER LIST The perennially bestselling, extraordinary, one-of-a-kind, “nothing short of spectacular” ( Entertainment Weekly ) memoir from one of the world’s most gifted storytellers. "Jeannette Walls has carved a story with precision and grace out of one of the most chaotic, heartbreaking childhoods ever to be set down on the page. "The Glass Castle is the saga of the restless, indomitable Walls family, led by a grand eccentric and his tempestuous artist wife.
Reviews
"Love this book dearly , I have bought it for several friends."
"Great book!"
"This is an extraordinary tale of a family that lived on the fringes of society and what became of the children of that family."
"Amazing to know that the author actually lived like the story tells!"
"Great read."
"Beautifully written memoir."
"VERY well written, an incredible story, and a fascinating psychological study."
"Really good.... Hard to put down."
Find Best Price at Amazon

Best Midwest U.S. Biographies

Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World
You can't even begin to answer those questions until you hear the charming story of Dewey Readmore Books, the beloved library cat of. Spencer. , Iowa. . As his fame grew from town to town, then state to state, and finally, amazingly, worldwide, Dewey became more than just a friend; he became a source of pride for an extraordinary Heartland farming town pulling its way slowly back from the greatest crisis in its long history. She lives in. Spencer. , Iowa. .
Reviews
"Being a relatively recent (5 years) cat guardian, I cannot imagine life without my kitty."
"While Myron doesn't shy away from telling the bad with the good, there are numerous passages explaining Dewey's playful side and the uplifting effect he had on his human companions. (As an aside, I actually felt more sorrow for Myron's parent's cat, Max, who was killed due to neglect at the veterinarian's office in the prime of his life.). Thank you Vicki for the book and for taking care of a wonderful feline friend, and thank you Dewey for being an emissary for the human-animal bond and reminding ourselves of the value of love and friendship."
"If you've ever owned a cat, you will just eat up every word, every adventure, every cuddle in this book."
"Because I enjoyed the first book about Dewey, I wanted to see how much of the story would be included in the children's book."
"Dewey is a delightful story for cat lovers."
"I read this book as a book club selection and would never have read it otherwise, not being a fan of sickly-sweet cat books."
"My children thought the song was for our cat, not the other way around, the years do not dim the LOVE."
"Although I knew what was coming in the end of the book, I still found myself sobbing out loud (in my gym on the exercise bike!)."
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Best New England U.S. Biographies

Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison
NOW A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES • #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER With a career, a boyfriend, and a loving family, Piper Kerman barely resembles the reckless young woman who delivered a suitcase of drug money ten years before. Convicted and sentenced to fifteen months at the infamous federal correctional facility in Danbury, Connecticut, the well-heeled Smith College alumna is now inmate #11187–424—one of the millions of people who disappear “down the rabbit hole” of the American penal system. transcends the memoir genre’s usual self-centeredness to explore how human beings can always surprise you.” — USA Today “It’s a compelling awakening, and a harrowing one—both for the reader and for Kerman.” —Newsweek.com. Look for special features inside. Convicted of drug smuggling and money laundering in 2003 for a scheme she got tangled up in 10 years earlier when she had just graduated from Smith College, Kerman, at 34, was a self-surrender at the prison: quickly she had to learn the endless rules, like frequent humiliating strip searches and head counts; navigate relationships with the other campers and unnerving guards; and concoct ways to fill the endless days by working as an electrician and running on the track.
Reviews
"It's a basic overview of living in prison, living with yourself knowing that you are the reason you are where you are, and dealing with the ups and downs of, well, being alive in a situation where you might as well be dead."
"I can honestly say Piper could have been any of us we've all made mistakes that could have landed us in a bunk next to hers."
"I normally don't watch a TV show before reading the book but didn't know this was out."
"I decided to read this to see if Piper is as annoying in reality as the character is on the show."
"I found this one not nearly as interesting as "In the Sanctuary of Outcasts"... another prison memoir but one with a much more interesting twist- the prisoner is sent to a federal facility co-housed with the last leper hospital in the States."
"I liked reading this book, and appreciated learning later that Piper Kerman now devotes a great deal of her time to prison reform -- you go, girl! But that's okay, because the conflict of this upper middle class, educated WASP going to prison is plenty interesting, and I appreciate her creating a record of her time and her thoughts."
"From the start it seemed Piper Kerman was too much of the spoiled brat type that I despised growing up. It almost read as one of the millennial personal essays that are all the rage now, and frankly, kinda ruined the previous good will toward her that had built up."
"In my book group, discussion of Orange Is the New Black focused largely on social and economic elements which lead to women's imprisonment the lack of rehabilitation and job training opportunities the system provides, and the high rate of recidivism."
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Best Western U.S. Biographies

A Child Called It: One Child's Courage to Survive
It is the story of Dave Pelzer, who was brutally beaten and starved by his emotionally unstable, alcoholic mother: a mother who played tortuous, unpredictable games--games that left him nearly dead. This book is a brief, horrifying account of the bizarre tortures she inflicted on him, told from the point of view of the author as a young boy being starved, stabbed, smashed face-first into mirrors, forced to eat the contents of his sibling's diapers and a spoonful of ammonia, and burned over a gas stove by a maniacal, alcoholic mom.
Reviews
"This book has started an inner healing process.As I started reading, I started crying, crying so loudly that I started wailing."
"This book helped know that I was never alone in what I went through as a child."
"A girl I worked with told me about this book one day, and I decided I wanted to check it out."
"This book is a healing power to me, since I never have the mind to open up to Any body what i suffered during my stay with My aunty."
"I read this book years ago."
"Love this book."
"The child in the story had a good life for his first four years and then the abuse started. To have had a good life with loving parents then allo of a sudden you start being abused."
"I had read all of the Dave Pelzer books."
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