Book Bans in Florida Schools: The Complete List
30 Books By Latinx Authors To Read This Month And Always
I never intended to become a bookstagrammer, someone who is part of a vibrant bookish community on Instagram that posts and engages with others about what they are reading. Seven years into it, what started for me as a way to find and connect with other readers quickly evolved into a passion to amplify books by authors of color, with a special emphasis on Latinx authored books.
I didn't discover the magical feelings that come with reading a book in which you see yourself and your community reflected on the page until I was well into my 20s. Since then I've tried to inhale as many books as possible by Latinx authors. Though I consider myself someone that celebrates and reads Latinx-authored books all year long, Hispanic Heritage Month is my favorite time of the year to amplify, spotlight, and uplift the vast spectrum of Latinx storytellers writing our stories.
The below list of 21 books by Hispanic authors — from famous to debut — only showcases a small fraction of the range, vibrancy, and depth of Latin literature out there for you to read.
You'll find novels from the Mexican American perspective; poetry collections; a children's book about monarch butterflies' journey across the continent; memoirs about the immigrant experience, and more. Read them during Hispanic Heritage Month — and always.
'Legitimate Kid: A Memoir' by Aida Rodriguez$26.96
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Comedian Aida Rodriguez details stories throughout her life — not all of them humorous. She was kidnapped as a child and passed back and forth by different family members. Rodriguez captures coming-of-age in the U.S. With these sharp and hopeful essays, as well as offering a unique lens into Latino representation in comedy.
'Candelaria' by Melissa Lozado-Oliva$26.04
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Three unforgettable sisters embark on a dark journey, battling ghosts, cannibalism, cults, and their own internal turmoil. Packed with gory and complicated characters, this novel illustrates three generations of women and their past, and present and how it impacts their futures.
'Remembering' by Xelena González, illustrated by Adrian M. Garcia$17.66
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In this beautifully illustrated picture book, a little girl honors and remembers a furry companion during Dia De Los Muertos.
'Plátanos Are Love' by Alyssa Reynoso-Morris$17.66
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Food, in this picture book, isn't just food. Plátanos, for the characters, invokes memories of a rich history and culture that an abuela shares with her granddaughter. Through food, we can pass down love.
'How to Be a Good Savage and Other Poems' by Mikeas Sánchez$16.74
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As the first woman to ever publish a book of poetry in Zoque, a language spoken in Southern Mexico, and Spanish, this poetry collection encompasses colonialism, lineage, and the balance to embrace ancestral roots and the present. Powerful and lyrical, this collection is unlike anything other collection of poems I've read before.
'Daughters of Latin America: An International Anthology of Writing' by Latine Women Edited by Sandra Guzman$33.47
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An intergenerational collection of 140 Latine writers, scholars, and activities across the world including well-known authors such as U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón, Audre Lorde, Edwidge Danticat and many more, that explores a vast spectrum of literary legacy.
'Blackouts: A Novel' by Justin Torres$27.90
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Nominated for the National Book Awards before its publication, this haunting novel centers a dying man and the mentor he chooses to continue his life's work.
'Creep: Accusations and Confessions' by Myriam Gurba$25.11
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What does it mean to be a creep? This collection of essays weaves cultural criticism with Gurba's own lived experiences. The creeps, Gurba argues, are among us— they always were.
'Our Migrant Souls: A Meditation on Race and the Meanings and Myths of 'Latinos'' by Héctor Tobar$25.11
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In "Our Migrant Souls," Pulitzer Prize–winning writer Héctor Tobar writes about growing up Latino and unpacks the meaning of the word "Latino" altogether. Tobar illustrates the vast spectrum of the Latino identity and its complexities, making space for what it will look like for generations to come.
'An Island Princess Starts a Scandal' by Adriana Herrera$17.66
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It's 1899 in Paris and two Latinas run into each other at an undercover party for women who love women. Manuela and Cora Kempf Bristol, Duchess of Sundridge attempt to fight the desire that pulled them together. If you're bummed the steamy novel had to end, check out Adriana Herrera's other books in the Las Leonas series.
