Biography, Autobiography, Memoir discussion
Biography, Autobiography, Memoir Read In 2016
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Fishface
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Aug 28, 2016 11:47AM
I have heard so many rave reviews of that one!
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Julie wrote: "
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking
Susan Cain
St..."
Yep recommended.
Mod
I often say that humor doesn't transfer well to the written page. This is one book where I think it would have been funnier to hear/see in person. If you are easily offended this is not the book for you. Personally, I think I could have done without so many references to her vagina and butt. She has a wonderful perspective on events and people that have shaped her life. The people that read her books are funny too. Worth a look to read the reviews on her book. 4 stars.
I just started The Bloody White Baron: The Extraordinary Story of the Russian Nobleman Who Became the Last Khan of Mongolia. It's fascinating. This guy is a real trip.
Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love
Dava Sobel
3/5 stars
This was a very interesting book on Galileo and his relationship with his daughter Virginia, later changed to Suor Maria Celeste when she entered the convent at the age of 13 with her sister. Galileo and his daughter were very close and her letters to him had been saved and make up part of this book. They remained loyal to each other throughout his trials with the church.
The book did discuss his work and the problems that caused with the church. The only problem I had with the book was that reading about his work took a lot of concentration but I did enjoy his daughter's letters and the non-science subjects broached. His letters to her were never found or had been destroyed.
It is a fascinating look back at that time period and Suor Maria Celeste shed a light on what it was like living in a convent in that time period. Had she been born in modern ages, I could see her working with her father in his area since she comes across as very intuitive and smart.
The Bloody White Baron: The Extraordinary Story of the Russian Nobleman Who Became the Last Khan of Mongolia4 stars
A remarkable read about one of history's most bizarre characters -- a Russian nobleman from Estonia with a Jewish name who was apparently a Buddhist religious fanatic, seen as a reincarnation of Genghis Khan and, most startlingly, bulletproof. The author, who apparently hangs out pretty close to where this story unfolded, pulls together a tremendous number of sources written in different languages and with different levels of attention to accuracy, and puts it all in one place for you. Curiously, he didn't give that much attention to the main character's cruelties or the other odd features of his personality; he focuses more of the legends that spun off from the reality. Written in a light, ironic tone that continues to the last page of endnotes, which are worth reading -- not quite as funny as Will Cuppy's, but close. Large bibliography in the back makes me want to read everything listed in it.
Currently reading Warnings Unheeded by Andy Brown. I'm about 50 pages from the end. It's really good.
The Annotated Alice: 150th Anniversary Deluxe Editionby Lewis Carroll, Martin Gardner (Editor), John Tenniel
4/5 stars
I never quite truly understood the Alice books and so they never appealed to me and now I know why. They aren't truly children's books. In this version of the famous stories, certain lines are annotated and are explained on the side of the page. This technique really helped explain what was going on in the books and made me truly appreciate them. Another nice thing about this book is that they include the art work of a lot of the artists that ever drew Alice and the many characters in the book.
While technically this is not a bio, it does discuss both the author and illustrator so I am adding this here. Plus it was a really interesting book.
Warnings Unheeded, by Andy Brown4 stars
This was a really good read, written in a clear, no-frills style, with hardly a single typo to jolt me out of the narrative. Even the appendices are good reading. This is a case I never heard of before, about a double disaster -- a mass shooting and a plane crash -- happening in the space of less than a week in 1994 on the same airbase. The author was right there for it and was directly involved, and I have to say this book includes one of the finest verbal renderings of an epic adrenaline rush -- and the crash that follows -- that I've ever read. He makes a point of letting the reader see the long-term aftereffects of events like these. There is a lot packed into these 354 pages. Brown paints a picture of very concerned experts doing everything they can to get the brass to make the right decision, swimming in neck-deep paperwork and bureaucratic stamping of forms, and absolutely nothing coming of it until it's far too late. He only lost me when he started using terminology that only someone who understands aviation would know -- what's an aileron roll!? Is it good hot out of the oven with butter on it? Illustrated with crime-scene photos, charts, graphs and maps.
Now reading Graham Chapman's memoir of med school, alcoholism, recovery and Monty Python: A Liar's Autobiography: Volume VI.
Below Stairs: The Classic Kitchen Maid's Memoir That Inspired "Upstairs, Downstairs" and "Downton Abbey"
Margaret Powell
3/5 stars
This is an enjoyable true story about the life of a kitchen maid in England. She lends a nice perspective regarding that time period.
Mod
5 stars and a heart
Love this. It really hits home for me how hard farming is. And yet it is not a 'poor me' story, it just is what it is. The writer has remarkable insight into farming and what farming means to a family and how it applies to life lessons. This is a story of the history of his family farm and why small farms are rapidly becoming a thing of the past. This story brought back a lot of memories for me and it is somewhat local for me as it takes place in southeastern Minnesota and I am in southwestern Minnesota so there were a lot of familiar places mentioned.
