Memoirs of Interesting Lives Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl: A Memoir Carrie Brownstein, the creator, writer and co-star of the Emmy-nominated television show Portlandia, first became widely known as the guitarist and vocalist for the feminist punk rock band Sleater-Kinney (named after a road in a town near Olympia, Washington). But before she became a music icon, as she relates in her candid, smart memoir, she was an isolated young girl growing up in a troubled, nominally Jewish family in the Pacific Northwest, who dreamed that music would give her the means to reinvent herself and find a place in the world. In deft prose, Brownstein relates the story of the band’s birth, the making of its albums, the difficulties of touring and other aspects of the musician’s life. The band broke up in 2006 and came back together in in 2012. In performing, Brownstein ultimately finds her true calling: “That music really did feel like a cloak,” she writes. “And slowly I could wear that cloak—that confidence—in other settings, in conversations, at dinner parties or events, in school… It took a very long time to catch up with my performer self, to draw from that strength.” (Riverhead Books)
My Journey “Anyone can dress a beautiful girl. They look great in everything. But to dress a woman, a true peer, who wants to look fabulous, sexy, confident, and still age-appropriate, was an accomplishment,” writes Donna Karan. In her candid new memoir, the iconic designer writes about the birth of her eponymous clothing line, which showed working women that femininity and professionalism weren't mutually exclusive. But she also tells the rest of the story: Of her parents who worked in the fashion industry; her mother’s rages and mood swings; her turbulent romantic life; and her growth from neurotic girl and unseasoned intern to the lead designer at prestigious label Ann Klein. She also describes the personal awakening that led her – a non-practicing Jew and self-described “seeker” – to explore Eastern traditions and kabbalah; and the experience of “letting go” earlier this year of her role as lead designer at DKNY. The book is peppered with the names of Karan's many friends: Barbra Streisand, one of Karan's best friends, writes the memoir’s introduction, and former President Bill Clinton writes one of the book’s blurbs. (Ballantine Books)
Stolen Legacy While stories have surfaced from time to time in recent years about cases of art restitution from the Holocaust era, one doesn’t hear often about property restitution, especially a prominent property located in what was the eastern sector of Berlin. That’s what makes the story Dina Gold relates in her new book so interesting and unusual. Gold grew up hearing her grandmother Nellie talk about the family’s six story building, covering a whole block, that once served as headquarters for the H. Wolff Fur Company, one of the largest in Germany in the early part of the 20th century. Driven by a “belief that a Nazi theft should not be allowed to stand,” Gold, a journalist and mother of three, undertook a six-year campaign to obtain justice. Along the way, she uncovered her family’s history and learned about collusion between the Nazis and the insurance company that held the mortgage on the building. She ultimately wins a substantial settlement for her mother and other family members. Ambassador Stuart E. Eisenstat, who has been deeply involved in Holocaust justice issues, wrote the introduction to the book. (Ankerwycke)
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