Biography, Autobiography, Memoir discussion
Do You Read Bios, Autobios, Memoirs of People You Dont Know?
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Erin
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Dec 27, 2018 07:33PM
I love reading bios of people I've never heard of or know very little about. That's how I discovered the actor George Raft. Sometimes I go to the library and just check out a bio on a random person.
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Erin wrote: "I love reading bios of people I've never heard of or know very little about. That's how I discovered the actor George Raft. Sometimes I go to the library and just check out a bio on a random person."Yep, I read bios of anyone and everyone ... lol As you said, you 'discover' folks that way.
Mod
Yep I don't know that many people plus that's what a bio is for to get to know a person...A friend of mine told me the other day that her dad had published his memoir. He had it self-published and she helped with the production of it. When people get older often they want to write their memoirs, he's in his eighties now but he'd been writing it for a while. It's about his journey to NZ from England and growing up and life here. I think its called 'life of a pom' or something like that.
I think for memoirs the ones that stand out for me are if someones done something out of the ordinary and tells it in an engaging way. But then you can have memoirs that are people just like you gone through the same experiences so I suppose it's also about shared experiences.
Oh here it is... if anyone's interested. It's called The Ordinary life of a Ten Pound Pom.https://www.times.co.nz/news/local-te...
Mod
A friend of mine told me the other day that her dad had published his memoir. He had it self-published an..."
I know when my son was first diagnosed with autism it was helpful to read memoirs by people that were going through the same thing I was. At the time I didnt know anyone else with an autistic child and I felt like I was alone, but after reading a memoir of someone else going through the same thing I didnt feel so alone.
I have learned, not just about individual people, but social movements, eras and countries by picking up random bios. In fact I tend to feel a bit cheated if a book like that doesn't expand my horizons a bit.
Mod
I would agree with your statement that you want to learn something from a bio. Those are the best.
I read a lot of bios of people that I don't know. Bios are so much more interesting since they are true and they always amaze me.
Julie wrote: "I read a lot of bios of people that I don't know. Bios are so much more interesting since they are true and they always amaze me."How true. Obscure lives have as much to teach us, if not more, than lives of the rich and famous.
I really enjoy memoirs of typical people - famous people less so. So many good stories out there. There’s actually a group on Goodreads with a bookshelf of memoirs - amazing diverse stories. Check it out - it’s called “We Love Memoirs.” I just wrote a memoir full of fun stories and what times were like.
Anne wrote: "Julie wrote: "I read a lot of bios of people that I don't know. Bios are so much more interesting since they are true and they always amaze me."How true. Obscure lives have as much to teach us, if..."
Well said. I agree with that Anne.
Julie wrote: "I read a lot of bios of people that I don't know. Bios are so much more interesting since they are true and they always amaze me."I do enjoy these, although I have to say I prefer the ones with fun stories and humor.
Fishface wrote: "I have learned, not just about individual people, but social movements, eras and countries by picking up random bios. In fact I tend to feel a bit cheated if a book like that doesn't expand my hori..."This is great to hear. I tried to do this with my memoir. I captured the historical moments of my youth in NYC - the blackout, the three-day blizzard, our experiences.
I you take a look at the Kindle sample and would be interested in this, let me know and I can get you a copy.
Growing Up Greenpoint: A Kid's Life in 1970s Brooklyn
I am thrilled with this 5-star review of "Growing Up Greenpoint: A Kid's Life in 1970s Brooklyn."Growing Up Greenpoint: A Kid's Life in 1970s Brooklyn
Growing up in Greenpoint is guaranteed to stimulate warm memories in readers who, like me, were brought up in an age when children were encouraged to develop the competence to confront and vanquish the thousands of tiny dangers that life throws at us as throughout childhood. This is Tommy Carbone’s story of growing up in a Polish/Italian neighborhood of Brookline in the 1970s. Multi-generation family groups were the norm, children played in the streets, families cooked meals and ate together, the young developed life-long friendships, discipline and self-control were prized, and block parties were an annual highlight.
Tommy Carbone offers a clear-headed and affectionate look back at his childhood in the heart of his family, friends and school with heart-felt affection. He recounts his stories with enormous affection without either romanticizing the past or tainting the pleasant, often funny and always meaningful memories with exaggerated nostalgia. It is clear that he greatly values his upbringing in Greenpoint and, just as his parents intended him to, learned the need and developed the means to move on.
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Tommy, could you provide a link to the We Love Memoirs group? I was not able to find it by doing a search.
Koren - Sure here it is, I am glad to know I am not the only one who has trouble finding things on Goodreads. I see something once and then have a heck of a time finding it again. Maybe someday the interface will be updated.Let me know if this works:
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
While I prefer the memoir bookshelf here on Goodreads, there is also a very active Facebook group - come and join us. A little too much non-book stuff at times, but it is a good group to hear about different books. The link to that one is:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/welov...
Mod
Thanks.
You are definitely not alone in that, Tommy!
Biography, Autobiography, Memoir
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