Biography, Autobiography, Memoir discussion
Biography, Autobiography, and Memoir read in 2017
by Joshua Greene - 4 StarsI was offered a free copy by Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Nuremberg is the name most associated with war crimes emanating out of WWII; however, there were others. Nuremberg's purpose was to try the architects, the policy makers of the Holocaust. Trials were established in each of the occupying territories to try the lower echelon, the ones who personally meted out torture. Dachau was the site in the American territory.
William Denson, age 32, was selected to try those working in Dachau, Mauhausen, Flossenburg, and Buchenwald. By the end of the trials Denson had prosecuted more Nazis than any other lawyer in post war period: 177 guards and officers. Every single one was found guilty. Most were sentenced to death (although most were commuted when the Cold War came into full swing) and it almost took Denson's life. It certainly took his first marriage which was already in trouble when he received the assignment.
Having done extensive study already on Dachau and Buckenwald as well as visiting Dachau and Nuremberg I was already familiar with the atrocities, people, and outcome of those in the camp. Therefore, it felt a bit repetitious reading the witnesses accounts, both for the prosecution and the defense. I fear it may have felt that way for any reader. The structure might have helped had it not been broken up into distinct parts for trials of each camp and rather broken it up into subject points, addressing points from each trial within each subject.
In light of the above statement, the strongest parts of the book are about the prosecution and defense strategies as well as the biographical nature of Denson. Denson rejected Nuremberg's charges. Instead, he accused all of participating in "common design". "Any man who contributed to the operation and maintenance of Mauthausen participated in the common design, be he the man who distributed food or injected lethal doses of benzine into the prisoners." (pg. 217) The defense attempted to counter these charges, arguing the defendants were following orders and at the time those in the camps were criminals, breaking current state law. " If so, then it is incumbent upon all fathers to instruct their sons that if they have had a chance to determine whether or not it is legal. And if ever ordered to participate in an execution, they should first demand certified copies of the record of the court and forward them to the family attorney for his dossier. And while son and lawyer are making up their minds, they must also keep in mind that when the war is over, an ex post facto law might be passed which would make their otherwise legal conduct illegal." (pg 220)
Fishface wrote: "Chernobyl: Confessions of a Reporter by Igor Kostin came in for me at the library and I started on it immediately even though I am in the middle of another book. It is a kind of devas..."I've had Voices on my TBR for a while.
Denial: A Memoir of Terror, Jessica Stern5 stars
I would give this one more than 5 stars if I could. The basic shape of the book is exactly the same as Gone Boy: A Walkabout, but this author is looking into her own never-adjudicated rape. A researcher by training, the author investigates, not only the circumstances of the crime, but herself, trying to clarify if what she remembers is accurate, whether the effects she's feeling are real, and why the people around her responded (or failed to respond) as they did in the years after the assault. She only started this process 30 or more years after the rape, never having spoken to anyone about it. Oh, the things she finds out. By the end of the story an incredible number of family and internal secrets have been dragged out into the daylight, scrubbed and hung out to dry in the sun. Everyone who has been sexually assaulted, troubled by family secrets or other unanswered questions should read this book. It will tell you where to go from where you are now.
Finished David McCllough's "The Greater Journey Americans in Paris". This consists of mini-biographies or character sketches of Americans who lived in Paris and who were influenced by Paris and French culture from 1830-1900. He covers Henry James, Henry Adams, James Fenimore Cooper, Samuel Morse, sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, painters Mary Cassat and John Singer Sargent, politicians like Charles Sumner and Elihu Washburn. I am not sure they prove his theme but it is a good introduction to many of the important artists and other folks of the 19th century.
Stern's and McCullough's books both sound interesting.
The Devil's Daughter: The Epic Auto-biography of the Girl Who Was Told Her Father Is Ian Brady, by Christine Hart3 stars
This is the fairly horrifying story of yet another casualty of the Moors Murders. The author's life -- finally getting onto a constructive track after a very hard childhood -- was torpedoed because of her unlikely attachment to Ian Brady, the most hated man in Britain. How miserable do you have to be before a serial child killer looks like an angel to you? (That's the word she used, so help me.) Read it and find out. This one is well worth your time.
On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker
A'Lelia Perry Bundles
4/5 stars
This is fascinating in depth look at the life of the ambitious Madam C.J. Walker, who rose from slave to entrepreneur and philanthropist amid the historical events of the late 1800's and the early 1900's. Bundles who was related to Madam Walker and is a writer and news producer writes of the struggles and triumphs of Madam Walker as she hawks her hair products and employs poor women across the country to demonstrate her products and to help themselves out of poverty.
