Copley Connects Fall 2025 / Spring 2026

I’m Laughing Because I’m Crying by Youngmi Mayer By Catherine Paolillo Head of Access and Outreach Services Librarian

hero in the USA to almost dying in an Austrian prison. I found this book at a wine bookstore in New York City, and decided to read it so I could understand why there is a city, street, park, school, or anything named after him. Boudicca’s Daughter

I am a big stand-up comedy fan and have been following Youngmi Mayer’s work for several years, so I was thrilled when she announced her memoir, I’m Laughing Because I’m Crying . Mayer is candid about her life’s traumas, successes, and keen observations

by Elodie Harper By Martha Adkins Research and Instruction Librarian This is an historical

fictional novel following the life of the daughter of Boudicca, the woman who led a rebellion of native Celtic Britons against the Roman army in 60CE. In Elodie Harper’s imagined story of Solina, she is one of two daughters, both trained secretly by their mother as warriors,

on both Korean and American culture,

relationships, luxury brands, foodie culture, motherhood, and so much more. Her writing is smart, concise, heartfelt, and hilarious. The book was a delight to read, and I was indeed laughing and crying from beginning to end. Hero of Two Worlds by Mike Duncan By Dennis-Michael Broussard Night Supervisor

as the Celtic Britons were not permitted to wield actual weapons while under Roman rule. Their father, king of the Iceni and a Druid, trained Solina as a Druid as well, to carry on the traditions of prophecy. Both daughters are chosen to succeed him, but this is not allowed when the time comes. The Roman procurator instead unleashes violence on the Iceni, who then rebel, under the leadership of Catia, henceforth renamed Boudicca, “Bringer of Victory.” The rebellion is successful for a time, but then crushed, and Solina is taken prisoner. I won’t spoil the rest of the story, which follows Solina as prisoner. Harper is a trained Classicist, presenting this fictional account with enough historical details to entertain enthusiasts of Roman history as well as those unfamiliar with the facts.

I enjoyed reading about the Marquis de Lafayette in Mike Duncan’s biography, Hero of Two Worlds ; what he meant to America and his public life in France. He was instrumental in both the American and the French revolutions — and he was only 19 when he came to America to fight the British.

Duncan does a nice job of recounting history in an almost story-like way. The biography goes really in depth through the highs and lows of Lafayette’s life — from being treated like a

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