Spring Reading

Hayden Herrera’s groundbreaking biography and screenplay written for the outstanding 2002 film Frida starring Selma Hayek brought the artist to life in a cinematic tour de force.  Since that time, numerous documents have surfaced allowing for a fuller understanding of Frida and her art. In Frida in America: The Creative Awakening of a Great Artist, Celia Stahr details a riveting story of how three years spent in the United States transformed Frida Kahlo into the artist we know today. Using letters from Frida’s correspondence, the writer provides a deeper understanding of these pivotal years from 1930-1933. With vivid detail, Frida in America examines the transformative journey that made Senora Rivera the world famous Frida Kahlo. 

In the first biography of Joan Harrison, one of the most influential women of Hollywood’s Golden Era, film studies professor and author Christina Lane retraces Harrison’s life, returning her to her rightful place in film history. Beginning her career as Alfred Hitchcock’s secretary in 1933, she went on to work as a screenwriter on many Hitchcock classics. As showrunner for “ Alfred Hitchcock Presents”, Harrison helped pioneer the new medium of television and blazed a new trail for women in Hollywood. Phantom Lady: Hollywood Producer Joan Harrison, the Forgotten Woman Behind Hitchcock is an absorbing biography of a woman succeeding on her own terms challenging the male-dominated world of film.

Award-winning TV comedy writer Kari Lizer’s memoir about the challenges of being a woman of a certain age and all that comes with it: empty next, post #MeToo dating, aging parents, menopausal rage, unrealistic expectations, and eternal optimism. The creator of The New Adventures of Old Christin e book speaks to those who lament the invisibility of the middle-aged woman. With self-depreciating humor and sharp wit, Lizer finds wry, bittersweet humor in (almost) all situations. The result is Aren’t You Forgetting Someone? Essays from My Mid-Life Revenge is an honest and hilarious read.

The Big Goodbye: Chinatown and The Last Years of Hollywood follows the trials and triumphs of four of the most influential men in the history of Hollywood: Jack Nicholson at the height of his powers, as compelling a movie star as there has ever been; director Roman Polanski, both predator and prey, haunted by the savage death of his wife at the hands of Charles Manson; the deal making of Robert Evans, the most consummate of producers; and Robert Towne’s fabled Chinatown script, widely considered the greatest original screenplay ever written.  In this intoxicating and revelatory new book, New York Times best-selling author Sam Wasson peels off layers of myth to provide the true account of the making of Chinatown, one of the greatest American movies of all time.

When Harry Met Cubby pays tribute to the two men who made James Bond a household name. Although Harry Saltzman and Albert “Cubby”had few things in common, apart from both having come from nothing, they shared a love of show business. Robert Sellers tells the comprehensive story of their relationship. Beyond being the producers behind the timeless Bond series, the two had a hand in giving Michael Cain his start and creating the children’s classic Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It’s a delightful look into a powerful partnership turned toxic, that fans of Hollywood and James Bond alike will undoubtedly savor.