Biography, Autobiography, Memoir discussion
Biography, Autobiography, and Memoir read in 2024
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank4 stars
I finally got to this one, only about 45 years after I made a mental note to read it sometime. It was not at all what I expected. Certainly not typical true crime, it's the memoir of a 13-year-old girl who spent more than 2 years in hiding from the Nazis, crowded into a few upstairs rooms with 7 other people with practically nothing to do all that time except keep quiet. I was surprised to read at the end that there is a further account of her life after the secret annex, covering the few months she survived in Nazi captivity. I look forward to that as well. It's a remarkably upbeat funny, hopeful memoir of one of the greatest crimes in human history.
Fishface wrote: "The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank4 stars
I finally got to this one, only about 45 years after I made a mental note to read it sometime. It was not at all what I expected. Certa..."
I'm glad you finally got around to reading this!
Mod
5 stars
I did not know who Andrew Rannells was. I am about 3 hours away from the nearest theater productions, unless you count community theater. The book looked interesting, and it was. From growing up as a gay teen in Omaha, Nebraska to heading to New York and trying to find his way to Broadway, there are humorous moments and interesting happenings. Through determination, hard work and some luck he made it. The book moves along quickly. You will be rooting for Andrew to succeed the whole time.
A Lovely Girl: The Tragedy of Olga Duncan and the Trial of One of California's Most Notorious Killers, by Deborah Holt Larkin5 stars!
Absolutely do not miss this book. Wonderfully written; it never drags. Written from the perspective of the author as it was all happening, when she was 10. I thought I knew this story but there is so very much more in here than I've seen anywhere else. DO NOT SKIM THROUGH THIS BOOK. If you do you will miss far too many of the utterly crazy details. I hope this is a unique story.
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Dear Jacob: A Mother's Journey of Hope by Patty Wetterling
Our local library hosted this author, who's son was kidnapped and murdered in the late 1980's. Very interesting presentation and a remarkable lady. If you don't know who Patty Wetterling is, her son, who was 11 at the time, was missing for 27 years after his kidnapping and she never gave up hope until his remains were found. During the time when she didn't know if he was alive or dead, she became a national advocate for kidnapped and missing children. The book is told from a mother's point of view. She is an amazingly strong woman and an excellent speaker. I think it is safe to say the crowd was probably the largest crowd our library has had for an author visit. This kidnapping took place close to my husband's hometown of St. Cloud, Minnesota.
Mod
Dear Sister: A Memoir of Secrets, Survival, and Unbreakable Bonds by Michelle Horton
5 stars
A lot of things to think about in this book about the author's sister killing her husband after horrific abuse. Could there have been another way to escape the situation? This book follows the emotional aspect and the legal aspect of a family tangled up in a situation that is hard for any of us to comprehend.
Unbecoming a Lady: The Forgotten Sluts and Shrews Who Shaped America
Therese Oneill
4/5 stars
This is quite an interesting look at women who have influenced the nation. The book covers several women, including Carrie Nation, Hetty Green (the first self-made lady billionaire) and Aimee Semple McPherson, a preacher who also faked her kidnapping. It was a short read but so fascinating. Non-Fiction
Fair Game, by Berbard Duclos4 solid stars
A horrific story, well told, with a gripping sense of the place and time when the crimes happened. It's also a solid biography of the criminal and even gives a sense of the lives of the investigators. It grinds me that so many marks on Robert Hansen's map are still unexplained. I hope all those unlucky women are resting in peace.
Mod
5 stars
So many layers to this coming-of-age memoir...dysfunctional family, alcoholism, prejudice in Jim Crow south during the 60's, and growing up gay at a time where it wasn't accepted or talked about. The author doesn't just tell what happened but explores what makes her family tick. Held my interest from beginning to end.
In A Chance Meeting: American Encounters author Rachel Cohen documents how creative nineteenth and twentieth century Americans collaborated, for example Matthew Brady photographing Henry James or Elizabeth Bishop seeking out Marianne Moore for writing advice.My review:
https://mypointbeing.com/2024/05/16/a...
Mod
4 stars
Wrote a review. Must have forgotten to save it because it disappeared. Too tired to start over so will try to come back and write it again later. Anyway, it was an interesting book.
Making a Scene by Constance Wu
Constance Wu is of Fresh off the Boat tv sitcom and Crazy Rich Asians fame. I hadn't seen Fresh Off the Boat but I have read the memoir. She plays the mother of Eddie Huang (ten years older than her real age)
This memoir is about her struggles as an actress.. she did community theatre before her breakthough tv role. She remembers her sexual harassment she encountered which has made me think maybe its just a common experience for any young female, yet maybe its MORE so with being Asian? Because of the way men tend to look at Asian females? As there is a lot in this book about it rather than acting as a job/profession. Constance has a lot of issues and I think this book is another one of those cathartic therapy type processing-my-trauma-by-writing-about-it memoirs, though thankfully she did not get into drugs like a lot of entertainers did.