'Barely Floating' by Lilliam Rivera$16.73
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In this tender middle-grade novel, Natalia De La Cruz Rivera y Santiago follows dreams of being a synchronized swimmer. Her parents fear that, because of her size and skin colors, others might not view her as the graceful and beautiful swimmer she wants to be. But Nat's got fight and so does this beautiful book about self-acceptance and community.
'Something Like Home' by Andrea Beatriz Arango$16.19
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In this heartfelt middle-grade novel in verse, Laura Rodríguez Colón lives with her aunt — hoping, always, to return to living with her parents. So when she finds a puppy, she gets the idea that perhaps she can train the pup to become a therapy dog. She might be allowed to visit with her parents again and maybe the dog could help return things to how they used to be.
'Las Madres' by Esmeralda Santiago$22.22
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From the author of the widely popular and well-known memoir "When I Was Puerto Rican," this long-awaited novel spans from Puerto Rico to the Bronx, from 1975 to 2017 and from the point of view of five women.
'Plantains and Our Becoming' by Melania Luisa Marte$16.39
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This collection of poems sharply centers on the Dominican Republic and Haitian identities and intersections with immigration, colonialism, racial identity and the Afro-Latine experience.
'Promises of Gold' by José Olivarez$16.00
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This collection of poems, recently longlisted for the National Book Award for Poetry, is available both in English and Spanish within the same copy of the book. In the collection, José Olivarez navigates the beauty of love in all its different forms — sibling love, friendship love, and parental love, while also navigating what it means to be Mexican American and the "American Dream".
'Liliana's Invincible Summer' by Cristina Rivera Garza$18.31
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29 years after her sister was murdered by an abusive ex in Mexico, Cristina Rivera Garza looks for answers. Illuminating the epidemic of femicide and intimate partner violence, this unique and heartbreaking memoir, shortlisted for the 2023 National Book Award for Nonfiction, is a must-read.
'Dona Cleanwell Leaves Home' by Ana Castillo$17.78
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Expect explorations of women and their agency from this legend in Chicana literature. This new short story collection fits into Castillo's legacy perfectly, following women navigating secrets and their impact.
'Monstrilio' by by Gerardo Sámano Córdova$25.11
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Two parents experience the unexpected loss of their 11-year-old son. In a moment of grief, the mother decides to do something drastic, so she won't ever have to say goodbye completely. The horror novel that unfolds isn't one of fright for monsters that lurk in the dark, but instead the grief one carries after a soul-crushing loss. Pack with moments of gore, this novel with have you thinking about the power of love and how we move toward acceptance.
'The People Who Report More Stress' by Alejandro Varela$19.59
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This witty and sharp interconnected short story collection from a 2022 National Book Award fiction finalist explores the impact of stress and anxiety for people living on the margins.
'Flores and Miss Paula' by Melissa Rivero$26.97
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This book is for anyone who has ever wanted to try and understand their mother. For anyone that understands the depth of that journey. Flores is in her 30s and can only just tolerate her mother, Paula. They recently lost the one person who was a bridge between them — Martín, Flores father, and Paula's husband. Mother and daughter are forced to finally confront their past in this deeply beautiful novel about moving forward.
'The Hurting Kind' by Ada Limón$22.32
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Ada Limón, recently named the 24th U.S. Poet laureate, is the author of six books of poetry. "The Hurting Kind" is her newest collection and one that blew me away. Similar to her other poetry collections, the core of her work is our connections to nature and connection to others. "The Hurting Kind" found me in a moment in my life when I felt depleted and empty. Reading the collection replenished me and reminded me to be more intentional and open to the wellness that the natural elements provides for us by simply existing.
'The Town of Babylon' by Alejandro Varela$27.00
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Recently longlisted for the National Book Award for Fiction, "The Town of Babylon" is Alejandro Varela's smart, tender and very queer debut novel. The late-in-life coming-of-age story features Andrés, a gay professor who returns to his suburban hometown to check in on his aging parents and ends up attending his 20-year high school reunion. Varela said the novel is meant to magnify the importance of community as a buffer against stress and poor health. He explores the idea magnificently through stubborn yet hilarious protagonists that you can't help but root for.
