Biography, Autobiography, Memoir discussion
Biography, Autobiography, Memoir Read In 2016
The Country Under My Skin: A Memoir of Love and War – Giaconda Belli
3***
From the book jacket: An electrifying memoir from the acclaimed Nicaraguan writer … and central figure in the Sandinista revolution. Until her early twenties, Belli inhabited an upper-class cocoon: sheltered from the poverty in Managua in a world of country clubs and debutante balls; educated abroad; early marriage and motherhood. But in 1970, everything changed. Her growing dissatisfaction with domestic life, and a blossoming awareness of the social inequities in Nicaragua, led her to join the Sandinistas, then a burgeoning but still hidden organization. She would be involved with them over the next twenty years at the highest, and often most dangerous levels.
My Reactions
Belli is a good writer and her story-telling is top notch. I was fascinated and intrigued, and I learned something about the revolution in Nicaragua. But … I could not put aside my distaste for the way Belli acted. She seemed so immature in the way she jumped from bed to bed, and how she left her children for “the cause” (or – it seemed to me at times – for the Man behind the cause). She seemed in love with “love” or addicted to the high of passionate emotions. I wondered if she had no impulse control at all. And yet … she was a strong woman with steadfast opinions and a willingness to risk all for the good of her country.
In the end I couldn’t reconcile my admiration for her as a writer with my dislike of her as a person. So I’m conflicted, and am taking the middle road with 3 stars.
Roots: The Saga of an American Family Alex Haley
Book on CD performed by Avery Brooks.
4****
Haley’s blockbuster history of his ancestors begins with the birth of a baby boy – Kunta Kinte – in a small African village in the Spring of 1750, and ends two centuries later in Arkansas.
It’s a gripping tale and Haley is a great story teller. I was engaged from page one and found myself very interested in all aspects of the book – from Kunta Kinte’s boyhood in Africa, to his experiences as a slave, to the continued story of his descendants and how they kept the story of “the African” alive through the generations.
Haley’s narrative focuses on three of his male ancestors. Kunta Kinte’s story takes nearly half the book. His grandson “Chicken George” occupies much of the middle third of the book. And George’s son Tom, is the focus of the next major section as the family is emancipated at the end of the Civil War. I am struck by the fact that Haley gives little attention to the women in his ancestral line. Not only is Kizzy given short shrift, but Tom’s daughter Cynthia and granddaughter Bertha (who is Haley’s mother) are given less attention than their husbands – Will Parker and Simon Haley. And this, despite Haley’s statements that it was the “old women” – his grandmother, aunts and cousin who passed along the story of “The African” and his descendants. Still, this is a small quibble.
Avery Brooks does a magnificent job narrating the audio book. He is an accomplished actor and really brings the characters to life. His deeply resonant voice was mesmerizing, and despite his naturally deep timber he managed to give a believable voice to even the young girls.
While the book is catalogued by libraries as nonfiction / biography, Haley obviously had to invent the dialogue he uses for much of the book. (I find it interesting that more readers tag this as “fiction” than nonfiction.) When published the book was a runaway best seller, but also somewhat controversial. Haley was accused of plagiarism and he settled the case out of court, admitting that many passages from The African by Harold Courtlander appeared in his book. Additionally, many genealogists have questioned his research and feel that official records do not confirm the story much before the Civil War. None of this information takes away from the great story, however.
SouthWestZippy wrote: "
4 stars
Taken from back of the book."On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on a segregated but, sparking the Montgomery, ..."
Rosa Parks is mentioned as one of the 100 christian women who changed the 20th century. She is quoted as saying, at the time, that she was just tired and didn't want to give up her seat. I think it wouldn't have mattered if the man was white or black.
Mod
Roots: The Saga of an American Family
Alex Haley
Book on CD performed by Avery Brooks.
4****
Haley’s blockbuster history of his ancestors begins with the birth of a ba..."
Thanks for the trivia. I did not know there was controversy surrounding the book. Your incite about the conversations is interesting. If any part of the book is fictionalized I think it should be categorized as fiction or fiction based on a true story.
1 star
Very little humor and over the top,in your face, repetitive rants. Highly disappointed.
I do wonder how some people get published these days. Was this person a celebrity by any chance? Celebrities with book deals are no fun to read after the second book because they just tend to rehash what they said in the first.
Mod
Selina, which post are you replying to? If it is Zippy's post about Monique, yes, she is a celebrity.