I think I find it confronting because we don't see a lot of Asian actresses on screen - Lucy Liu and Sandra Oh and Michelle Yeoh are handful of big names but the lack of respect for female actresses maybe transcends race except Constance's experiences just seem far worse because she's far down the totem pole because being Asian and second generation you stand out and are obvious in a sea of white faces, so it seems to me its more of a burden when she gets taken advantage of because she can only take what roles are given (and there just aren't many)
I would have liked to have read more about her Crazy Rich Asian filming experience but its not mentioned much at all here, its more about her relationships, her family, and some of her mental health issues in a precarious industry that doesn't treat females particularly well particularly minorities who have this unspoken cultural rule about not making scenes, being invisible and being model representatives of their race.
Out of the Corner by Jennifer GreyI enjoyed Dirty Dancing the 80s phenomenal movie, who can't forget the watermelon and Baby being in the corner...and Patrick Swayze? Unfortunately for Jennifer Grey apart from her stint with Dancing in the Stars that was about the only movie she starred in that people remember. Possibly because Jennifer like Baby didn't really have to act the part she was Jewish and was really being her ingenue self in the movie.
What's interesting is more that her parents were entertainers (her dad Joel Grey was Cabaret's EmCee) so looking back it might be inevitable that his offspring stars in a movie like Dirty Dancing.
Jennifer writes about how they wanted Patrick Swayze to be this wonderful dance instructor but NOT be gay...and how she didn't know that her dad was. Then there's a lot of drama about her relationships and her nose job..I think readers might find the chapter on Dirty Dancing interesting but not so Jennifer's personal life where she always struggled being accepted for the way she looked. BTW I did not know she dated Johnny Depp.
Still Here: The Madcap, Nervy, Singular Life of Elaine Stritch
Alexandra Jacobs
4/5 stars
What an interesting life and story the author weaves around Elaine Stritch, an actress who performed on TV, stage and in the movies for years! A Dozen Film and TV Books
Julie wrote: "Still Here: The Madcap, Nervy, Singular Life of Elaine Stritch
Alexandra Jacobs
..."
Loved that book!
In Two O'Clock on a Tuesday at Trevi Fountain: A Search for an Unconventional Life Abroad author Helene Sula writes about how she and her husband sought to leave the corporate nine-to-five work life for a more unconventional lifestyle in Europe.My review:
https://mypointbeing.com/2024/05/22/t...
This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection
Carol Burnett
4/5 stars
Not a complete autobiography but Burnett relates tales of her life on her show, the celebrities she encountered on her show and audiences she who motivated her. If you are a Carol Burnett fan, you would enjoy this book.
Julie wrote: "This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection
Carol Burnett
4/5 stars
Not a complete autobiography but B..."
I read her In Such Good Company: Eleven Years of Laughter, Mayhem, and Fun in the Sandbox but it was about her show.
Karin wrote: "Julie wrote: "This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection
Carol Burnett
4/5 stars
Not a complete autob..."
I read that one also and enjoyed it!
Mod
One More Time
Published in 1986, that's probably about the time that I read it.
Mod
4 stars
I can't imagine what it would be like to suddenly have a debilitating disease at a young age. I love reading medical memoirs and reading about the patient experience. Interesting story about a woman who suddenly finds herself with a rare autoimmune disorder just as she is becoming an adult.
In his book Cosmic Scholar: The Life and Times of Harry Smith author John Szwed documents the life of polymath Harry Smith.My review:
https://mypointbeing.com/2024/05/28/c...
Love, Death & Other ScenesThis is a grief memoir, sparked by the death of the author’s playwright husband from cancer, during the 2020 lockdowns in Melbourne. Weetman expands to share her thoughts and experience on love and loss in the widest sense: family, death of her mother, children growing up, her own ageing body. There is as much about love as about loss, and this memoir is an uplifting experience to read, for all that I cried many times as I turned the pages. Weetman has written YA fiction and her experience and the time she has spent on this book shows in her beautiful writing. Wise and compassionate, this is a deeply moving and thought-provoking memoir.
Mod
4 stars
I was not very familiar with the author's music, but her life was interesting. She marches to her own drummer and does what she believes in and doesn't care what other people think. I listened to some of her music to become more familiar with her and she has a beautiful voice. I deducted one star because there was one section of her book that she talks about each album and the songs on the album and how she came about writing them or choosing them. Because I wasn't familiar with the songs, they weren't very interesting to me. The rest of the book was interesting and once in a while I had to laugh at her sassiness. Sadly, she passed away shortly after writing this memoir from natural causes.
