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Like crazy : life with my mother and her invisible friends / by Mathews, Dan,author.;
"Dan Mathews knew that his eccentric mother, Perry Lawrence, was outspoken, foul-mouthed, and, at seventy-nine years old, unable to maintain her fiercely independent lifestyle--so he flew her across the country (with a gay man as her escort) to live with him in a dilapidated Victorian townhouse in Portsmouth, Virginia. What he didn't know was that she was schizophrenic. Over the next five years, Dan and Perry built a rollicking life together fueled by costume parties, experiments in drug use, and an unshakeable sense of humor as they faced down illness, natural disasters, and Perry's steady decline. With the help of an ever-expanding circle of friends--boyfriends new and old, strippers, DJs, gun nuts, Evangelical Christians, and everyone in between--they flipped the parent-child relationship on its head, with the globe-trotting animal rights activist finally learning to slow down and care for the woman who raised him. But it wasn't until after a kicking-and-screaming trip to the emergency room that Dan discovered that his mother's lifelong tendency to go it alone wasn't just a manifestation of her free spirit but was actually the inescapable element of a serious and undiagnosed disorder. Witty, emotionally powerful, and deeply moving, Like Crazy is a warm and engrossing memoir about mental illness, reinvention, and the remarkable power of community. Lovingly told, Mathews's memoir is also a profound meditation on the joys and pitfalls of caring for an aging family member and of the remarkable growth that takes place as a child steps into the role of the parent"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; Mathews, Dan.; Mathews, Perry Lawrence; Mothers and sons; Schizophrenics; Schizophrenics;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Lucky Seed A Novel [electronic resource] : by Huang, Justinian.aut; CloudLibrary;
Succession meets Crazy Rich Asians in this chaotic, darkly funny romp about the lengths a wealthy family will take to ensure the birth of a male heir from the gay black sheep of their clan. An intergenerational family saga inspired by the author's own fatherhood journey as his real-life family's mandatory suggestion. The billionaire Sun Clan of Greater Los Angeles is your typical American family, with power-struggling aunties, emasculated uncles, scheming cousins, scandalous secrets and a fortune teller on retainer. But at the end of each combative day, the Suns are chained together with golden handcuffs, whether they like it or not. Yet strange storms are a-brewing. Their matriarch, Roses Sun, is grappling with an existential crisis: she must produce a male heir that bears the clan's surname. She fears that if her generation is the one in which their esteemed lineage ends, they will be punished as "hungry ghosts" in the afterlife—an ancient but very real Asian superstition. Faced with this terrifying fate, Roses summons her favorite nephew, Wayward. Believing him to possess the "lucky seed," Roses presents Wayward with a mandatory suggestion: to father a baby boy who will inherit everything. When the other members of the Sun Clan catch wind of Roses's plot, all hells break loose. Wayward's family will now clash like never before in an epic war over the future of the Suns…if there is a future at all. Yet through the chaos, Wayward sees opportunity. What if he can leverage all the conflict into a solution for his problematic family? What if he can reunite the Sun Clan by healing them? And what if the tumultuous Suns can finally learn how to love each other for the first time?General adult.
