Meet some new people with these fresh biographies.
Ten steps to Nanette by Hannah Gadsby
Multi-awardwinning Hannah Gadsby transformed comedy with her show Nanette, even as she declared that she was quitting stand-up. Now, she takes us through the defining moments in her life that led to the creation of Nanette and her powerful decision to tell the truth - no matter the cost. Gadsby's unique stand-up special Nanette was a viral success that left audiences captivated by her blistering honesty and her ability to create both tension and laughter in a single moment. But while her worldwide fame might have looked like an overnight sensation, her path from open mic to the global stage was hard-fought and anything but linear.
Dancing with the machine: adventures of a rebel by Jo Morgan
Mountaineer, adventurer, avid motorcyclist and constant traveller, Jo Morgan has lived an extraordinary life. Jo, along with Gareth and friends, has driven a motorbike through more than 110 countries and visited nearly 140 in total. But she would leave her greatest adventures till later in life when she took up climbing in her late fifties. She set herself a goal of summiting all 24 of New Zealand's 3000-metre-plus mountain peaks, with the help of her guide and friend, Wolfgang, nicknamed The Machine. They would ascend all but two of them before tragedy struck, killing both Wolfgang and his colleague Martin. In Dancing with the Machine, Jo recounts the remarkable, often hair-raising and occasionally tragic story of her unconventional life.
Everything is true: a junior doctor's story of life, death and grief in a time of pandemic by Roopa Farooki
In early 2020, junior doctor Roopa Farooki lost her sister to cancer. But just weeks later, she found herself plunged into another kind of crisis, fighting on the frontline of the battle taking place in her hospital and in hospitals across the country. 'Everything is True' is the story of Roopa's first forty days of the COVID-19 crisis from the frontlines of A&E and the acute medical wards, as struggling through her grief, she battles for her patients' and colleagues' survival. Working thirteen-hour shifts, she returns home each evening to write through her exhaustion, chronicling the devastating losses and slowly eroding dehumanisation happening in real time on the ward.
Becoming: adapted for younger readers by Michelle Obama
Now adapted for younger readers, with new photographs and a new introduction from Michelle Obama herself, this memoir tells a very personal, and completely inspiring, story of how, through hard work and determination, the girl from the South Side of Chicago built an extraordinary life. A tale of ups and downs, triumphs and failures, this is an incredibly honest account. A book to read, share, and talk about with the adults in your life, this is a call to action and compassion, and hope for change in uncertain times, and in a scary world. You'll be inspired to help others, and understand that no one is perfect. Just like Michelle Obama, you too are finding out exactly who you want to be (and, actually, so are the adults in your life). Above all, it is a book to make you think- who are you, and what do you want to become.
The boy whose head was filled with stars: a life of Edwin Hubble by Isabelle Marinov
How many stars are in the sky? How did the universe begin? Where did it come from? This is the story of Edwin Hubble, a boy fascinated by the stars who surmounted many hurdles to follow his dreams of becoming an astronomer. Using the insights of great mathematicians and endlessly observing the sky, he succeeded in confirming two things that altered human life forever: that there are more galaxies than our own, and that the universe is always expanding.
A different sort of normal by Abigail Balfe
The beautiful true story of one girl's journey growing up autistic - and the challenges she faced in the 'normal' world. I'm not like the other children in my class . . . and that's an actual scientific FACT. My name is Abigail and I'm autistic. Unfortunately for younger me, I didn't know I was autistic until I was an adult person. This is my story of growing up navigating the confusing 'normal' world, all the while missing some Very Important Information. If you've ever felt different, out of place, like you don't fit in . . . then this book is for you.
Kia Kaha: a storybook of Māori who changed the world by Stacey Morrison
Kia Kaha is a collection of true stories about amazing Māori who have achieved incredible things. Each of them blazed a trail in their own way, and this pukapuka was written to show that with your kura huna, your special gifts, you can make a difference too
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