Biography, Autobiography, Memoir discussion
Biography, Autobiography, Memoir Read In 2016
Mod
4 stars
At over 700 pages there is a lot of information here. I found the personal information the most interesting. If you have read an FDR bio before there probably isn't a lot new here. It is very detailed and I think at times could have been condensed a little.
Koren wrote: "FDR: A Biography by Ted Morgan4 stars
At over 700 pages there is a lot of information here. I found the personal information the most interesting. If you have read an FDR bio befor..."
I read FDR by Jean Smith. I never felt it should have been condensed. That was 880 pages.
Nothing Daunted: The Unexpected Education of Two Society Girls in the West
Dorothy Wickenden
3.5/5 stars
In 1916, two young, upper class women graduates of Smith College decide to travel to a rural mountain community in Colorado to teach children for a year.
Dorothy Woodruff and Rosamund Underwood had spent time on the continent and were home wondering what they were going to do. Neither was engaged to be married at the time and were at loose ends. In the meantime, Ferry Carpenter, lawyer and businessman from Colorado was looking for women to come and teach in his community and maybe even marry and stay in the community. The two women eagerly take on this commitment in a far different environment and cultural setting than they were used to in their lives and came away with an appreciation for their experience. This book is based on the women's letters and readers will experience their lives in a unfamiliar setting and feel their enthusiasm in taking on a new adventure.
I really enjoyed this book which was written by Dorothy's granddaughter who is an executive director and writer at The New Yorker.
Mod
4 stars
Wow! Just Wow! This book is about a young mother with the diagnosis of Munchausen's by proxy who eventually killed her little boy. While it is a hard subject to read about I think it is something everyone should know about. This boy may have lived if the people in her life and the doctors had been more aware of what was going on. Some of them did suspect but didn't investigate further. This book also is interesting because of the aspect that social media played in the case. She probably wouldn't have been caught if she wasn't so addicted to Facebook and Myspace. Note to all criminals: what you post on line can and will be used against you.
I will deduct one point because the trial is about 100 pages and is mostly transcript and/or what has already been told to us before. Otherwise, it would easily be a 5 star book and one of the best True Crime books I have read this year.
I have an interest in this subject because my son's ex-wife told me a doctor accused her of having Munchausen's by proxy and I really think she did. While she didn't harm the children (as far as I know) she would run to the doctor or the ER for the smallest thing. One time my grandson had a small rash on his hand and she went the next day to the doctor. Another time he vomited once and that was an immediate ER visit. They sent her home but that evening he vomited again and she went back again. I went with her the second time. The kid was screaming his head off and she wanted him put in the hospital. Both the doctor and I told her if he could scream that loud he wasn't sick enough to be in the hospital. Another time my granddaughter was just a few months old and she told the doctor that my granddaughter would stop breathing for short times. She was in the hospital for several days hooked up to monitors but they couldn't find anything wrong with her. After my son divorced her she eventually had the kids taken away, due mostly to her drug use. She is only allowed supervised visitation, thank god!
I thought Defenders of the Damned would be an autobiography, the author being a prominent atty and author, but it turns out to be mini-biographies of 3 other famous attorneys -- Earl Rogers, Clarence Darrow and William Fallon. It's quite good!
Silence
By Shūsaku Endō
This is the story of 16th century Portuguese missionaries who tried to bring Christianity to Japan. After an initial success, the Japanese decided Christianity was a threat. The Japanese then decided to institute gruesome persecutions to rid Japan of the perceived Christian threat. The author does a fictional portrayal of one of these missionaries which is largely based on real events. This missionary, Father Rodriquez, travels to Japan in part to find out what happened to Father Ferreira, his mentor. The first part of the book deals with Father Rodriquez's Journey and initial encounter with Japanese Christians. The second part concerns his capture and the effort to break him. The authorities want him to publicly renounce Christianity in order to discredit the religion. The author shows how Father Rodriquez is gradually broken down by psychological torture. The classic question is posed: if there is a God why is he silent in the face of this evil? I found it interesting and thought provoking in only 204 pages. It is not for the faint of
heart.