'Maria, Maria & Other Stories' by Marytza K. Rubio$23.20
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Also longlisted for the National Book Award for Fiction, "Maria Maria" is a collection of short stories that features magic, tarot, wild creatures and the unimaginable as the Mexican American characters piece through themes love, grief and power. Put it together, and you get a genre and boundary-defying collection.
'Seven Empty Houses' by Samanta Schweblin$23.25
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With a total of five published books, Samanta Schewblin is an acclaimed an oft-nominated powerhouse known for exploring the creepy and distributing aspects of humanity we often want to ignore. Her newest short story collection "Seven Empty Houses" examines, through seven strange stories, the idea of "home". These stories will unnerve so much you won't be able to stop thinking about them long after you've set the book down.
'A Woman of Endurance' by Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa$26.03
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This historical fiction novel set in the 19th century centers the Atlantic slave trade in Puerto Rico through the cruel journey, Pola, the main character, encounters when she is captured and sold to birth future enslaved children. Though the novel centers heavier topics, its core themes are the endurance of the human spirit and its healing, as the title suggests.
'My Boy Will Die of Sorrow: A Memoir of Immigration from the Front Lines' by Efrén C. Olivares$26.97
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For those that read "Solito" by Javier Zamora, a Read with Jenna book pick this past month, and are looking for a book to read next, "My Boy Will Die of Sorrow" gives added context to the plight immigrants endure once placed within the U.S. Customs and Border Protection system. As a human rights lawyer, Olivares weaves in a few stories from the hundreds of immigrant families he represented under Zero Tolerance, which separated thousands of children from their parents once they were taken into custody at the U.S. Mexico border. Sharing his own family's separation story when he was a child who was later able to migrate with his family to join his father in the U.S, Olivares breaks down the level of emotional and traumatic journey's with care and empathy, that so many immigrant families have endured.
'The Wedding Crasher' by Mia Sosa$14.87
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There are rom-coms and then there are Mia Sosa's rom-coms, which is exactly what you'll hear from readers who've read this USA Today's bestselling novel "The Worst Best Man." "The Wedding Crasher" delivers on all the will-they-won't-they feels rom coms normally give us when Solange and her cousin accidentally interfere during a random couple's wedding day. The groom sees this as a blessing and his out from possibly making a terrible decision. However when he learns that he might not get a job assignment needed to claim a promotion without a significant other, he pretends that he is in love with Solange. So Solange and the groom, Dean, embark into a phony relationship. Along the way they begin to notice things might not be as fake as they seem.
'Monarca' by Leopoldo Gout and Eva Aridjis$25.10
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In this illustrated fable, a Mexican American girl suddenly changes into a monarch butterfly on her 13th birthday. The reader is pulled into monarch butterflies' great migration journey from northeastern North America to the forests of southwestern Mexico. In doing so, we learn about the ways in which climate change and humanity's lack of concern about the smallest of beings can easily destroy the delicate ecosystems around us. Insightful and with stunning images, this novel includes helpful tips on how we can better interact, care and protect our environment.
'Where There Was Fire' by John Manuel Arias$26.03
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This big-hearted family novel, set in Costa Rica and moves between 1968 and the mid-1900s, centers around a mother-daughter estrangement. Teresa Cepeda Valverde's family is changed by a lethal fire. The novel unfolds an attempt at piecing together what truly was at the root of the fracture and demise of her family. John Manuel Arias' debut novel is vivid and rich with the ways in which external pressures often assist in breaking families apart.
'Bad Girls' by Camila Sosa Villada$22.32
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Author Camila Sosa Villada draws from her previous experiences as a sex worker, street vendor and hourly maid in Argentina to write a beautifully nuanced story that centers a community of trans sex workers. This vibrant trans coming-of-age story illustrates the power, comfort and protection the community can provide.
