From one of the world's most renowned novelists to a truth-telling comedian to a courageous warrior for civil rights, 2014 bid farewell to many great men and women who have changed the way we think about our world. In 22 LIVES OF 2014, THE WASHINGTON POST turns to its Pulitzer Prize-winning reportage to gather the obituaries of some of the greatest artists and icons. It honors memories and remembers legacies. This uplifting look at figures such as...

Gabourey Sidibe ... skyrocketed to international fame in 2009 when she played the leading role in Lee Daniels's acclaimed movie Precious. In This Is Just My Face, she shares a one-of-a-kind life story in a voice as fresh and challenging as many of the unique characters she's played onscreen ... [Her] memoir hits hard with self-knowing dispatches on friendship, depression, celebrity, haters, fashion, race, and weight--Amazon.com.

"A thrilling mystery about a group of former classmates who reunite to mark the tenth anniversary of a tragic accident--only to have one of the survivors disappear, casting fear and suspicion on the original tragedy"-- A decade ago, two vans filled with high school seniors on a school service trip crashed into a Tennessee ravine--a tragedy that claimed the lives of multiple classmates and teachers. The nine students who managed to escape the river...