Mod
5 stars and a heart
Love this. It really hits home for me how hard farming is. And yet it is not a 'poor me' story, ..."
I seem to be on a roll with farming stories. I grew up on a farm until I was 12 years old and my dad went out of business. Farming stories really bring back a lot of memories for me but also validate why my dad couldn't make it as a farmer, even way back in the 70's.
A Liar's Autobiography: Volume VI5 stars!
I laughed, I cried, I threw up! OK, I didn't throw up, but I did laugh and cry all the way through this autobiography, written by 4 authors, plus a bit after the end by Eric Idle. This one is every bit as bizarre and disjointed as you might expect from the zaniest Python of them all. Full of misleading, repeatedly amended and often denied details of Dr. Chapman's life -- there are at least 3 different birthdates given for the great man in here, just for starters. I finally feel I understand how a Cambridge-trained MD somehow slipped sideways to become one of the best-loved comedy writers ever. After I closed the book I couldn't put it down; knowing more about him now -- much of it clearly incorrect -- I miss him more than I ever did. I immediately popped MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL into the player, watched it while holding the book, and slept with it in my hands. There will never be another one like this man. This is not going to be a good read for people intimidated by new vocabulary words.
Now reading, with horrified fascination, a sort of corollary story augmenting what we learned in the book about JFK's lobotomized sister. The State Boys Rebellion is about the American eugenics movement, a period of several decades in which almost any children rescued from bad homes -- or simply underprivileged -- and any child unwanted by its parents, was labeled "feebleminded" and herded into state "schools" that were not schools at all, but warehouses and labor camps as well as dumping grounds for the mentally impaired. This is the story of a group of boys at the Fernald State School in Massachusetts, the same state where Rosemary Kennedy was lobotomized. these boys educated themselves, learned work skills they were supposed to be unable to acquire, and finally started rioting in order to get out of the place where they were being held for life without ever having done anything to deserve imprisonment. It's a dismaying but ultimately inspiring story.BTW, the outcomes for kids like these were not always so positive. I learned about this book when a co-worker of mine at CMH did an intake on a guy who was raised in one of these places and was so damaged by it that he never became a functional adult. I don't have a review yet, but here's my blog entry on it:
http://discordiarulesok.blogspot.com/...
Fishface wrote: "Now reading, with horrified fascination, a sort of corollary story augmenting what we learned in the book about JFK's lobotomized sister. The State Boys Rebellion is about the America..."Will have to add this book to my list.
Now reading Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster. I'm about halfway in and more baffled than ever as to why anyone would want to climb Everest. Wading through people's body wastes, freezing your tail off, climbing with a crashing headache from lack of oxygen among the sheeted bodies of the dead...How is this anyone's dream of a lifetime?
Art, Life, Chooks: Learning to Leave the City and Love the CountryA farming book!
Well actually rather another aging baby boomer realises her hippie roots.
Mod
A farming book!
Well actually rather another aging baby boomer realises her hippie roots."
Did you like it?
Actually it was quite interesting, she's an australian so, it was mostly about the terrible weather they have there with no rain. She also has to take a teaching job to fund her lifestyle. Then it was about her chickens, which she had drawn pictures of in the book (there are no photos)But...I've just heard of the horrible thunderstorms that wiped out South Australia the other day. So I wouldn't be too keen on farming in Aussie.
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster4 stars, and a streak of gray in my hair I didn't have before
This book left me more baffled than ever as to why anyone would want to participate in the world's roughest, most dangerous sport. Krakauer does not enlighten me at all in this memoir. A paragraph or two about the pretty scenery in the Himalayas does not begin to justify the months of preparatory misery, the utterly grueling climbing, the many agonizing deaths, and years of guilt, anger, grief and bad memories Krakauer and the others have been struggling with ever since. The fact that the survivors of that trip have continued to die off in significant numbers because they have gone on climbing just underlines my feeling that I am really, really missing something here. What a horrifying story.
Mod
2 stars
Not quite what I expected. This gal had a cardiac arrest, which we are told is different from a heart attack. I thought it would be more of a medical journey but instead it is more about her faith and how her faith kept her going. I found the story difficult to follow as she went back and forth in time from her childhood to the present time. At times I was left wondering what her childhood had to do with the present time. It didn't seem to tie in at all. I kept with this book mainly because it was short and I started it one day and finished the next.
Mod
If you are a fan of the ghost hunting shows on TV then you will most likely like this book. If you are a skeptic you probably wont come away from this book with a changed opinion. I didn't really care for the personal story that went with this book. 2 stars.
is that the same Katherine Ramsland putting out so many TC titles?
