Biographies - December 2007
 Alice Waters & Chez Panisse: The Romantic, Impractical, Often Eccentric, Ultimately Brilliant Making of a Food Revolution
by Thomas McNamee (921 WATERS, ALICE)
Not so long ago it was nearly impossible to find a cappuccino or a croissant in this country, most people had no idea what "organic" food was, and even fewer thought about "sustainable farming." But in 1971, in Berkeley, a young Francophile opened a small restaurant for her friends and launched an entirely new way of thinking about food in America.
 Don’t Hassel the Hoff: The Autobiography
by David Hasslehoff (921 HASSLEHOFF, DAVID)
This remarkably entertaining memoir by the legendary and multi-talented star of the megahit television show America’s Got Talent will have fans jumping for joy in their tight red Baywatch swimsuits.
 How to Hepburn: Lessons on Living from Kate the Great
By Karen Karbo (921 HEPBURN, KATHARINE)
This witty, provocative gem is full of no-nonsense Hepburn-style commentary on subjects such as: making denial work for you; the importance of being brash, facing fear, and always having an aviator in your life; learning why and how to lie; the benefits of discretion; making the most of a dysfunctional relationship; and the power of forgiving your parents.
 Joan: The Mysterious Life of the Heretic Who Became a Saint
By Donald Spoto (921 JOAN, OF ARC, SAINT)
During the tumultuous Hundred Years’ War between England and France, a teenage peasant girl followed her heart and helped save a nation. A vision from God, received in her parents’ garden, instructed her to take up arms and help restore the kingdom of France.
 About Alice
By Calvin Trillin (921 TRILLIN, ALICE)
In Calvin Trillin’s antic tales of family life, she was portrayed as the wife who had "a weird predilection for limiting our family to three meals a day" and the mother who thought that if you didn’t go to every performance of your child’s school play, "the county would come and take the child." Now, five years after her death, her husband offers this loving portrait of Alice Trillin off the page.
 Hugo Chavez: Venezuelan President and Provocateur
by Cristina Marcano (921 CHAVEZ, HUGO)
Born in a small town, Chavez entered the military academy and was drawn to leftist politics and a new sense of himself as predestined to change the fortunes of his country and of Latin America. By day a family man and a military officer, by night he secretly recruited insurgents to overthrow the government. His coup attempt failed, but laid the groundwork for his ascension to the presidency eight years later.
 Grace (eventually): Thoughts on Faith
By Anne Lamott (921 LAMOTT, ANNE)
The sharp, funny, and heartfelt follow-up to her bestselling Plan B, Anne Lamott’s newest collection is a personal exploration of the faith and grace all around us.
 Beatrix Potter, a Life in Nature
By Linda Lear (921 POTTER, BEATRIX)
In Linda Lear’s enchanting new biography, we get the life story of this incredible, funny, and independent woman. As one of the first female naturalists in the world, Potter brought the beauty and importance of nature back into the imagination at a time when plunder was more popular than preservation.
 Kofi Annan: A Man of Peace in a World of War
By Stanley Meisler (921 ANNAN, KOFI)
Stanley Meisler, an old and steady hand at the U.N., has written a readable, wise, balanced, and most thoughtful biography of Secretary-General Kofi Annan. The focus is on his victories and defeats as secretary-general and on his problems and challenges and how he faced them.
 Becoming Judy Chicago: A Biography of the Artist
By Gail Levin (921 CHICAGO, JUDY)
Born to Jewish radical parents in Chicago in 1939, Judy Cohen grew up to be Judy Chicago—one of the most daring and controversial artists of her generation. Her works, once disparaged and misunderstood by the critics, have become icons of the feminist movement, earning her a place among the most influential artists of her time.
 Prisoner of Tehran: A Memoir
By Marina Nemat (921 NEMAT, MARINA)
In January 1982, Marina Nemat, then just sixteen years old, was arrested, tortured, and sentenced to death for political crimes. Until then, her life in Tehran had centered around school, summer parties at the lake, and her crush on Andre, the young man she had met at church. But when math and history were subordinated to the study of the Koran and political propaganda, Marina protested. Her teacher replied, "If you don’t like it, leave." She did, and, to her surprise, other students followed.
 The Last Mrs. Astor: A New York Story
By Frances Kiernan (921 ASTOR, BROOKE)
The fabulous life of Brooke Astor, a pioneer of philanthropy and for decades a luminary of New York society. After a disastrous early marriage, Brooke Astor wedded the notoriously ill-tempered Vincent Astor, who died in 1959. In a highly publicized courtroom battle, Brooke fought off an attempt to break Vincent’s will, which left some $67 million to the Vincent Astor Foundation. As the foundation’s president, Brooke would use this legacy to benefit New York, where the Astor fortune had been made.
 Redemption Song: The Ballad of Joe Strummer
By Chris Salewicz (921 STRUMMER, JOE)
The Clash was—and still is—one of the most important groups of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Joe Strummer was the Clash’s front man, a rock-and-roll hero seen by many as the personification of outlaw integrity and street cool. The political heart of the Clash, Strummer synthesized gritty toughness and poetic sensitivity in a manner that still resonates with listeners, and his untimely death in December 2002 shook the world, further solidifying his iconic status.
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