Powerful memoirs to add to your reading list!
A VOICE LIKE MINE by Deb Haaland
9781250434227| 6/9/26
Nothing about Deb Haaland’s upbringing or family history set her up for a life of firsts: the first Native American woman elected to chair a state political party in the United States; one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress; the first Native American to serve in a presidential cabinet. Yet Haaland has embraced every opportunity, knowing that each step forward lifts up those who are too often left out of the conversation.
A 35th-generation New Mexican and member of the Pueblo of Laguna, Haaland has lived a remarkable life shaped by poverty, alcoholism, and single parenthood. After a late but meteoric rise in politics, she stepped down from her cabinet position as Secretary of the Interior in January 2025 and is now running for Governor of New Mexico in the 2026 election.
In A VOICE LIKE MINE—titled after Haaland’s congressional campaign slogan, “Congress has never heard a voice like mine”—she shares the personal history that shaped her courage to organize, run for office, and lead. She tells the stories that have defined her life in politics and beyond, from her grandfather’s cornfield, where she learned the importance of hard work and care for the earth, to the oak-paneled halls of Washington, D.C. Throughout her journey, Haaland has drawn on her heritage in her activism and service, leading with humility, purpose, and a commitment to “leave the ladder down” for those who follow.
DRIVEN by Susie Wolff
9781250448125| 4/28/26
As a young girl in Scotland, Susie Wolff was fascinated by motorsport. The obsession began with the thrill of driving go-karts, which led her to dream of one day racing in Formula One—the pinnacle of motorsport and the fastest racing cars in the world, reaching speeds of over 200 mph. Susie believed that she had what it took, but at the time, F1 was completely dominated by male drivers.
The journey was grueling, both physically and mentally. Braking in an F1 car can feel like five times your body weight is pressing against you. Even turning a corner—effortless in a normal car—can exert four times your body weight, pushing you to the limit.
But the faster she rose through the ranks, the more obvious it became—she was almost always the only girl out there. The scrutiny was constant. The stakes were sky-high. And the question always hovered: could a woman really compete? Susie didn’t just compete. She broke through. After years of sacrifice and doubt, she earned her shot behind the wheel of an F1 car—25 laps to prove she belonged. She did. But her story didn’t end at the checkered flag.
That belief—that she could carve a path through a world not built for women—got her into the paddock and proved that women could be competitive in F1. But it also left her asking a bigger question: how could she help get more women into the trenches? Inspired by her husband Toto’s strategic mind and relentless drive in building one of the most successful F1 teams in history, Susie began to see a new dimension of the sport—one that extended far beyond the driver’s seat. She led a struggling Formula E team and transformed it from being at the back of the grid to championship contention. More than that, she learned to evolve. F1 Academy became her next mission: to inspire young women to enter motorsport and shape the future of the sport she loves.
DRIVEN is a thrilling, high-speed story about the highest levels of driving—but more than that, it’s the story of an extraordinary life. From the driver’s seat to the F1 paddock, Susie offers a story of perseverance bound to inspire anyone on or off the track.
SALT, SWEAT & STEAM by Brigid Washington
9781250333377| 4/28/26
Hours in chef’s whites in a classroom that doubles as the best-stocked kitchen you’ll ever see: 50-quart KitchenAid mixers, balloon whisks in every diameter, CIA-issued knives, bains marie. Also: grueling hours and a giant tuition tab so that—if you’re lucky enough—you can land an entry-level job that features grueling hours, low wages, and a giant uniform-and-equipment tab.
Washington, a Trinidadian who came to the U.S. for college, decided to apply to the Culinary Institute of America after a break-up. As editor of CIA’s LA PAPILLOTE: THE VOICE OF THE STUDENT CHEF, she got to see how the sausage was made (literally). In one day, she would go from studying the five mother sauces in Skills 1 to interviewing Thomas Keller for a front-page feature. Sucked into the brigade system, she believed the gospel that pressure was a privilege. As one of the few students of color, she stayed sane by reminding herself that where she came from had different—and better—values.
SALT, SWEAT & STEAM takes readers behind the scenes of the nation’s most elite culinary school, through perfectionistic finals and brutal unpaid internships, into days that go from continuously whisking Sauce Bernaise for 300 to being so dead-tired that dinner is a bag of Cheez-Its from the vending machine. It’s THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA for the “yes, chef” era.
MAIN, MIDDLE & GAY by Patrick O’Connell
9781250436382| 9/15/26
World-renowned chef Patrick O’Connell has been recognized as a pioneer of American cuisine; his internationally acclaimed restaurant in the Virginia countryside, the Inn at Little Washington, is Michelin-starred and a Relais & Châteaux hotel. Named for the three historic streets in the little town where O’Connell’s life and career have taken root, MAIN, MIDDLE & GAY chronicles O’Connell’s winding journey through the rough-and-tumble restaurant world.
Growing up gay in the 1950s and working as a paperboy and a cook at a hamburger joint, O’Connell found his place with other misfits in the addictive restaurant scene, where he learned to be nimble and grew up fast while working long hours and late nights with colorful characters. He lived free-spirited on farms with friends and traveled Europe, teaching himself to cook along the way. When he opened his restaurant in an old abandoned garage, he had no idea it would grow to the heights it has achieved today.
In his first-ever memoir, O’Connell shows us the colorful evolution that has led the Inn at Little Washington to become a global destination for foodies and travelers alike.
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