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Recommendations based on True Compass: A Memoirby Edward M. Kennedy
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My Life
by Bill Clinton
Memoir of a former President of the United States, chronicling his life and career.
An exhaustive, soul-searching memoir, Bill Clinton's My Life is a refreshingly candid look at the former president as a son, brother, teacher, father, husband, and public figure. Clinton ... (Goodreads)
Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance
by Barack Obama
An exploration of the Obama family history, tracing the threads of identity and race.
In this lyrical, unsentimental, and compelling memoir, the son of a black African father and a white American mother searches for a workable meaning to his life as a black American. It begins in New ... (Goodreads)
Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power
by Rachel Maddow
Investigation of the US military's unchecked growth and its consequences for American democracy.
"One of my favorite ideas is, never to keep an unnecessary soldier," Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1792. Neither Jefferson nor the other Founders could ever have envisioned the modern national security ... (Goodreads)
1776
by David McCullough
A riveting account of the events leading up to and during the American Revolution.
In this masterful book, David McCullough tells the intensely human story of those who marched with General George Washington in the year of the Declaration of Independence - when the whole American ... (Goodreads)
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
by Harriet Ann Jacobs
A harrowing account of a young woman's experiences as a slave in the American South.
The true story of an individual's struggle for self-identity, self-preservation, and freedom, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl remains among the few extant slave narratives written by a woman. ... (Goodreads)
The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream
by Barack Obama
A political memoir that explores Obama's vision for America and his hopes for the future of the country.
The Audacity of Hope is Barack Obama's call for a new kind of politics—a politics that builds upon those shared understandings that pull us together as Americans. Lucid in his vision of America's ... (Goodreads)
Teacher Man
by Frank McCourt
A memoir of the author's 30-year career as an English teacher in New York City.
McCourt's long-awaited book about how his thirty-year teaching career shaped his second act as a writer. Nearly a decade ago Frank McCourt became an unlikely star when, at the age of sixty-six, he ... (Goodreads)
In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin
by Erik Larson
A family's struggle to cope with the darkness of Nazi Germany, as seen through one man's courage.
The time is 1933, the place, Berlin, when William E. Dodd becomes America's first ambassador to Hitler's Germany in a year that proved to be a turning point in history. A mild-mannered professor from ... (Goodreads)
Truman
by David McCullough
A biographical account of Harry S. Truman's rise to the Presidency and his impact on American history.
The book provides a biography of Harry Truman in chronological fashion from his birth to his rise to U.S. Senator , Vice President , and President . It follows his activities until death, exploring ... (Wikipedia)
All Creatures Great and Small
by James Herriot
A charming tale of a veterinarian and his animal patients in the Yorkshire Dales.
The classic multimillion copy bestseller Delve into the magical, unforgettable world of James Herriot, the world's most beloved veterinarian, and his menagerie of heartwarming, funny, and tragic ... (Goodreads)
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration
by Isabel Wilkerson
An exploration of the life-changing journeys of the millions of African-Americans who migrated from the South to the North, Midwest, and West from 1915 to 1970.
In this epic, beautifully written masterwork, Pulitzer Prize–winning author Isabel Wilkerson chronicles one of the great untold stories of American history: the decades-long migration of black ... (Goodreads)
Living History
by Hillary Rodham Clinton
Autobiography of Hillary Rodham Clinton's life, from her childhood to her time as First Lady.
The Phenomenal #1 Worldwide Bestseller—With a New Afterword Hillary Rodham Clinton is known to hundreds of millions of people around the world. Yet few beyond her close friends and family have ever ... (Goodreads)
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
by Doris Kearns Goodwin
A comprehensive study of the presidency of Abraham Lincoln, and the unique cabinet he assembled.
Winner of the Lincoln Prize Acclaimed historian Doris Kearns Goodwin illuminates Lincoln's political genius in this highly original work, as the one-term congressman and prairie lawyer rises from ... (Goodreads)
John Adams
by David McCullough
Biography of the second President of the United States and his contributions to the founding of the nation.
The enthralling, often surprising story of John Adams, one of the most important and fascinating Americans who ever lived. In this powerful, epic biography, David McCullough unfolds the adventurous ... (Goodreads)
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time
by Greg Mortenson
A man's mission to build schools in remote areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan to promote peace.