I can't remember who recommended this to me but I thank whoever recommended it.
Mod
4 stars
I loved reliving the music of the late 60's and 70's through the eyes of someone who was in the midst of that wonderful time. Her memoir is honest and thoughtful. She has led an interesting life.
Feel the Laughter: The Inspirational Story of Sharon Komlos, Sharon Patyk Komlos4 stars
This is not your typical inspirational story, most of which are so oversweet you need to brush your teeth after reading them. This is the true story of one of the narrowest escapes ever from a guy who sounds like a serial killer, and it explains how her dreadful experience changed the author's life. She's refreshingly, totally realistic and straightforward about dealing with a great many unwanted changes. She's apparently been a great example to many people and became an advocate, not only for crime victims, but for the blind -- a club she unwillingly joined on May 23rd, 1980. Well written, straight from the shoulder, totally unflinching. Don't miss this one.
Mod
5 stars and a heart
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I have to say it took me awhile to get into this book but about half way I couldn't put it down. The abuse the author suffered just seems to go on and on and I kept wanting something good to happen to him. This book is a journey through the foster care system and the juvenile court system starting in the late 70's and 80's and how it effected his life. Its about a guy that pulled himself out of poverty but everything was not perfect after that. I cried when he suffered a great personal tragedy. I had a hard time figuring out the Nixon character but eventually it did make sense. For me the true test of a great memoir is when I finish and I feel like the author is someone I would like to get to know. When I finished this book I felt like I was leaving a friend. While the book was at times hard to read due to the abuse that was suffered, I had a good feeling when it ended
Just a note: The author is a member of our group here and has been very prompt answering any questions or messaging that I sent to him. I just checked and this book is still being offered for free for Kindle on Amazon. I would highly recommend you check it out.
Koren wrote: "Dirty Laundry - A True Story: From The Streets to an Executive One Man's Forty Year Journey by Ivan Von Baublitz5 stars and a heart
I received a free copy of this book in exchang..."
Nice review!
Gaining Ground: A Story of Farmers' Markets, Local Food, and Saving the Family Farm by Forrest Pritchard5 stars
Well this what I call a stay-at-home memoir!
Forrest sets out to save his family farm that has been in his mothers side for generations. After years of being mismanaged and part of the industrial farming system Forrest begins an organic odyssey that brings home the bacon..and eggs..and lamb. Also has a funny chapter about adventures with a goat.
I thought it was well written with literary flair.
Selina wrote: "Gaining Ground: A Story of Farmers' Markets, Local Food, and Saving the Family Farm by Forrest Pritchard5 stars
Well this what I call a stay-at-home memoir!
Forrest sets out to ..."
Nice review.
Mod
5 stars and a heart
I received a free copy of this b..."
Thanks.
Mod
5 stars
Well this what I call a stay-at-home memoir!
Forrest sets out to ..."
Glad you liked it. For me this was another memoir where I really felt like I got to know the author and he was someone I would want to get to know.
Children of Las Vegas: True Stories about Growing up in the World's Playground by Timothy O'Grady4 1/2 stars
This book looks at ten children of Las Vegas telling their stories...of growing up in Sin City. It's heartbreaking.
What struck me is...someone said how much they hated Disneyland because it primes adults for Las Vegas. A world of fantasy and lies.
Mod
5 stars
Touching story about a young boy with autism who developed a serious disease and how a chicken helped him through it, as told by the mother. Very interesting.
Koren wrote: "The Chicken Who Saved Us: The Remarkable Story of Andrew and Frightful by Kristin Jarvis Adams5 stars
Touching story about a young boy with autism who developed a serious disease ..."
I love the title-sounds like something I would read.
Selina wrote: "Children of Las Vegas: True Stories about Growing up in the World's Playground by Timothy O'Grady4 1/2 stars
This book looks at ten children of Las Vegas telling their stories......"
That could be a fascinating subject. I look forward to your review.
Mod
3 stars
After reading the reviews, it seems the author is well-known in the self-help circuit. I had not heard of her before. I had mixed feelings about this book. I loved her subtle sense of humor. At times I had to go back and re-read a sentence because I wasn't sure if she meant to be funny. The book wasn't meant to be funny, but at times the author will say something that just makes you chuckle. What I didn't like was the minute detail of her pregnancy. It was like every time she was sick, had a headache or dizziness we knew about it. Perhaps I should have known this going in as the title is called EXPECTING ADAM. I went into it thinking it was about living with a child with Down's syndrome. Instead it was more about being pregnant with a child with Down's Syndrome. You know when you are with a group of women and someone brings up the subject of being pregnant and there is always one person who has to go into EVERY detail of their pregnancy. This is what this book was like. It also made me crazy that she kept going back in forth in time with no segue. She would be in different time frames in the same chapter!
