Task 6: Read a Biography (Not a Memoir or Autobiography)

[Martha]

Sophia: Princess, Suffragette, Revolutionary

It looks like I'll be reading more than one biography this year, and to think I thought this would be my hardest challenge!

[Leslie]

Biography
Currently reading: RFK Jr.: Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and the Dark Side of the Dream - by Jerry Oppenheimer
Will definitely read another.
Philip Seymour Hoffman: Brilliant. Troubled. Tragic. - by Editors of Plexus (Editor)
Custer's Trials: A Life on the Frontier of a New America -by T.J. Stiles
Vera (Mrs.Vladimir Nabokov) -by Stacy Schiff
Alfred Hitchcock: The Man Who Knew Too Much - by Michael Wood
Maggie Smith: A Biography -Michael Coveney

[Rachel]

I'm thinking about Oprah by Kitty Kelley.

[Rachiel]

I am doing The Duchess by Amanda Foreman. I've been meaning to read it for s long time.

[Rachiel]

I am doing The Duchess by Amanda Foreman. I've been meaning to read it for s long time.

[Sarah]

I have 2 biographies that are must reads for this year:
Tesla: Man out of Time - Margaret Cheney which I started last year and need to finish. (It's fascinating but a bit tough going in places)
Alexander Hamilton - Ron Chernow because I am Hamilton "trash" ;)

[SEY]

If it's the one by Stacy Schiff it's good, all bios are long

[sarah]

I'm a big Kennedy buff. I'm looking forward to getting into Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter

[Lindsey]

I'm starting on Barbara Jordan: American Hero. My mom loved her so much so it'll be fun to learn more about her hero.

[[deleted user]]

Jean Strouse's biography of Alice James has been on my shelf for a bit, so I'll be reading that.

[Lucy]

This category scares me the most. I admit that whilst I'm quite well read in other areas, I've never read a biography. I don't even know where to start? Anything that people can recommend that will make me fall in love with biographies? I wonder if The Master by Colm Toibin would be cheating? It looks like a mix of biography and fiction.

[Jay Kay]

This is tough...I hate to blanket an entire genre but...I'm just not interested in bios! Give me a memoir any day! I don't know what I'm going to do for this task...

[Samy]

I am reading
The Lightning Dreamer: Cuba's Greatest Abolitionist about the life of Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda. This book is done in verse through various voices of people in her life (including her own. I'll finish it, but for the challenge instead I will read:
The Crusades of Cesar Chavez: A Biography

[Ignaura]

I'm reading "Into the Wild"

[Savannah]

Would The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America count for this? It's pretty biographical?

[Trina]

I'm going to read Charles and Emma about the Darwins.

[Dhruv]

Wow. So many people recommending Alan Turing: The Enigma I'm gonna give that a shot.

[Bonnie G.]

Savannah wrote: "Would The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America count for this? It's pretty biographical?"

I think a biography is about a person, not a time. I would call this a microhistory. Great book btw.

[Bonnie G.]

Lucy wrote: "This category scares me the most. I admit that whilst I'm quite well read in other areas, I've never read a biography. I don't even know where to start? Anything that people can recommend that will..."

There are so many great biographies! This might have some good ideas for you http://www.amazon.com/b?node=11021806011. Or you can maybe go with a popular one like Unbroken or The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (which I loved.) Off the top of my head a couple favorites: Naked at the Feast, about Josephine Baker and also The Mayor of Castro Street, about Harvey Milk.

[Janet]

So, if I read Zealot about Jesus from Nazareth that will cover religion right?

[Janet]

Also Jim Henson by Brian Jay Jones would work!

[Courtney]

Dom wrote: "I'll probably read the biography of a musician or band - I have Phillip Norman's "Shout: The True Story of the Beatles", but I'm eager to read a Bowie bio with all the excitement of a new album in ..."

I was looking at Bowie biographies at the library today. :(

[Courtney]

Kate wrote: "My shortlist:
Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Alan Turing: The Enigma
Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Si..."</i>

I'm going with Symphony for the City of the Dead too! I loved MT Anderson's [book:Feed - which I also recommend for the dystopian task!

[Courtney]

Jay Kay wrote: "This is tough...I hate to blanket an entire genre but...I'm just not interested in bios! Give me a memoir any day! I don't know what I'm going to do for this task..."

You can always do a two-fer for a middle grade novel! The "Who Was" series covers all kinds of people: http://www.whowasbookseries.com/who-was/

[Viv]

Biography is not really my thing but I do have a fascination with Rasputin so thought I might give Rasputin: A Short Life a go (especially as it's only 200 or so pages!)

[Angela]

I've lined up a couple of biographies that I own :
The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life and Times of Harvey Milk and RFK: A Candid Biography of Robert F. Kennedy

I recently read an excellent biography of Thomas Cromwell, who was minister to Henry VIII. It's called Thomas Cromwell: The Untold Story of Henry VIII's Most Faithful Servant. If you like English history, you may enjoy this one!

[Steve]

I finished The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace by Jeff Hobbs. It had been in my TBR group for quite a while so I am doubly happy to have completed it. The book is terrific and I highly recommend it to all

[Molly]

I listened to the audiobook of Sarah Vowell's Lafayette in the Somewhat United States. It was great! It probably wouldn't have held my attention as well in book form, but the multiple narrators really upped the entertainment value.