In today's NY Times (November 27, 2016) an article says Martin Scorsese is making this book into a movie.
The Heir Apparent: A Life of Edward VII, the Playboy Prince
3.5 Stars
By Jane Ridley
The author makes the case Bertie, a playboy, at age 59 becomes the effective King Edward VII. Like the current Prince Charles, Bertie has to undergo a long wait before he inherits the throne from Queen Victoria. Even though, Bertie has a relatively successful marriage with Princess Alexandria of Sweden, he has countless mistresses including Lillie Langtry, Lady Churchill, and his Favorita, Alice Kepell. In his upbringing Albert and Victoria despair that Bertie will amount to anything. The royals have to constantly worry Bertie will be betrayed by one of his mistresses. Bertie does have an unfortunate habit of writing notes and letters to all of his mistresses. Nonetheless, Bertie manages to make it to Queen Victoria's funeral without any serious sexual disaster. However, it is amazing he is able to do this considering the sheer number of mistresses he had. It helps that Alexander tolerates his sexual transgressions.
When Bertie does achieve the kingship, he does have some advantages. His nephews are Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany and Czar Nicholas of Russia. Bertie does facilitate England's rapprochement with France which leads to the Entente Cordial with France in 1904. Prior to this, France and England had colonial conflicts in North Africa. Bertie was so popular in France that he facilitated this thaw in the relationship. Bertie also facilitates a thaw in the relationship between Russia and England due to his friendship with Czar Nicholas. Unfortunately, Bertie could not cultivate a friendship with his other nephew, Kaiser Wilhelm.
Bertie faced a constitutional crisis just prior to his 1910 death. The Liberal Party passed a budget raising land taxes under Asquith and Lloyd George in the House of Commons. The largely ceremonial House of Lords for the first time vetoed the budget. The Liberal Party requested the King to increase the number of Lords by 300 members in order to insure passage of the budget. Before King Edward could decide on this he died leaving his son King George V this Constitutional crisis.
In summary, it is remarkable this playboy wastrel turned out at age 59 to be an effective king and led Edwardian England. I am sure this outcome would have stunned his parents, Albert and Queen Victoria.
Jerry-Book wrote: "The Heir Apparent: A Life of Edward VII, the Playboy Prince
3.5 Stars
By [author:Jane Ridley|10701..."
I don't want to add anymore books to my reading list but this sounds like something I would really like.
Mod
5 stars
I know there was a big deal made about this crime at the time and the trial was all over the news and court tv but I didn't really pay that much attention to it. So the book was all new to me. The author does a great job of making us feel like the victim is someone we would like to know. He was a great guy with a lot of flaws. One of those flaws was getting mixed up with Jodi Arias. I liked how the author explains the beliefs of the Mormon religion. The investigation and trial are nicely condensed. I felt like there was a lot of leg work done in researching this book and not taken from news and transcripts. Very interesting case.
My Son's Not Rainman: One Man, One Boy, a Million Adventures by John Williams4 stars
Well, not quite a million adventures but quite readable and funny/sad at the same time. It's a memoir about a Dad and his autistic son. The Dad ends up making a comedy show about his relationship with his son (who also has cerebral palsy) and how he's come to accept and understand him..and realise he's not perfect either.
Mod
4 stars
Well, not quite a million adventures but quite readable and funny/sad at the same time. It's ..."
That looks really good. Rainman came out in 1988. My son was born in 1989. Prior to the movie most people had not heard of autism. He was diagnosed in first grade and when I told people he had autism they would ask if he was like Rainman. Well, in some ways he was but Rainman was a savant, which is fairly rare. Now, its been so long since the movie came out that a lot of younger people have never heard of it.
Your son is now..27?I haven't actually seen Rainman, but I've seen Forrest Gump, I don't know if that's similar. According to IMDB Dustin Hoffman played Rainman as a savant but it wasn't originally written that way.
One of my neighbours has autism and he's in his 50s I have known him for many years now. He calls himself Rainman but also Cloudyman or Sunshineman, depending on the weather. I just call myself rainbowgirl. Its an in-joke.
