Memoirs and Biographies We Love discussion
What'cha readin'?
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Chrissie
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Sep 14, 2010 03:54AM
Hi Virginie, I am curious to hear what you say about the book! Nice to see my GR friends joining this group!
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Thanks Chrissie, I will add these to my read list.
Debra, the book about the Roosevelts is very good. I often write "reviews" as I read books, so I can air my own thoughts...... If you are curious about the book maybe my review will help you decide if you really want to read it. Here is link to my "running review": http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/... .I practically always write reviews - to help myself figure out what I think of a book!
Thank you for the link Chrissie, I will read the review.
Debra, did you have trouble finding my reviews to the other two books: A Mountain of Crumbs: A Memoir and Stone in a Landslide? I think it is pretty easy if you just go to the book pages. If you have trouble, drop me a line and I will include the links here.
I loved No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II and The Glass Castle. Jeanette Walls later book Half Broke Horses was really good too.I just finished Drinking: A Love Storyand then readLet's Take the Long Way Home: A Memoir of Friendship. They were both sad and uplifting at the same time.
Dero, I am currently reading No Ordinary Time. It is superb! I also enjoyed the Glass Castle, but tead it ages ago. Is it not so that Half Broken Horses isn't quite as good ?
Half Broke Horses is not as good as The Glass Castle but you do get a good picture of why Jeanette's mother got so crazy. Apparently ecentric behavior was genetic.
Dero - interesting! With so many wonderful books to read I do not think I will choose Half Broke Horses!
Hi Chrissie, I just went into the links you put in your comment and got the reviews, will read them as soon as possible. Thank you so much, I needed the help on what to read.
Debra, I adore biographies!!!! Practically always better than fiction.
I am currently reading The Lovers of Algeria: A Novel, which is historical fiction. I just finished No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II. The latter is a biography, but do NOT think it id dry and boring. It was marvelous. Here follows a link to my review for those interested: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/... If you are worried that the book about the Roosevelts could be dry, well it absolutely isn't. It pulls you in, and you laugh and cry......
A Ticket to the Circus: A Memoir by Norris Church Mailer about her marriage to Norman Mailer. A thoroughly funny, witty and engaging book.
I am now starting The Road From Home: A True Story of Courage, Survival and Hope which is a Newberry Honor Book. It is a biography about the Armenian Genocide. The author speaks of his mother's experiences. I just finished The Nazi Officer's Wife: How One Jewish Woman Survived the Holocaust and here is my GR review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Hi Chrissie, I just read your review of The Nazi Officer's Wife. It proves my point that desperate people do desperate things. I can't think of anything more desperate than a Jewish woman marrying a Nazi. Your review was well written, but I probably won't read this book just because I have read so many Holocaust books that I've had enough. If you're ever in Washington,DC, you should go to the Holocaust Museum. They did a fabulous job of making it personal enough for the average person to relate to it.
Lisa, I have been to the Holocaust Museum in Berlin,Germany. It was a frightening experince. The security was unbelievable. I have also been to the Jewish cemetery in Prague,. There the secutiry is non-existant. The two extremes really are mind boggling. I was scared to death in Prague, having ewperienced the other previously. Both are experiences that should not be missed.Now there is one thing I must say about the book. Edith loved her husband, the Nazi officer! At least in the beginning. As in all marriages, love is one thing and agreeing on other issues another. You can love somebody that still thinks very differenty from yourself! Of course this leads to problems. But do not hink she was a self-centered person or a schemer. She wasn't - and this was a big eye-opener for me. Remember how I pointed out my initial disgust? That disgust is not correct, and when you read the book you see a whole other person than you had imagined.
I wasn't passing judgement on Edith for marrying a Nazi. I'm just saying that even great people when put in a desperate situation will do desperate things. Doing whatever you have to to stay alive is different from general scheming. People did all sorts of things to survive the holocaust. I live in Skokie, Illinois where there is a large concentration of Holocaust survivors. Most of them don't like to discuss their experiences but now they are because they know that after they die, there will be noone left to bear witness to the atrocities.
Lisa, when I started the book I did sort of pass judgement on Edith. I did not admire her for "marrying a Nazi" to survive. I KNOW that is wrong but that IS where my emotions took me, but then when I read the book I was so very pleasantly surprised that I readlly admired Edith. In this way the story has a very unigue perspective. She turns around and poses one of those questions to the reader: "Well, know you are thinking why did I marry him?" And she says it IS b/c she loved him, and you believe what she says. She has no subterfuge what-so-ever. It is refreshing. What is so lovely is that, as in real life, people are bizarre - a mix of terrible and wonderful characteristics.I LOVE discussing this with you!!!
