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"In Hollywood, brides keep the bouquets and throw away the groom."

~ Groucho Marx (1890-1977), American humorist

New and Recently Released!

The Good Spy: The Life and Death of Robert

Ames

by Kai Bird

In The Good Spy, author Kai Bird builds a comprehensive profile of

CIA intelligence officer Robert Ames, who died in 1983 when the

American Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, was bombed. Ames

specialized in Arabic language and Arab history and politics,

becoming a recognized expert who served as a key policy advisor to

U.S. decision makers. Committed to finding solutions to the Israeli-

Palestinian conflict and other sources of unrest in the Middle East,

Ames emphasized fact-finding and rational policy analysis despite

American partisan political pressures and decreasing stability in

Lebanon and Iran. This absorbing portrait of a family man and

dedicated professional also offers a compelling account of the

region's history up to 1983.

Postcards from Cookie: A Memoir of

Motherhood, Miracles, and a Whole... by Caroline Clarke

Business journalist Caroline Clarke grew up in a happy, supportive

family as the adopted daughter of educators with large extended

families. As an adult, Caroline needed details about her genetic

background for medical reasons, so she requested information

about her origins from the adoption agency. In Postcards from

Cookie, Caroline relates the series of surprising discoveries that

led her to her birth mother, Cookie, Nat King Cole's adopted

daughter. This "captivating memoir" (Kirkus Reviews) also details

Biography and MemoirJune 2014

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the family history that pressured Cookie to give up her daughter for

adoption and the unexpectedly passionate relationship that

developed between birth mother and daughter.

I Don't Know What You Know Me From:

Confessions of a Co-Star

by Judy Greer

A successful actress with numerous television and motion picture

roles to her credit, Judy Greer grew up in Michigan, where her

supportive parents encouraged her acting and ballet ambitions. In

this entertaining memoir, Greer provides glimpses into her

childhood and youth, her Hollywood career, and other aspects of

her life in a series of engaging essays. With humor and humility,

she describes interactions with fans and various surprising,

disappointing, and joyful experiences -- such as her Academy

Awards appearance for The Descendants, when her dress

unraveled. Leaving out the celebrity secrets often found in showbiz

memoirs, I Don't Know What You Know Me From provides an

engaging self-portrait of a working woman's life.

Supreme Commander: MacArthur's Triumph in

Japan

by Seymour Morris, Jr.

General Douglas MacArthur commanded the U.S. forces in the

Pacific during World War II. At the end of the war, President Harry

Truman appointed MacArthur to oversee the U.S. occupation of

Japan; MacArthur directed changes that induced Emperor Hirohito

to help his country move away from its militant culture to a more

peaceful and egalitarian society. Supreme Commander examines

MacArthur's postwar accomplishments in managing war crimes

trials, rehabilitating Japan's starving civilian population, defending

the country against Russian advances, and rewriting the Japanese

constitution. For another recent book on MacArthur, read Mark

Perry's The Most Dangerous Man in America, which covers his

whole career.

Struck by Genius: How a Brain Injury Made Me

a Mathematical Marvel by Jason Padgett and Maureen Seaberg

Before he was violently mugged outside a bar in Tacoma,

Washington, salesman Jason Padgett was devoted to body-

building and partying. He had no interest in mathematics. After the

traumatic brain injury (TBI) inflicted during the mugging, he

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experienced pain, confusion, and a desire for solitude -- and

discovered that he had both synesthesia and savant-like

mathematical abilities. Determined to understand his condition, he

studied medical literature about the brain as well as drawing the

amazing geometric forms he saw in his surroundings. Eventually, it

became clear that his TBI had caused neurological changes. This

enthralling memoir provides intriguing evidence that "we all

possess an inherent type of genius" (Publishers Weekly).

Focus on: Hollywood

The Guttenberg Bible: A Memoir

by Steve Guttenberg

Film star Steve Guttenberg opens this memoir of the first decade of

his career by describing how he sneaked onto the Paramount

Studios lot and rigged up an illicit private office, complete with

telephone, giving him access to the world of Hollywood. He

also recounts his early rejection by an agent, which was followed by

winning minor parts, then working his way up to significant roles in

box-office hits such as Cocoon and Three Men and a Baby.

Whether you're a fan of Hollywood biographies or someone who

enjoys humorous, good-natured memoirs, you'll find this an

entertaining and informative book.

Pauline Kael: A Life in the Dark

by Brian Kellow

For over two decades, from the 1960s to the early 1990s, Pauline

Kael handed down the definitive word on Hollywood films through

her reviews in The New Yorker. Biographer Brian Kellow relates

how Kael developed a love for movies, learned the art of criticism,

and eventually achieved the distinction of writing critiques that were

both eagerly anticipated by moviegoers and feared by film

producers. Sometimes controversial and always incisive, Kael was

a masterful writer. Kellow takes advantage of her skill by quoting

extensively from her best-known reviews (including those of Bonnie

and Clyde, Jaws, and Star Wars) while identifying the major

influences and inspirations in her career. Kirkus Reviews says, "this

bio is a page-turner."

Hollywood: A Third Memoir

by Larry McMurtry

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From Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and screenwriter Larry McMurtry

comes this memoir about his experiences in the film industry,

including winning an Oscar for the screenplay he co-wrote of

Brokeback Mountain. Hollywood includes stories of McMurtry's

interactions with celebrities past and present, but it also

incorporates more unusual reflections on the role of a writer in

Hollywood. Fans of both McMurtry and Tinseltown will appreciate

their intersection in this unique memoir from one of America's most

renowned writers. This is the 3rd in McMurtry's trilogy of memoirs;

though the first two don't discuss his film-related writing, you might

want to pick up Books and Literary Life.

Stuntman! My Car-Crashing, Plane-Jumping,

Bone-Breaking, Death-Defying... by Hal Needham

Hollywood stuntman Hal Needham -- whose 40 years of stuntwork

earned him 56 broken bones -- was also one of the most financially

successful directors in the 1970s and early '80s. He's been married

three times, worked with stampeding horses, fast cars, and stars

like John Wayne, and is close friends with Burt Reynolds. From his

years bootlegging alcohol to using voodoo as a PR stunt to

anecdotes about working on Smokey and the Bandit (his directorial

debut and first box-office hit), this is a man who has tales to share,

and share them he does, "like a guy telling stories at a bar"

(Publishers Weekly).

Possessed: The Life of Joan Crawford

by Donald Spoto

In this "balanced and readable account" (Library Journal) of a

sometimes maligned film star, celebrity biographer Donald Spoto

explores the life of Joan Crawford. Drawing on her personal papers,

as well as previous biographical works, Spoto endeavors to

rehabilitate her reputation (damaged by her daughter Christina

Crawford's exposé in Mommie Dearest) and highlight her

professional and business achievements. From her impoverished

childhood to a dancing career on Broadway to Hollywood, Crawford

worked incredibly hard -- but also made a name for herself as a

self-absorbed diva. Bringing together different views of Crawford,

Possessed delivers a thoroughly researched appraisal of her life

and career, including her relationships with other film stars.

Contact your librarian for more great books!

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