Reading about autism makes me suspect that some traits I can relate to and even see in myself apparently its harder to diagnose in girls. But anyone growing up socially awkward may relate to others who are. I'm not sure how different autism is from aspergers, something I will need to read more to find out.
Mod
I haven't actually seen Rainman, but I've seen Forrest Gump, I don't know if that's similar. According to IMDB Dustin Hoffman played Rainman as a savant but it wasn't originall..."
Asperger's is high functioning autism. Its called a spectrum disorder because it can range from mild to severe. I think if you looked at a list of autism symptoms most people could find one or two that sounds like them. Maybe one reason why the statistics are rising is because more people are being diagnosed that before were just thought 'odd'.
Selina, yes, my son will be 27 in a couple of weeks.
Mod
I haven't actually seen Rainman, but I've seen Forrest Gump, I don't know if that's similar. According to IMDB Dustin Hoffman played Rainman as a savant but it wasn't originall..."
Another memoir of autism/aspergers you might like is Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's by John Elder Robison. He has a job and family and is the brother of Augusten Borroughs.
Mod
5 stars
If you love country music you have to love Willie Nelson. There's just no question. If you don't love Willie you are not a true country music fan. And if you love Willie you will love this memoir. He is funny, irreverent, and tells it like it is. No holds barred. The writing moves quickly and I read this one day and finished the next. There are other Willie memoirs and if you have read one of them you may not find a lot new. That said, this was a very well-written memoir.
Mod
4 stars
This book is written in the form of a son interviewing his mother, much like he would do on his CNN show. I was not familiar with his mother's life so it was interesting, although half way through I wanted her to talk about something else besides how neglectful her mother was. She does talk about her marriages and being a mother, but then always comes back to her mother. She is now 91 and this book is mostly a reflection of her life. Anderson does reveal some things about his life and does go into detail about his father's and his brother's deaths and how they effected his life, but largely he is interviewing his mother. This is a quick read. I started it one evening and finished it the next.
Koren wrote: "Selina wrote: "Your son is now..27?I haven't actually seen Rainman, but I've seen Forrest Gump, I don't know if that's similar. According to IMDB Dustin Hoffman played Rainman as a savant but it w..."
I have read one called Congratulations! It's Asperger Syndrome which I really enjoyed and then I thought, well, this author sounds like she could have had my job lol.
I have been thinking lately I'm socially retarded and just didn't know it. I mean the whole eye contact thing I had that when growing up, but thought it was just a chinese trait. Well now it just means you have autism.
The things I notice are rude in other people everyone accepts but then people tell me I am rude for just being honest. It's a double standard. Plus staring at people in the eye is just plain rude IMHO. Unless you are an optometrist, then that's acceptable as its their job. lol
Koren wrote: "The Rainbow Comes and Goes: A Mother and Son On Life, Love, and Loss by Anderson Cooper and Gloria Vanderbilt4 stars
This book is written in the form of a son interviewing his mo..."
Interesting..so what happened to his dad?
Is it the famous Vanderbilts who were the super rich? Why is his name Cooper? Also is he gay? I think I heard that somewhere.
Jerry-Book wrote: "The Heir Apparent: A Life of Edward VII, the Playboy Prince
3.5 Stars
By [author:Jane Ridley|10701..."
I get so confused over the different names they have.
What about the King who married the american divorcee wasn't he Edward or was that someone else?
Then he abdicated and it was King George his brother right?
Selina wrote: "Interesting..so what happened to his dad?
Is it the famous Vanderbilts who were the super rich? Why is his name Cooper? Also is he gay? I think I heard that somewhere. "
Yes, that's the family. I have the impression that Gloria Vanderbilt and Cooper's dad were bitterly splitsville very early in Cooper's life. And yes, he is 100% gay.
Mod
4 stars
This book is written in the form of a son inter..."
