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THE KIRKUS STAR
Awarded to Books of Exceptional Merit

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Best Nonfiction of 2012: Memoir

Cover art for LIFE AFTER DEATH
NONFICTION
Released: Sept. 18, 2012
Kirkus Star LIFE AFTER DEATH
by Damien Echols
"Essential reading for anyone interested in justice or memoir."
Exceptional memoir by the most famous of the West Memphis Three. Read full book review >
Cover art for KURT VONNEGUT
NONFICTION
Released: Nov. 1, 2012
Kirkus Star KURT VONNEGUT: LETTERS
by Kurt Vonnegut, edited by Dan Wakefield
"Vonnegut's most human of hearts beats on every page."
Selected and edited letters by the author of Cat's Cradle, Slaughterhouse-Five and other enduringly popular novels, letters that reveal Vonnegut's passions, annoyances, loves, losses, mind and heart. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE OLD WAYS
NONFICTION
Released: Oct. 15, 2012
Kirkus Star THE OLD WAYS: A JOURNEY ON FOOT
by Robert Macfarlane
"A breathtaking study of "walking as enabling sight and thought rather than encouraging retreat and escape.""
Macfarlane (English/Cambridge Univ.; The Wild Places, 2008, etc.) returns with another masterful, poetic travel narrative. Read full book review >
Cover art for MARBLES
NONFICTION
Released: Nov. 6, 2012
Kirkus Star MARBLES: MANIA, DEPRESSION, MICHELANGELO, AND ME: A GRAPHIC MEMOIR
by Ellen Forney, illustrated by Ellen Forney
"Forney's story should resonate with those grappling with similar issues, while her artistry should appeal to a wide readership."
For anyone who loves graphic memoir or has concerns about bipolar swings, creativity and medication, this narrative will prove as engaging and informative as it is inspirational. Read full book review >
Cover art for HOW TO BE A WOMAN
NONFICTION
Released: July 17, 2012
Kirkus Star HOW TO BE A WOMAN
by Caitlin Moran
"Rapturously irreverent, this book should kick-start plenty of useful discussions."
A spirited memoir/manifesto that dares readers to "stand on a chair and shout ‘I AM A FEMINIST.' " Read full book review >
Cover art for WILD
NONFICTION
Released: March 20, 2012
Kirkus Star WILD: FROM LOST TO FOUND ON THE PACIFIC CREST TRAIL
by Cheryl Strayed
"A candid, inspiring narrative of the author's brutal physical and psychological journey through a wilderness of despair to a renewed sense of self."
Unsentimental memoir of the author's three-month solo hike from California to Washington along the Pacific Crest Trail. Read full book review >