One thing that was an eye-opener for me was when she got the diagnosis that her unborn baby had Down's syndrome and so many people tried to talk her into an abortion, including her doctor. It was scary to me that people would have an abortion because they knew their child was not going to be 'perfect'. As a mother of a child with a disability this made me angry.
So three stars for this book because I had a kind of 'love-hate' relationship with this book.
Not-so-fun fact: I read somewhere that one of the commonest reasons people have abortions is learning that the child will have Down's.
Max Perkins: Editor of Genius
A. Scott Berg
5/5 stars
This is the biography of Max Perkins, editor for Scribner's who worked with Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Thomas Wolfe, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings and many more authors in editing their classics. Berg does a wonderful job in writing this amazing tale of Perkin's life and his close relationships with some of the most influential writers of that time period. I had seen the movie based on this book and wanted to learn more and I was not disappointed. Highly recommended - I did not want this book to end!
Mod
That makes me angry on so many levels. Because my son has autism and lives in a residential home I have met so many people with learning difficulties. These people are some of the happiest people in the world and I'm sure their families wouldn't trade them for anything. I know people that are so intolerant of anyone with a disability. They are the ones that should have a disabled child and then they would learn it is not the end of the world.
***stepping down from soap box now***
Mod
3 stars
I seem to be on a roll with reading stories about abuse. The author went from an abusive childhood to an abusive marriage. As some other reviews have said, she was not married to the serial killer while he was actively killing and so there is virtually no details about those murders. For me this book was ok, but not the best as far as the writing. I'm glad she came out of it ok.
The Manson Women A "Family" PortraitClara Livsey
3 stars
A psychiatrist's take on the Manson Family dynamics and how those dovetailed with the dynamics of the individual families the various members came from. I was happy to learn more about the murders of James and Lauren Willett in here, and very surprised at how close this author got to the Family, even Charlie. I think a lot of the insights are pretty valid, although she's a bit too Freudian for my taste and she overlooks the fact that the Manson Family believed Charlie was Jesus Christ, making his orders a little hard to ignore, no matter how sociopathic they were -- and would a sociopath give Jesus Christ the time of day anyway? My main problem with this book is the fact that she took well over 100 pages -- out of a 244-page book -- to get to the subject in the book's title. And there were so many other Family members she never even touched on. But the information in here, as far as it goes, is fascinating.
Fishface wrote: "Selina wrote: "Children of Las Vegas: True Stories about Growing up in the World's Playground by Timothy O'Grady4 1/2 stars
This book looks at ten children of Las Vegas telling t..."
I suppose my mention on here wasn't really a review! You want more?
Well there were ten stories in this book with little vignettes about Las Vegas in between. The author worked as a teacher for a while in this town so the students were in their 20s and had grown up in Las Vegas. It was a good mixture of genders, some were gay/prostitutes, some were performers, there was one that was the son of a casino CEO, others had moved there while young and many of the parents were divorced and had gambling, drug and alcohol problems. The children told their stories in their own words and there was a brief bio follow up of where they were at now, whether they had got out of the town or were still living there.
An eye opener. I think the interesting thing about this town is it's right smack bang in the middle of the desert. It's like a magnet for the dysfunctional and those looking for an easy escape. However it's never easy as these children attest. It's a short book but has quite an impact. What happens in Vegas is not really going to stay in Vegas. It will haunt these children for the rest of their lives.
Confessions of a Male Nurse by Michael Alexander.This is like a memoir and has lots of anecdotes of nursing. The author nursed in hospitals in the UK and NZ. I enjoyed having a sneak peak into the working life of a nurse. He's written a sequel about being a school nurse for a private school in Switzerland.
As for the thing about being male, when he was first starting out he got put into gynacology. lol. There's all sorts of departments he's worked in. I think the emergency department is what I'm most familiar with having grown up watching too many episodes of Shortland Street.
Mod
This is like a memoir and has lots of anecdotes of nursing. The author nursed in hospitals in the UK and NZ. I enjoyed having a sn..."
I've worked in health care for 30 years so I am used to male nurses and assistants. When my dad died in 1990 he had a male nurse. Just trying to make conversation, I asked him long he had been a nurse. He said "Ma'am, I assure you I am perfectly qualified". Wow! I figured he must have had to put up with a lot.
Koren wrote: "Selina wrote: "Confessions of a Male Nurse by Michael Alexander.This is like a memoir and has lots of anecdotes of nursing. The author nursed in hospitals in the UK and NZ. I enjo..."