Subjects: Electronic books.; Literary; Romantic Comedy; Asian American; Family Life; Humorous;
© 2025., MIRA Books,
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Broken horses / by Carlile, Brandi,author.;
"Brandi Carlile was born into a musically gifted, impoverished family on the outskirts of Seattle and grew up in a constant state of change, moving from house to house, trailer to trailer, fourteen times in as many years. Though imperfect in every way, her dysfunctional childhood was as beautiful as it was strange, and as nurturing as it was difficult. At the age of five, Brandi contracted bacterial meningitis, which almost took her life, leaving an indelible mark on her formative years and altering her journey into young adulthood. As an openly gay teenager, Brandi grappled with the tension between her sexuality and her faith when her pastor publicly refused to baptize her on the day of the ceremony. Shockingly, her small town rallied around Brandi in support and set her on a path to salvation where the rest of the misfits and rejects find it: through twisted, joyful, weird, and wonderful music. In Broken Horses, Brandi Carlile takes readers through the events of her life that shaped her very raw art-from her start at a local singing competition where she performed Elton John's "Honky Cat" in a bedazzled white polyester suit, to her first break opening for Dave Matthews Band, to many sleepless tours over fifteen years and six studio albums, all while raising two children with her wife, Catherine Shepherd. This hard-won success led her to collaborations with personal heroes like Elton John, Dolly Parton, Mavis Staples, Pearl Jam, Tanya Tucker, and Joni Mitchell, as well as her peers in the supergroup The Highwomen, and ultimately to the Grammy stage, where she converted millions of viewers into instant fans. Evocative and piercingly honest, Broken Horses is at once an examination of faith through the eyes of a person rejected by the church's basic tenets and a meditation on the moments and lyrics that have shaped the life of a creative mind, a brilliant artist, and a genuine empath on a mission to give back"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; Carlile, Brandi.; Singers;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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My life, my love, my legacy / by King, Coretta Scott,1927-2006,author.; Reynolds, Barbara A.,author.;
"The life story of Coretta Scott King--wife of Martin Luther King Jr., founder of the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change, and singular twentieth-century American civil rights activist--as told fully for the first time, toward the end of her life, to one of her closest friends. Born in 1927 to daringly enterprising black parents in the Deep South, Coretta Scott had always felt called to a special purpose. One of the first black scholarship students recruited to Antioch College, a committed pacifist, and a civil rights activist, she was an avowed feminist--a graduate student determined to pursue her own career--when she met Martin Luther King Jr., a Baptist minister insistent that his wife stay home with the children. But in love and devoted to shared Christian beliefs and racial justice goals, she married King, and events promptly thrust her into a maelstrom of history throughout which she was a strategic partner, a standard bearer, a marcher, a negotiator, and a crucial fundraiser in support of world-changing achievements. As a widow and single mother of four, while butting heads with the all-male African American leadership of the times, she championed gay rights and AIDS awareness, founded the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change, lobbied for fifteen years to help pass a bill establishing the US national holiday in honor of her slain husband, and was a powerful international presence, serving as a UN ambassador and playing a key role in Nelson Mandela's election. Coretta's is a love story, a family saga, and the memoir of an independent-minded black woman in twentieth-century America, a brave leader who stood committed, proud, forgiving, nonviolent, and hopeful in the face of terrorism and violent hatred every single day of her life."--Provided by publisher.
Subjects: Biographies.; King, Coretta Scott, 1927-2006.; King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968.; African American women; Baptist women; Christian women; Civil rights workers; Social reformers; Spouses of clergy; Widows;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Mutual interest : a novel / by Wolfgang-Smith, Olivia,author.;
"From Glassworks author Olivia Wolfgang-Smith, a decadent, dishy novel set in the early-1900s about a business empire built by three queer people fighting to live life on their own terms. Vivian Lesperance moves to New York City at the turn of the 20th century with one goal in mind: she will not let her life be dictated by her small-minded family in Utica. Instead, she will set a new and independent course for herself among the rich and nouveau rich, and in the apartments of the women she loves. Oscar Schmidt chooses the soap industry-and a move from Ohio to New York-in a doomed attempt to run away from his own attraction to men. But while working as a straight-laced middle manager by day and cruising the waterfront and gay clubs at night, Oscar faces dual threats to his new life. No one is fooled by his guise of easy bachelorhood, and his business is threatened by Squire Clancey, the socially awkward scion of a wealthy New York family, whose passion for candle making and unlimited resources lead to shortages of the very ingredient Oscar needs to manufacture his goods. Vivian knows she'll never get what she wants in life without effort, so she convinces Oscar to marry her, and then persuades Oscar and Squire to go into business together rather than fight for resources. Clancey & Schmidt Co is born, and with it, a new love affair begins: between Clancey and Schmidt themselves. Meanwhile, Vivian reaches the pinnacle of her power running the business behind a Tiffany's desk-and behind the image of both men. But the threat of exposure-and of an arranged marriage for Squire-looms, and together, the trio must work to maintain the life they've dreamed up, and made real, for themselves. Written in the style of classic authors like EM Forster, but with a modern sensibility and wry sense of humor, Personal Care is a fresh and beguiling story of patriarchy, privilege, and power for readers of Trust by Hernan Diaz and The Magician by Colm Toibin"--
