Texas Flood by Alan Paul and Andy Aledort

ZZ Top, Stevie Wonder, Bonnie Raitt and Buddy Guy were among the mourners at the 1990 funeral for Stevie Ray Vaughan – a fitting tribute for the man often called one of the greatest guitar players of all time. The newly released biography called TEXAS FLOOD is “The Inside Story of Stevie Ray Vaughan” written by Alan Paul and Andy Aledort. The authors were clearly inspired by Stevie Ray Vaughan and express their appreciation to his many friends and fellow musicians and to his brother, Jimmie Vaughan, all of whom contributed (see the several page “cast of characters”) to this book which “represents three decades of work.”

This biography explores Vaughan’s life from an early age and uses direct quotes (“I got my first guitar when I was seven”) from his interviews.  In addition, the authors feature impressions and quotes from a large number of his associates (think of a script from a Ken Burns documentary) in chapters that deal with the Austin music scene, Vaughan’s addiction issues, his work with the Double Trouble band and much more. Kirkus called TEXAS FLOOD “a treasure trove for anyone interested in the blues and Vaughan’s place within popular music” and gave it a starred review as did Library Journal and Publishers Weekly. If you have not heard Stevie Ray play the blues, give a listen to the video below; then read his story: 

Eunice by Eileen McNamara

EUNICE by Eileen McNamara, subtitled “The Kennedy Who Changed the World,” was an eye-opening read which I think our students, particularly those who need to write about someone who made a difference, will appreciate.  As the publisher notes, Eunice Kennedy Shriver was “a woman both ahead of her time and out of step with it: the visionary founder of the Special Olympics, a devout Catholic in a secular age, and a formidable woman whose impact on American society was longer lasting than that of any of the Kennedy men.”  It was interesting to read the many details about her childhood and adolescence, the influence that her sister Rosemary’s disability likely had on Shriver’s future actions, and the global magnitude of the changes she made as a determined activist.  One estimate was that the Special Olympics, after 50 years of operation, had served more than 4.9 million athletes from 172 countries with more than a million coaches and volunteers. McNamara, an award-winning journalist from The Boston Globe, describes Shriver’s “compassion as the engine that propelled her to fight for the forgotten.” 

To learn more about an extremely influential woman, read EUNICE, a compelling biography which received starred reviews from Kirkus and Library Journal.  Added NOTE: Author Eileen McNamara will be speaking Thursday, April 26th (7:00pm to 8:15pm) at the Glencoe Public Library, 320 Park Avenue for a program in partnership with The Bookstall. 

Ray & Joan by Lisa Napoli

Are you looking for a biography to read?  Then consider Ray & Joan by Lisa Napoli.  The subtitle is a great description: “the man who made the McDonald’s fortune and the woman who gave it all away.” Joan, Ray’s third wife, was a pianist and both were married when they met. Author Napoli has clearly conducted extensive research on their relationship, the history of McDonald’s corporation and Joan’s bequests to a number of charities particularly the treatment of alcoholism.  

Honestly, I found myself re-reading some sections and therefore did not find this life story to be that well-written, but the Krocs are a fascinating duo, especially given the local Oak Brook connection.  Ray & Joan by Lisa Napoli received starred reviews from Booklist and Kirkus.

For other popular biographies from 2016, check out the Goodreads Rankings. I will be posting several more "Best of 2016" lists soon.