Mod
4 stars
Someone who is just beginning this journey through Alzheimer's and dementia, either personally or as a caregiver, will find this book helpful. The author talks about her father and also talks about the clinical aspect and gives advice on traveling this long road.
Round Ireland with a Fridge by Tony Hawks3 stars
While drunk, Tony Hawks (not to be confused with Tony Hawk) made a bet with a drunk friend to see if he could hitch around the circumference of Ireland (not Norther Ireland) with a fridge. Needless to say, he won the bet and then wrote a book about it.
This wasn't great for me, but then I'm not a fan of drinking (there are some drunken episodes through this) or this sort of a book. That said, there were some parts to this rather inane hitchhiking tour and I can see why this would have been a lot of fun for Irish radio listeners to be involved with--rather like Canadians Scotty and Fiddy were when they hitchhiked through all 50 US states in 50 days in 2006, but Scotty's and Fiddy's blog posts were funnier--too bad their website is long gone or I'd link it here, but if you want to see their photos those are still on flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/hitch50/
Mod
4 stars
The author certainly led an interesting life. Going into foster homes at a young age, being adopted by a wonderful family that lasted a very short time due to divorce and overcoming obstacles. I couldn't put this book down until the last few chapters that seemed more like a college term paper than a memoir.
Karin wrote: "Round Ireland with a Fridge by Tony Hawks3 stars
While drunk, Tony Hawks (not to be confused with Tony Hawk) made a bet wit..."
wow that is a kind of mini blast from the past seeing this book! I read this book a long time ago, I think when it first came out, at a certain time in my life..
I found it very middling (too?). It might have been down to he was some lad rather than a writer, so to say. I respect that he had a go though.
Mod
5 stars
When I started this book I had to look to make sure it was a memoir. It read more like fiction. But it is nonfiction. There were several layers to this book. One is how our childhood experiences can influence decisions we make when we are barely adult enough to make important decisions but maybe, just maybe those decisions can turn into good decisions. Another layer is the use of chemicals in our environment. Living in an area where I can hear the crop dusting planes every day this really hit home. The message here is whether we can live with them or without them but there are no answers here. After a while I could not put this book down. I would definitely look for more by this author.
In An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s, Doris Kearns Goodwin uses her late husband's boxes of memorabilia to document his career and the history of American politics in the 1960s.My review:
https://mypointbeing.com/2024/06/13/a...
James Herriot
4/5 stars
I think I have read most of Herriot's books and this one is still as good as all of his other books. He is one of my favorite authors! Non-Fiction
Mod
4 stars
I am always interested in the immigrant experience. I always wonder why they come here and how they come here. The author's experience isn't as traumatic as some. Her parents went to great lengths to come to America so their children could be born in America and thus, automatic citizens. While the parents were deported, the author managed to stay in America and get an American education. The road was not easy. I admired her tenacity and her willingness to help her family.
I just read Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins.4 stars Here's why
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
2 stars
Throughout the book I kept thinking that it didn't take an expert to figure out that eating from one food group is not healthy. I did enjoy the author's medical story and kept reading just to find out what her diagnosis was. So, it was disappointing to find out that they never did find out why she was having the symptoms she was having. I found myself skimming over the parts where she talks about the history of having a fruit only diet and the online group she found that supported this. (I can't imagine eating 30 bananas a day).
Mod
2 stars
I didn't really like the writing style and didn't understand the lack of quotation marks. Short, staccato sentences made the story move along quickly, but it was mostly 'first I did this and then I did that crazy thin' with a lot of cussing and not examining the reasons for his actions or his rise above his traumatic childhood.
Trailed: One Woman's Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders, by Kathryn Miles5 stars!
This is the memoir of a journalist who became fascinated with an unsolved double murder and devoted the next several years to trying to find some answers. An outstanding read capturing the highlights of some solid investigative work. Full of fascinating rabbit holes and thought-provoking questions about (for instance) what counts as a hate crime, and why a suspect does or doesn't get investigated. All this time I assumed that the Shenandoah murders went unsolved because of a lack of evidence. Was I ever wrong about that. Read this one!
I was not familiar with Aimee Nezhukumatathil before encountering this book, but she is a longtime college professor, a published poet, and, as Bite by Bite: Nourishments and Jamborees clearly shows, a skilled essayist who writes about her life, family, and food.My review:
https://mypointbeing.com/2024/06/20/b...
