The Reading List: March ’11

The Dark Side of Innocence: Growing Up Bipolar   
(Atria, hardcover, $25)
By Terri Cheney
The L.A.-based mental health advocate wrote the bestselling Manic (2008) about her struggle with adult bipolar disorder; here, she turns to her childhood.
Out: Mar. 1 

An Improvised Life: A Memoir 
(Da Capo Press, paperback, $17)
By Alan Arkin
The Academy Award-winning actor ruminates about the creative process and his life.
Out: Mar. 1 

MGM: Hollywood’s Greatest Backlot   
(Santa Monica Press, hardcover, $35)
By Steven Bingen, Michael Troyan, and Stephen X. Sylvester
This volume takes you behind the scenes with previously unpublished photos of the Golden Age’s biggest studio, where stars such as Garbo, Astaire, and Gable roamed and classics such as The Wizard of Oz, Singin’ in the Rain, and Ben-Hur were filmed.
Out: Mar. 1 

MM-Personal: From the Private Archive of Marilyn Monroe   
(Abrams, hardcover, $35)
By Lois Banner
The USC professor has collected previously unpublished artifacts from Marilyn’s private archive (with photographs by Mark Anderson), updating our notions of the icon.
Out: Mar. 1 

Tell to Win: Connect, Persuade and Triumph with the Hidden Power of Story 
(Crown Business, hardcover, $26)
By Peter Guber
Use storytelling to help close your business deals with this primer from the legendary producer, CEO, and UCLA professor.
Out: Mar. 1 

Untied: A Memoir of Family, Fame, and Floundering    
(Crown Archetype, hardcover, $25)
By Meredith Baxter
The Family Ties mom discusses her three failed marriages, struggles with alcoholism, and revelation that she’s a lesbian.
Out: Mar. 1 

This Vacant Paradise 
(Counterpoint, hardcover, $25)
By Victoria Patterson
The California Book Award finalist (Drift) who lives in South Pasadena sets her new novel in Newport Beach.
Out: Mar. 1 

Wingshooters   
(Akashic, paperback, $16)
By Nina Revoyr
The L.A. author of the critically-acclaimed Southland (2003) and The Age of Dreaming (2008) delivers a new novel about a Japanese-American girl living in a small town in Wisconsin in the 1970s.
Out: Mar. 1 

 Fortytude: Making the Next Decades the Best Years of Your Life – through the 40s, 50s, and Beyond  
(Voice, hardcover, $24)
By Sarah Brokaw
The daughter of legendary newsman Tom Brokaw identifies the qualities that help women thrive as they mature.
Out: Mar. 2 

Freeway 
(Fantagraphics Books, paperback, $29)
By Mark Kalesniko
The author of the graphic novel Mail Order Bride (2001) chronicles a few hours in the life of his dog-headed alter ego.
Out: Mar. 7 

Campy: The Two Lives of Roy Campanella   
(Simon & Schuster, hardcover, $28)
By Neil Lanctot
The baseball historian provides an authoritative biography of the Hall of Famer – Campy was the first African-American catcher in the twentieth century for the Brooklyn Dodgers before a car crash left him a quadriplegic in 1958; after the accident, he became an inspiring presence in the L.A. Dodgers’ organization.
Out: Mar. 8 

Conversations with Scorsese 
(Knopf, hardcover, $30)
By Richard Schickel
The critic and legendary director engage, argue, and provide a sweeping view of film history.
Out: Mar. 8 

The George Carlin Letters: The Permanent Courtship of Sally Wade 
(Gallery, hardcover, $26)
By Sally Wade
The Venice-based writer chronicles her relationship with the comedian and accompanies her narrative with his previously-unpublished artwork and notes to her.
Out: Mar. 8 

When the Thrill is Gone: A Leonid McGill Mystery 
(Riverhead, hardcover, $27)
By Walter Mosley
The New York private investigator confronts affairs, scams and murder plots in this third installment of the latest series from the acclaimed, L.A.-born writer.
Out: Mar. 8 

The Philosophy of David Lynch    
(University Press of Kentucky, hardcover, $35)
Edited by William J. Devlin and Shai Bederman
If you ever scratched your head in confusion at Blue Velvet or Twin Peaks, this collection of scholarly essays can help you understand what it all means.
Out: Mar. 14 