'The Family Izquierdo' by Rubén Degollado$15.76
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A troubled family unearths a strange object in the backyard of their family home and so unfolds the story of the Izquierdo family and the three generations pulled together by genetics and a possible curse placed upon them by a jealous neighbor. This family sage is at its core an exploration of love, forgiveness, loss and faith.
The 100 Greatest Film Books Of All Time
There has long been an assumption that people in the movie business — and Hollywood specifically — aren't exactly well read. "Millions to be grabbed out here and your only competition is idiots," Herman Mankiewicz telegrammed Ben Hecht upon his arrival out West in 1926. Meanwhile, 2023 awards contender American Fiction includes the laugh line, "Nobody in Hollywood reads. They get their assistants to read things and then summarize them. The whole town runs on book reports."
But THR, suspecting that's painting with too broad a brush, and aware that many usually busy people had some time on their hands during the first simultaneous strike of actors and writers in 63 years, reached out to hundreds of distinguished members of the global film community and asked them to share their picks for the greatest books related to film — autobiographies, biographies, novels, how-to, making-of and every other sort — factoring in quality, impact and influence. They each received a "ballot" listing some 1,200 notable titles, plus slots for write-ins.
Among the 322 respondents were directors (including Steven Spielberg, Ava DuVernay, Oliver Stone, John Waters and Celine Song); actors (Liza Minnelli, Alec Baldwin, Laura Dern, Colman Domingo and Sarah Paulson); producers (Jerry Bruckheimer and Amy Pascal); writers (Tom Stoppard, Paul Schrader and John Mulaney); executives (David Zaslav, Sherry Lansing, Michael Barker, Tom Rothman and Bela Bajaria); documentarians (Ken Burns, Sheila Nevins and Errol Morris); animators (Floyd Norman); composers (Nicholas Britell); agents (Toni Howard); the heads of the Academy, Academy Museum, Golden Globes, BAFTA, MPA, AFI, American Cinematheque, Black List, Alamo Drafthouse theater chain and Sundance, Toronto and Karlovy Vary film festivals; journalists (Maureen Dowd, Graydon Carter, Roxane Gay, David Remnick, Lynn Hirschberg, Michael Wolff and Lawrence O'Donnell); film critics; academics; and, yes, a host of top authors of film books.
There have previously been "greatest film books" surveys of some of these constituencies, but never all of them, and never of this size and scope. It's with the hope that THR readers will be inspired to check out these books and learn more about the art form and business that we cover that we proudly present — in order from fewest votes to most — the 100 greatest film books of all time (click here for a printable checklist), as chosen by the people who would know best.
By Paul Schrader1972 • University of California Press • Criticism/Theory/Essay16 votes
The man who would go on to write Taxi Driver, co-write Raging Bull and write and direct First Reformed penned this study of spirituality in film as his UCLA film school thesis. It zeroes in on three filmmakers whose work, he argues, investigates the "mystery of existence." Read it here.
Related reading: The World Viewed: Reflections on the Ontology of Film, by Stanley Cavell
By Brooke Hayward1977 • Alfred A. Knopf • Autobiography16 votes
The daughter of agent/producer Leland Hayward and actress Margaret Sullavan, aided by famous family friends whose memories she solicited, reflects on what became of her seemingly picture-perfect family: her father left, her brother was institutionalized, her mother and sister committed suicide and she was left a single mother desperate to spare her kids from similar heartbreak. It was a #1 New York Times bestseller. Read it here.
Related reading: A Private View, by Irene Mayer Selznick
By Amos Vogel1974 • Weidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd • Criticism/Theory/Essay16 votes
The founder in the '40s of New York's Cinema 16 film society and co-founder in the '60s of the New York Film Festival, Vogel "exerted an influence on the history of film that few other non-filmmakers can claim," according to his New York Times obit. In this volume, he continued his life's work of highlighting non-mainstream films that he felt deserved a larger audience. Read it here.
