The Best Biographies & Memoirs of January 2018

All-American Murder: The Rise and Fall of Aaron Hernandez, the Superstar Whose Life Ended on Murderer’s Row, by James Patterson and Alex Abramovich with Mike Harvkey
One of the most shocking and sad sports stories of the past five years, the murder conviction and subsequent suicide of NFL superstar Aaron Hernandez left sports fans reeling. A young man who seemed to have it all was implicated in multiple killings, and thriller writer Patterson and company promise a thorough and unvarnished true-crime look at the real Hernandez, with accounts from those who knew him, a look at his hometown, and an account of his final days.

When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir, by Patrisse Khan-Cullors and asha bandele
Advocate, artist, and queer activist Patrisse Cullors was one of the principal founders of the Black Lives Matter movement following the 2013 acquittal of George Zimmerman for the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. It’s hard to overstate the influence that movement has had on our culture in the years since, both as inspiration and flashpoint. She’s joined by author and fellow activist asha bandele to tell her personal story of BLM and to talk about the culture that necessitated it.

Tell Me More: Stories About the 12 Hardest Things I’m Learning to Say, by Kelly Corrigan
Corrigan structures a series of essays around some of the seemingly simple words and phrases that serve as gateways and barriers to communication. In her human and self-deprecating style, she examine the power of saying “no,” or “I don’t know,” or even “I was wrong.” If there’s ever been a need to think thoughtfully and compassionately about the ways in which we communicate, it’s now.

The Monk of Mokha, by Dave Eggers
McSweeney’s founder Eggers tells the true story of Mokhtar Alkhanshali, a San Franciscan child of Yemeni immigrants who became fascinated with Yemen’s rich history of coffee production. Traveling to his parent’s homeland, he became a student of coffee, visiting farms all of the country to collect samples and discover new means of cultivation with a goal of restoring a proud tradition and global market for Yemeni coffee. It was going well until 2015, when the Yemeni civil war broke out overnight, forcing Alkhanshali to attempt a daring escape. Those are just a few of the many layers to a fascinating true story.

BRAVE, by Rose McGowan
McGowan was born to members of the notorious Children of God cult before running away as a teenager and finding her way to Hollywood, where she quickly discovered that the sexism and exploitation of celebrity culture was a cult of its own. She’s been inspiration and provocateur ever since, unapologetically and controversially speaking her mind about Hollywood and her life as a female star. In the wake of her recent revelations about her abuse at the hands of Harvey Weinstein comes this frank memoir, which pulls no punches, and then some.

Single State of Mind, by Andi Dorfman
Bachelorette star Dorfman is back with a new memoir of life as a single celebrity in New York, pulling back the curtain on living as a reality star as well going behind the scenes on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. Described as a real-life Sex and the City, Dorfman’s book has everything that her legions of fans crave.

Jackie, Janet & Lee: The Secret Lives of Janet Auchincloss and Her Daughters Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Lee Radziwill, by J. Randy Taraborrelli
There are plenty of biographies about Jackie Kennedy Onassis, mostly centered around her marriages to JFK and Aristotle Onassis and her extraordinary and tragic term as First Lady. Taraborelli’s book shifts the focus to the family, particularly the mother who taught Jackie and her sister Lee to walk in the most rarified circles. A socialite, a First Lady, and a princess, these three women walked the corridors of power in the 20th century.
Whose story intrigues you most?