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April 15, 2011 In Tina Fey's new memoir, she recounts her journey from amateur improv to a hectic life of acting, writing, executive-producing and being a mother. Written with uproarious humor and self-deprecating insight, Bossypants debuts at the top of this week's list.

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April 8, 2011 In the latest biography of Mohandas Gandhi, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Joseph Lelyveld explores the man behind the myth. Lelyveld's thorough research and clear-eyed narration succeed in humanizing the beloved — and often deified — leader. Great Soul debuts at No. 13.

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April 1, 2011 Sarah Vowell brings her wry humor to the story of Hawaii's Americanization — from the arrival of New England missionaries in the early 1800s to its annexation. Vowell includes every last ironic and hilarious detail of the history of the 50th state. Unfamiliar Fishes debuts at No. 3.

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March 25, 2011 Reporter Gayle Tzemach Lemmon tells the incredible true story of an Afghan woman who set up a dressmaking business under Taliban rule to support her family — at a time when women could not even leave their houses without a male escort. The Dressmaker of Khair Khana debuts at No. 11.

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March 18, 2011 When a load of thousands of plastic bath toys is mysteriously lost at sea, Donovan Hohn sets out to discover why. He soon finds himself on an accidental odyssey into the convoluted world of shipping corporations, toy factories, Arctic researchers and rogue sailors. Moby-Duck debuts at No. 13.

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March 11, 2011 Gabrielle Hamilton, chef and owner of Prune restaurant in New York, describes "the inadvertent education of a reluctant chef" in her new memoir. Blood, Bones & Butter debuts on the list at No. 3.

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March 4, 2011 Before Scott Brown was even elected a Massachusetts senator, he had survived a troubled childhood and found success as a college athlete, fashion model, law student and member of the National Guard. Against All Odds, the memoir of his extraordinary life journey, debuts at No. 15.

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February 25, 2011 In A Widow's Story, Joyce Carol Oates describes her struggle to cope with the sudden death of her husband. Her new memoir debuts at No. 9.

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February 18, 2011 The inner workings of the Bush administration, Sept. 11, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, even his childhood during the Depression and World War II — all is up for discussion in former U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's new memoir. Humorous and surprising, Known and Unknown debuts at No. 6.

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February 11, 2011 The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks tells the story of a poor African-American mother whose cancerous cells were used posthumously to develop countless breakthroughs in modern medicine. Science writer Rebecca Skloot's book enjoys its 38th week on the list.

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February 4, 2011 Author of The 4-Hour Workweek, Timothy Ferriss follows up with a diet and fitness book that hacks the human body. The tango world-record holder and former national kickboxing champion dishes out advice to excel everywhere from the gym to the bedroom. The 4-Hour Body debuts at No. 6.

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January 27, 2011 When a brain tumor left Wall Street veteran Gordon Murray with only six months to live, he teamed up with financial adviser Daniel Goldie to write an insider's guide to the investment process. The Investment Answer ­debuts at No. 10.

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January 21, 2011 Laura Hillenbrand tells the amazing story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic athlete who endured imprisonment and brutality as a soldier in World War II. Unbroken spends its ninth week on the list.

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January 13, 2011 In her new memoir, Annie Proulx sets the trials and tribulations of her move to the Wyoming wilderness against a backdrop of the region's natural and political history. Bird Cloud debuts at No. 7.

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January 7, 2011 Siddhartha Mukherjee presents a biography of cancer that covers everything from its first documented appearance through the epic battles of the 20th century to cure, control and conquer it. The Emperor of All Maladies enjoys its second week on the list.

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