Related reading: I Seem to Live: The New York Diaries, 1950–1969: Volume 1 and I Seem to Live: The New York Diaries, 1969–2011: Volume 2, by Jonas Mekas
By Carrie Fisher2008 • Simon & Schuster • Autobiography17 votes
Fisher, in her first memoir, adapted from a 2006 one-woman stage show, the Hollywood survivor wryly comments on growing up the daughter of two eccentric movie stars, being cast in Star Wars at 19 and struggling with alcoholism, addiction and mental illness. "I feel very sane about how crazy I am," she says at one point, and at another "If my life wasn't funny it would just be true, and that is unacceptable." Read it here.
Related reading: Shockaholic, by Carrie Fisher
By Neal Gabler2006 • Alfred A. Knopf • Biography17 votes
There have been many Disney biographies, but none as well researched or written as this one. It lays out how Uncle Walt came to drawing as an escape from a joyless childhood, goes in-depth on the making of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, captures how the man and his studio were forever changed by a 1941 strike and reveals that it wasn't until Disneyland opened that he ever had much financial security. Read it here.
Related reading: Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life, by Ollie Johnston & Frank Thomas
By Manny Farber1971 • Studio Vista • Criticism/Theory/Essay17 votes
This collection of 45 pieces that Farber wrote for The Nation or Artforum between the late '40s and the early '70s showcases his independent thinking (he gravitated to unpretentious "termite art") and unique style of writing. NPR said it's "on every critic's bookshelf, and it's amazing how often it's been quoted, borrowed from, strip-mined or used as a launching pad." Read it here.
Related reading: Farber on Film: The Complete Film Writings of Manny Farber, by Manny Farber, edited by Robert Polito
By David Niven1971 • Hamish Hamilton • Autobiography17 votes
In the laugh-out-loud — and factually suspect — first installment of his memoirs, the British Oscar-winning actor and bon vivant reflects on his delinquent childhood, abbreviated military service and rise to prominence in pre-WWII Hollywood. It became a huge bestseller. Read it here.
Related reading: Bring on the Empty Horses, by David Niven
By Christine Vachon, with Austin Bunn2006 • Simon & Schuster • Autobiography17 votes
This third book by the giant of indie cinema, which derives its name from her production company Killer Films, addresses why she abandoned early directing aspirations, discusses her work with Todd Haynes and the evolution of queer cinema and recounts challenges she encountered while guiding to fruition great indie films like Boys Don't Cry and Far from Heaven. Read it here.
Related reading: Shooting to Kill: How an Independent Producer Blasts Through the Barriers to Make Movies that Matter, by Christine Vachon
By William Friedkin2013 • Harper • Autobiography17 votes
The New Hollywood filmmaker, who died in August, dishes on the challenges of making classics like The French Connection and The Exorcist (and his regrets for risking people's safety), his infamous ego and stubbornness (he passed on Star Wars) and a 1980 heart attack that made him look at things differently. Read it here.
Related reading: Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing and the Making of a Hollywood Groundbreaker, by Stephen Galloway
By Ron Haver1980 • Alfred A. Knopf • Coffee Table17 votes
Haver, the longtime director of LACMA's film department, was obsessed with Gone with the Wind — he saw it some 150 times at a time before it was easily accessible — and worshipped Selznick. He devoted five years to this massive book, which the LA Times called "as elaborate as any Selznick production," and which reportedly cost $1 million to print. Read it here.
Related reading: GWTW: The Making of Gone with the Wind, by Gavin Lambert
By Eddie Muller1998 • St. Martin's Griffin • Coffee Table17 votes
Employing amusing slang and gorgeous stills and posters to highlight relevant films and people both well-known and underappreciated, the "czar of noir" — now film fest curator and a TCM host — tells the story of a genre of post WWII films that has a French name, but is primarily American. Read it here.
Related reading: King of the Bs: Working Within the Hollywood System, by Charles Flynn & Todd McCarthy
By Ronan Farrow2019 • Little, Brown and Company • History17 votes
Farrow documents his efforts to expose Harvey Weinstein's sexual crimes, recalling obstruction from employers, intimidation from Weinstein allies and conversations with his sister, who has alleged that she was sexually abused, about how to interact with other survivors. His reporting helped to launch the #MeToo movement and won him a Pulitzer Prize. Read it here.
