Biography, Autobiography, Memoir discussion
Biography, Autobiography, and Memoir read in 2024
Separate Things: A MemoirThis is not your average messiness. But this is Ashley Berry’s life.
In Separate Things, Ashley fumbles through life, graying up the parts that are so intensely black and white, while learning that molding herself into this “normal” world is not the same as living in it. Never hiding from the stigma, she voices her opinions to others in order to help them understand that being slightly nutty can look different on everyone.
Running from a flood of mental illnesses, Ashley shares her raw, intimate journals from psychiatric stays, moments trying to find the sunlight, and the callous feeling of not wanting to be here anymore.
Peeing in foam cups and ruminating for hours about catching pedophilia is just a tiny glimpse into her sometimes manic life. She shares her stories in a very direct way that will only make you feel more compassionate to those who are touched by this light.
Lab Girl by Hope JahrenI visited a friends lab this month who works at the University, and realised it's like her little kingdom. Then I found this book, which brings to life some of the discoveries a scientist makes when she gives her life to scientific research. Hope has a lab partner, Bill and they make an unlikely pair as she's always trying to find ways of funding the lab and keep him on as her assistant.
Apart from that, and seeming bouts of manic depression, where this memoir shines is when she's writing about the wonders of plants.
This memoir is one of the Goodreads choice nominee books for 2016
Selina wrote: "Lab Girl by Hope JahrenI visited a friends lab this month who works at the University, and realised it's like her little kingdom. Then I found this book, which brings to life some..."
I read that a while ago. I enjoyed it!
Manic: A Memoir by Terri ChenyI don't really understand the legal profession. In this memoir, Terri Cheny was a successful entertainment lawyer, one of her clients included Michael Jackson, and she lived in LA. She also lets on about her white privelige as a Vassar graduate. She also suffered bipolar disorder, or as referred to in this book, manic depression.
At the end of the memoir she's in her 40s and become an advocate, after recounting various manic and depressive episodes, eating disorder, her dad dying. She'd undergone ECT, which wiped out a lot of memories. She attempted suicide.
I think I would have liked her to examine her family background then just the symptoms which wreck havoc on her career and personal relationships. What comes through though is craziness that isn't easy to live with for sure and the drug treatments she has aren't very effective. But I would rather know why than 'oh its genetic'.
But I think the 'born again' moment is when she survives a suicide attempt to have a new lease of life, though it isn't explicit in this memoir which doesn't seem to follow much order except for a series of impressions of what it's like to be manic and depressed. Mad shopping sprees and reckless impulsive relationships can be the result. Those who've suffered won't find much solace unless they frame it as something that will eventually stabilise.
Interesting that the previous memoir I read Lab Girl also tried to hide her diagnosis, but in hers you only find out about half way through the book.
Mod
3 stars
Like so many men (and women) that went to war, Chris Edmonds father did not talk much about his experiences. His father has since passed away and the author sets out to discover his father's experiences by interviewing other men that served under his father's command and finding diaries and articles about his father's experiences at war, commanding a military unit and becoming a a POW during WWII. At times this book bogged down a bit, but mostly it was interesting learning about one man's experiences during war.
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3 stars
I did not know much about Bob Marley going into this book. I did not find him a very likeable person. He was abusive at times and fathered many children by different mothers, but at least he did believe in supporting them. The author, his wife, put up with his many indiscretions. Maybe it was her culture. Many of the reviews stated they admired her for being a strong woman. I didn't see her as a strong woman. If you want to know more about Bob Marley, I would look for a different book. This is mostly about her.
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Good Boy: My Life in Seven Dogs
Jennifer Finney Boylan
4/5 stars
This is the autobiography of Jennifer Finney Boy..."
7 dogs. I have 1 and that is enough!
Crying in H Mart
Michelle Zauner
4/5 stars
This was a wonderfully written autobiography about the rock musician, Michelle Zauner. She writes about her life as a musician, and her Korean family but she also talks about her mother's cancer diagnosis and the effect it had on her family. Highly recommended!
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3 stars
I really identified with the author when he talked about being in a bookstore, but the history of books and bookstores were not so interesting to me. A quick read at a little more than 200 pages.
Completed Goodbye, Eastern Europe: An Intimate History of a Divided Land by Jacob Mikanowski |Part memoir and part historical information on the region, its people, and their conflicts that continue to ravage even today.
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If you have read about Jackie Kennedy before, you likely will not find much here you don't already know. It's a small book so it won't come as a surprise that the biographical information is greatly condensed. This book is mostly about her strength during adversity. I wish we could have had more years to find out what a strong woman she was.
