Biographies

Emmanuel's dream : the true story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah book cover

Emmanuel's dream : the true story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah

Laurie Ann Thompson

jE Thompson
Biographies

Born in Ghana, West Africa, with one deformed leg, he was dismissed by most people--but not by his mother, who taught him to reach for his dreams. As a boy, Emmanuel hopped to school more than two miles each way, learned to play soccer, left home at age thirteen to provide for his family, and, eventually, became a cyclist. He rode an astonishing four hundred miles across Ghana in 2001, spreading his powerful message: disability is not inability. Today, Emmanuel continues to work on behalf of the disabled.

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Silent days, silent dreams book cover

Silent days, silent dreams

Allen Say

jE Say
Biographies

A fictionalized biography of James Castle, a deaf, autistic artist whose drawings hang in major museums throughout the world.

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I am not a label : 34 disabled artists, thinkers, athletes and activists from past and present book cover

I am not a label : 34 disabled artists, thinkers, athletes and activists from past and present

Cerrie Burnell

j305.9080922 Burnell
Biographies

This book brings together 34 disabled artists, thinkers, athletes and activists from past and present. Find out how these iconic figures have overcome obstacles, owned their differences and paved the way for others by making their bodies and minds work for them. These short biographies tell the stories of people who have faced unique challenges which have not stopped them from becoming trailblazers, innovators, advocates and makers. Each person is a leading figure in their field, be it sport, science, maths, art, breakdance or the world of pop. Challenge your preconceptions of disability and mental health with the eye-opening stories of these remarkable people.

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I am not a label : 34 disabled artists, thinkers, athletes and activists from past and present book cover

I am not a label : 34 disabled artists, thinkers, athletes and activists from past and present

Cerrie Burnell

j305.9080922 Burnell
Biographies

This book brings together 34 disabled artists, thinkers, athletes and activists from past and present. Find out how these iconic figures have overcome obstacles, owned their differences and paved the way for others by making their bodies and minds work for them. These short biographies tell the stories of people who have faced unique challenges which have not stopped them from becoming trailblazers, innovators, advocates and makers. Each person is a leading figure in their field, be it sport, science, maths, art, breakdance or the world of pop. Challenge your preconceptions of disability and mental health with the eye-opening stories of these remarkable people.

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Me & Patsy, kickin' up dust : my friendship with Patsy Cline book cover

Me & Patsy, kickin' up dust : my friendship with Patsy Cline

Loretta Lynn

781.642092 /Lynn
Biographies, Music

"Me & Patsy Kickin' Up Dust shares the 'important and inspiring' (Miranda Lambert) never-before-told complete story of the remarkable relationship between country music icons Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn. Loretta Lynn and the late Patsy Cline are legends--country icons and sisters of the heart. For the first time ever Loretta tells their story: a celebration of their music and their relationship up until Patsy's tragic and untimely death. Full of laughter and tears, this eye-opening, heartwarming memoir paints a picture of two stubborn, spirited country gals who'd be damned if they'd let men or convention tell them how to be. Set in the heady streets of the 1960s South, this nostalgia ride shows how Nashville blossomed into the city of music it is today. Tender and fierce, Me & Patsy Kickin' Up Dust is an up-close-and-personal portrait of a friendship that defined a generation and changed country music indelibly--and a meditation on love, loss and legacy"--Amazon.com.

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As a fan of Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline, and both the movies made about these women's lives, I was thrilled to finally get the full story of the friendship between these two incredible women. This book does not disappoint! I was enthralled with Loretta's honesty through her storytelling. and I could completely visualize their powerful friendship. A quick read that I completely enjoyed. -Mari

Hidden Valley Road : inside the mind of an American family book cover

Hidden Valley Road : inside the mind of an American family

Robert Kolker

616.890092 /Kolker
Health, Biographies

"Don and Mimi Galvin seemed to be living the American dream. After World War II, Don's work with the Air Force brought them to Colorado, where their twelve children perfectly spanned the baby boom: the oldest born in 1945, the youngest in 1965. In those years, there was an established script for a family like the Galvins--aspiration, hard work, upward mobility, domestic harmony--and they worked hard to play their parts. But behind the scenes was a different story: psychological breakdown, sudden shocking violence, hidden abuse. By the mid-1970s, six of the ten Galvin boys, one after the other, were diagnosed as schizophrenic. How could all this happen to one family? What took place inside the house on Hidden Valley Road was so extraordinary that the Galvins became one of the first families to be studied by the National Institutes of Mental Health. Their story offers a shadow history of the science of schizophrenia, from the era of institutionalization, lobotomy, and the schizophrenogenic mother, to the search for genetic markers for the disease, always amidst profound disagreements about the nature of the illness itself. And unbeknownst to the Galvins, samples of their DNA informed decades of genetic research that continues today, offering paths to treatment, prediction, and even eradication of the disease for future generations. With clarity and compassion, bestselling and award-winning author Robert Kolker uncovers one family's unforgettable legacy of suffering, love and hope"--

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I read this author's other book, Lost Girls, a A literary account of the lives and presumed serial killings of five Craigslist prostitutes. I was impressed by his level of detail, and this story follows suit. A fascinating dive into the genetics and behavioral proclivities of sufferers of schizophrenia, as well as a detailed history and exploration of the diagnosis and treatment of this disease. Fascinatingly enough, six of the ten boys in one large family, the Galvins, one after the other, were diagnosed as schizophrenic. This story is tragic and heartbreaking but provides some clarity into one of the most misunderstood diseases in existence. -Mari

Young, gifted and black : meet 52 black heroes from past and present book cover

Young, gifted and black : meet 52 black heroes from past and present

Jamia Wilson

jBIOGRAPHY 920.996 Wilson
Black Lives Matter, Kids, Nonfiction, Biographies

This book brings together 52 iconic talents from the past and present and celebrates their inspirational achievements. Meet figureheads, leaders and pioneers such as Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Rosa Parks, as well as cultural trailblazers and sporting heroes, including Stevie Wonder, Oprah Winfrey and Serena Williams.

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Little leaders : bold women in black history book cover

Little leaders : bold women in black history

Vashti Harrison

jBIOGRAPHY 920.996 Harrison
Black Lives Matter, Nonfiction, Kids, Biographies

Based on her popular Instagram posts, debut author/illustrator Vashti Harrison shares the stories of 40 bold African American women who shaped history.

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The fierce 44 : black Americans who shook up the world book cover

The fierce 44 : black Americans who shook up the world

jBIOGRAPHY 920.996 Fierce
Black Lives Matter, Kids, Biographies, Nonfiction

"A dynamic and hip collective biography that presents 44 of America's greatest movers and shakers from Frederick Douglass to Aretha Franklin to Barack Obama, written by ESPN's TheUndefeated.com and illustrated with dazzling portraits by Rob Ball."

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I, Matthew Henson : polar explorer book cover

I, Matthew Henson : polar explorer

Carole Boston Weatherford

jBIOGRAPHY Henson, Matthew Alexander
Black Lives Matter, Black History, Read Woke, Picture Books, Biographies

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