Staff Picks

A fascinating (if biased) biography about an incredible creative. If you grew up with the Muppets or Sesame Street and want to catch a glimpse of the man behind the curtain, this is the book for you.

 

Publisher's description: 

Jim Henson was a gentle dreamer whose genial bearded visage was recognized around the world, but most people got to know him only through the iconic characters he created: Kermit the Frog, Bert and Ernie, Miss Piggy, Big Bird. The Muppets made Jim Henson a household name, but they were just part of his remarkable story.

 

Find Jim Henson: The Biography in our online catalog.

Viola Davis vividly shares the childhood trauma alongside the moments of joy growing up in a tightly connected family experiencing extreme poverty. Education and discovering acting offered the teenage Davis new horizons. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook, which is read by the author.

 

Publisher's description: 

"In my book, you will meet a little girl named Viola who ran from her past until she made a life-changing decision to stop running forever. This is my story, from a crumbling apartment in Central Falls, Rhode Island, to the stage in New York City, and beyond. This is the path I took to finding my purpose but also my voice in a world that didn't always see me. As I wrote [this book], my eyes were open to the truth of how our stories are often not given close examination. We are forced to reinvent them to fit into a crazy, competitive, judgmental world. So I wrote this for anyone running through life untethered, desperate and clawing their way through murky memories, trying to get some form of self-love. For anyone who needs reminding that a life worth living can only be born from radical honesty and the courage to shed facades and be...you. 

 

I seldom read autobiographies, but Greenlights brings a refreshingly new take on this genre. Matthew McConaughey has kept diaries for thirty five of his fifty years. This is a beautiful, nonlinear tale full of humor, reflection, photos, scrapbook notes, and lyrical writing. "A green light is an affirmation, setting yourself up for success" and these can be simple, everyday actions or far-reaching, big picture decisions. The layout of this book is so creatively designed too; it's a visual treat as well as a fascinating read.

 

Publisher description: 

Drawing on the Academy Award-winning actor's journals and diaries from the last 40 years, this book presents a uniquely McConaughey approach to achieving success and satisfaction.

Find Greenlights in our online catalog.

Five stars for this well-researched and colloquially written book all about the life and (hidden) legacy of Milicent Patrick, designer for the Gill-man in Creature from the Black Lagoon. This book also dives into being female in the film biz during the 1950s and the gender inequality that persists to this day. I appreciate the author's funny footnotes and collection of Milicent Patrick photographs throughout the book. Highly recommend to classic sci-fi and horror fans!

 

Publisher Description:

The Lady from the Black Lagoon uncovers the life and work of Milicent Patrick--one of Disney's first female animators and the only woman in history to create one of Hollywood's classic movie monsters As a teenager, Mallory O'Meara was thrilled to discover that one of her favorite movies, Creature from the Black Lagoon, featured a monster designed by a woman, Milicent Patrick. But for someone who should have been hailed as a pioneer in the genre, there was little information available. For, as O'Meara soon discovered, Patrick's contribution had been claimed by a jealous male colleague, her career had been cut short and she soon after had disappeared from film history. No one even knew if she was still alive. As a young woman working in the horror film industry, O'Meara set out to right the wrong, and in the process discovered the full, fascinating story of an ambitious, artistic woman ahead of her time. Patrick's contribution to special effects proved to be just the latest chapter in a remarkable, unconventional life, from her youth growing up in the shadow of Hearst Castle, to her career as one of Disney's first female animators. And at last, O'Meara discovered what really had happened to Patrick after The Creature's success, and where she went. A true-life detective story and a celebration of a forgotten feminist trailblazer, Mallory O'Meara's The Lady from the Black Lagoon establishes Patrick in her rightful place in film history while calling out a Hollywood culture where little has changed since.