Related reading: She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement, by Jodi Kantor & Megan Twohey
By Ray Carney2001 • Faber & Faber • Interview/Oral History17 votes
Carney conducted 400 hours of interviews with Cassavetes and then, after the indie filmmaking trailblazer's 1989 death, spent more than a decade interviewing everyone who knew and worked with him, getting to the bottom of his desire to make films, production techniques and disinterest in mainstream success. The author describes his book as "the autobiography Cassavetes never lived to write." Read it here.
Related reading: Robert Altman: The Oral Biography Book, by Mitchell Zuckoff
By Jeanine Basinger2007 • Alfred A. Knopf • History18 votes
During Hollywood's Golden Age, studios more or less owned the actors and actresses they had under contract, changing their names and appearances, shaping their on and off screen images, building them up or throwing them aside. Basinger gets into the mechanics of how that star system worked, using in-depth case studies like Lana Turner, Tyrone Power and Deanna Durbin. Read it here.
Related reading: The Fixers: Eddie Mannix, Howard Strickling and the MGM Publicity Machine, by E.J. Fleming
By Aljean Harmetz1977 • Alfred A. Knopf • Making Of18 votes
This pioneering "making of" book dissects all of the elements that resulted in an MGM classic. Harmetz, who'd become the New York Times' Hollywood correspondent, interviewed dozens of surviving cast and crew and emerged with incredible stories — why "Over the Rainbow" was almost cut, where the 'Munchkins' were found, how the studio hid Garland's physical maturation, how the Wicked Witch 'melted,' etc. Read it here.
Related reading: The Making of Casablanca: Bogart, Bergman and World War II, by Aljean Harmetz
By Michael Ondaatje2002 • Alfred A. Knopf • Interview/Oral History18 votes
The novelist Ondaatje and the sound/film editor Murch met and hit it off during the making of the film version of The English Patient and conducted five "conversations" over two years about how Murch confronted various challenges over the course of his illustrious career. John Boorman wrote, "This book should be required reading for anyone working in film." Read it here.
Related reading: A Long Time Ago in a Cutting Room Far, Far Away: My Fifty Years Editing Hollywood Hits ― Star Wars, Carrie, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Mission: Impossible and More, by Paul Hirsch
By George Stevens Jr.2006 & 2012 • Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group • Interview/Oral History18 votes
Stevens, the son of a legendary director and founder of AFI, presents, with commentary, transcribed highlights from seminars held there with filmmakers — many but not all American. The first volume features pearls of wisdom from the likes of Harold Lloyd, Federico Fellini and Satyajit Ray, the latter from younger legends including George Lucas, Meryl Streep and Steven Spielberg. Read it here.
Related reading: The Men Who Made the Movies, by Richard Schickel
By Lauren Bacall1978 • Alfred A. Knopf • Autobiography18 votes
Betty Joan Perske, "a nice Jewish girl from New York," was discovered by Howard Hawks at 19, changed her name and became a star thanks to her sultry turn in To Have and Have Not opposite Humphrey Bogart, who she'd marry. This memoir, which recounts her many ups and downs before and after, including Bogie's death and a relationship with Frank Sinatra, was chosen for a National Book Award. Read it here.
Related reading: The Lonely Life, by Bette Davis
By Jacqueline Susann1966 • Bernard Geis Associates • Novel19 votes
Susann's first novel, which follows three young women with showbiz dreams whose lives take unexpected turns, not least because of "dolls" (a nickname for upper and downer pills), was described by The Washington Post as a "trash read" and "everything that is wrong with America" — but it was #1 on the New York Times bestseller list for 22 weeks, spawned a 1967 film and has sold 31 million copies. Read it here.
Related reading: Dolls! Dolls! Dolls!: Deep Inside Valley of the Dolls, the Most Beloved Bad Book and Movie of All Time, by Stephen Rebello
By Spike Lee1987 • Fireside Books • Making Of19 votes
Spike Lee's 1986 feature directorial debut She's Gotta Have It put him on the map. This is the story — derived from a diary that he kept during the year and a half he worked on th
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