Biography/Memoir Agent Josephine : American Beauty, French Hero, British Spy by Damien Lewis
available in July, hardcover, PublicAffairs
Prior to World War II, Baker was a singer and dancer, renowned for her beauty and sexuality; she was the most highly-paid female performer in Europe. When the Nazis seized her adopted city of Paris, she was banned from the stage. Yet, instead of returning to America, she vowed to stay and to fight the Nazi evil. Overnight she went from performer to Resistance spy. Drawing on a plethora of new historical material and rigorous research, including previously undisclosed letters and journals, Lewis upends the conventional story of Josephine Baker, revealing that her mark on history went far beyond the confines of the stage.
Normal Family : On Truth, Love, and How I Met My 35 Siblings
by Chrysta Bilton
available in July, hardcover, Little, Brown
Bilton’s magnetic, larger-than-life mother, Debra, yearned to have a child, but as a single gay woman in 1980s California, she had few options. One day she met a man and instantly knew he was the one she’d been looking for. But how much did Debra really know about the man she’d chosen to father her daughters? And as a single mother torn between ferocious independence and abject dependence, what secrets of her own was she keeping? It wasn’t until Chrysta was a young adult that she discovered just how much her parents had hidden from their daughters — and each other — including a shocking revelation with far-reaching consequences not only for Debra, Chrysta, and her sister, but for dozens and possibly hundreds of unsuspecting families across the country.
His Name is George Floyd :
One Man's Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice
by Robert Samuels, Toluse Olorunnipa available now, hardcover, Viking
A landmark biography by two prizewinning Washington Post reporters that reveals how systemic racism shaped George Floyd's life and legacy — from his family’s roots in the tobacco fields of North Carolina, to ongoing inequality in housing, education, health care, criminal justice, and policing — telling the singular story of how one man’s tragic experience brought about a global movement for change.
Mother Noise : A Memoir by Cindy House
available now, hardcover, Scribner
Cindy House is a recovering heroin addict with 20 years of sobriety. In her new memoir, she describes being torn between telling her young son about her past, weighing the harm it could do with being open and transparent about who she is. In essays and illustrations, House takes us through her years of use and sobriety in honest and spare language. It’s about mother love and how we navigate the ugly truths with our kids. –Claire
Tales of Al :
The Water Rescue Dog
by Lynne Cox
available now, hardcover, Knopf
The moving, inspiring story of Al, the ungainly, unruly, irresistible Newfoundland puppy who grows up to become a daring rescue dog and super athlete — part of Italy's elite, highly specialized corps of water rescue dogs who swoop out of helicopters and save lives.
Northwest First Nations
Where the Language Lives : Vi Hilbert and the Gift of Lushootseed by Janet Yoder
available now, paperback, Girl Friday Books
The life and work of Upper Skagit tribal elder Vi Hilbert, who, more than anyone, revitalized her native language—Lushootseed—and shared it and the culture it expresses with the world. Drawn from thirty years of friendship and interviews, Where the Language Lives is a tribute to Vi Hilbert’s life, work, and her quest to preserve her native language. Vi carried her culture by the example of her life as she shared her beloved Lushootseed language through her teaching, speaking, storytelling, recording, and publishing. Without her diligent research and her transcription and translation of early recordings in Lushootseed, much of the language could have been lost to the world.
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