Mod
Yes it is. I enjoyed her TC books so much I decided to look into some of her other works. I think I'll stick to the TC books.
also finished readingKing of the Castle: A Biography of William Larnach]About the man that built NZ's only castle. A bit dry as he was into politics and land speculation. I thought it would have more about his family life and why he committed suicide etc but it kinda glossed over the psychological aspects and was very detailed on the politics.
The Discovery of King Arthur, by Geoffrey Ashe4 stars!
What a great education this book was. There was so much dense information in here that I had to keep going back and re-reading to make sure I had it all straight. Packed with historical, literary and academic information on who has been trying to figure out who Arthur really was, telling us his true story, and retracing the paths researchers have travelled down in their own version of the Grail quest. The author also did a pretty fair job of thumbnailing all the fantasy and legend spun off the original man. I wonder what Arthur himself would say about all the fuss made about him in the 1500+ years since he sailed away to Avalon for the last time...This one is not to be missed if you have any interest at all in folklore, the Middle Ages, Arthurian legends, or historical inquiry. Vive Riothamus!
Fishface wrote: "The Discovery of King Arthur, by Geoffrey Ashe4 stars!
What a great education this book was. There was so much dense information in here that I had to keep going back and re-reading..."
Nice review. Sounds interesting.
Mod
The author does a good job of researching the life of Jack Nicholson. There is an equal amount of personal and professional information. I enjoyed reading about the movies I have seen but skimmed the movies I had never seen or heard of. I came away from this book thinking that Jack Nicholson was kind of a jerk and not someone I would want to get to know but if you are a fan this is a pretty comprehensive look at his life and career.
Mod
Derek is one of the professional dancers on the show Dancing With The Stars. If you watch the show you will probably like this book. He talks about his childhood years and gives inspirational advice that he has learned along the way. I was a little bored when he talked about each dance competition he had been in. I could have done without the excerpts at the end of each chapter where people in his life talked about what a wonderful guy he is. 3 stars.
Koren wrote: "Taking the Lead: Lessons from a Life in Motion by Derek HoughDerek is one of the professional dancers on the show Dancing With The Stars. If you watch the show you will probably l..."
I like the show but isn't he a little young to write his autobiography already.
Now reading Full Moon: The Amazing Rock and Roll Life of Keith Moon. Hoo boy. Makes me glad I'm a near-teetotaler.
Mod
Derek is one of the professional dancers on the show Dancing With The Stars. If you watch the show you w..."
Yes, but its mostly about his childhood and dancing. Not a lot of substance here.
Also right in the middle of Diana: The Making of a Terrorist. It's an excellent read, and many of the incidents happen in places I have been to many times.
Full Moon: The Amazing Rock and Roll Life of Keith Moon4 stars
The disjointed, out-of-sequence, alcohol-fogged memoir of Keith Moon's handler, who was expected to stay one step ahead of his employer's hijinks, keep him out of trouble and apparently match him drink for drink for ten solid years. This book got me all brushed up on my Cockney rhyming slang and reminded me, over and over, to be careful what I wish for. A book full of unbelievable memories, hilarity, regrets, incredible success and grinding failures. If you ever wondered how being a rock star shortens a person's life expectancy by 25 years, this book will explain all.
Mod
5 stars
This book brought back many memories for me. There is nothing earth-shattering here, just a look back in time to what it was like to grow up on a farm in Iowa. I grew up on a farm in Minnesota so there were a lot of things in common, although I never got the 'pleasure' of butchering chickens, thankfully. It was a lot simpler time, which is something I miss a lot.
Mod
4 stars
This book was like sitting down and listening to a grandfather talk about his boyhood experiences. I was reminded of what it was like before video games and television. Kids actually went outside to play and have adventures. This was written for the authors family. It's a reminder that we should write our experiences down for our children and grandchildren.
Rosa Parks: My StoryLearned all about Rosa Parks, for those that don't know, an amazing woman who's actions led to desegregation in USA.
Rosa tells about her background and what it was really like to live as an african american in the deep south where they had coloured sections and white sections and you couldn't sit anywhere on the bus. Also there were black schools and white schools, drinking fountains, blacks were barred from a lot of things white folk had...and the worst...even separate libraries!
A very interesting and inspiring book and much recommended.
