Biography, Autobiography, Memoir discussion
Biography, Autobiography, and Memoir read in 2024
Koren wrote: "When my son was diagnosed, the only thing I knew about it was from the movie Rainman. Now, it's been so long ago that most younger people have not seen the movie, but it seems like everyone knows s..."I agree! Rainman was more autism and nothing like my daughter, of course. Dustman Hoffman was so brilliant I was able to put up with Tom Cruise, who can basically do one role. (most thespians I know agree that he can't act, but my husband--not a theatre person by any stretch of the definition--either disagrees or just likes to see if he can get my goat.)
However, we had neighbours where we were living when she was diagnosed who had two sons with Autism out of 4, but it was definitely autism and not Asperger's, and I know a family with three kids who have it (but they had an unplanned pregnancy already in progress when they learned their second child had it. I'm grateful that it's only one of my kids.
Mod
4 stars
This book reminded me of the tv show 911. You know how the firefighters go from one emergency to the next but most of the time it isn't a fire? That is actually what happens for real firefighters. But on the show y0u usually find out what happens to the characters after the emergency. Not here, because of course, they usually don't know what happened, unless of course, the patient dies. Actually, there aren't a lot of case studies here. It is more about the author getting on his soap box and telling us his opinions about everything. He has a lot of political opinions, which some people may not agree with. The author was on the front lines for covid, and he also was on the scene for the murder of George Floyd, which I found his viewpoints very interesting. He also has lots to say about the culture of the firefighters, at least where he works. I thought it was an interesting book, but at times he did seem to go on a bit too much.
Woe: A Housecat's Story of Despair
Lucy Knisley
3/5 stars
Lucy Knisley writes and draws about her beloved cat Linney. Very short but very sweet!
Mod
3 stars
Many of us remember the 60's TV show Father Knows Best. The author's mother is Elinor Donahue, who played the oldest daughter, Betty. His father was a well-known producer of TV shows in the 60's. So the author grew up surrounded by some famous people. This book is mostly a 'look who I know or have met'. The author had some minor acting jobs. No real jaw-dropping stories here. A little boring and repetitive.
Dr. Mütter's Marvels: A True Tale of Intrigue and Innovation at the Dawn of Modern Medicine by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz4+ stars
I really liked this but am in a rush and already had the link copied so, https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Karin wrote: "Dr. Mütter's Marvels: A True Tale of Intrigue and Innovation at the Dawn of Modern Medicine by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz4+ stars
[bookcover:Dr. Mütter's Marvels: A T..."
I liked that book!
In 3 Shades of Blue: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, and the Lost Empire of Cool author James Kaplan offers a comprehensive history of the bebop and hard bop schools of American jazz and those who created that music.My review:
https://mypointbeing.com/2024/07/12/3...
All Who Believed: A Memoir of Life in the Twelve Tribes by Tamara Mathieu4 ++ stars
This is a topic very close to me since someone I know has joined this group although I didn't mention that in my review. I have visited them so have seen that some of the stories out there are very exaggerated or just random things--this one (still disturbing since obviously I couldn't see all of this) sounds much closer to the mark.
I did put a review up (the other link for Dr Mütter's Marvels was to where I posted it in another group that was the one that first brought me to Shelfari which led to me coming here)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
5 stars
I think we forget and some of us maybe weren't even born yet, but in the beginning of the AIDS epidemic in the 80's, most people contracting and dying from AIDS were gay men. Do when the author's husband contracts the virus and already had 'full-blown' AIDS when she learned about it, the first question she wanted to know was 'How did he get it?". They had the 'perfect' marriage and hadn't been married very long. The also had a newborn and a 3-year-old. Due to the stigma at the time, she tried to keep her husband's illness a secret. It was many years after his death that she finally came to terms with his secret.
In The Island: War and Belonging in Auden’s England author Nicholas Jenkins covers W.H. Auden's life and writing from childhood up to 1937.My review:
https://mypointbeing.com/2024/07/19/t...
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4 stars
Jon Meacham wrote a previous biography of George H. W. Bush. That one is quite thick. I haven't read it but I'm sure this is the same information, but this one is called a visual biography because it is mostly pictures. As time goes by, I respect the guy more and more. He was a good person, whether you agree with his politics or not.