Mod
Mod
3 stars
Could you live for a year without electricity, cars, buying or using anything plastic or paper? This guy does but he goes into it gradually and I think maybe by the end of the year gets just about everything on board. He never does tell us what he used for toilet paper.
Koren wrote: "Selina wrote: "I do wonder how some people get published these days. Was this person a celebrity by any chance? Celebrities with book deals are no fun to read after the second book because they jus..."A celebrity of what? Just because you a celebrity does it give you the right to publish a book of rants? (referring to Monique, who I have no idea is a celeb)
Selina wrote: "Koren wrote: "Selina wrote: "I do wonder how some people get published these days. Was this person a celebrity by any chance? Celebrities with book deals are no fun to read after the second book be..."I don't mind a good rant now and then if it has substance or structure this book has nether. She has been in lots of movies/TV movies but she is a stand up comedian first.
oh stand up comedians. Well I just read one called Cuckoo in the Nest about a stand up comedian who goes back to live with her parents.It was fairly amusing, but only for those who know what its like..it would be excruciatingly boring otherwise. I'm afraid that, I could turn into one.
My life is a mess, but at least its FUNNY.
I think she nearly pulled it off but the epilogue let it down when her boyfriend broke up with her in the middle of writing the book. Well, figures, if he was rich and well off he would have possibly married her and they wouldn't have this problem. (It sounded like he was living off her, but unable to afford to do so, he went back to living with his own parents) of course the recession is blamed. I was rather concerned that her mother showed classic signs of narcissm. Of course you can't do anything about that but grin and bear it, thus turning into a comedian.
I'm getting through The Trash Bag Murderer. The author is a survivor of Patrick WAYNE Kearney and this is the only book I know of that tell you anything about him or his victims at all. To me that makes it a very valuable find -- but oh, man, the copyediting is a nightmare! I want to go through it with a red pencil and correct every page. But that would leave it totally illegible.
Mod
5 stars
This is an awesome and amazing book about a couple that volunteered at a mission for homeless people and befriended a homeless black man. The narrative goes back and forth between the white man and the black man, how they bacame friends and how each helped the other through trials in their lives. Such an inspirational book, it makes you wonder what a better place the world would be if everyone helped each other the way these two did.
Mod
4 stars
I remember hearing about this woman who went to the South Pole and developed breast cancer. It was too cold for an airplane to come to take her back to the United States. What she went through before being rescued is amazing. Interesting to read about what life is like in Antarctica. I dont think I would like to go there. This boo was published in 2001, so I googled to find out what happened to her after the book was written. If this is a spoiler for you then dont finish reading this...
Sadly, after being cancer free for several years, her cancer returned and she passed away in 2009.
Mod
3 stars
Kind of a memoir, but not really. More or less rambling thoughts with some jokes thrown in. I could have done without the side bars of people he knows saying (of course) nothing but praise for Willie. It was funny at times.
The Trash Bag Murderer3 stars, reluctantly
I am so grateful to Tony Stewart for writing the only book-length treatment of the Trash Bag Murders case, based on his personal connection to it, but dang, was this one ever a tough read. The murders were quite horrible, and to make it even more stressful...well, let's put it this way -- I have never seen a book in more urgent need of a good copyeditor. The spelling and sentence structure are bad, the usage is worse, and some of the mistakes -- like his comments about the National Senate of Missing and Exploded Children -- are wildly funny which is sort of out of keeping when you're talking about little kids being murdered, raped and gutted like fish. All this nonsense does create an entertaining distraction from the ugliness and maddening unanswered questions connected to this half-resolved serial murder case. The author rightly has strong feelings about what this case says about the state of American justice.
C. S. Lewis: A Life: Eccentric Genius, Reluctant Prophet3 stars.
I learned somethings about C.S. Lewis I didn't know but as for him as a person, I don't really have much clue other than that he could rewrite his personal history to suit him and that he did lead a double life much of the time. I wanted to find out about how his faith or conversion changed him as a person but this book didn't really say much about that, it was rather dry and maybe a bit gushy in places.
C.S. Lewis for those who don't know, is the creator of the fantasy series Narnia, and also a christian apologist. He was born in Ireland and became an Oxford Don.
If you love old movies, Grace Kelly, and the golden age of Hollywood, you will enjoy this book. It is the autobiography of the author and her relationship with Princess Grace, and biographical of Grace Kelly and her other bridesmaids. There are many stories of the seriously famous people in the privileged world in which they traveled.
