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Memoir

Hillbilly Elegy

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Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance
Format: Digital audiobook
Who it’s for: Adults

J.D. Vance grew up in the Rust Belt town of Middletown, Ohio.  He is the grandson of a poor, uneducated couple who left their Appalachian roots at a very young age for a better life in Ohio.

Although part of the white middle-class in Ohio, J.D.’s family could never quite escape the Appalachian stereotype described as “uneducated and prone to impulsive acts of violence”.  Life for J.D. and his family was chaotic and dysfunctional, fraught with the social problems of his hometown including alcoholism, drug addiction, and constant money problems.

J.D.’s family struggled like many working-class American families from small towns do.  But J.D. was fortunate.  He had the constant love and support of his grandmother and extended family members. J.D.’s grandmother taught him that working hard matters as well as taking responsibility for one’s choices.

Hillbilly Elegy is J.D. Vance’s story of surviving the dysfunction of white working class America to become a graduate of Ohio State University and Yale Law School.  It is his own explanation of how the Appalachian values passed down from his grandparents actually helped him survive the stigma of the poor American and taught him that if he worked hard enough, he could make it.

The audio version of this book is narrated by the author.

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Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan

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Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan
Format: Book
Who It’s For: Adults

After graduating from college and working for a year, Kelly Corrigan and a good friend decided to set out on the adventure of a lifetime.  Everything was great until they began to run out of money in Australia.  Instead of asking their parents to wire them money, Kelly and her friend decided to get jobs.

Kelly took a job as a live-in nanny for the Tanner family.  The mother of the family had just passed away after battling cancer.  Kelly was responsible for taking the children to school, doing their laundry, cooking their meals, taking care of them when they returned home, cleaning up after them, and getting them ready for bed.

Glitter and Glue is a memoir in which Kelly examines her relationship with her mother while being the substitute mother for the Tanner children.  The book is heartwarming.  Kelly has a style of writing that will leave you laughing and sometimes crying.  It will leave you thinking of your relationship with your own mother and reflecting on what it means for one parent to be the “glitter” and one parent to be the “glue”.  This is a book that you won’t be able to put down.

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Untamed

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Untamed by Glennon Doyle
Format: Book, Ebook, Overdrive Audio
Who it’s for:  Adults

Glennon Doyle is the author of a blog and two best-selling memoirs, a public speaker, and the founder of a nonprofit organization Together Rising. These accomplishments show that she is a successful woman, but Untamed her third memoir, shows that Doyle is a painfully honest woman as well.

Doyle begins the first chapter of her book describing a trip to the zoo with her children. While there, they watch a cheetah who has been trained to chase a stuffed bunny like a dog.  Watching this performance presents Doyle with the sudden insight that her life as a woman has been like that cheetah’s.  She realizes that she has spent her entire life feeling “caged” and trying to be loved by doing what she has been “trained” to do.

In Untamed, Doyle explains how she finally broke free of feeling caged.  She empowers all women, through her incredible insight and experiences, to find their own version of humanity and follow it.  Doyle encourages women to trust their intuition and to “find what makes your heart ache and follow it”.

As you read this book you’ll find yourself highlighting inspirational quotes and stories that you’ll want to refer back to later.  You will experience the art of a great storyteller and her willingness to break free of cultural norms in order to establish a life that works best for her and her children.  I listened to this book through RB Digital and found that I wanted to check the hardback copy out as well, just so that I could re-read some of the most inspiring parts.

In Untamed, Doyle teaches us what it means to be brave enough to abandon what the world expects of us instead of abandoning our true selves.  Doyle challenges women to ask themselves “What do I love? What makes me come alive?, What is beauty to me, and when do I take the time to fill up with it? Who is the soul beneath all of these roles?”  Those are great questions for all of us to ponder.

Find Untamed in the catalog.

Funny, You Don’t Look Autistic

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Funny, You Don’t Look Autistic by Michael McCreary
Format: eBook
Who it’s for: Adults, Teens

Michael McCreary was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at age 5, shortly before being bitten by the performance bug. He landed his first stand-up gig at age 14 and now, at age 22, performs across the US and Canada, using humor to dispel myths about autism. Funny, You Don’t Look Autistic will appeal to readers with ASD, as well as those looking for a better understanding of ASD.

Funny, You Don’t Look Autistic is OverDrive’s latest Big Library Read, running March 23 – April 13. Big Library Read connects readers around the world with the same book at the same time without any waitlists or holds. Borrow Funny, You Don’t Look Autistic and join the online book discussion!

Plus – use #BigLibraryRead on social media from March 23 – April 13 for a chance to win a Samsung Galaxy tablet from OverDrive! | Official Rules

 

The Greatest Love Story Ever Told: An Oral History

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The Greatest Love Story Ever Told: An Oral History by Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman
Format: Audiobook, Book
Who it’s for: Adults

You may know Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman from their roles on Will and Grace and Parks and Recreation, but did you know they’ve been married for 18 years? In The Greatest Love Story Ever Told, the pair covers any and every subject, from books to puzzles to fashion to dating to Hollywood. They talk about their very different childhoods and the paths that led them to acting and to each other. These are two funny people, so there are lots of laugh out loud moments and improvisations. 

This is a book to be listened to. The print version just can’t replicate the quirky, quick conversation between this celebrity couple. There are impromptu jokes and asides and the two finish each other’s sentences frequently. The print book does contain a selection of photos of the two which you can’t see with the audio version, but Mullally and Offerman do an excellent job of describing these photos to their listeners.

If you’ve enjoyed Nick Offerman’s other books, or other memoirs from Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, or Mindy Kaling, you might enjoy The Greatest Love Story Ever Told. Just make sure to get the audio version!

Find it in the catalog.

How to Be a Good Creature: A Memoir in Thirteen Animals

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The cover of this book caught my eye, so I decided to give it a try. And, I was pleasantly surprised. It is memoir that is interwoven with lessons learned from the animals in the author’s life. The author, Sy Montgomery, has been an animal lover since early childhood, and she developed deep connections with the animals that crossed her path. A writer by trade, Montgomery has traveled the world to conduct research for her writing. Thus, the animals she encounters range from family dogs and backyard hens to emus and octopuses.

Personally, I am not an animal person, but I still found Montgomery’s stories intriguing. In particular, I enjoyed learning about all of the exotic animals that she came across, including the Matschie’s tree-kangaroo and the Goliath birdeater. This was a quick, easy read. But, it may not be suitable for everyone, as it does contain a very frank discussion about depression and mental illness.

Find it in the catalog.