CRP's Blog

Summer may be fading away, but with the crisp fall air come some great new reads! Be sure to keep an eye out for these top titles coming out this fall.

A must-read history for all beer lovers.

Dismiss the stereotype of the bearded brewer. It’s women, not men, who’ve brewed beer throughout most of human history. Their role as family and village brewer lasted for hundreds of thousands of years—through the earliest days of Mesopotamian civilization, the reign of Cleopatra, the witch trials of early modern Europe, and the settling of colonial America. A Woman’s Place Is in the Brewhouse celebrates the contributions and influence of female brewers and explores the forces that have tried to erase them from the brewing world.

A thoroughly researched biography John Hiatt fans won’t want to miss.

Based on author Michael Elliott’s multiple extensive and deeply personal interviews with Hiatt as well as his collaborators and contemporaries, including Rosanne Cash, Bonnie Raitt, Ry Cooder, and many others, Have a Little Faith is a journey through the musical landscape of the 1960s through today that places Hiatt’s long career in context with the glossy pop, college-alternative, mainstream country, and heartland rock of the last half century. Hiatt’s life both before and after the release of his masterpiece Bring the Family is revealed, as is the music loved by critics, fellow musicians, and fans alike.

Released just in time for the 50th anniversary of the Attica uprising.

Few stories are more central to understanding our history of racially biased incarceration and violent social activism than the life of Sam Melville. Melville was both reviled and admired as one of the most feared radicals in post–World War II history. His importance in the 1960s is widely recognized by historians and scholars as epitomizing the controversies, the promise, and the problems of the New Left. This memoir by Melville’s son opens a window into the personal life of a legend, revealing the universal and all-too-human foibles motivating those driven to make change through violence. American Time Bomb is Joshua Melville’s personal portrait based on years of investigation of his father’s story and the history he helped to create.

A look at a beloved actor through the eyes of his daughter.

Much has been written about Don Knotts’s career, especially about his iconic role as Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show, but personal views into the man himself are few and far between. In Tied Up in Knotts, a loving daughter provides a full-life narrative of her father: Don’s difficult childhood in an abusive home, his escape into comedic performance, becoming a household name, his growth as a feature film actor, his failing health, and his family life throughout, leading to touching and hilarious moments that will make the reader laugh and cry.

An important LGBTQ+ memoir that needs to be on your TBR list.

In 1987, somebody shoved a flyer into the hand of Peter Staley: “Massive AIDS Demonstration,” it announced. A week after the protest, Staley found his way to a packed meeting of the AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power—ACT UP—in the West Village. It would prove to be the best decision he ever made. ACT UP would change the course of AIDS, pressuring the National Institutes of Health, the FDA, and three administrations to finally respond with research that ultimately saved millions of lives. Never Silent is the inside story of what brought Staley to ACT UP and the explosive and sometimes painful years to follow—years filled with triumph, humiliation, joy, loss, and persistence.

A true crime read with a different perspective.

John Gacy was an upstanding citizen, active in local politics and charities, famous for his themed parties and appearances as Pogo the Clown. But in the winter of 1978–79, he became known as one of many so-called sex murderers who had begun gaining notoriety in the random brutality of the 1970s. As public interest grew rapidly, victims became footnotes and statistics, lives lost not just to violence but to history as well. Through the testimony of siblings, parents, friends, lovers, and other witnesses close to the case, Boys Enter the House retraces the footsteps of these victims as they make their way to the doorstep of the Gacy house.

A civil rights history that will leave you hungry for more.

Power Hungry tells the stories of Aylene Quin and Cleo Silvers, two women of color who used food as a political weapon during the civil rights movement. The leadership of these women cooking and serving food in a safe space for their communities was so powerful, the FBI resorted to coordinated, extensive, and often illegal means to stop the efforts of these two women and those using similar tactics, under their infamous COINTELPRO program. In their hunt, the FBI destroyed food intended for poor kids, turned a blind eye to the firebombing of the children of a restaurant owner, and declared a community breakfast program a major threat to public safety. But of course, it was never just about the food.

For fans of National Geographic and armchair travelers.

Jim and Elaine Larison spent years studying, exploring, and living in wild places, making more than 30 environmental films, most for the National Geographic Society. These films won more than 40 international awards from leading environmental and broadcast organizations. A thrilling adventure memoir, full of risk and personal conflict, On Assignment is also a touching look at the tender bonds that held the married couple together while they struggled to complete their many film assignments.

A real-life love story that lovers of space won’t be able to get enough of.

Far Side of the Moon is the untold, fully authorized story of the lives of Frank and Susan Borman. Life as a military wife was beyond demanding, but Susan always rose to the occasion. When Frank joined NASA and was selected to command the first mission to orbit the moon, that meant putting on a brave face for the world as her husband risked his life for the space race. The pressure and anxiety were overwhelming, and eventually Susan’s well-hidden depression and alcoholism finally came to light. Frank had to come to terms with how his “mission above all else” mentality contributed to his wife’s suffering. As Susan healed, she was able to begin helping others who suffered in silence from mental illness and addiction.