Mod
3 stars
I started this book thinking it was a true crime book but its not really. It is more of a biography of the victim. If you are reading it as a biography it is ok. There are very few details of the actual crime. There is a lot of description of the town and surrounding areas, which if you are from the area you might like reading about that. At times the author seems to go off in a direction that doesn't seem to have anything to do with the story or the victim. At 400 pages I thought it might be a better story if it was at least 100 pages shorter. It seems to belabor every point. About half way through there didn't seem to be a lot that was different and I wanted it to move along a little faster
Hey guys, The Fighter Within is an inspirational tome that dives deep into the lives and psychology of the best fighters in the world. Giveaway on goodreads, enter for a chance to winhttps://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...
Fishface wrote: "Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster4 stars, and a streak of gray in my hair I didn't have before
This book left me more baffled than ever as to why anyone ..."
I liked this book. Like you it is not an adventure I would undertake. I understand why skilled mountaineers would like to attempt Everest. It is harder to understand why amateurs would do this and undergo the oxygen deprivation and other problems. It seems people who have done everything in their lives look to this as another trophy.
Mod
3 stars
This is a bio of a doctor who went to Alaska to be a physician and, although well respected, he got in a lot of trouble with alcohol. I think this is a situation that has been played out a lot of times in a lot of places. Drinking in the medical profession is a fairly common occurance. This story starts with the history of his family, through his boyhood, marriage and family and professional career. You get to know the characters and want the best for them. This was a quick read.
A State of Blood: The Inside Story of Idi Amin, by Henry Kyemba4 stars
This is Henry Kyemba's memoir of being a member of Milton Obote's government in Uganda, and then -- somewhat to his surprise -- finding himself highly placed in Idi Amin's government after Amin ousted Obote. This is a cool and rational description of what Amin put his country through, and it is clear that Kyemba doesn't want to know, or at any rate linger over, too many of the details of Amin's genocide of his own constituents, the destruction of the country's economy or Uganda's standing in the international community. Heavily illustrated with photos. Well-written and carefully thought out, telling us each time he has to leave out a name for fear of getting a friend or colleague killed. The text starts with a list of 100 people he knows who were killed by his boss -- including the author's own brother. Well worth a look.
Nobody Said Not to Go: The Life, Loves, and Adventures of Emily Hahn
Ken Cuthbertson
5/5 stars
As I finished this book, what came to my mind was Dos Equis's Beer ad campaign, “The Most Interesting Man in the World". If they had to pick a female for that role it would have had to have been Emily Hahn as the world's most interesting woman.
Hahn was born in St. Louis, Missouri into a large Jewish family in 1905. The family eventually moved to Chicago, Illinois. She ended up as the only female mining engineering student at college. She and a girlfriend traveled in a Model T-Ford across the US. She also traveled alone to Africa and lived there for a few years before moving home and writing a book about her experiences. She then traveled to Hong Kong and was stuck there during the Japanese invasion during WWII and where she met her future husband and had a child. She was a writer most of her life and wrote novels and short stories. She also wrote for The New Yorker till a few months before her death at the age of 92. Cuthbertson weaves a wonderful tale of her adventures and her accomplishments. I had a hard time putting this down.
Highly recommended and a big thanks to whoever recommended it to me.
Anybody Can Do Anything
Betty MacDonald
4/5 stars
I am a big fan of Betty MacDonald and was glad to be able to find a copy of Anybody Can Do Anything which was one of her adult books that I haven't read. Betty relates her experiences trying to get and keep a job during the depression after she left her husband. Her and her two daughters moved into her mother's house already filled with unemployed siblings and her sister Mary did everything she could to help Betty with her unemployment status. Betty's humor shines through these stories even though life was very hard for her and her family.
Mod
by Jancee Dunn
3 stars
This is a memoir of a gal that was a reporter for Rolling Stone magazine and an MTV VJ. It is funny at times. It was at its best when she was talking about the famous people she has interviewed.
Norman Rockwell: Illustrator
Arthur L. Guptill
3/5 stars
Originally written in 1946 and re-released several times, Arthur L. Guptill had been given permission and cooperation from Norman Rockwell to write this book on Rockwell's life as an illustrator. The book contains some of Rockwell's most famous paintings and provides details of his art process. Rockwell goes over how he decides on what to paint, facts about some of his most famous paintings and his use of his neighbors and family as models. While not a true biography, we get a look at his life as a artist. Very interesting!
Oneida: From Free Love Utopia to the Well-Set Table
Ellen Wayland-Smith
4/5
In the mid 1800's a young man called John Humphrey Noyes feels a calling to start a new faith community in rural New York called the Oneida Community. This community based on free love, equality of the sexes and eugenics takes off. Ellen Wayland-Smith, an ancestor of Noyes writes a compelling story of the history of her ancestor, the community he developed and the silver wear the community made to support themselves.
Julie wrote: "...free love, equality of the sexes and eugenics..."That's an interesting set of founding principles, all right!
Biography, Autobiography, Memoir
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Authors mentioned in this topic
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