The astonishing, uplifting story of a real-life Indiana Jones and his humanitarian campaign to use education to combat terrorism in the Taliban’s backyard Anyone who despairs of the individual’s ... (Goodreads)
Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World
by Henri J.M. Nouwen
A personal letter to a friend on how to live a spiritual life in a secular world, emphasizing the importance of feeling beloved by God.
Initially written for a Jewish friend, Life of the Beloved has become Henri Nouwen’s greatest legacy to Christians around the world. This sincere testimony of the power and invitation of Christ is ... (Goodreads)
Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime
by John Heilemann
A behind-the-scenes look at the 2008 US Presidential Election and the people who ran it.
“It’s one of the best books on politics of any kind I’ve read. For entertainment value, I put it up there with Catch 22 .” — The Financial Times “It transports you to a parallel universe in which ... (Goodreads)
The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism
by Doris Kearns Goodwin
A historical account of the friendship and eventual falling out between Roosevelt and Taft, set against the backdrop of the Progressive Era and the rise of investigative journalism.
Doris Kearns Goodwin, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and author of Team of Rivals , captures the Progressive Era through the story of the broken friendship between Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard ... (Goodreads)
We Should All Be Feminists
by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
A call to action for an inclusive, gender-equal society through an examination of feminism.
What does “feminism” mean today? That is the question at the heart of We Should All Be Feminists , a personal, eloquently-argued essay—adapted from her much-viewed TEDx talk of the same name—by ... (Goodreads)
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster
by Jon Krakauer
A gripping narrative of the 1996 expedition on Mount Everest that resulted in tragedy.
When Jon Krakauer reached the summit of Mt. Everest in the early afternoon of May 10, 1996, he hadn't slept in fifty-seven hours and was reeling from the brain-altering effects of oxygen depletion. ... (Goodreads)
Decision Points
by George W. Bush
Autobiography of former US President, chronicling the pivotal decisions of his life.
In this candid and gripping account, President George W. Bush describes the critical decisions that shaped his presidency and personal life. George W. Bush served as president of the United States ... (Goodreads)
A Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and There
by Aldo Leopold
A reflection on nature, paying homage to the beauty of the Wisconsin countryside.
First published in 1949, A Sand County Almanac combines some of the finest nature writing since Thoreau with an outspoken and highly ethical regard for America's relationship to the land. Written ... (Goodreads)
On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction
by William Zinsser
Comprehensive guide to writing nonfiction, covering craft, style, and technique.
On Writing Well has been praised for its sound advice, its clarity and the warmth of its style. It is a book for everybody who wants to learn how to write or who needs to do some writing to get ... (Goodreads)
Born to Run
by Bruce Springsteen
Autobiographical journey of Bruce Springsteen's life and career as a musician.
“Writing about yourself is a funny business…But in a project like this, the writer has made one promise, to show the reader his mind. In these pages, I’ve tried to do this.” —Bruce Springsteen, from ... (Goodreads)
My Life in France
by Julia Child
A memoir of Julia Child's life in Paris, cooking and exploring French cuisine.
The bestselling story of Julia's years in France–and the basis for Julie & Julia , starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams--in her own words. Although she would later singlehandedly create a new approach ... (Goodreads)
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
by Malcolm X
A gripping account of one man's transformation from criminal to civil rights leader.
Alternate cover for ISBN 9780345350688 Through a life of passion and struggle, Malcolm X became one of the most influential figures of the 20th Century. In this riveting account, he tells of his ... (Goodreads)
What the Dog Saw and Other Adventures
by Malcolm Gladwell
Collection of essays about the surprising connections between seemingly unrelated topics.
What is the difference between choking and panicking? Why are there dozens of varieties of mustard but only one variety of ketchup? What do football players teach us about how to hire teachers? What ... (Goodreads)
One Summer: America, 1927
by Bill Bryson
A vivid portrait of America in the summer of 1927, featuring a host of historical figures and events.
In One Summer Bill Bryson, one of our greatest and most beloved nonfiction writers, transports readers on a journey back to one amazing season in American life. The summer of 1927 began with one of ... (Goodreads)
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
by Benjamin Franklin
A recount of the life of Benjamin Franklin, and his rise to success and influence.
Written initially to guide his son, Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography is a lively, spellbinding account of his unique and eventful life, now a classic of world literature that is sure to inspire and ... (Goodreads)
Democracy in America
by Alexis de Tocqueville
A study of the political and social structure of the United States and its implications.
Democracy in America has had the singular honor of being even to this day the work that political commentators of every stripe refer to when they seek to draw large conclusions about the society of ... (Goodreads)
