Great Lives: Biographies
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John Adams by David McCullough Chronicles the life of America’s second president, including his youth, his career as a Massachusetts farmer and lawyer, his marriage to Abigail, his rivalry with Thomas Jefferson, and his influence on the birth of the United States. Catalog Link |
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Maya Angelou: A Glorious Celebration by Marcia Ann Gillespie An illustrated profile of one of America’s best-loved writers pays tribute to the life, illustrious theatrical and literary careers, and activism of Maya Angelou, providing a remarkable scrapbook of an extraordinary woman who is renowned as a poet, author, playwright, and humanitarian. Catalog Link |
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Marie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser Describes the life of Marie Antoinette from her betrothal as a fourteen-year-old girl to the future King Louis XVI, through her life in the French court, to her courage in the face of revolutionaries who sent her to the guillotine. Catalog Link |
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Boone: A Biography by Robert Morgan A masterful portrait of a mythic American hero offers a sweeping study of Daniel Boone in terms of his larger-than-life role in the early history of America. Catalog Link |
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Agent Zigzag: A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love, and Betrayal by Ben MacIntyre A gripping portrait of the ultimate double agent draws on recently declassified documents to recount the remarkable exploits of the enigmatic Eddie Chapman, Agent Zigzag, a criminal, con man, and philanderer trained by the Nazis as a spy who became a British agent at the heart of the German Secret Service. Catalog Link |
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I'm Chevy Chase... and You're Not by Rena Fruchter Presents the life of the American comedian, from his tumultuous childhood with an abusive mother, to his early fame as a performer on “Saturday Night Live,” his movie career, and his involvement in social and political causes. Catalog Link |
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A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton by Carl Bernstein Traces the childhood, college years, and political accomplishments of the controversial 2008 presidential candidate. Catalog Link |
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Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography by Andrew Morton A biography of the popular actor explores his rise from a difficult childhood to become one of the most powerful celebrities in Hollywood, his successful movie career, his three marriages, and the importance of Scientology in his life. Catalog Link |
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Doris Day: The Untold Story of the Girl Next Door by David Kaufman Takes an intimate look at the life and career of the singer and actress whose image was of “the girl next door.” Catalog Link |
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The Diana Chronicles by Tina Brown A portrait of the late Princess Diana examines her relationships with the various women in her life, including her sexually charged mother, scheming grandmother, hated stepmother, competitive sisters, and the “other woman,” Camilla Parker Bowles. Catalog Link |
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Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson A narrative portrait based on the complete body of Einstein’s papers offers insight into his contributions to science, in an account that describes the influence of his discoveries on his personal views about morality, politics, and tolerance. Catalog Link |
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Gandhi & Churchill: The Epic Rivalry that Destroyed an Empire and Forged Our Age by Arthur Herman A dual portrait of Winston Churchill and Mahatma Gandhi describes their forty-year struggle against each other for the future of Indian independence, detailing their influence on each other, as well as their lasting legacy for the British empire. Catalog Link |
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Hershey: Milton S. Hershey's Extraordinary Life of Wealth, Empire, and Utopian Dreams by Michael D'Antonio Examines the life and achievements of the head of the chocolate factory empire, describing his fatherless upbringing by a strict Mennonite mother, his failures with two early candy companies, and his construction of the utopian Hershey village. Catalog Link |
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Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee by Charles J. Shields Explores the life and literary career of Harper Lee, the woman behind the creation of To Kill a Mockingbird, describing her struggle to create her famed novel, and her contributions to her lifelong friend Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood. Catalog Link |
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Pistol: The Life of Pete Maravich by Mark Kriegel Recounts the life and achievements of the troubled 1970s basketball star, from his relationship with his obsessive father and unbroken college scoring record to the personal demons that challenged his life and his evangelical Christian faith. Catalog Link |
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Willie Nelson: An Epic Life by Joe Nick Patoski Traces the rise of the iconic country-music artist from humble Depression-era roots to one of the genre’s most famous figures. Catalog Link |
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Somewhere in Heaven: The Remarkable Love Story of Dana and Christopher Reeve by Christopher Andersen Traces the inspirational story of the late celebrity couple’s early marriage, describing their passionate shared years prior to Christopher’s paralyzing accident as based on interviews with people who knew them best. Catalog Link |
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FDR by Jean Edward Smith Presents a multi-faceted study of the complex American president, detailing his diverse roles as commander-in-chief, leader of a social revolution, and statesman, and exploring his personal life and the physical disabilities that he hid from the general public. Catalog Link |
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Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography by David Michaelis A heavily researched portrait of the late creator of the “Peanuts” strip evaluates how his career was shaped by his midwestern working-class origins, family losses, and wartime experiences, offering insight into how familiar storylines closely reflected Schulz’s private life. Catalog Link |
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Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare by Stephen Greenblatt A portrait of Elizabethan England and how it contributed to the making of William Shakespeare discusses how he moved to London lacking money, connections, and a formal education and rose to became his age’s foremost playwright. Catalog Link |
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Edith Wharton by Hermione Lee A critical biography of one of America’s greatest writers describes Wharton’s adventure-filled travels in Europe, the literary and artistic circles in which she lived and worked, her heroism during World War I, and the evolution of her writing. Catalog Link |
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Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery by Eric Metaxas Traces the life story of England’s foremost abolitionist, from the religious conversion in 1784 that led to his life of activism, to his twenty-year fight to abolish the British slave trade, to his successful role in ending slavery in the British colonies. Catalog Link |