His dad died when he was ten from heart failure. They are the rich Vanderbilts but by the time Cooper's mother came along most of the fortune had been squandered away. Gloria went on to make her own fortune through fashion designing. Gloria chose to keep her maiden name through all of her marriages. Anderson's father's last name was Cooper. I was wondering why they named him Anderson but they don't say. And yes, he does talk about being gay in the book and coming out to his mother.
Did he have any other brothers or sisters? I suppose I better check out the book, since I'm asking so many questions. Rich people are kinda fascinating. I suppose it makes me think what would I do if I had so much money. Squander it, spend it, hoard it or what? I mean you wouldn't need to work a regular job. But you'd have to keep up appearances for your families namesake I suppose.
Mod
He had one brother who committed suicide. He talks about that in the book and it was very sad. Gloria actually witnessed it. I wont tell any more. He also had 2 step-siblings from Glorias other marriages, but he doesn't talk very much about them.
Interesting question about how we would act if we were rich. I don't think about it much because I feel I am rich in other ways, not monetarily but I have been blessed in many ways.
Mod
5 stars
Carol has written other books that talk about her life. This book is about her television show. She talks about memorable scenes from her show and memorable people and shares special memories. Too bad they don't make 'em like this anymore. She also explains why they don't make shows like that anymore. It would be just too darn expensive. Too bad. I sure miss those old variety shows.
Koren wrote: "In Such Good Company: Eleven Years of Laughter, Mayhem, and Fun in the Sandbox by Carol Burnett. 5 stars
Carol has written other books that talk about her life. This book is about..."
Sounds good- adding to my list.
Mod
3 stars
This is a coming of age in the 60's and 70's memoir about a girl from Texas. It is more introspective than interesting things that happened to her. About half way through I started getting bored because nothing seemed to be happening. It was ok if you want to get into someone's inner feelings but not if you want to find out what it was REALLY like in that era.
Mod
2 stars
The author runs a bed and breakfast and her husband is a retired prison warden who shoots his wife in the abdomen. She survives to tell the story. As I true crime story I don't believe this is very well-written. There is very little information leading up to the incident, but a lot about her recovery afterward. There is also little about the investigation and the trial is mostly transcripts. Apparently, the last 50 pages are answers to a request by the author to tell how they know the author and how they felt after the shooting (including 2 letters by her children). I think this might be a better story if told by someone impartial. There is just really a lot here about how she felt and her medical journey afterwards
by Anne Chambers - 2 StarsGranuaile, or Grace O'Maley, was Queen of Umaill, chieftain of the O Maley clan, rebel, seafarer, and fearless leader, who challenged the turbulent politics of 16th century England and Ireland. While Irish legends have immortalized Grace as a courageous woman who overcame boundaries of gender imbalance and bias to fight for the independence of Ireland and protect it against the English crown, to the English, she was considered a brutal and thieving pirate, who controlled the coastlines through intimidation and plunder.
This book should have been amazing. But it was the toughest 200 pages I've ever read and I'm no stranger to long dry works. I can enjoy them as long as the information presented keeps my interest piqued. It may be that any book on Granualie will run into the same issue - there is so little documentation on her. I also think the book would have benefited greatly from maps. Finally, this author LOVES the word extant.
Regina wrote: " by Anne Chambers - 2 StarsGranuaile, or Grace O'Maley, was Queen of Umaill, chieftain of the O Maley clan, r..."
What's amazing to me is that I just read a book that prominently features Granuaile and 2 characters named after her: The Mermaids Singing. It was fiction, though.
Fishface wrote: "Regina wrote: " by Anne Chambers - 2 StarsGranuaile, or Grace O'Maley, was Queen of Umaill, chieftain of the ..."
I've had a number of people remark on fiction work on her. I'm beginning to think because so little remains on her it is easier to weave of fictional account than try to execute a well done non-fiction work. It is sad, but history is often written by the victors.
Regina wrote: "It is sad, but history is often written by the victors."And thus in itself is pretty much fiction! But the one I read merely mentioned her over and over, bring her up as a kind of cultural touchstone, for what that's worth. If I hadn't read your review above I would never have suspected that not only Grainne, the granddaughter, but Grace, the mother in The Mermaids Singing, were both named after Granuaile.
