Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: Recently in the Media: Biographies

Check out these new biographies that were recently featured in the media and are available at the Community Library!

Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography by Neil Patrick Harris

Special Deluxe: A Memoir of Life & Cars by Neil Young

Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography by Neil Patrick Harris

The Emmy Award-winning star of How I Met Your Mother shares his experiences as a child star, Broadway performer and father in an over-the-top, humorous account creatively designed in the style of the popular interactive adventure series. (Publisher Summary)

Special Deluxe: A Memoir of Life & Cars by Neil Young

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee traces his six-decade career through the cars he has owned, discussing how they are reflecting new understandings about the environmental impact of automobiles. (Publisher Summary)

Worthy Fights by Leon Pancetta

The man who led the intelligence war that killed Osama bin Laden traces a life of leadership in public service, from his tenure in Congress through his years as director of the CIA and Secretary of Defense. (Publisher Summary)

Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham
The creator and star of HBO's "Girls" documents her coming-of-age in and out of the spotlight, recounting her experiences with everything from dieting and embarrassing sex to dirty old men and performing in less-than-ideal conditions. (Publisher Summary)

Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

Genre: Adult Non-Fiction
Rating: 5 out of 5

"Being Mortal is about the limitations of what modern medicine can provide for people as their lives draw to a close. Gawande argues that the objective of medicine should not merely be treatment and survival; medical care should also ensure dignity in death and having control over one's final moments. He argues that instead of aggressively fighting the inescapable realities of aging, we should ask the hard questions of ourselves and our loved ones -- What makes life worth living? When should we try to extend our lives, and when should we choose a better quality of our remaining days over extending their quantity?

This book is difficult to read. Not because of the way Gawande writes -- his style is highly engaging, and he never lapses into excessively scientific jargon or overly simplistic explanations -- but because of the tough subject matter. Gawande draws on his own experiences as a doctor and peppers his book with honest and humane stories of his patients, friends, and family; the stories he tells make the book more accessible, and also more heartbreaking. (And that's not a bad thing.)

No one likes to think about their loved ones', or their own, impending mortality. But it's important to have these hard conversations, because as Gawande says, "endings matter." - Amanda

Recently in the Media: Biographies

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