Copies of the following nonfiction titles were recently delivered to most branches of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System, including the Peachtree and Ponce branches. If a title you’re interested in isn’t available when you visit, we invite you to place a Hold on that title so we can deliver the next available copy for you to pick up at the branch most convenient to you. Titles are listed here in alphabetical order by the author’s name. They are shelved at the library, however, according to the Dewey Decimal number indicating the book’s subject, or, in the case of biographies, under the last name of the book’s subject.
Idea Man (Paul Allen) – The co-founder of Microsoft looks back at the career and the company that has made him a billionaire philanthropist (including a $22 million endowment for the Seattle Library’s collections, in memory of how much the library meant to him as a kid).
Righteous Indignation: Excuse Me While I Save the World (Andrew Breitbart) – The conservative activist explains why he does what he does.
This Life Is in Your Hands (Melissa Coleman) – In 1968, Eliot and Sue Coleman decided to live the hippie dream of to getting back to the land. They bought 60 acres inMaine, close to Helen and Scott Nearing, whose book Living the Good Life encouraged many to try homesteading. As with so many utopian attempts, the many good times eventually were overwhelmed by harsh realities – in this case, the accidental drowning of a child. Their daughter Melissa’s well-received memoir of her childhood in this experiment is frank in describing not only the idyllic parts but the ways in which the ideals weren’t enough to stand up to tragedy.
A Covert Affair: Julia Child and Paul Child in the OSS (Jennet Conant) – We know Child as the iconic French Chef, but the zest for life that was so evident in her approach to food showed up long before the culinary chapter in her life. At age 30, she joined the ranks of the talented civilians recruited by William Donovan to carry out espionage during World War II; Julia was assigned toSoutheast Asia. Conant describes the glamour and intrigue of those days, not just for Julia, but for the other amateur spies caught up in the adventure of a lifetime.
The Best Advice I Ever Got: Lessons from Extraordinary Lives (Katie Couric) – The news anchor presents celebrity stories of life lessons.
Jeannie Out of the Bottle (Barbara Eden) – One of the most popular 1960’s TV series was about a genie (in a controversial harem outfit) & the astronaut she serves (Larry Hagman). Find out what their working relationship was really like and whichHollywood leading men were chasing her.
Concierge Confidential (Michael Fazio) – Behind all the celebrity carryings-on that fill the gossip pages are the staff who help those celebrities maintain that lifestyle. Fazio began as a personal assistant inHollywood, then went on to become the concierge at one ofNew York’s posh hotels. He dishes some dirt on what he’s seen as well as tips on achieving at least some of the perks of the rich and famous.
Bossypants (Tina Fey) –Recognized as one of the best of the current crop of comedy writers in TV and movies (she was awarded the Mark Twain prize for American Humor in 2010), Fey is a self proclaimed (with a wink) “member of the cultural elite.” In this amusing autobiography, she describes her family, friends and her rise in the entertainment industry.
Plastic: A Toxic Love Story (Susan Freinkel) – A material that didn’t even exist a century agois now so completely (and literally) the fabric of our lives that it might be impossible to do without it. Freinkel’s observations on the history of plastic and the part it occupies in our material world – for both good (plastic combs meant the end of using tortoises and ivory for combs, thereby taking away a threat to two species) and bad – the potential toxicity of plastics – make this a fascinating read.
How to Get Out of Your Own Way (Tyrese Gibson) – The popular performer pens an inspirational book, containing life lessons for an audience slightly older than those for Harper Hill’s Letters to a Young…Brother/Sister and slightly younger than those for Steve Harvey’s books. Gibson tells his readers how to stop “blocking their own blessings.”
1861: The Civil War Awakening (Adam Goodheart) – This year marks the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the war that nearly tore theUnion apart. Goodheart’s examination of how it all began is an excellent way to mark the anniversary.
Ice: A Memoir of Gangster Life and Redemption – from South Central to Hollywood (Ice-T) – By 12, Tracy Marrow was orphaned, and transplanted fromNew Jersey to south centralLos Angeles to live with relatives. He did a stint in the army but gang culture claimed him, and his fledgling criminal career was ended only when he discovered rap. His huge success in music led to film and eventually a long-running TV series. Here he recounts his experiences in all the wildly different cultures he which he found a home.
All that is Bitter & Sweet (Ashley Judd) – Judd’s memoir has been in the news recently for its description of childhood abandonment and several episodes of sexual abuse. She also covers her experience with sobriety and her humanitarian work.
I’m Over All That and Other Confessions (Shirley MacLaine) – MacLaine lets us in on her opinions about everything.
Malcom X: a Life Remembered (Manning Marable) – Ironically, Dr. Marable died two days before the release of this, his “life’s work.” Backed by 20 years of solid research, this reevaluation of Malcolm’s life brings fresh insights to many subjects. The late historian had access to materials, such as three missing chapters of the Autobiography of Malcolm X, which show the iconic leader in a very different light.
The Bond: Our Kinship with Animals, Our Call to Defend Them (Wayne Pacelle) – The president of the Humane Society of the United States writes about the roles of animals, both wild and domestic, in our lives – and how we betray them.
Liberty Defined: 50 Essential Issues that Affect Our Freedom (Ron Paul) – Libertarian congressman (and former presidential candidate) Paul gives his take on topics from Abortion to Zionism.
Treasures from the Attic: The Extraordinary Story of Anne Frank’s Family (Mirjam Pressler) – When Helene Frank, aunt of Anne Frank, died, her family members found a treasure trove of letters and documents pertaining to the Frank family. Just to read the family letters as they begin to understand how many of them have died in places like Theresienstadt & Birkenau suggests the horror of the Holocaust.
Fail Up (Tavis Smiley) – Smiley draws on his own experiences to show how growing through failure is the way to success.
Tangled Web: How False Statements are Undermining America…(James B. Stewart) – It seems that almost every day the news brings sad tidings of a new example of plagiarism, cheating, or flagrant dishonesty by those we should be able to trust. Financial journalist Stewart takes a look at some famous examples of the phenomenon (Martha Stewart, Bernie Madoff) and tells why it matters to us all.
The Strawberry Letter (Shirley Strawberry) – Strawberry, co-host of the “Steve Harvey Morning Show”, gives advice on relationships and achieving personal goals.
Multiple copies of the following novels were recently shipped to most branch libraries of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System, including the Peachtree and Ponce branches. 
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