[Maddy]

I've been reading Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance for this one - quite interesting so far!

[Courtney]

I found On the Bus: The Legendary Trip of Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters at the college library today. Goodreads concensus - does that work for this task? Or does it have to be a full-life biography? I'll read it either way, Ken Kesey is my favorite, and I love the stories of the Merry Pranksters!

[Sandra]

I just finished Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography and realized it works for this category! If you have any interest in learning more about Canadian history I'd recommend it...

[Henriette]

I covered this challenge, and the graphic novel, by reading 'Munch' (a biography of Edward Munch) by Steffen Kverneland.
Munch

[Monica]

Changing my choice to Wheelmen: Lance Armstrong, the Tour de France, and the Greatest Sports Conspiracy Ever.

[Kate]

Monica wrote: "Changing my choice to Wheelmen: Lance Armstrong, the Tour de France, and the Greatest Sports Conspiracy Ever."

I just finished that! I ended up listening to Tyler Hamilton's book right after it because I NEEDED MORE INFORMATION. But Wheelmen was very good with both the macro level story and introducing details that Tyler Hamilton's account left out. Maybe this was because they assumed people who were interested already knew them? Either way, I found it to be very helpful -- I wouldn't have understood some of the references in Hamilton's book without having read Wheelmen first.

[Bonnie G.]

Courtney wrote: "I found On the Bus: The Legendary Trip of Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters at the college library today. Goodreads concensus - does that work for this task? Or does it have to be a ..."

I would say this is not really a biography since it is not about Kesey's life, but rather an event (or series of events.) Also, its not really about Kesey any more than Corso or Cassady or any of the other Pranksters. Maybe it qualifies as a book about politics or mental illness? It sounds interesting. There is a really cool documentary about the trip, I believe its called Magic Bus.

[Courtney]

Bonnie wrote: "Courtney wrote: "I found On the Bus: The Legendary Trip of Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters at the college library today. Goodreads concensus - does that work for this task? Or does..."

Thanks Bonnie, that makes a lot of sense! It's definitely a fun book to read. I wonder if I've seen that documentary, it sounds good! I went through a big Merry Pranksters kick after reading The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test in high school, but it's been a long time. I think I'll do It’s All a Kind of Magic: The Young Ken Kesey for this task then.

[Sarah]

I'm going to slot America's First Daughter in here. It's about Thomas Jefferson’s eldest daughter, Martha “Patsy” Jefferson Randolph.

[Kate]

How about King Leopold's Ghost, could that count as a biography or is it considered more of a history?

[Bonnie G.]

Courtney wrote: "Bonnie wrote: "Courtney wrote: "I found On the Bus: The Legendary Trip of Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters at the college library today. Goodreads concensus - does that work for thi..."

Ooh, let me know how that is! I had the same kick at the same time. Its a bit surprising how much entertainment can be wrung out of a group of narcissists, and a large stash of hallucinogens.

[Monica]

Kate wrote: "Monica wrote: "Changing my choice to Wheelmen: Lance Armstrong, the Tour de France, and the Greatest Sports Conspiracy Ever."

I just finished that! I ended up listening to Tyler Ha..."

I read the Tyler Hamilton book in 2014 and I loved it. Personality and character defects aside, I still think Armstrong was a spectacular athlete doping or not. Thanks for the thumbs up on the book choice!!

[Lianne]

I just got Stacy Schiff's Cleopatra from the library as an audiobook. I believe that counts.

[Monica]

Kate wrote: "How about King Leopold's Ghost, could that count as a biography or is it considered more of a history?"

I finished King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror and Heroism in Colonial Africa last year (it took me years to read because the subject matter was harrowing). Personally, I think it's more history than biography but lots of folks have it shelved under biography. I think you should go for it. Honestly, it should also qualify as a horror novel.

[Kate]

Monica wrote: "Kate wrote: "How about King Leopold's Ghost, could that count as a biography or is it considered more of a history?"

I finished [book:King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror and Heroism in ..."

Yikes! I found it at a library sale, but maybe I will find something else! Thanks for the review and thoughts!

[Ramona]

I just started Jim Henson: the Biography by Brian Jay Jones and am enjoying it a lot so far!

[Lara]

I just came across this about a new Karen Carpenter bio. https://twitter.com/guardianbooks/sta...

[Lara]

Just realized the Karen Carpenter bio isn't quite new - from 2010. She died of anorexia 33 yrs ago. This article is an excerpt from the book. https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Leigh]

I'm currently reading When Character Was King: A Story of Ronald Reagan. I'm about halfway through it right now. I think the author was in love with him? His Presidency was before my time but I've been told that a lot of people were (in love with him).

[SibylM]

I just finished Sophia: Princess, Suffragette, Revolutionary last week for this task and highly recommend it, particularly if you like reading about Victorian/Edwardian England and/or early feminist history.

[Kirsty]

I'm going to be reading The Skeleton Cupboard :The Making of a Clinical Psychologist by Tanya Byron for this one :)

[Barbara]

Erm - while I greatly enjoyed reading The Skeleton Cupboard, it's basically a somewhat fictionalised memoir, not a biography. Sorry! It might do for the task that requires you to read a book with a main character that has a mental illness...