This book may not be as entertaining to a younger generation who aren't as familiar with these people and don't remember where they were when they heard that the beautiful Princess Grace of Monaco had died.
Mod
The Knick-Knack Man by Paul B. Kidd4 stars
This is about an Australian serial Killer who heard voiced in his head to kill. It was always men that he killed and when he was done he cut off their penises and threw them away. There are some grisly pictures in this book and it is very graphic so not for the faint of heart. It goes back and forth between the author and his interviews with the killer in his own words, which I thought were believable for the most part. The courtroom proceedings were very brief, which I liked. Very interesting, quick read. I finished in a day.
Koren wrote: "The Knick-Knack Man by Paul B. Kidd4 stars
This is about an Australian serial Killer who heard voiced in his head to kill. It was always men that he killed a..."
I was wondering where my copy of that book got to! Another way Goodreads differs from Shelfari is that at Shelfari, there was a place to make a note, "Sent this book to Koren."
The Man in the Rockefeller Suit: The Astonishing Rise and Spectacular Fall of a Serial Impostor3 stars
This was a remarkable story, overall well-written. I have to say the book dragged in the middle because it just went on and on and on about the guy's layered deceptions, all centered around his enthrallment with Thurston P. Howell III and alligator shirts...and none of it seemed to make anyone suspicious or really lead anywhere until the very end, when suddenly he was in a courtroom in handcuffs and the truth was out. Bang! The end! Almost! Because nothing much was resolved yet when the book went to press. With all that said, it did end on a cliffhanger...
Mod
The Knick-Knack Man by Paul B. Kidd4 stars
This is about an Australian serial Killer who heard voiced in his head to kill. It was always men th..."
Yes, fishface. i thought A.R. sent it to me as it took place in Australia but when I got to the end there was a Bookcrossing sticker in it so I went to Bookcrossing to see if I had marked it and it had your address there. Thanks for the book. It was good.
Robin wrote: "If you love old movies, Grace Kelly, and the golden age of Hollywood, you will enjoy this book..."
I read that book and all that was before my time but I did find it interesting.
Koren wrote: "Fishface wrote: "Koren wrote: "The Knick-Knack Man by Paul B. Kidd4 stars
This is about an Australian serial Killer who heard voiced in his head to kill. It ..."
Do you have other plans for it? because I know someone else who would totally love it. (But if you send it back to me, first mark it online as a book your received through Bookcrossing!)
Where the Girls Are: Growing Up Female with the Mass Media, by Susan J. Douglas4 stars
I have not read this one in a few years, but I keep coming back to it because it gets funnier every time I re-read it. The author essentially writes a memoir of the issues she struggled with as a girl growing up in the 1960s and 1970s, wanting more from her life than (as she calls it) "cleaning up baby sputum" and looking to the music on the radio and the shows on TV for guidance. This was not a small factor in her life because she now teaches media studies at the University of Michigan, 20 minutes down the road from me. She not only looks at how shows like "Bewitched" and "I Dream of Jeannie" pluck at women's longing to find an easier way to do housework, but at the remarkably complex feminist undertones in shows like "Charlie's Angels" and how the songs of the Ronettes and the Supremes helped her think things through. Publishing this book in the early 1990s, she talks about how Hilary Rodham Clinton is the first First Lady to wade right into national politics and policymaking, and how cosmetics ads attempt to brainwash women ("if you don't use our wrinkle cream, you'll look in the mirror someday and see Lyndon Johnson in drag") while also daring them to make more of their lives ("I can bring home the bacon/ fry it up in a pan/ and never, never let you forget you're a man"). At the end she looks at what's on TV today for her daughter, and realizes that although in some ways the Disney movies have actually moved backward, kids are also seeing daily images of women police officers, Supreme Court justices, mayors, and news shows anchored by male-female teams -- and a lot of other things that simply didn't exist when she was a kid. The final message is remarkably hopeful, even though she comments sadly that we still don't have a decent daycare system for all those working moms...
Five Stars for this book and these women who served and suffered for our country in WWII and deserved to be remembered for all they went through in battle and in a Japanese POW camp in the Philippines. Highly recommended!
Through the Shadowlands: The Love Story of C. S. Lewis and Joy DavidmanA biography of CS Lewis and his wife. CS Lewis married Helen Joy Davidman who was an american divorcee with two sons, she was jewish but a convert to christianity primarily through CS lewis influence and writings, then she started a penpal friendship with him, and moved in, and CS lewis married her, but the marriage only lasted three years..Helen got cancer and died.
