Non Fiction Book Recommendations

If you are someone who loves to read about other peoples stories, these book recommendations are sure to scratch that itch. Read on to see what biography books you should pick up this month!

Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography by Rob Lowe

A wryly funny and surprisingly moving account of an extraordinary life lived almost entirely in the public eye. A teen idol at fifteen, an international icon and founder of the Brat Pack at twenty, and one of Hollywood's top stars to this day, Rob Lowe chronicles his experiences as a painfully misunderstood child actor in Ohio uprooted to the wild counterculture of mid-seventies Malibu, where he embarked on his unrelenting pursuit of a career in Hollywood. The Outsiders placed Lowe at the birth of the modern youth movement in the entertainment industry. During his time on The West Wing, he witnessed the surreal nexus of show business and politics both on the set and in the actual White House. And in between are deft and humorous stories of the wild excesses that marked the eighties, leading to his quest for family and sobriety. Never mean-spirited or salacious, Lowe delivers unexpected glimpses into his successes, disappointments, relationships, and one-of-a-kind encounters with people who shaped our world over the last twenty-five years. These stories are as entertaining as they are unforgettable.

Salt In My Soul An Unfinished Life by Mallory Smith

The diaries of a remarkable young woman who was determined to live a meaningful and happy life despite her struggle with cystic fibrosis and a rare superbug--from age fifteen to her death at the age of twenty-five "Captures the heartbreaking beauty of being alive." --Beck Dorey-Stein, New York Times bestselling author of From the Corner of the Oval Diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at the age of three, Mallory Smith grew up to be a determined, talented young woman who inspired others even as she privately raged against her illness. Despite the daily challenges of endless medical treatments and a deep understanding that she'd never lead a normal life, Mallory was determined to "Live Happy," a mantra she followed until her death. Mallory worked hard to make the most out of the limited time she had, graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford University, becoming a cystic fibrosis advocate well known in the CF community, and embarking on a career as a professional writer. Along the way, she cultivated countless intimate friendships and ultimately found love. For more than ten years, Mallory recorded her thoughts and observations about struggles and feelings too personal to share during her life, leaving instructions for her mother to publish her work posthumously. She hoped that her writing would offer insight to those living with, or loving someone with, chronic illness. What emerges is a powerful and inspiring portrait of a brave young woman and blossoming writer who did not allow herself to be defined by disease. Her words offer comfort and hope to readers, even as she herself was facing death. Salt in My Soul is a beautifully crafted, intimate, and poignant tribute to a short life well lived--and a call for all of us to embrace our own lives as fully as possible. Advance praise for Salt in My Soul "This is a deeply moving book full of wisdom about health, life, and love--and about the importance of finding happiness wherever and whenever we can. It broke my heart but also inspired me to make the most of every day."--Will Schwalbe, New York Times bestselling author of The End of Your Life Book Club "A beautiful, brave, unsparingly insightful account of a courageous girl who becomes a woman warrior and fights for her life while living it fully."--Eric Lax, author of The Mold in Dr. Florey's Coat

The Color of Water by James McBride

Who is Ruth McBride Jordan? A self-declared "light-skinned" woman evasive about her ethnicity, yet steadfast in her   love for her twelve black children. James McBride, journalist, musician, and son, explores his mother's past, as well   as his own upbringing and heritage, in a poignant and powerful debut, The Color Of Water: A Black Man's Tribute   to His White Mother.   The son of a black minister and a woman who would not admit she was white, James McBride grew up in   "orchestrated chaos" with his eleven siblings in the poor, all-black projects of Red Hook, Brooklyn. "Mommy," a   fiercely protective woman with "dark eyes full of pep and fire," herded her brood to Manhattan's free cultural events,   sent them off on buses to the best (and mainly Jewish) schools, demanded good grades, and commanded respect.   As a young man, McBride saw his mother as a source of embarrassment, worry, and confusion—and reached thirty   before he began to discover the truth about her early life and long-buried pain.   In The Color of Water, McBride retraces his mother's footsteps and, through her searing and spirited voice, recreates   her remarkable story. The daughter of a failed itinerant Orthodox rabbi, she was born Rachel Shilsky (actually Ruchel   Dwara Zylska) in Poland on April 1, 1921. Fleeing pogroms, her family emigrated to America and ultimately settled   in Suffolk, Virginia, a small town where anti-Semitism and racial tensions ran high. With candor and immediacy,   Ruth describes her parents' loveless marriage; her fragile, handicapped mother; her cruel, sexually-abusive father;   and the rest of the family and life she abandoned.   At seventeen, after fleeing Virginia and settling in New York City, Ruth married a black minister and founded the all-  black New Brown Memorial Baptist Church in her Red Hook living room. "God is the color of water," Ruth McBride   taught her children, firmly convinced that life's blessings and life's values transcend race. Twice widowed, and   continually confronting overwhelming adversity and racism, Ruth's determination, drive and discipline saw her dozen   children through college—and most through graduate school. At age 65, she herself received a degree in social   work from Temple University.   Interspersed throughout his mother's compelling narrative, McBride shares candid recollections of his own   experiences as a mixed-race child of poverty, his flirtations with drugs and violence, and his eventual self-  realization and professional success. The Color of Water touches readers of all colors as a vivid portrait of growing   up, a haunting meditation on race and identity, and a lyrical valentine to a mother from her son.

I Am Murdered by Bruce Chadwick

"A good story, well told, of a sliver of life in Richmond, a small, elite-driven capital city in the young nation's most influential state."—Publishers WeeklyGeorge Wythe clung to the mahogany banister as he inched down the staircase of his comfortable Richmond, Virginia, home. Doubled over in agony, he stumbled to the kitchen in search of help. There he found his maid, Lydia Broadnax, and his young protegé, Michael Brown, who were also writhing in distress. Hours later, when help arrived, Wythe was quick to tell anyone who would listen, "I am murdered." Over the next two weeks, as Wythe suffered a long and painful death, insults would be added to his mortal injury.I Am Murdered tells the bizarre true story of Wythe's death and the subsequent trial of his grandnephew and namesake, George Wythe Sweeney, for the crime—unquestionably the most sensational and talked-about court case of the era. Hinging on hit-and-miss forensics, the unreliability of medical autopsies, the prevalence of poisoning, race relations, slavery, and the law, Sweeney's trial serves as a window into early nineteenth- century America. Its particular focus is on Richmond, part elegant state capital and part chaotic boomtown riddled with vice, opportunism, and crime.As Wythe lay dying, his doctors insisted that he had not been poisoned, and Sweeney had the nerve to beg him for bail money. In I Am Murdered, this signer of the Declaration of Independence, mentor to Thomas Jefferson, and "Father of American Jurisprudence" finally gets the justice he deserved.