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Autobiography

Still Standing

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Still Standing by Larry Hogan and Ellis Henican
Format: Book, eBook, eAudiobook
Who it’s for: Adults
What do you know about Governor Larry Hogan? You may have heard during his six years in office about crises like the death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore, managing the COVID-19 pandemic, and his personal battle with cancer. You may have read news stories about bipartisan agreements on economic and justice department reforms during his tenure. Now you can go behind those headlines and get the inside story in Larry Hogan’s recently released autobiography.
In an era of political divide, Larry Hogan offers a refreshing approach to practical problem solving that focuses on listening, being respectful, and working on the problem at hand for the benefit of the people rather than promoting a political party or agenda. We need more voices like this on the political landscape today.

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Born a Crime

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Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
Format: Book and Audio Book on CD
Who it’s for: Adults, Teens (Young Readers version also available)

What is it like for your very existence to be against the law?  Although it might sound like a plot from a dystopian novel, this is the real life story of Trevor Noah, host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central. Trevor Noah’s crime at birth was that he had a black mother and white father at a time when the laws of South Africa made this a severely punishable offense.
Noah gives a frank, sometimes serious, sometimes funny account of growing up as a mixed race child in a racially stratified and oppressive society. We see through this collection of short stories all the particular challenges he had to face but we can also relate to those things that we all have in common growing up. Noah also takes the opportunity to explain the history of Apartheid laws and the underlying causes of racial unrest but does so in an engaging way that flows along with his entertaining stories.
The first story ends with his mom throwing him out of a moving bus when he was nine years old.  Don’t worry, it was really just to save his life and he obviously lived to tell about it! Check out this great collection of stories from a South African childhood.
This autobiography is now also available in a Young Readers adaptation which is essentially the same book but eliminates the occasional profanity found in the adult version. You can also choose the audio book format (available on CD) where you will be treated to Trevor Noah reading the stories to you himself!
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Love You Hard: A Memoir of Marriage, Brain Injury, and Reinventing Love

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Love You Hard: A Memoir of Marriage, Brain Injury and Reinventing Love by Abby Maslin
Format: Book
Who it’s for:  Adults

In August 2012, Abby and TC Maslin lived in the Capitol Hill area of Washington D.C. with their young son, Jack. TC worked as an energy analyst and Abby was a school teacher. TC was attacked while walking home from a Nationals game late at night.  TC was beaten nearly to death by three young men who took his cell phone and debit card.  They left him bleeding and hurt on a sidewalk a few blocks from his home.  When Abby woke up in the night to find out that her husband wasn’t home, panic set in.  Hours later Abby found out that her husband had been taken to the hospital but she didn’t know if he was alive or dead.

After many days and months of physical rehabilitation, TC did survive, but was unable to walk and talk.  Abby had to take over his complete care, teaching him to read and talk again.  There were no guarantees of his future life after the tragedy.  The two of them had to learn to trust and love each other again.  During their agonizing months both of them had changed.

This is a true story and has connections to St. Mary’s County, Maryland. Abby is a good writer and I was especially touched by her prologue that describes when she and TC met for the first time. This account is a raw and inspiring story with an amazing outcome. TC Maslin has an inner strength that helped him to beat the odds of not only surviving but conquering his disabilities. While still re-learning to walk and communicate, TC realized how much Abby did to take care of him, he said, “But you’ve done everything for me. Do you know that? I love you, honey. I love you so hard.”

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So Close to Being the Sh*t, Y’all Don’t Even Know

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So Close to Being the Sh*t, Y’all Don’t Even Know by Retta
Format: Audiobook
Who it’s for: Adults

Those looking for a riotously good read may look no further! This collection of essays written by Parks and Rec star Retta covers a wide range of topics, including her missed opportunity to audition for the movie Dreamgirls, her start as a standup comic touring colleges across the United States, her deep-seated passion for the musical Hamilton, and more! The audiobook version of Retta’s book comes particularly recommended as it is read with perfect comic timing by the author herself. A word of caution to those listening in their cars—you may need to pull the car over because you are laughing so hard!

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Let’s Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir

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Let’s Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by Jenny Lawson
Format: Audiobook, Book
Who it’s for: Adults

Do you need a good laugh?  Do you sometimes feel like you are the only weird person around you?  Do you struggle with mental illness and want to read about others that do as well?  Then this book is for you.  Jenny Lawson, AKA The Bloggess – www.thebloggess.com, writes about her childhood in rural Texas, growing up with a taxidermist father, and meeting her husband Victor, having her daughter, her struggles with anxiety and depression, and a squirrel hand puppet.  It is often bizarre, hilarious and sad all at the same time.  Sometimes you wonder if this could possibly be a true account and then you see the pictures.  Yes, it did happen.  And yes, it is very weird.  And yes, you are completely fascinated and can’t stop reading about her life so now you are following her blog and Instagram so that you can see that you are not the only one that is tad bit crazy.

If you are easily grossed out or easily offended by profanity, this is not the book for you.

The audio is read by the author.  I listened to the book, but then had to go back and look at the book to see the pictures she includes.

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