Cranston Public Library

All narrative writing must pull from the raw material of life a tale that will shape experience, transform event, deliver a bit of wisdom. In a story or a novel the "I" who tells this tale can be, and often is, an unreliable narrator, but in nonfiction the reader must always be persuaded that the narrator is speaking truth. How does one pull from one's own boring, agitated self the reliable narrator who will tell the story that needs to be told? Using...

"The forgotten story of a pioneering group of five Black ballerinas, the first principals in the Dance Theater of Harlem, who traveled the world as highly celebrated stars in their field and whose legacy was erased from history until now. At the height of the Civil Rights movement, Lydia Abarça was a Black prima ballerina with a major international dance company-the Dance Theater of Harlem. She was the first Black ballerina on the cover of Dance...

Elmer Kelton writes of his boyhood in the sandhills of West Texas. The sons of Buck Kelton, a respected third-generation cowboy and ranch foreman, were expected to follow in Buck's footsteps, but Elmer strayed. Never much of a horseman, nor adept at the cowboy's trade, he went off to college and then into journalism and novel writing -- a good career choice, as it turned out.

"With emotions like fear, guilt and empathy eluding her, the author, trying to replace the nothingness with something, realizes, after connecting with an old flame, if she's capable of love, it must mean she isn't a monster and sets out to prove the millions of Americans who share her diagnosis aren't all monsters either."--

"The long-awaited memoir, generously illustrated with never-before-seen photos, from the iconic Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Rush bassist, and bestselling author of Geddy Lee's Big Beautiful Book of Bass. Geddy Lee is one of rock and roll's most respected bassists. For nearly five decades, his playing and work as co-writer, vocalist and keyboardist has been an essential part of the success story of Canadian progressive rock trio Rush. Here for the...

"In this candid and riveting memoir, for the first time ever, Nike founder and CEO Phil Knight shares the inside story of the company's early days as an intrepid start-up and its evolution into one of the world's most iconic, game-changing, and profitable brands. In 1962, fresh out of business school, Phil Knight borrowed $50 from his father and created a company with a simple mission: import high-quality, low-cost athletic shoes from Japan. Selling...

"Forgotten on the outskirts of quaint Lenape Hollow, Feldman's Catskill Resort Hotel has outlasted its heyday as a popular tourist destination and now awaits demolition. But once Mikki is hired to edit a revealing memoir by Sunny Feldman, the last living relative of its original owners, the doomed resort quickly ends up back in the spotlight...Unfortunately, everyone's attention shifts to Mikki when a body is discovered at the demolition site. Seen...

"This is a true love story, but the kind about a woman loving herself enough to change the course of her life for herself, her child, and the women after her as well as before. From pasties to postpartum depression, Ain't That a Mother is not your average motherhood memoir--and Adiba is not your average mother. The in-between moments and the self-revelations are where this bold and brilliant story of love, family secrets, and lots of "what the...?"...