Mod
4 stars
Going in, I thought this would be about what the two actors had done together, but it seemed more like two separate biographies. If you have read biographies of these men, I don't think you will find very much new here. If you have not read about them before this would be a shorter bio than some of them.
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3 stars
If this guy was a cat, he would have a few less lives left. He has had two near death experiences, which he goes into great detail and then explores ideas of what the afterlife might be like. I was glad it was a short book that can easily be read in a day.
In The Editor: How Publishing Legend Judith Jones Shaped Culture in America author Sara B. Franklin does a great job of documenting the life of Alfred A. Knopf editor Judith Jones. The book is highly readable and is well worth the time of anyone interested in the publishing industry.My review:
https://mypointbeing.com/2024/07/31/t...
Mod
2 stars
There are probably much more interesting books about the history of Paramount. This book focusses only on the years the author worked there and only what he worked on. He did work on some of the well-known movies of the 70's but this one seems to have more of a gossipy tone.
Mod
4 stars
Inspirational but sad. We learned on the first page that the author died before the book was published. It is hard for most of us to imagine what it would be like to never be able to walk, feed yourself, dress yourself or do things that most people take for granted. Evin is smart, witty and tells it like it is. He does everything possible to accomplish what he wants. Evin has a rare form of MDS. The book also gives us the perspective of his parents, siblings and caregivers. He was an amazing human being.
Mod
4 stars
Not very many women were in charge of deciding who would be punished and who would live or die. This is an in-depth look at one of them. At times Maria could be a very caring individual, but mostly she was cruel. She stood trial for what she did. This is a very well-researched book about a woman most of us have probably never heard of but probably should know about so this period in history is never repeated.
Mod
3 stars
I read this book a few years ago, when i didn't know who J.D. Vance was. I didn't remember very much about it, so decided to re-read it and maybe get some incite into who he is and why he says the crazy things he says. For instance, the childless cat-lady remark and why he considers childless people as 'less'. Oh yeah, I to see if that couch rumor is actually in the book. (It isn't). My biggest disappointment was that he complains a lot about the poverty levels of and economy of his childhood home, but doesn't offer any solutions.
Really happy how the ratings are coming in for Framed and Hunted, anyone looking for a spicy memoir to read might like to take a look, avg 4.26 in the first 100 ratings.
Bio/Memoirs are my favourite genre to read, check my ratings list for some really good ones.
Looking For ARC Readers for My MemoirWhen their adoption attorney told Denise and her husband that they would be responsible for finding a woman willing to give them her baby, Denise was horrified. But horrified quickly turned into obsessed.
She advertised across the country, fielding and vetting potential birth moms by phone. The first to contact Denise had been raped, twice. Ashamed and depressed, she spent her pregnancy doing coke and drinking vodka to knock herself out. Do you want to adopt my baby? she asked.
The director of a women’s shelter housing victims of human trafficking asked Denise, Would you have a problem adopting a baby born of prostitution? Denise knew she wouldn’t, but what would her husband say?
The eight birth moms Denise met during her search – one an unhoused twenty-year-old, another an MBA-holding executive – changed her life forever, leading her not only to her child, but, in a twist of fate, to the one woman Denise thought she’d never meet: Her own birth mom.
Matched is first and foremost a book for memoir lovers. It’s also a love letter to anyone touched by adoption. Whatever your place in the triad: adoptee, birth parent, or adoptive parent, your story is told within these pages. Adoption is beautiful. It’s also problematic. Massar invites you to ride shotgun on her un-instagrammable journey. Because real is so much better than perfect.
Matched: A Memoir
Mod
4 stars
I thought this would be a farming memoir, but it is more a reflection of growing up in the 50's and 60's in a rural area. It is kind of cute and kind of humorous and brings back some memories.
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3 stars
It would be hard to imagine being a journalist in the middle of a war zone. It would be harder yet to imagine living in a country that is in the middle of a war and being a child in that war torn. It is hard to imagine the things these people have seen. It's all here in this book that takes place in Syria.
Who Cooked the Last Supper: The Women's History of the World
Rosalind Miles
4/5 stars
Fascinating true stories of women's history! A great read!
