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	Biographies & Memoirs	Watermark Holiday Notes Tuesday, November 13, 2007
		"Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton and Me" by Pattie Boyd (Crown Publishing, ISBN 9780307393845, $25.95) Pattie Boyd's memoir has exceeded publisher expectations, and it's no secret why: beyond the lovely cover photo from Boyd's teenage modeling days is an honest and generous telling of her life as the wife of two famous rock legends. From the beginning, Boyd captures our attention with her descriptions of home life, vacations, extended family relations and the challenges of living the cloistered life that comes with fame. Finally, Boyd tells us how she rebuilt her life once the needy and talented men were no longer with her.
		"Clapton: The Autobiography" by Eric Clapton (Broadway Books, ISBN 9780385518512, $26.00) Eric Clapton tells his own version of life with Pattie (nothing that challenges her version of events) in his autobiography. Whereas Pattie Boyd's book only peripherally mentions the music history, Clapton's tells the back-story of the music we've been listening to for years. There are also revealing moments from his recovery after the death of his son Conor.
		"I Walked the Line: My Life with Johnny" by Vivian Cash with Ann Sharpsteen (Simon & Schuster, ISBN 9781416532927, $27.00) Also in the "I married fame" category is Vivian Cash's book, co-written with former Wichitan Ann Sharpsteen. Like Pattie Boyd, Vivian Cash has maintained a dignified silence about her life as Cash's first wife and the mother of his four daughters. Supplemented with love letters written by Cash and with previously unseen family photos, this book chronicles a part of Cash's life that's often depicted in fiction.
		"Two Lives: Gertrude and Alice" by Janet Malcolm (Yale University Press, ISBN 9780300125511, $25.00) Janet Malcolm is not a big fan of Gertrude Stein's writing. She is, however, very interested in Stein's life—-as an intellectual, as partner to Alice B. Toklas, as an author of "autobiography," and as a Jew who lived in rural France with Toklas during the Holocaust. In "Two Lives: Gertrude and Alice," Malcolm observes the two women and their relations to discover how they managed to escape being sent to a concentration camp. Janet Malcolm's observations and insertion of herself into the drama, along with texts of Stein and other biographer's notes, produce a fascinating tapestry.
		"Harriet Tubman: Imagining a Life" by Beverly Lowry (Doubleday, ISBN 9780385502917, $26.00) "A Slave No More: Two Men Who Escaped to Freedom" by David W. Blight (Harcourt, ISBN 9780151012329, $25.00) Two exciting books now available give voice to three people who lived in 19th century America. "Harriet Tubman: Imagining a Life" by Beverly Lowry is just what it says: a re-imagining of the remarkable life of the woman known as the Moses of her people. Lowry imagines vignettes and scenes from Tubman's life based on extensive research. While this may not be the definitive work on Tubman, it is the most complete portrait to date of a woman who was as famous as she was daring. Slave narratives are very rare. Two newly uncovered narratives, (of maybe one hundred in existence) and the biographies of the men who wrote them are available to read in "A Slave No More: Two Men Who Escaped to Freedom." Wallace Turnage was a teenage field hand on an Alabama plantation and John Washington was an urban slave in Virginia. During the chaos of the Civil War, both escaped to the North and, using their rare skills of reading and writing, wrote down their stories. David W. Blight's meticulous research provides background information on the provenance of the texts and reads like the best in detective writing.
		"A Florist's Daughter" by Patricia Hampl (Harcourt, ISBN 9780151012572, $24.00) In her fourth memoir, Patricia Hampl returns to her home in St. Paul, Minnesota. She had left as a young girl, traveled the world, and became a member of the hippie counter-culture; searched for, found and lost herself a few times along the way. She also wrote three memoirs using an outside device from which to explore the world around her and her own place in it. In this new book, written about her parents, Patricia at last turns her lens on herself, producing a work that is extraordinary in its portrayal of a reluctant Midwesterner and her parents. Beautifully written and skillfully observed, this is a book for all of us in this region who think that real life happens somewhere else.
		"Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life" by Steve Martin (Simon & Schuster, ISBN 9781416553649, $25.00) "Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life" by Steve Martin is a delightful memoir you won't want to miss. Detailing his road to fame, Martin tells of his very first job at Disneyland, the magic shows, the sixteen appearances on Johnny Carson resulting in "overnight success", and the endless time on the road performing in comedy houses and other venues. This truly is an American story, with Martin paying tribute to his early supporters and co-performers and his culminating success, despite an upbringing by a cold and distant father. The book ends when his film career begins. Pair this with Martin's new "The Alphabet from A to Y with Bonus Letter Z!" which has hilarious illustrations by Roz Chast. Together, the pair would make a lighthearted gift for the smartest of readers.
		"The House of Happy Endings" by Leslie Garis (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, ISBN 9780374299378, $24.00) Leslie Garis's grandfather wrote the "Uncle Wiggly" books. Her grandmother wrote the "Bobbsey Twins." Together, they wrote dozens of other serialized books for children. Interestingly enough, the family home did not resemble the happiness of the stories imagined by the productive couple whose writing career proved quite lucrative. Their son Roger, Leslie's father, struggled in vain to become a legitimate writer, eventually descending into mental instability and drug addiction. Soon all three generations of the family were living under the same roof which led to further unhappiness. Refracted through the all-seeing eyes of Leslie as a child, "The House of Happy Endings" is a story of the struggle between art and life, and innocence and experience, all rooted in one extraordinary, unforgettable family.
		"Shakespeare: The World as Stage" by Bill Bryson (HarperCollins, ISBN 9780060740221, $19.95) Perfect for novice and committed Shakespeareans alike, Bryson's biography distills information that has been well documented, unlike many of the academic texts released in recent years. Bryson also emulates his own travelogues, taking the reader to all the significant places in Shakespeare's life. With inestimable wit and a gift for story, Bryson delivers the life of the most celebrated poet in the English language.
		"Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography" by David Michaelis (HarperCollins, ISBN 9780066213934, $34.95) Charles Schulz profoundly influenced America in the second half of the twentieth century. But the humorous strip was anchored in the collective experience and hardships of the artists's generation. Like any great memoir, Schulz has the genius to elevate his personal experiences to a universal level through Charlie Brown, Lucy, Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gang. Based on years of research, including exclusive interviews with Schulz's family, friends and colleagues, and unprecedented access to the studio and business archives, "Schulz and Peanuts" is the definitive epic biography of an American icon.
		"The Selected Letters of Wallace Stegner" edited by Page Stegner (Shoemaker & Hoard, ISBN 9781593761684, $30.00) Dubbed the Dean of Western writers by the New York Times, Wallace Stegner, whose novel, "Crossing to Safety" is beloved by book clubs everywhere, wrote letters to loved ones, politicians, fellow writers, and readers. Spanning from 1933 to 1993, these letters range from playful notes to his family to correspondence that shows a life-long passion for learning and questioning not only the nature of the world, but also his place in it. This collection of personal writing might provide the best history of a man who shaped the writing of the American West.
		Consider giving a friend the gift of a "Season of Books": Choose four books, or allow us to do so, and extend your thoughtfulness for a year. Or give three books, one in December for the holidays, one to celebrate the New Year in January, and one as a gift from the heart for February. We will wrap, mail, or deliver your package with a special note from you.
		Happy Reading! Sarah Bagby Watermark Books & Café 4701 E. Douglas Wichita, KS 67218 316-682-1181 www.watermarkbooks.com




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