Toller Cranston: Ice, Paint, Passion author Phillippa Baran5 stars
"Toller Cranston: Ice, Paint, Passion" is the most important figure skating book of the year. It not only pays tribute to an extraordinary figure skater, artist, and Canadian, but also serves as a powerful message to all creative individuals - with big dreams and hard work, a bold and successful life is within reach."
My review:
https://www.skateguardblog.com/2024/0...
Inside Out by Demi MooreI'd only ever seen Demi Moore in Ghost, though she's so high profile that it seems she's been around forever --Vanity Fair nude pregnant pic, marriage to Bruce Willis and romance with Ashton Kutcher...as actresses go, she's had more than her fair share of controversy and time in the spotlight.
So this memoir being her story, has makings of tragedy, but it seems she's overcome a lot and I admire her tenacity. She didn't have the best upbringing, being a wild California girl with absolutely no boundaries - mother was narcissist and neglected her, then pimped her out ..her dad a gambler who suicided..but modelling and then acting was her salvation.
This reads a lot like confessions of an actor all over again and lows are there - drug abuse, eating disorders alcoholism, plus the highs - career highlights, three daughters, a jet setting lifestyle, getting into character. I guess like many acting was her way of working through life. I don't know if I'd have liked Demi Moore She tries to answer the existential questions of her life like ...how did I get here? And takes responsibility for the all the choices she made. I think she beats herself up a bit but such is her determination not to be like her inconsistent alcoholic mother.
The memoir does remind me a bit of Brooke Shields relationship with her mother.
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3 stars
I have to admit it, I kind of enjoyed reading about how well-behaved celebrities are when they get out in public. I think I could have done without knowing what they ate. What a shame that the restaurant was taken over by a big corporation that didn't care about the help or customer service.
End Times by Rebecca PriestleyThis is shelved in the seemed shelved in an odd place (300s) rather than the 920s. It is a memoir of sorts, though it's an odd mix of mid-life road trip with a BFF combined with teen coming of age. Rebecca travels down an the old West Coast NZ mining trail anxious about climate change and the Alpine Fault near the lockdowns, while at the same time recalling teenage adventures with her BFF Maz, as they were punks and then born again Christians for about two years, fearful of the End Times in the late 1980s. It wasn't Climate Change though it was Nuclear Annihilation that was the zeitgeist of the times.
Was it mass hysteria that changed their lives?
I found the reflections on this part of the journey more compelling than the road trip around the mining towns, but then I do recall how bleak and on the edge the West Coast is, where people who live there already are prepared for imminent collapse at any moment, at least, compared to the Latte drinkers in Wellington. Who, btw also live in an earthquake zone. Rebecca meets with a climate change denying Mayor which grates against her academic Science background till she's not so sure of anything anymore, whether opinion or factual evidence, but she can't deny lived experience.
When the countries homosexual law reforms go through, Rebecca finds herself at odds with her family and her faith. All I can say is that NZ is a precarious place to live at the best of times, being such a long thin land prone to upheaval that its called the Shaky Isles. We're at the ends of the earth until Antarctica, though I'm a bit sad she doesn't fully repent and ease her anxiety about climate change which keeps her up all night.
Diagnosis Normal: Living with Abuse, Undiagnosed Autism and Covid-grade crazy Emma A JaneThis books was a bit too much for me, about an Australian Journo with a LOT to say. I ended up skimming most of it, though she does get her point across that sexual child abuse should not be called 'grooming' but a crime or violation of trust.
Then there's cancer at the end of it...not for the fainthearted.
Mod
3 stars
The author was the drummer for the rock group The Doors. He has a memoir already, so this does not talk very much about his life with the group but is more a who's who the people he has met or have influenced him in some way. I wanted to like this, but the stories were not very interesting. Hopefully, his other memoir is better.
What Happened To This Child ?: The Golden Murder Case by John A. DeFrancisco3 stars
This is defense counsel's account of a much-discussed murder case from the late 1980s. It's a combination of a very interesting, sensitive case with a lot of high emotion in play -- the victim was a 14-month-old toddler -- and a strangely plodding discussion of every single move the attorneys made and why. It was educational regarding the many, many finicking calculations made in the course of a trial...but I'm not sure I needed to know that much about it. It did crack me up when after discussing every possible facet of why or why not to pick juror #4, the author said "it's not much more than going on instinct." Then why did you just talk about all the pros and cons for 4 pages? This very tense case has a satisfying denouement followed by a bombshell ending.
OK, Little Bird - grief and love have never been told this way. Love, loss and the irreverent humor that healed OK, Little Bird - you'll laugh, cry and turn the last page inspired
Beautifully written The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown | read by Edward HerrmannDidn’t have a clue about rowing before I read this and walked away with a deep appreciation for the intricacies of the sport, and surprised by its popularity with the public at the time. The stories of the individual boys and of the races were simply riveting. Fabulously written and the last few chapters - I couldn't stop reading. Bravo to the author!