Non-Fiction
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Who Cooked the Last Supper: The Women's History of the World
Rosalind Miles
4/5 stars
Fasc..."
The title caught my attention. I will have to check that out.
Mod
4 stars
The author began following Donald Trump when he had a reality show called Celebrity Apprentice, intending to write a book about that, but before he finished the man had become president of the United States. If you are looking for a flattering book about the guy, this is not it. He explores America's fascination with celebrity. Somewhere I heard that you should count how many times Donald Trump says the words I or me, so I watched for this in the book. Literally, it is nearly every sentence. I don't think this book is going to change the way anyone votes, but maybe it will make them think a little bit.
Mod
4 stars
First the dog had cancer. The prognosis was not good, but, as we know from the title...the dog lived. Then the author got cancer. The dog gave the author inspiration to go through her own battle. She was also lucky she had a supportive partner. I don't think I would have gone through all that she went through with the dog. The one thing I learned for sure is that I don't think I will get a beagle!!
In My Roman History: A Memoir author Alizah Holstein writes about her love for the city of Rome and her fascination with Rome in the fourteenth century, the era of Dante.My review:
https://mypointbeing.com/2024/08/26/m...
Mod
4 stars
The author grew up in a West African village, the son of missionaries. He has dedicated his life to fighting poverty, abuse, starvation and a lack of medical care in third world countries. He talks about his own abuse at a school in Africa and how it shaped his life and views of the world. He offers many solutions for what all of us can do to make the world a better place for children. He is currently the head of Compassion International (at least at the time of the writing of this book). The story of his close boyhood friend and how the two of them ended up on completely different paths was heartbreaking. His faith plays a very large part in this book.
In her memoir 1974: A Personal History author Francine Prose writes about her relationship with Tony Russo, who collaborated with Daniel Ellsberg to leak the Pentagon Papers.My review:
https://mypointbeing.com/2024/08/30/1...
My Mama, Cass: A Memoir
Owen Elliot-Kugell
4/5 stars
Wonderful biography of Cass Eliot by her daughter. Definitely for fans of The Mamas and the Papas!
Mod
My Mama, Cass: A Memoir
Owen Elliot-Kugell
4/5 stars
Wonderful biography of Cass Eliot by her daughter. Definitely f..."
I am definitely a fan. Will look for this.
Mod
4 stars
I don't think you have to be a beer drinker to enjoy this history of the Anheuser-Busch company and the author's personal take on his dysfunctional family. Written by Billy Busche, not the one from the Trump tapes, the tale maybe is a little one-sided. Might have been nice to hear another side. Perhaps if the family had worked together and gotten along with each other they could have saved their dynasty. But then again, could they have stood up to billion-dollar corporate takeovers. I guess we'll never know.
White House Wild Child: How Alice Roosevelt Broke All the Rules and Won the Heart of America
Shelley Fraser Mickle
4/5 stars
Interesting biography of Alice Roosevelt, daughter of Teddy Roosevelt!
The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in Three Acts
Tom Farley Jr.
3.5/5 stars
This is the biography of Chris Farley who made it big on Saturday Night Live and in films. However, his addictions doomed him and he died early! Well written but sad! A Dozen Film And TV Books
In The Long Run: A Creative Inquiry author Stacey D'Erasmo asks creative people who have had long careers about their work and its meaning.My review:
https://mypointbeing.com/2024/09/10/t...
Mod
3 stars
So, this guy goes to a retirement community, even though he is 28, he wants to see what it is like to be retired. Sometimes it was kind of funny, but mostly he just makes fun of old people. Maybe I'm too close to retirement age to really find this hilarious.
Mod
4 stars
copied from the book description because it tells it better than I can:
Smart, fiercely political, devoted solely to the cause, and "with nothing to lose but their own lives", Hannie, Truus, and Freddie took terrifying direct action against Nazi targets. That included sheltering fleeing Jews, political dissidents, and Dutch resisters. They sabotaged bridges and railways and donned disguises to lead children from probable internment in concentration camps to safehouses. They covertly transported weapons and set military facilities ablaze. And they carried out the assassinations of German soldiers and traitors-on public streets and in private traps-with the courage of veteran guerilla fighters and the cunning of seasoned spies.