This book is about their life together, which wasn't very long as she was unwell for most of it, they married on her deathbed after a civil ceremony that was just done for convenience as she couldn't stay in britain under her visa. My thoughts are it's quite an astonishing love story, and probably not the full story of what happened either! It seems the marriage wasn't approved of and there was some subterfuge on Helen's part and rationalisations on CS lewis part. I thought maybe it would talk more about their faith and how the two got on together but it wasn't too detailed.
A movie and tv film was made of it that I haven't seen. The book had pictures of them, but of the actors playing them. So it made me think it was just a tie in to the film?
Mod
3 stars
I must be the only one that didnt really care for this book, judging by the reviews. It was just so darn depressing. Her father dies around the same time as JFK and that is really the only thing in the book that correlates with the Kennedys. I think I was looking for more nostalgia but got so tired of everything relating to her dad's death. I would not recommend this book unless you are in the mood for something sad.
Portrait of a Marriage: Vita Sackville-West and Harold NicolsonOk this is another eccentric english biography of a literary marriage.
For anyone that doesn't know Sissinghurst garden, or Virginia Woolf, well..I don't think anyone would care really but lets just say this marriage was kinda weird.
Vita Sackville-West was heir and only child and most probably felt she should have been born a boy. Hence later subsequent lesbian affairs, while married to her husband who also had gay tendencies. Yet he stuck by her. The biography is written in four parts, one is a confession by Vita which her son Nigel found and the rest is written by him accounting for the history and discrepencies in their marriage.
Boy is it dramatic. Ok basic drama is this - Vita has a lover called Violet who wants to elope with her. Vita dresses as a man and they go trysting while her husband is away, and Violet is about to be married to someone she claims she doesn't love to make Vita jealous.
Ok it gives me headache thinking about it. BTW Vita has two sons which are taken care of by nannies - she's very wealthy - her husband is a diplomat. her husband then finds out but lets her have her affairs, yet Vita is furious that Violet might be unfaithful by marrying her fiance whom she says she doesn't love, but he loves her madly even saying he will make a fake marriage with her if thats what she wants.
The two men then confront the two women as they are trying to elope. Now I don't know anything about lesbians but the difference between violet and vita is that violet HATES men and Vita is married to one. Yet this is what I don't get ---Vita dresses up as a man. Violet, her lover just comes across as evil or maybe madly deluded. Or maybe very possessive.
anyway, I didn't read this for that. I wanted to find out about their garden, but of course this was a big scandal in the early days of their marriage that goes with their romantic garden that Vita and Harold created. it was interesting what the son thought of his mother and he didn't really have any idea that she was this way.
this story was also made into a BBC drama.
I don't know, something about the English that strikes me as really weird and the way they treat marriage. Must be from having vast amounts of dosh and not much sense??
Selina wrote: "Portrait of a Marriage: Vita Sackville-West and Harold NicolsonOk this is another eccentric english biography of a literary marriage.
For anyone that doesn't know Sissinghurst gard..."
Oh, I think I read this AGES ago ... like shortly after it was first published, sometime in mid 1970s!
Book Concierge wrote: "Selina wrote: "Portrait of a Marriage: Vita Sackville-West and Harold NicolsonOk this is another eccentric english biography of a literary marriage.
For anyone that doesn't know Si..."
I found this book in an op shop.
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers – 5***** This is a true story of what happened to one family in Post-Katrina New Orleans. I was shocked, stunned, angry, heartbroken, dismayed and completely riveted by the tale. Eggers does a great job putting the reader into the setting – the peace and quiet of no electronics, the heat and humidity, the stench of rotting vegetation, and the unsettling sight of armed men patrolling (?) your once-peaceful neighborhood. Firdous Bamji does a marvelous job narrating the audio book. He has good pacing and his performance enhances the reader’s impressions of Zeitoun and Kathy.
Full Review HERE
The Two Assassins by Lucy Freeman and Renatus Hartogs is turning out to be purely a deep biography of the assassin of John F. Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald, and the assassin of the assassin, Jack Ruby. Some of it is based on Warren Commission testimony, and some of it on Dr. Hartogs's own interviews with Lee Oswald when he was in reform school. One interesting point is that after this book came out, Lucy Freeman wrote another TC story -- about her co-author, Renatus Hartogs: Betrayal: The True Story of the First Woman to Successfully Sue Her Psychiatrist for Using Sex in the Guise of Therapy.