Hi Chrissie, I don't know if my last message got through. I'm having difficulty with my computer. Anyway, what I was trying to post is that I find it impossible to understand how she could love a Nazi. It's easier for me to understand her marrying him to survive. Maybe I will read the book to figure this out. It's been interesting having this discussion with you. I look forward to hearing from you again.
Lisa, I love talking about books. In my review I tried to get the message across that kindness can occur on both sides. First of all you will be surprised at who she marries and who she doesn't marry, how some people start out so positive and strong and end up so crippled. I do NOT want to give away the story, but I can say that as in any marriage, when you love somebody one can be blind to horrid things. Sometimes we are not even blind; love makes us do strange things. Story characters are so simple. Real life people are not! Edith explains exactly her feelings toward her husband, both in the beginning and at the end.
Hi Chrissie, You've sold the book to me. I will look for it next time I go to the library. Have a great week! I see that you live in Belgium. But I'm sure you've read that our elections come up here in 9 days. I will be campaigning for the candidates whom I support and won't be reading very much until it's over. Our campaigns are too long.
WE still cannot form a government her in Belgium. It is pitiful! Almost five months have passed since the election.... Actually I am Swedish, but by choice. I lived in Wilmette when I went to high school. So I know Chicago and Illinois :0) I always feel nervous when someone decides to read a book I have blabbed about. People are different, and I am always scared they will be disappointed, but I can only voice my thoughts. That is all I can do when I write MY review. I hope you like it.
I just finished The Road From Home: A True Story of Courage, Survival and Hope and here follows my GR review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...I did learn about Armenian culture, Armenian Genocide and the Great Fire of Smyrna, but the biography could have been better told. I gave it three stars. Now I have begun, still on the Armenian theme, Passage to Ararat
That's interesting. Did you grow up in Wilmette or just come here to attend high school? I didn't get whether you were originally Swedish and living in Belgium by choice or the other way around. Either way, it's usually embarassing how you Europeans have better command of English than a lot of Americans do.
Lisa, I was born in the US and lived in several states. then my family emigrated to Sweden. My husband is Swedish. Now we live in Belgium since my husband got a job here. So English is simple. My Swedish pronunciation isn't perfect. I manage with French....... I find as I get older I mix up the languages more. I understand everything but when I respond I make errors. I tell myself - "Who cares, as long as one is understood?!" Well, I do wish I were more proficient. I convince myself it doesn't matter...... but that is garbage. I would like to know French and Swedish perfectly! :0)
I still envy you. I group up in NY and learned to speak French fluently in school. I lived in Israel and used it there. Since being back in the US, I've had no use for French and have forgotten most of it. That gets me really upset. I speak some Spanish (which I use here sometimes) and have forgotten most of my Hebrew also.
Learning languages is hard, but through them you better come to understand the people and culture of a new country. Hey, you know quite a few too!!!
Not very well. I'm no longer anywhere close to proficient in any of the languages I studies. By the way, I read an interesting memoir "In Search of My Father's Paradise" It was about a guy whose father grew up in the Kurdish part of Iraq in a Jewish area where they all spoke Aramaic. It was only a spoken language and most of the people in the town were illiterate. It was a very interesting book especially from a linguistic point of view.
Lisa, I adored My Father's Paradise. There is a thread entitled "Top 5" in this group. I left a long list of my favorites. This book is there!
Having finished Not Even My Name: A True Story, which I adored and talked about in the Top 5 thread, I will now start Nothing in the World. Will it be as good? The reviews sound fabulous! It is fiction.
I just finished Bloody Crimes: The Chase for Jefferson Davis and the Death Pageant for Lincoln's Corpse. I thought it was really good.
I just gave up on the NY Review Classic The Family Mashber. Here is why: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...I have switched to Loving Frank. I like it immediately. It helps to enjoy Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture; you can picture the rooms and houses described. I am hoping to learn more about who he was inside!
I recently published my first memoir "Rockettes, Rockstars and Rockbottom". A guide to following your dreams and losing your heart. The reviews have blown my mind and one paper called it "the Eat, Pray, Love for the MTV generation" I would love the support of this group :)
Congratulations, Keltie. Good luck on selling your book.
