“I was born in Harlem thirty-one years ago.”
Notes of a Native Son, by James Baldwin
You deleted my 
emoji. I did, in fact, recognize the reference (and it ain’t from a toupee artisan’s autobiography).
It was a good day on the military transfer station orbiting the planet Sergyar.
Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen, by Lois McMaster Bujold
Well, now you tell me, right after I ordered the autobiography on Amazon.
There, there. I’m sure it’ll be an enjoyably hair-raising read, Siam_Sam.
“In the spring of 1957, my father was offered a job in America. Since we lived in England, driving to work would have been something of a challenge unless we first crossed the Atlantic Ocean.”
Crossing on Time by David Macaulay
For me it’s
“Duke Maximilian of Bavaria kneeled by the side of the bier upon which his late wife’s body lay in state.”
1634: The Bavarian Crisis.By Eric Flint and Virginia De Marce
“At seven, Regan Lewis was perfectly normal according to every measurement she knew, which meant she was normal in every way that counted.”
Across the Green Grass Fields, by Seanan McGuire
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
…
It was the age of bad toupées, it was the age of Ishmael Liebowitz’s toupées…
My beard is a wonder.
(Antkind, Charlie Kaufman)
…
Oh, did you want more? . . . (it is a wonderful book):
It is the beard of Whitman, of Rasputin, of Darwin, yet it is uniquely mine. It’s a salt-and-pepper, steel-wool, cotton-candy confection, much too long, wispy, and unruly to be fashionable. And it is this, its very unfashionability, that makes the strongest statement. It says, I don’t care a whit (a Whit, man!) about fashion.
Did you like the book?
I haven’t really been following this thread, but I worked for a very small (four person, typically) business owned by Barry Sonnenfeld’s father for 15 years and he was my professional mentor as well as one of my best friends.
It was interesting reading so many of the stories I’d heard from his father’s perspective told from his.
Yes, I did enjoy the Sonnenfeld autobiography. He actually told me more about his parents and his messed-up childhood than I wanted to know, but once he got to NYU Film School and embarked on his showbiz career the story really got interesting - by turns funny, disturbing, touching, disgusting and even heartwarming. Quite a ride!
“I’m sorry about my parents, Mike.”
1632, by Eric Flint
“We four Fosters owned the Whole Shebang.”
Something to Shout About, by Patricia Beatty
“When it came to family, Mary Ball Washington, George Washington’s mother, was always unlucky.”
You Never Forget Your First by Alexis Coe
This is how River Cartwright slipped off the fast track and joined the slow horses.
Slow Horses - Mick Herron
“How utterly delightful!” exclaimed Richelieu.
1633 , by David Weber and Eric Flint
“How do you reconstruct a lost life?”
The Light Ages: The Surprising Story of Medieval Science, by Seb Falk
It was a totally bizarre read for me, and I found much of it disturbing.
Barry’s dad was in his late ‘60’s when I met him and started working for him, so I missed a lot of the early stuff but I never saw a hint of the financial difficulties he described - he was actually an extremely generous employer. I was well-paid and got lots of perks, including a car. And he gave me an interest-free loan when I left to start my own business,
During the time I knew him he was spending a lot of time with his long time mistress, the woman he eventually married, but I’m pretty sure he didn’t have any other affairs. He actually was at business dinners most nights, although his girlfriend frequently joined him and his clients. His family thought he was sleeping with everyone though, including me and the other women he worked with. We laughed about how his wife assumed all these attractive women forty years younger than him would be remotely interested ( we weren’t).
And I was at the party described at the end and he nailed that part accurately.
Thanks, AH - good to know.