Mod
4 stars
A trip down memory lane, back to a day when kids went out to play and didn't come home until late. This was written like a grandmother telling her memories to her grandchildren, and if the author has grandchildren, I'm sure they will treasure this account of her childhood years growing up in rural Idaho.
Mod
4 stars
As a parent of an Asperger's child, I could totally relate to most of the things the author experienced. I admired her tenacity to fight for what she thought was right for her child. I was fortunate that I lived in an area where help was available, and I did not have to fight the system the way she did. Her fighting spirit and her faith helped her get through some trying experiences. Her father is Charles Colson. I was not familiar with him, but he spent time in prison because of his association with Richard Nixon and Watergate. This was not touched on very much in the book, but he did write a prologue and epilogue.
Koren wrote: "Dancing with Max: A Mother and Son Who Broke Free by Emily Colson4 stars
As a parent of an Asperger's child, I..."
Interesting. I'm rather sated on these books now, but I'm glad you liked it. Things worked out for us early even though it's my eldest daughter and they weren't being diagnosed as often yet (Asperger's not autism) because her K teacher had been a SpEd teacher for 20 years and the principal had formerly been one for a special school in the city. She was diagnosed in 2001 the first time at only 6, but she wasn't able to hide it the way many girls do.
However, even though my daughter is extremely bright, she can't function fully as an adult due to a PDD she had with it (not called a PDD now, though, obviously.
It's always helpful to learn about others who have gone through similar things :)
Mod
4 stars
As a parent of an Asper..."
My son is 35, so when he was diagnosed in first grade a lot of people had never heard of autism and there were not many books about it (and of course, no internet. I went to a support group a few times but it was a one hour drive. Things have certainly changed!
Remembering Gene WilderThis is not a book but a non-fiction film about the life of Gene Wilder. Very well made!
Mod
I didn't read the synopsis before I started this book, so I went into it thinking it was a biography of Andy Griffith, but most of the book is about the author. Quite often I would be reading about his troubles or the history of a place and time and wonder how it connected to Andy Griffith, and eventually it would usually tie in somehow. The author is usually depressed about something, his divorce, not seeing his children, not having any money. If you're looking for a book that is actually about the life of Andy Griffen, I would look for something different.
Koren wrote: "Karin wrote: "Koren wrote: "Dancing with Max: A Mother and Son Who Broke Free by Emily Colson4 stars
As a pare..."
Yes, you're correct! Even when my 29 year old daughter was diagnosed I'd never even heard of Asperger's (but I had heard of Autism) and of course they aren't the same thing although they've been lumped together. The AANE (Asperger's Association of New England) was livid when Asperger's was put on the continuing spectrum (not just them--one of the psychologist's on my daughter's team at school told me that if I heard about the spectrum to ignore it because she's not autistic which is true to this day, although the adult diagnosis had to say something different due to changes as you know. Also an expert brought in as a consultant also said she didn't have Autism, but she definitely met the criteria for Asperger's.)
It was uncommon for Aspie girls to be diagnosed in 2001 and they still thought it was primarily something that showed up in boys. She was still in kindergarten.
Mod
I read 'Malcolm Before X' by Patrick Parr (sorry, no links, since I've got only my phone). The book will be published on November 26, 2024. It's a new closer look at Malcolm X's years in prison. The author dug through archives, witnesses' memoirs and letters, used prison newspapers and official documentation to show what prison life for Malcolm X was. The prisons described are Charlestown State Prison, MR-Concord and Norfork Prison Colony. The memoir is highly detailed and shows Malcolm X's painful transition from a streer hustler into a preacher of Islam.
I gave the book 5 stars. It's highlt informative and easy to read. My review will come later.
Has anyone here read 1974: A Personal History by Francine Prose? The Amazon Kindle sample consists only of an empty table of contents and no body text. It's only gotten two ratings on Amazon and seems to have gotten a mixed reception on Goodreads. The subject matter interests me as I was in college during the first half of the seventies.
Mike wrote: "Has anyone here read 1974: A Personal History by Francine Prose? The Amazon Kindle sample consists only of an empty table of contents and no body text. It's only got..."sorry no I haven't, but it looks interesting. I'm reading a couple of books covering the 70s right now. An Autobiography and State of Emergency: The Way We Were: Britain, 1970-1974. If you do read it, do report back on whether it's any good!
Biography, Autobiography, Memoir
Books mentioned in this topic
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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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A definite 5/5 infinity stars for me. Took me almost 3 months to finish it. Not an easy read but towards the end it was a rewarding experience. Meticulously researched, contains wealth of wisdom and information to reflect upon and was well written. Ron Chernow for me is definitely is on the US presidential biographers pantheon.
My full review can be found here https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...