I just finished Loving Frank and I highly recommend it if you like Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture and design. This book will tell you more about him, what his personality was like! His faults and his great abilities. You will learn about life with him, what that could have been like. Here is my review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...Now I am very excited about starting Buddha's Orphans. It is not a biography but still it looks interesting! It takes place in Nepal.
whichwaydidshego? wrote: "Tell us about any memoirs/biographies you have read recently or are in the process of reading. Did you like it or no? Why or why not? "I'm currently reading Young Mandela: The Revolutionary Years by David James Smith. I'm only halfway through it -- this is a "slow" read because each page has so much (maybe too much) information packed into it. I'm afraid I may miss something important if I even skip over a word!!! But it's worth it -- I have learned so much from this book.
Another biography that I've recently read is Louisa May Alcott: The Women Behind Little Women. I loved it.
I just joined this group -- I'm looking forward to the discussions here. Is there a current book that everyone is reading, or do we each just post what we're reading and the discussions go from there? Either way works for me!!
Barbara
Hi Barbara, this group is very quiet..... I love biographies too. I am alwys happy when someone comes along and want to discuss them. I particularly like biographies and memoirs about people that have lived through historical events or people whose lives teach you about a different culture! I highly recommend Loving Frank, if you like his architecture and design. You really learn about how life with this guy was. You get a fuller picture of the individual. So the Alcott book was good..... As far as I know there are no group reads!
I'm reading "Just Jackie: Her Private Years." I always admired Jackie O. for her sense of style and the way she handled herself with all the Kennedy drama, Jacks many affairs, etc. This book reveals she had her own transgressions and poor choices, insecurities. She was human. The book is gossipy, verging on sleazy. Not sure I'm going to finish it. I've read better books about Jackie that were more factual, less trashy.
I just finished Escape!: The Story of the Great Houdini. It wasn't bad. Houdini's life was really interesting, but since the book was aimed at a younger audience, I wasn't crazy about the way it was written. I may have to go find some more books on Houdini though; I'd love to get a more in depth look.
Over Xmas I read Under a Cruel Star: A Life in Prague 1941-1968. This was one of the best books I read this year! To explain more about the book, pls see my GR review here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
I just finished Shanghai Diary: A Young Girl's Journey from Hitler's Hate to War-Torn China which was very informative and the kind of book that immediately sucks you in. The author fled in 1939, 10 years old, with her family to Shanghai, one of the few countries that left their doors open to the European Jews! My review follows, if you are curious about the book's contents and the prose style:http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Thanks Chrissie for suggesting we read "The Nazi Officer's Wife." As you said, it was an amazing read. I didn't think I could understand how a Jewish woman could fall in love with a Nazi but it was understandable in the context of the whole story. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down until I finished.
Lisa, I reacted as you did. I was very sceptical to reading about a Jewish woman who married a Nazi. How could she? After reading the book you completely understand. Quite amazing. I am glad you liked it. It feels horrible when you recommend a book to someone and they don't like it!
I will now start Spoon River Anthology. I need a breath of fresh air, having just finished I Have Lived A Thousand Years: Growing Up In The Holocaust. Please do not misunderstand me, this book should be read by all. I, personally, would not classify it as a YA book! Here follows my GR review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
I will continue my reading of Spoon River Anthologyn which is poetry, and now also start Jamilia. I am curious to read a book by the author Chingiz Aïtmatov. He is/was the Kyrgyz ambassador to the European Union, NATO, UNESCO and the Benelux countries.I just finishedLocal Wonders: Seasons in the Bohemian Alps, which I absolutely ADORED! You should read it. It is written by the 13th Poet Laureate of the United States. Here follows my GR review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
I will now start House of Day, House of Night. I am curious to read it b/c it is written by a promising new Polish author. I like translated books. It is partially biographical. I just finished Revolt in Paradise. Here follows my review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
It was definitely an enjoyable read, but it demands a discerning eye! The author's role in the historical events are, I believe, a bit exagerated! You will learn a lot, and it is very excting.
This week I read Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter and Geisha: A Life. Chinese Cinderella was a really quick read and a touching and inspiring story. Geisha, A Life I enjoyed a lot, but wasn't quite as good. Still a good story, but didn't pull me in quite as much.
Kaitie, As you know, Iwasaki's "Geisha: A Life" is the autobiography of the woman in Golden's "Memoirs of a Geisha". Liza Dalby's "Geisha" is however said to be more forthcoming about the reality of geishas' lives. Maybe read Dalby's and Iwasaki's together, to get a more accurate picture! This is what I plan on doing, when I have the time.
Lisa, definitely! The problem is there is so much that is interesting. How do you choose? There simply isn't enough time to read all of them.
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