The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson – 3*** Bryson clearly loves this landscape, these people, the lovely views, the crazy laws or regulations, and even the food. There were some aspects not to my liking, but on the whole, it’s an entertaining read. Nathan Osgood does a fine job with the narration on the audio book. He has good pacing and an expressive voice.
Full Review HERE
Audrey Hepburn, An Elegant SpiritA memoir of Audrey Hepburn with photos written by her son Sean Ferrer. Fascinating and also sad at the end. Recommended for fans.
Mod
3 stars
If you work in the health care field I dont think anything in this book will surprise you. People are weird! If you dont work in health care this book is a good look at what an ER nurse puts up with every day. There are some funny moments here. This is an e-book short. You can read in a few hours.
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Now reading, nearly 20 years after it happened - time fliesThe Bodyguard's Story: Diana, the Crash, and the Sole Survivor
Well, I had read just about everything else in the whole Diana saga that one more couldn't hurt. She was a real life drama Princess. Sad that her bf's bodyguard was caught up in the whole mess...but he survived.
Alligator Candy
3 stars
In the suburbs of Florida the unthinkable happen, a young boy was murdered on his way home from the convenience store in 1973. Author David Kushner is the younger brother of Jon, the boy who was murdered. This heartbreaking story gives you the views of what happening in the mind of David, a then 4 year and what he found when he wanted answers and did some research. Not a easy read due to the subject. Writing is good but found it unengaging. It was like hearing a monotone voice while reading. Nothing about what happen to the two men who killed Jon other than the fact they were caught a few other details. This could have been done because the Author wanted to focus on the the people effected by the murder and not the murders, not sure of his motive. I would have liked to know more of what happen to them, would have given closer to the story.
Koren wrote: "Ice Bound: A Doctor's Incredible Battle For Survival At The South Pole by Dr. Jerri Nielsen4 stars
I remember hearing about this woman who went to the South Pole and developed breast cancer. It w..."
I have this on my list to read.
How sad to hear she lost the cancer battle.
Book Concierge wrote: " Zeitoun by Dave Eggers – 5***** This is a true story of what happened to one family in Post-Katrina New Orleans. I was shocked, stunned, angry, heartbroken, dismayed an..."
I read this one, it was a eye opener.
Koren wrote: "Ew, Ew, Ew: Real Stories of a Small Town ER by Kerry Hamm3 stars
If you work in the health care field I dont think anything in this book will surprise you. People are weird! If you dont work in h..."
Adding to my TBR Mountain. Sounds interesting.
Mod
3 stars
If you work in the health care field I dont think anything in this book will surprise you. People are weird! If you ..."
If you have an e-reader I think it was 1.99 on Amazon.
Just read Leonski: The Brownout Murders, a much more entertaining and accessible version of the Leonski story than Ivan Chapman's book of the same name. The author meant this to be a sort of psychobiography, but I doubt it really qualifies -- we just didn't get enough information on the guy to understand where he was coming from, and a lot of it had to be constructed from the author's imagination. With that said, I loved it and could hardly put the book down.
Koren wrote: "SouthWestZippy wrote: "Koren wrote: "Ew, Ew, Ew: Real Stories of a Small Town ER by Kerry Hamm3 stars
If you work in the health care field I dont think anything in this book will surprise you. Pe..."
I don't have one but thanks for the heads up.
Audrey at Home: A Kitchen Table BiographyNow a book by her other son Luca. She married an Italian man the second time round so thats why this book is all about food.
Lots of family photos and recipes.
Mod
3 stars
This is about a man who bought a horse for 80 dollars that went on to become a champion jumper. I loved the biographical information about the man and his family which is about the first third of the book. After that the author goes into quite a bit about all the competitions they went to and that was where I started to nod. A heartwarming story if you are a horse lover.
Biography, Autobiography, Memoir
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Hidden Figures (other topics)
Hidden Figures (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Roseanne Montillo (other topics)Anne Chambers (other topics)
Anne Chambers (other topics)
Anne Chambers (other topics)
Jane Ridley (other topics)
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4 stars
Taken from back of the book."On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on a segregated but, sparking the Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott. " This story and many other of Rosa Parks defiance are in this eye opening book. Some of these stories I have heard and others I have not. This book's target group is older children and young adult.