Subjects: Queer fiction.; Novels.; Ambition; Marriage; Secrecy;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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He/she/they : how we talk about gender and why it matters / by Bailar, Schuyler,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."Just a few years ago, Schuyler Bailar rose to national and international prominence when he became the first openly transgender athlete to compete on an NCAA Division 1 team in any sport. A top high school prospect, Schuyler had been recruited by Harvard for the women's team, but after taking a gap year to address mental health and ultimately to transition, Schuyler swam instead for Harvard's men's team. Since then, Schuyler has become a go to expert on gender identity for the media and has given hundreds of talks on gender literacy and inclusion. But at the same time, Supreme Court Justice nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson was asked in her confirmation hearing to define the word "woman," a seemingly simple question that in that particular arena was too politically charged for her to answer. Meanwhile, anti-gay and anti-trans legislation in Florida and Texas shows that trans rights are under attack. Transgender suicides are up, transgender hotlines are buzzing, and the only thing that is certain is this: America is long overdue for a reckoning with gender. He/She/They uses storytelling and the art of conversation to give us the fundamental language and context of gender so that we can meet people where they are and pave the way to understanding, acceptance, and inclusion. As a transgender man, inclusion advocate, and LGBTQ educator, Schuyler Bailar is more than familiar with the myriad questions that come up. In He/She/They, he addresses them head on, such as why being transgender is not a choice, why pronouns are important, and what is biological sex. But this book is more than a book on allyship; many of Schuyler's vast followers come to him for support; one of his most popular reels is speaking to a young trans person who asks, "does it get better?" Schuyler speaks to everyone, no matter where they are. In the same way that So You Want to Talk About Race defined the conversation about race in America, He/She/They is an essential, urgent, and, as Schuyler points out, potentially life-saving book that will change the conversation about gender identity and how we talk about it, moving us toward a more equitable future"--
Subjects: Gender identity.; Transgender people; Transgender people; Transphobia.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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We Can Do Hard Things Answers to Life's 20 Questions [electronic resource] : by Doyle, Glennon.aut; Wambach, Abby.aut; Doyle, Amanda.aut; CloudLibrary;
The #1 New York Times bestselling authors and award-winning podcasters Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach, and Amanda Doyle created We Can Do Hard Things—the guidebook for being alive—to help fellow travelers find their way through life. When you travel through a new country, you need a guidebook. When you travel through love, heartbreak, joy, parenting, friendship, uncertainty, aging, grief, new beginnings—life—you need a guidebook, too. We Can Do Hard Things is the guidebook for being alive. Every day, Glennon Doyle spirals around the same questions: Why am I like this? How do I figure out what I want? How do I know what to do? Why can’t I be happy? Am I doing this right? The harder life gets, the less likely she is to remember the answers she’s spent her life learning. She wonders: I’m almost fifty years old. I’ve overcome a hell of a lot. Why do I wake up every day having forgotten everything I know? Glennon’s compasses are her sister, Amanda, and her wife, Abby. Recently, in the span of a single year, Glennon was diagnosed with anorexia, Amanda was diagnosed with breast cancer, and Abby’s beloved brother died. For the first time, they were all lost at the same time. So they turned toward the only thing that’s ever helped them find their way: deep, honest conversations with other brave, kind, wise people. They asked each other, their dearest friends, and 118 of the world’s most brilliant wayfinders: As you’ve traveled these roads—marriage, parenting, work, recovery, heartbreak, aging, new beginnings—have you collected any wisdom that might help us find our way? As Glennon, Abby, and Amanda wrote down every life-saving answer, they discovered two things: 1. No matter what road we are walking down, someone else has traveled the same terrain. 2. The wisdom of our fellow travelers will light our way. They put all of that wisdom in one place: We Can Do Hard Things—a place to turn when you feel clueless and alone, when you need clarity in the chaos, or when you want wise company on the path of life. We are all life travelers. We don’t have to travel alone. We Can Do Hard Things is our guidebook. Featuring wisdom from: ALOK • Sara Bareilles • Dr. Yaba Blay • Kate Bowler • adrienne maree brown • Brandi Carlile • Brittney Cooper • Brittany Packnett Cunningham • Kaitlin Curtice • Megan Falley • Jane Fonda • Stephanie Foo • Ashley C. Ford • Ina Garten • Roxane Gay • Andrea Gibson • Elizabeth Gilbert • Dr. Orna Guralnik • Tricia Hersey • Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson • Luvvie Ajayi Jones • Dr. Becky Kennedy • Emily Nagoski • Esther Perel • Ai-Jen Poo • Cole Arthur Riley • Dr. Alexandra Solomon • Cheryl Strayed • Sonya Renee Taylor • Ocean Vuong • And many others