Christine wrote: "Beautifully written The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown | read by Edward HerrmannD..."
I loved the book and we saw the film which was pretty good. I would read anything by him!
Julie wrote: "Christine wrote: "Beautifully written The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown | read by ..."Have not seen the movie, but I intend to.
Christine wrote: "Beautifully written The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown | read by Edward HerrmannD..."
Yes it is!!! 4 stars from me (I'm not a high rater) but that's only because I'm not into sports.
I'm not planning to watch the movie since I loved the writing and many of the details they won't be able to get properly into it.
Mod
5 stars
I cried buckets throughout this book. It brought back many memories of my own childhood, some good, most not very good. There is a lot here about living with parents who were distant, both emotionally and physically. Maybe that's the way they were raised, and the way parenting was back then. Most of us can't imagine what it would be like living with famous parents, let alone the president of the United States. This book is written as a long letter to her parents, so there are no chapters, but it is a short book that will only take a few hours to read.
^ I’ve wanted to read some Patti Davis books for a while now
Mod
3 stars
This is not really a biography of Blake Shelton. It is more a memoir about the author, who is a good friend of Blake's and has spent a lot of time with him, including running his fan club. The book blurb says she gives 'a fascinating look into Blake's personal life', but his relationship with his first wife and with Miranda Lambert is a paragraph or two each and his relationship with his third wife, Gwen Stefani, is about two or three paragraphs. However, she tells us about each television show, concert, fan club party and award show he has been on and goes on quite a bit about each song and where it placed on the charts. There is a lot of 'look who I've met' here. I think Blake fans will enjoy this book but if you are looking for an in-depth bio I would look elsewhere.
I got through a couple more of Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara's children's book biographies:Astrid Lindgren and Pelé
Author Geraldine DeRuiter is outspoken and not afraid to use profanity, but her essay collection, If You Can't Take the Heat: Tales of Food, Feminism, and Fury is full of readable insights into dining, baking, family, society, and internet culture.My review:
https://mypointbeing.com/2024/04/02/i...
Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death, and Jazz Chickens
Eddie Izzard
4/5 stars
This is the autobiography of Eddie Izzard, comedian and entertainer who was born in Yemen but also lived in Wales, Northern Ireland and England. Raised by his dad after his mother died which greatly affected him. He has come out as genderfluid. He is also involved in politics. Very interesting!
Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death, and Jazz Chickens
Eddie Izzard
4/5 stars
This is the autobiography of Eddie Izzard, comedian and entertainer who was born in Yemen but also lived in Wales, Northern Ireland and England. Raised by his dad after his mother died which greatly affected him. He has come out as genderfluid. He is also involved in politics. Very interesting!
Completed Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou | audiobook read by Will DamronElizabeth Holmes, however well-intentioned, hoodwinked a Who’s Who of America’s political, CEOs, scientific, and Silicon Valley’s elites into bankrolling her medical device that never worked.
I Will Find You: Solving Killer Cases from My Life Fighting Crime, by Joe Kenda5 stars!
A detective's memoir of life working homicides in Colorado Springs, Colorado and how that affected his personal life and his mind. Full of grisly anecdotes and atrocities, but often very funny too. Not to be missed.
Mod
2 stars
As a general rule I try to avoid books where the dog dies. This one caught me by surprise because I thought it was about a chicken. And it is. But the chicken doesn't come in until halfway through the book, after the dog dies. The rest of the book is mostly whining about how left out he feels. The wife and the two daughters are not very likeable. The daughters seem to get everything they want, no matter how expensive or inconvenient. The wife was a vet before they met but if there was an explanation that she didn't work after they married I missed it and she didn't seem to work at all. I thought the author gave this chicken way too many human characteristics. Not sure why I finished this book. The people and even the chicken were kind of annoying.
Koren wrote: "Buddy: How a Rooster Made Me a Family Man by Brian McGrory2 stars
As a general rule I try to avoid books where the d..."
I'll consider myself warned lol
Mod
3 stars
I think this would have been much better if it was about half the size. At 700+ pages it was very rambling at times and after a while I passed over the personal interviews as they were almost stream of consciousness and rambling most of the time. I was disappointed that not much time was spent on his years with CSNY. Neil did not come across as being a very nice person, although I will say he seemed to be exceptional at parenting his disabled child. This book took me almost 4 months to get through, as I kept putting it aside and then decided to power through it and be done with it. The book was published in 2002, so I did a search to find out what has happened to him in the last 20 years and found out he was divorced from his long-time wife, she died from cancer two years after their divorce, and he is currently married to actress Daryl Hannah.
