Performance & Film

I could not put down this engaging memoir by Emmy, Grammy, and Tony award winner Billy Porter, the star of Pose and Kinky Boots. Humorous, heartbreaking, sassy, and inspiring, Unprotected takes readers from Porter’s childhood in Pittsburgh (where his vocal talent and gayness were evident by age 5) to New York City, where he pursues his dream of being a performer. Porter leaps from past to present and from personal to political while calling out homophobia and racism in the industry, the church, and beyond. Incredibly gifted and hard working, he will have you cheering for him as he fights to live life as his authentic self.—S.B.

American Ballet Theater principal dancer James Whiteside details his rise to fame and his life beyond ballet in this energetic and humorous memoir. Knowing he was gay at an early age, Whiteside thought that ballet “was doing something super gay” only to be disappointed by the heteronormative roles that male dancers were cast in. While keeping up with the demands of ballet, he also ventured out into becoming a New York drag queen and breaking into the pop-music scene in order to stay connected to his true self. While Center Center doesn’t delve into the details of dance technique or the wonders of performances, it’s a fun read detailing the flair and determination it takes to reach the top.—S.M.C.

Alan Cumming’s last memoir was a catharsis; this one is a hard-hitting stroll through his star-studded past. Cumming looks back at the moments that shaped him into the man he is today from teen journalist (really!) to stardom and beyond. I think I ended up reading half of this book aloud to my partner because it was so funny and raw. I’m always in awe of how richly his voice comes through in his writing, as it does once again in Baggage.—Ivy

Ceremony, reverence, recollection, an ode to Blackness in motion, all in a brief but expansive 160 pages. Ntozake Shange, best known for her choreopoem For Colored Girls who have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf, illuminates her own intimacy with dance through testimony, interviews with oft-overlooked Black icons of movement, and deeply gorgeous photo inserts. Shange communicates the intergenerational inheritance of Black dance and movement with prose true to her prior writing. A love letter and veneration of the Black diaspora, especially Black women. — Citlalli

Like many of us, Lindy West loves pointing out plot holes and picking movies apart almost as much as she loves watching them. Unlike many of us, West used to be a professional film critic, lending merit to her commentary. Each chapter focuses on a different classic and often beloved film, summarizing the plot while also pointing out everything that’s wrong with it. This might sound like a bit of a negative premise, but it’s all in good fun and West makes some truly hilarious observations. The book isn’t groundbreaking but it will make you laugh A LOT. — Jade
 

Acho has given us quite a gift, both in the form of his viral hit video series Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man and his new book of the same name, a companion to or a continuation of these vital conversations. Each chapter addresses a key question about race relations, racial injustices, and systemic racism. Acho gives frank, thoughtful answers, provides historical context, encourages further self-examination, and offers steps for moving forward. It is an important, hopeful, necessary antiracist resource. — Melinda

You know that friend who will endlessly debate Marvel plot points or keep trying to get you to watch that one movie that you’ve hardly heard of? Oh wait—you are that friend? Buddy, do I have a book for you. Shea Serrano is passionate, nerdy, and funny, and with the help of Arturo Torres’s pop culture–perfect illustrations, has rants and debates you have never even thought of. You will devour each point, paragraph, and ridiculously meaningless/ful idea that fills these pages. - Jocelyn

As both a Shakespeare and folklore nerd, this book was an absolute delight to me. Seeing the multicultural folktales that more than likely inspired the Bard to create his now universally known masterpieces is a unique experience. We can read the stories he heard and find the elements so familiar to us in ancient stories. This is perfect for the Santa Cruz Shakespeare member and budding thespian alike. - J Gallo

Celebrated choreographer Mark Morris looks back on his dance career in this candid and often humorous memoir. “Out Loud is the story of a brilliant, complex artist, a keen observer and interpreter of the world around him, guided by one constant purpose: to create dance. This hard-to-put-down book illuminates the mind of an irreducible visionary and the art form that shaped him.” —Yo-Yo Ma

In Carson's unique translation the language is as lively and resonantly human as Euripides' plays should be. Included is “Hekabe,” one of the most powerful dramatic tragedies of all time with all its timely reckoning with civilization and its collapse. Carson’s opening essay about tragedy and catharsis speaks to my soul. Myth, rage, beauty, and grief in equal parts. - Clara