Subjects: Electronic books.; Inspiration & Personal Growth; Happiness; Emotions;
© 2025., Random House Publishing Group,
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Wayward Girls A Novel [electronic resource] : by Wiggs, Susan.aut; CloudLibrary;
"After decades of bestsellers, Wayward Girls might be Susan Wiggs' opus. A gut-wrenching story of survival, friendship, and justice. Masterful."--Robert Dugoni, New York Times bestselling author of The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell "The magnificent Susan Wiggs takes a leap into the history of women..a page-turner, replete with mystery and suspense."—Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of The Good Left Undone From New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs, a wrenching but life-affirming novel based on a true story of survival, friendship, and redemption. Set in the turbulent Vietnam era in the All-American city of Buffalo, New York, six girls are condemned to forced labor in the laundry of a Catholic reform school. In 1968 we meet six teens confined at the Good Shepherd—a dark and secretive institution controlled by Sisters of Charity nuns—locked away merely for being gay, pregnant, or simply unruly. Mairin— free-spirited daughter of Irish immigrants, committed to keep her safe from her stepfather. Angela—denounced for her attraction to girls, sent to the nuns for reform, but instead found herself the victim of a predator. Helen—the daughter of intellectuals detained in Communist China, she saw her “temporary” stay at the Good Shepherd stretch into years. Odessa—caught up in a police dragnet over a racial incident, she found the physical and mental toughness to endure her sentence. Denise—sentenced for brawling in a foster home, she dared to dream of a better life. Janice—deeply insecure, she couldn’t decide where her loyalty lay—except when it came to her friend Kay, who would never outgrow her childlike dependency. Sister Bernadette—rescued from a dreadful childhood, she owed her loyalty to the Sisters of Charity even as her conscience weighed on her. Wayward Girls is a haunting but thrilling tale of hope, solidarity, and the enduring strength of young women who find the courage to break free and find redemption...and justice. "Compelling...This powerful and unforgettable novel is a poignant and enlightening look into a sad chapter of recent history."--Library Journal (starred review) "Heart-wrenching...sweeping. This one lingers long after the last page."--Publishers Weekly "Wayward girls is all about the power of female bonds...this isn't just a moment in time—it's a cautionary tale."—Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author of By Any Other Name “Susan Wiggs is at the top of her game. Through the skillful weaving of an endearing cast, Wayward Girls displays the power of sisterhood to survive, conquer, and ultimately heal from the most harrowing of times. An evocative tale packed with resilience and secrets that kept me reading late into the night. I loved it.”  —Kristina McMorris, New York Times bestselling author of Sold on a Monday and The Girls of Good Fortune
Subjects: Electronic books.; Lesbian; Literary; Family Life; Contemporary Women; Psychological;
© 2025., HarperCollins,
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Summertime [French] [1 DVD - 105 min.] / by Corsini, Catherine,film director.; France, Cécile de,1975-actor.; Izïa,1990-actor.; Lvovsky, Noémie,1964-actor.; Strand Releasing Home Video (Firm),publisher.;
Cecile De France, Izia Higelin, Noemie Lvovsky.Carole and Delphine fall in love against the backdrop of early feminist activism in 1971 France. After living in the city, Delphine is called home to help with her family farm in the countryside and is forced to choose between her responsibility to them and the life of love she had in Paris with Carole.DVD; Widescreen presentation; 5.1 surround sound.1
Subjects: Feature films.; Foreign films; Lesbians; Gay couples; Responsibility;
Home Use Only.
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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An almost ordinary summer [videorecording] / by Bentivoglio, Fabrizio,1957-actor.; Gassmann, Alessandro,actor.; Godano, Simone,film director.; Scicchitano, Filippo,actor.; Trinca, Jasmine,actor.; Wolfe Video (Firm),publisher.;
Filippo Scicchitano, Jasmine Trinca, Alessandro Gassmann, Fabrizio Bentivoglio.Two very different families spend their holidays in the same house at the seaside: the aristocratic Castelvecchios, open-minded, eccentric, but quite selfish, and the working-class Petagnas, very tight-knit, and united around solid conservative values. What brought such distant worlds together? Only Tony and Carlo, the two middle-aged heads of the families, know. The unexpected announcement of their engagement will disrupt an apparently ordinary summer and turn everyone's lives upside down.14A.DVD ; widescreen presentation.
Subjects: Motion pictures, Italian.; Foreign films.; Comedy films.; Feature films.; Families; Gay men; Same-sex marriage;
For private home use only.
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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