A Tale of Two Lives - The Susan Lefevre Fugitive Story, by Marie S. Walsh5 stars!
This was a genuinely frightening expose of the Michigan prison system, told by someone who was picked up in its jaws --twice! -- and shaken the way a terrier shakes a rat. Unlike most of the rats, she got away alive, and unlike most prisoners anywhere on the planet, she had the education and wherewithal to tell us her story. Like Carmina Salcido in Not Lost Forever: My Story of Survival, her story is extremely unlikely and full of twists and turns nobody could have seen coming. Where a lot of prisoners' memoirs are transparently self-serving B.S. or skirt the question of guilt or innocence completely, Susan Marie appears to tell us all the most painful, embarrassing parts of her own story so we can understand how an utterly middle-class kid born in the 1950s found herself looking down the barrel of a 20-year prison sentence for a crime she didn't commit, with the full knowledge and consent of the prosecutor and even her own attorney. I hope this story is a whopping lie but I'm afraid it's probably all true. The way she whitewashes her experiences at places like DeHoCo underlines that impression. Having spoken to people who have been there longer than she was, I know it's a lot worse than she described. And she reminds us over and over that there are thousands of other people who found themselves in exactly the same boat, who didn't escape, whose stories we will never hear.
Mod
5 stars
This was a cant-put-downer for me. I did not want this book to end and was disappointed it ended with Pat Nixon. I found out from reading the reviews that this book was actually written in the mid 70's and the author died in 1984 and the book was re-released in 2014.. I really liked how respectfully he talked about each first lady that he had worked under, even when some of the things they liked to do were a little weird. The author worked as an usher in the White House from 1941 to 1969. As an usher his jobs were numerous and he was responsible for most of the staff from housekeeping to food service and making sure everything ran smoothly. There is information here that is not in any other bio that I have read about these women or their husbands. I would really like to find a similar book that keeps going through the list of first ladies. I read this book as a kindle download that was available for either 99 cents or 1.99. I don't remember which. If you like presidential memoirs this is a good one.
Koren wrote: "Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies by J.B. West5 stars
This was a cant-put-downer for me. I did not want this book to end and was disappointed it ended with ..."
Gonna add this to my list.
Mod
4 stars
Well, this certainly is a depressing book. It made me feel that there is a lot wrong with the world and nothing really that can be done about it as big business is taking over the world and dictating everything we buy. Am I wrong to feel this way? Ok, about the book itself...it is very well researched and written. It was printed in 2008 so some things are already outdated. I don't know that there is a lot here that you cant find in any other book about the subject. Myself, I am going to grow my own food as much as possible and buy organic and local whenever I can.
The Big Tiny: A Built-It-Myself Memoirby Dee Williams
This lady from Portland, Oregan built her own tiny house. I could never do what she did, but she was determined!
I like how she said she learned a lot of things by reading library books.
However, living in a house the size of a large dogs kennel does not appeal to me. (She lived in it with her dog).
Warden Ragen of Joliet, by Gladys Erickson and Joseph Ragen4 stars
This is not just the memoir of the pioneering warden of the notorious prisons at Joliet and Menard; it contains the biographies of some of the inmates (both the tall and the small), and the biography, in effect, of the Illinois prison system itself, going all the way back to the beginning when one of the inmates was a 76-year-old veteran of the American Revolution. This book talks about what does and doesn't work in running a prison; the particular challenges Ragen was facing when he was appointed to take over in the 1930s; and how everything Ragen built stood to collapse whenever the state got a new governor. Notably, I only found the book dragged when they were describing the step-by step process of this or that inmate's escape. Things picked up again when they got back into describing how the warden focused on making these prisons into safe places for convicts to learn to re-enter society with a set of skills and a sense of hope for the future. I found this book very, very educational.
Fishface wrote: "Warden Ragen of Joliet, by Gladys Erickson and Joseph Ragen4 stars
This is not just the memoir of the pioneering warden of the notorious prisons at Joliet and Menard; it contains..."