He might have been heartened by the story of my grandfather, who would have zero to do with female nurses and chased them out of his hospital room by slinging bedpans at them. He was happy with one named Mike though.
True Crime Story: I Survived A Monster, Opal Roux4 stras
I gulped this down in about an hour and a half. Betty Hanson's atrocious story explains exactly why so many women refuse to report rapes; they expect to be blamed. Betty was blamed even after this guy half killed her, even though there was a eyewitness to the whole thing (who also came close to losing her life). The whole story suggests that everyone, even the police, were on the killer's side. Betty should go down in history as a heroine among anticrime advocates, right up there with John Walsh. This is crudely written and poorly copyedited, with some frustrating holes in the information, but I would recommend it to anyone. Even though Betty Hanson was not given fair billing as co-author.
Julie wrote: "Max Perkins: Editor of Genius
A. Scott Berg
5/5 stars
This is the biography of Max Perkins, editor for Scribner's w..."
Sounds like a good read.
Koren wrote: "Selina wrote: "Confessions of a Male Nurse by Michael Alexander.This is like a memoir and has lots of anecdotes of nursing. The author nursed in hospitals in the UK and NZ. I enjo..."
My brother in law and sister in law met in nursing school in the 60s. He was doing a class or internship in Chicago when Speck killed those nurses. He was called in for a interview because there were few male nursing students at that time and they were looking at a lot of suspects. He and his wife were interested in being midwives and were accepted at a school that had that curriculum. When he called about married student housing they found out he was a man and kicked him out of the program. How dare a man want to be a midwife? He ended up in the air force and became a nurse anesthetist.
Now, Julie, you know men are supposed to pace in waiting rooms when babies are being delivered. The can't be allowed in the delivery room; they might faint or something. That was an article of faith in the year Richard Speck did his thing in the nurses' townhouse.
Mod
5 stars and a heart
It took me a little bit to get into this book. For me the lack of quotation marks was distracting. Once I got into it I couldn't put it down. This book is a bit different as it is not just a memoir of her dysfunctional childhood in the 50's but also an exploration of how the murder of a classmate when they were 10 years old effected her entire life. She does a lot of investigating into the murder and what happened because when she was a child it was kept a secret from the children and they were not allowed to discuss it. There is also an autistic brother, when not a lot was known about autism. I needed an entire box of tissues at the end. If you grew up in the 50's and 60's the nostalgia factor is high. It gave me a bit of an understanding about my own parents and why things were not discussed the way they are today. I loved the subtle humorous moments in this book, especially when she is talking about her brother.
Mod
3 stars
This seems to be the month for reading books about child abuse and the foster care system. This book seemed to be so much like the last one I read that I kept getting them mixed up. Abusive mother. Kids land in foster care system and juvenile homes where the abuse continues. Not sure why this book does not continue into adult hood but it says right on the cover it is part of a series. It was free with Amazon Prime membership and I see part 2 is also free so I think I will read part 2 next month but I don't think I would want to read it if it wasn't free just because it ends rather abruptly and requires you to buy another book to find out what happened to her.
Fishface wrote: "Now, Julie, you know men are supposed to pace in waiting rooms when babies are being delivered. The can't be allowed in the delivery room; they might faint or something. That was an article of fait..."I don't believe in the death penalty per se but oh for Speck and Manson, I wished that for them.
Charlatan: America's Most Dangerous Huckster, the Man Who Pursued Him, and the Age of Flimflam
Pope Brock
5/5 stars
In this fascinating and outrageous story set in the early 20th century, Pope Brock covers the true life story of Dr. John R. Brinkley, famous doctor, would be politician, businessman and radio innovator who is not all that he seems to be when in fact he is a fake and charlatan taking advantage of his patients and convincing them he could renew their sexual vigor. But instead of healing patients he causes pain and death while being pursued by Morris Fishbein, physician and editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association, who is determined to see Brinkley be punished and removed from harming further patients. One of the best non-fiction books I have ever read.
Mod
5 stars
I found this book in our local library in the magazine donation bin so I picked it up. What a great find! Lydia was born in Germany and met her husband during the war and came to America. She overcame many obstacles with her determination and 'feisty' spirit. She lived about an hours drive from me so there were many familiar locations to me. The author was her next door neighbor. After reading Feisty Lydia, I think everyone would agree she is someone you would like to get to know. Such a huge personality. I couldn't help but imagine visiting her at her lake home and having a wonderful time. A quick read, I started it one day and finished the next.