An Army of Phantoms: American Movies and the Making of the Cold War 
(The New Press, hardcover, $28)
By J. Hoberman
From the esteemed film and cultural critic, an exploration of how movies both reflected and influenced postwar America.
Out: Mar. 15 

The Dressmaker of Khair Khana: Five Sisters, One Remarkable Family, and the Woman Who Risked Everything to Keep Them Safe   
(Harper, hardcover, $25)
By Gayle Tzemach Lemmon
The L.A. author and foreign relations expert profiles a woman who started a tailoring shop in her living room under Taliban rule.
Out: Mar. 15 

Everyone Loves You When You’re Dead: Journeys into Fame and Madness   
(It Books, paperback, $17)
By Neil Strauss
The L.A.-based journalist combed through his interview notes with celebrities over the years and compiled more than 200 outrageous and previously-unpublished interactions.
Out: Mar. 15 

Film Isms. . . : Understanding Cinema   
(Universe, paperback, $17)
By Ronald Bergan
For your favorite film buff: a handy little resource guide about movie history.
Out: Mar. 15 

Halfway to Hollywood: Diaries 1980-1988   
(Thomas Dunne Books, hardcover, $33)
By Michael Palin
This second volume from the Monty Python actor includes the British comedian’s many trips to L.A. for movie projects, including A Fish Called Wanda.
Out: Mar. 15 

The Hollywood Sign: Fantasy and Reality of an American Icon   
(Yale University Press, hardcover, $24)
By Leo Braudy
The USC professor explores the remarkable story of the hillside icon that began as a 1923 advertisement.
Out: Mar. 15 

Oceana: Our Endangered Oceans and What We Can Do to Save Them   
(Rodale, hardcover, $33)
By Ted Danson and Michael D’Orso
In a personal, conversational tone, the actor details his journey into worldwide oceanic environmental activism over the past two and a half decades; he also shares the stage with scientists and environmental lawyers, who describe the oceans’ crises and offer solutions.
Out: Mar. 15 

What He Can Expect When She’s Not Expecting: How to Support Your Wife, Save Your Marriage, and Conquer Infertility!   
(Skyhorse Publishing, paperback, $13)
By Marc Sedaka
The comedy writer and his wife have experienced the full range of treatment options, and here he offers tips for the guys in the process.
Out: Mar. 16 

Blowout!: Sal Castro and the Chicano Struggle for Educational Justice   
(University of North Carolina Press, hardcover, $35)
By Mario T. Garcia and Sal Castro
In March 1968, Sal Castro led thousands of Chicano students in East Los Angeles in a walk-out to protest discrimination and inferior education in the so-called “Mexican Schools.”
Out: Mar. 21 

Death in the Fifth Position; Death Before Bedtime; Death Likes it Hot   
(Vintage Books, paperback, $15 each)
By Gore Vidal (writing as Edgar Box)
The publisher is reprinting the three mystery novels the author wrote in the 1950s under the pseudonym Edgar Box —  Death in the Fifth Position (1952), Death Before Bedtime (1953), and Death Likes it Hot (1954), which all feature the dashing PR man and amateur sleuth, Peter Sargent.
Out: Mar. 22 

Fade to Black: Graveside Memories of Hollywood Greats 1927-1950   
(Schiffer, paperback, $25)
By Michael Barry
A morbidly glamorous volume – the author tours burial locations of Oscar winners from the Golden Age.
Out: Mar. 28 

All My Life: A Memoir   
(It Books, hardcover, $26)
By Susan Lucci with Laura Morton
The daytime TV icon chronicles her remarkable career as well as personal highs and lows.
Out: Mar. 29 

Blind Sight   
(Pantheon, hardcover, $25)
By Meg Howrey
The L.A. author (and former ballerina) delivers a poised debut novel about a teenage boy who discovers his long-lost father is a superstar actor. See our full review in the March issue of Los Angeles magazine.
Out: Mar. 29 

What You See in the Dark   
(Algonquin,hardcover, $24)
By Manuel Munoz
In this fictionalized version of the making of Psycho, a famous Hollywood director and actress arrive in Bakersfield and a local love affair ends in murder.
Out: Mar. 29