Koren wrote: "Three Ordinary Girls: The Remarkable Story of Three Dutch Teenagers Who Became Spies, Saboteurs, Nazi Assassins–and WWII Heroes by Tim Brady4 stars
[bookcover:Three Ordinary Girls:..."
Sounds like a must-read!
Memoirs of a British Agent: Being an Account of the Author's Early Life in Many Lands and His Official Mission to Moscow in 1918:
A Great Read.
The World Is Yours: The Story of Scarface
Glenn Kenny
This is the story of the making of the film Scarface starring Al Pacino. This is a pretty detailed account of things that happened during the shooting of the film and some history and the legacy of the film. 3/5 stars A Dozen Film and TV Books
Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick
4 stars
This is a well-written literary nonfiction biography/history of both six people and North Korea. The edition I read was printed about six years later and has an afterword by Demick with a few updates on at least some of the six people she follows in this book. I think this will be my last book about North Korea since it's devastating and I have as much of this history (the escape memoir I read didn't have as much history that I can recall) as I need to know.
The six people, both male and female, were different ages and generations which makes this book even more helpful, since when the famine started, etc, you have different accounts. She also notes that at least two people in this book didn't starve at home for specific reasons. I was pleased that at least one person she interviews was a true believer in the Communism and leadership for a long time because it provided a more balanced account than merely interviewing people who were always skeptical. What has been going on there is a true travesty.
Mod
4 stars
Its hard to imagine that in America there are areas of poverty where homeless people and their animals are everywhere. I wish there were more people like Lori Weise, who has tried to help these people and their pets, often using her own money. I remember when I adopted my dog from a rescue and the agency asked my references if I could afford a dog. This book asks the question: Why can't people who are poor have pets and what can we do to support them so fewer animals are given up for adoption because life circumstances have made it difficult to keep a pet. This book is full of heartbreaking stories of people and animals that need help but it is also uplifting to see people getting the help they need and being able to keep their pets. We all need more Lori Weises in our world.
56: Joe DiMaggio and the Last Magic Number in Sports
Kostya Kennedy
3/5 stars
Interesting sports book on Joe DiMaggio and his winning streak in the summer of 1941. Sports
Mod
3 stars
Sometimes you shake the family tree and a few nuts fall out. I've had a few surprises in my family tree also, although none like the authors, so I'm not sure how I would feel if I found out my father wasn't who I thought he was. At times, I wanted the author to take it more in stride and not be so upset about it, but who knows, when you haven't walked in their shoes.
Couple Found Slain: After a Family Murder, by Mikita Brottman5 stars
This is one of the most horrifying books I have ever read, making clear that One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest isn't just fiction. Paints a brutal picture of how much injustice you can heap on someone's head without a reason, just because you and the others on the staff of the hospital where you work decided to do it. It's also a picture of how you can deal in good faith with destiny all your life and still get royally fcrewed. If you want to see some large flaws in the medicolegal system, take a gander at this book. It left me heartsick.
Mod
5 stars
This is one of the most horrifying books I have ever read, making clear that [book:One Flew Over the Cuckoo's ..."
Looks fascinating! Just ordered it from the library.
Mod
4 stars
Technically not a true crime read, this book deals more with how a young girl of 12 deals with the murder of her mother. The adults in her life made it harder for her to process her mother's death as she bounced around from one relative's home to another and making her feel unwanted and then struggling with addiction. The sub-title is a little misleading I think, as she didn't actively search for her mother's killer or really play a role in the killer's capture.
You Never Know: A Memoir
Tom Selleck
4/5 stars
This is his second autobiography, that I have read on him and his writing is very good. He talks about his life and his career. This also covers his time on Magnum PI. I wonder if he will write another book since this does not cover Blue Bloods (my husband's favorite show). A Dozen Film and TV Books
Biography, Autobiography, Memoir
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Authors mentioned in this topic
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Edith B Wislocki (other topics)
Myron Uhlberg (other topics)
Myron Uhlberg (other topics)
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4 stars!
A wonderful read about the author's long, long process of regaining a sense of power over her life after her mother is spirited away and murdered. Covers a lot of territory, and covers it well. Focuses a lot on the different ways women are victimized and/or supported in our society and how she navigated those waters as well. This one is very much worth your time.