***on a side note: I wasn't sure when I picked up the book, but found out while reading it that the author is an aunt-in-law to a friend of mine***
I'm well into The Mammoth Book of Tasteless and Outrageous Lists by Karl Shaw, and it's far from a biography, but this one is full of groovy little biographical details about people who appear on the various lists. It says here, for instance, that Christopher Plummer, who played Capt. Von Trapp in THE SOUND OF MUSIC, hated the whole musical so much that he called it "S&M," which stood not for sadomasochism, but for THE SOUND OF MUCUS.
Fishface wrote: "I'm well into The Mammoth Book of Tasteless and Outrageous Lists by Karl Shaw, and it's far from a biography, but this one is full of groovy little biographical details about people..."I have heard that term for that movie but did not realize Plummer was the one who coined that term. However, I loved that film.
Mod
4 stars
Inspirational story about a girl that suffered emotional abuse from both parents, sexual abuse from her father, and spousal abuse. There were ups and downs but she went on to found A Place Called Home, a place for disadvantaged youth to go after school for support, activities, and to learn new skills. Even though the book is about 13 years old, the message is timely, with all the talk these days about body shaming.
Mod
4 stars
The author has led an interesting life in the entertainment world. There were some things I felt I didnt really need to know. For instance, there is a chapter where she lists her past lovers individually and tells us in detail about their sex life. Yep, could have done without that. I thought this was a little too much 'look who I know'. The book was like she was sitting down and talking to us as a friend, but at the same time would go off on one subject, then say she was going to come back to that later, which kind of drives me crazy. It was a good autobiography, just not particularly well-written.
Confessions of a School Nurse by Michael AlexanderThought I would read the sequel to Confessions of a male nurse. This time he's at a private boarding school for 400 students in the alps.
Most of the time he's dealing with students who fake being sick to be let off class.
Reading Bloodland: A Family Story of Oil, Greed and Murder on the Osage Reservation, it seems to be a combination of true crime, history and biography.
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Mod
5 stars
Loved this memoir of what it was like to grow up on an Iowa farm in the 30's and 40's. Even though I grew up 20 to 30 years later there were a lot of things that were the same. I loved the picture of the old lantern as I have the exact same one hanging in my dining room. The author lived about 2 hours from me and my sister lives in one of the towns mentioned in the book ( a little town called Alta) so I was familiar with some of the locations in the book. This was a nostalgic walk down memory lane.
Mod
[bookcover:Bloodland: A Famil..."
That looks really good. I am going to see if the library has it.
Confessions of a Ghostwriter by Andrew CroftAnother confessio.ns Book. this time really interesting because a ghostwriter might have written many of the autoiographies and memoirs we're reading here! THe ghost has written over 80 books. Mostly for celebs, world leaders, sports stars or even 'misery memoir' genre.
ghostwriters are Freelance writers, also known as hacks, have a certain lifestyle that has its pros and cons. Certainly they meet lots of interesting people! If you considering being one remember the subject gets the fame and glory, you get the money.
Lady♥Belleza★✰ wrote: "Reading Bloodland: A Family Story of Oil, Greed and Murder on the Osage Reservation, it seems to be a combination of true crime, history and biography.
, translated from the French by Philip Stead. Not only was Lacenaire the very first criminal to sit down with pen and paper and try to figure himself out in a memoir; he was also the model for Roddy Raskolnikov in Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment.Now what the crap is wrong with this site? When I saved this post, it cut off the whole first sentence and half of the second, and when I said I was reading CRIME AND PUNISHMENT and tried to add the link to the book page, it gave me the cover instead of the link. I went in to fix it and it wouldn't let me. How vexing.
And everything's in italics for no reason. I can't fix that either.
The World According to Bob: The Further Adventures of One Man and His Street-wise Catby James Bowen
For anyone who's seen the movie 'A Streetcat Named Bob' true story of a recovering drug addict and his cat friend in London. These are his further adventures. I hadn't read the first book, that's on request but I kind of know the story but not the whole backstory of how he got to be in that state.
Bob is a very clever cat and such a personality that he does deserve his own book.
Biography, Autobiography, Memoir
Books mentioned in this topic
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Gladys Aylward: The Adventure of a Lifetime (other topics)
Stolen Lives: The Untold Stories of the Lawson Quins (other topics)
Now, Let Me Tell You What I Really Think (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Kate Summerscale (other topics)Laura Ingalls Wilder (other topics)
Laura Ingalls Wilder (other topics)
Margot Lee Shetterly (other topics)
Richard Sandomir (other topics)
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I read it in 2007, gave it three stars but no review. Sadness.