Mod
4 stars
True story about a schizophrenic son who killed his mother and written by his brother. This is not so much about the crime as it is about about how the author handles the mental illness of his brother and the death of his mother. I didn't really start to get into this story until close to the end, but then wanted to start over at the beginning.
Not Your China Doll: The Wild and Shimmering Life of Anna May Wong
Katie Gee Salisbury
4/5 stars
This was a wonderfully interesting story about the American Asian actress Anna May Wong. She grew up in America, lived in Los Angeles and worked in her family's laundry business where she was discovered. She starred in the Douglas Fairbanks' film Thief of Bagdad and that started her career. Well written!
Julie wrote: " Not Your China Doll: The Wild and Shimmering Life of Anna May Wong
[author:Katie Gee Salis..."
Glad to hear you liked it since it's on my wtr shelf.
Completed The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff | audiobook read by 45 person cast | reviewPersonal accounts of that fateful day.
In Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants author Robin Wall Kimmerer writes about how she can both live her heritage as an Indigenous North American and work as a botanist teaching at the college level. Her prose is lyrical.My review:
https://mypointbeing.com/2024/04/19/b...
What Have We Here?: Portraits of a Life
Billy Dee Williams
4/5 stars
This is the autobiography of Billy Dee Williams. He has lead a pretty interesting life as an actor. He talks about his family and his movie roles. I enjoyed reading it.
Mod
4 stars
If you are a historian and know a lot about presidents already, there might not be much here you don't know. But if you want to learn more (or maybe just refresh your memory) about some of the important works (and foibles) of presidents starting with Warren Harding and ending with Donald Trump, this book hits the high points.
Anne Lamott does the narration for the audiobook version of her new release, Somehow: Thoughts on Love. She is not a skilled voice actor, but Lamott is herself. What you get when you listen to Anne Lamott read her own work is authenticity.My review:
https://mypointbeing.com/2024/04/24/s...
Astor: The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune
Anderson Cooper
4/5 stars
This is the wonderfully written book on the Astor Family including John Jacob Astor, the founder of the family who settled in New York in 1783, then came the story of John Jacob Aster IV, who perished on the Titanic and their reign finally ended in 2009. A great read!
One Last Ruth Reichl Book and Eight Other Biographies
Mod
4 stars
I've read a few John Hassler books a while ago. He's been gone for 12 years. This is a memoir he wrote and never published, maybe didn't intend to publish. It's short, at just 120 pages. I think fans will like it.
Mod
4 stars
This book made me realize how lucky I am to live in an area where there is very little crime. As a matter of fact, there is only one unsolved murder in the county I live in and it sounds like they have new DNA evidence and could be on the right track to solve this murder that is almost 50 years old. But in the town of Newhaven, murder is an almost every day occurrence. This is a story about a town that has a white side and a black side, and it is also about a 16-year-old boy who was falsely accused of murder and spent 9 years in prison before being exonerated.
Journalist Bianca Bosker wanted to know what the world of contemporary American art looked like from the inside, so she embedded herself therein. Her book Get the Picture: A Mind-Bending Journey Among the Inspired Artists and Obsessive Art Fiends Who Taught Me How to See describes the results of that investigation.My review:
https://mypointbeing.com/2024/04/29/g...
Koren wrote: "The Other Side of Prospect: A Story of Violence, Injustice, and the American City by Nicholas Dawidoff4 stars
[bookcover:The Other Side of Prospect: A Story of Violence, Injustice,..."
Nice review, Koren
The Librarian: A Memoir by Allie MorganPTSD survivor takes on library assistant job in crime-ridden poverty stricken Glasgow. Working with the public is not anything new to those in the know or dealing with council bureaucracy but makes a hearfelt memoir nonetheless. Go libraries. I wish I had her stamina but its true that most new librarians have to ask forgiveness before they ask permission to do things.
Biography, Autobiography, Memoir
Books mentioned in this topic
A Hope in the Unseen: An American Odyssey from the Inner City to the Ivy League (other topics)Married in Moscow: A Red-Hot Memoir in Cold War Times (other topics)
Dear Black Girls: How to Be True to You (other topics)
Tales of Horsing Around on the Trail to Success (other topics)
The Fixers: Eddie Mannix, Howard Strickling and the MGM Publicity Machine (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Edith B Wislocki (other topics)Edith B Wislocki (other topics)
Edith B Wislocki (other topics)
Myron Uhlberg (other topics)
Myron Uhlberg (other topics)
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Good Boy: My Life in Seven Dogs
Jennifer Finney Boylan
4/5 stars
This is the autobiography of Jennifer Finney Boylan who talks about her life when she becomes a transgender. She also writes about her love of her dogs and what she learned from each of them. Nicely written.