Did it have a library?
Selina wrote: "Did it have a library?"The prison? Not much beyond a scanty collection of law books. But they required every inmate to complete at least the 8th grade while they were there, and they had the option of getting a high-school diploma and correspondence courses on top of that.
In those days, by the time you completed 8th grade you could read anything in English that was put in front of you, and do the four basic computations. Most of my mom and dad's generation never went farther because at the end of 8th grade they were prepared to manage even at clerical or management jobs. These days people graduate from college hardly able to write their own names. Times sure have changed.
In another interesting side note, some of the correspondence courses for the inmates were developed by the inmates themselves, notably their college-boy thrill-killer residents, Dickie Loeb and Nathan Leopold.
Fishface wrote: "Warden Ragen of Joliet, by Gladys Erickson and Joseph Ragen4 stars
This is not just the memoir of the pioneering warden of the notorious prisons at Joliet and Menard; it contains..."
Sounds interesting.
The Lady And Her Monsters
Roseanne Montillo
4/5 stars
This was a very interesting book and it covers a multitude of topics surrounding Mary Shelley's life and her famous book Frankenstein including grave stealing, re-animation of tissue, medicine, literature and the social mores during the time period. The author even covers the strange story of what happened to the BBC's Alastair Cooke's remains.
Mod
3 stars
This story may well be one of few movies that will be better than the book. The story is fascinating but I didn't think the writing did it justice. I read in another review here that it may have been better as a magazine article rather than a book, which I tend to agree with. But then another review stated they wish it would have been longer, so to each his own. It never dawned on me that in the age before computers black women were hired by NASA to be 'computers', that is, they did the math. I don't know why it was only black women. If that was in the book I missed it. Most of the book goes on to talk about the prejudice these women encountered.
The book takes place in the mid to late 40's and ends around the time of the first space launches. Being a 'yankee' it is incomprehensible to me how people can be so hateful and treat each other so poorly because of the color of their skin. I'm glad the days of separate bathrooms and drinking fountains are over, even though there is still a long way to go. I did think the book seemed to drone on and not really go anywhere, hence the 3 star rating and why I think the movie might be better. It is going to be released in about a week and I cant wait to see it.
Koren wrote: "Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shatterly3 stars
This story may well be one o..."
I can do a checkbook but anything more complicated is beyond me. I give credit to men and women who can do hard math. I think it must be coded in your genes.
Mod
3 stars
This story may..."
I agree. I was never good at math.
Koren wrote: "Julie wrote: "Koren wrote: "Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shatterly3 stars
..."
How did they win was it by algebra or quadratic equations or something? Maths in not my strong suit.
I suspect that once they hired one brilliant black woman mathematician, they decided to hire more of the same to fill out the team because of the pervasive segregation in the country at that time. They couldn't make white folks work with them!!! Who knew what could have happened!!!
Fishface wrote: "I suspect that once they hired one brilliant black woman mathematician, they decided to hire more of the same to fill out the team because of the pervasive segregation in the country at that time. ..."That is a valid point. This is on my reading list.
Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America got only three stars out of me -- it was good in its way, but it was not at all about the flood I was hoping to read about. It was really a series of mini-biographies of Great Men Who Tried To Conquer The Mississippi River And Failed. Those were interesting, I guess, but what about the dang flood!?
Biography, Autobiography, Memoir
Books mentioned in this topic
White Out: The Historic Snowfalls of 2011 (other topics)Rising Tide: the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How it Changed America (other topics)
Hidden Figures (other topics)
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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3 stars
This book deals with bigotry on two levels. The daughter weds a Catholic Puerto Rican in the 1920's. They live in Alabama and she is a Protestant so she violates two taboos. The father shoots and kills the minister who married the couple.
The author goes to great lengths to explore the mind set of the people in the time and place. That is the first half of the book. The second half is mostly the trial, which I thought was very tedious, but if you like the courtroom drama you may like it. The ending is very frustrating but I told myself that was the culture at the time.
I found this book was very slow-going but if you like the small details you may very well like this book. It is very well-researched