Biography, Autobiography, Memoir discussion
Biography, Autobiography, and Memoir read in 2024
Valarie Kaur's new book Sage Warrior: Wake to Oneness, Practice Pleasure, Choose Courage, Become Victory offers insight into Sikh tradition and philosophy, as well as a presentation of Kaur’s Revolutionary Love philosophy and a recounting of her family's visits to the places mentioned in the narratives.My review:
https://mypointbeing.com/2024/09/30/s...
My new book has just been released which I am thrilled to share with you: “The Chrysalid- A Soul’s Struggle to Rekindle Its Inner Magic.” I decided that for this book I would write under my own name, Keri Lefave, rather than my pseudonym “Isana.” It is now available on Amazon so check it out!
https://shorturl.at/hqPep
https://shorturl.at/hqPep
I’m always up for a good collection of essays, and The Age of Loneliness: Essays did not disappoint. Laura Marris writes about nature, her significant other, and her late father.My review:
https://mypointbeing.com/2024/10/03/t...
Mod
5 stars
Oh my! This book brought back so many memories! My son is 34 now and was not diagnosed until he was 7. After his diagnosis, I searched for books that would help me to not feel alone in what I was going through. Pre-internet days, they were not easy to come by. My son was non-verbal until he was 4 and was not potty trained until he was 5 or 6. He did eventually start talking and hasn't stopped! We were fortunate that my son did not have the aggression issues that the author did. But, oh, the sleepless nights, we did have those. I wish I would have found this book all those years ago. It is helpful just to know others are going through the same things.
Mod
3 stars
Frankly, I'm a little confused. The book's title says this is a memoir, but in the beginning there is a disclaimer stating that "any resemblance to any person living or dead is totally unplanned. This is a work of fiction based on remembrances as a child." To me, it is a work of fiction or it is a memoir. It can't be both. So that spoiled it for me. Some of the stories are pretty far out there, although most of the book is believable. It was disappointing that most of the experiences were only a few paragraphs, so it doesn't go into very much detail about the cases and it goes back and forth between her experiences as a social worker and her past life. I will say though, the cover art is pretty cute. but perhaps the fact that it is not a real picture of her probably should be a clue. I think if I could have believed this was truly a memoir it would have been a 5 star book.
Koren wrote: "You Can’t Make This Stuff Up: Memoirs of a Social Worker by J. Traveler Pelton3 stars
Frankly, I'm ..."
It might that her independent publisher put that fiction disclaimer by mistake.
Mod
4 stars
There are lots of books out there about city people wanting to be farmers. Usually, it is just one debacle after another. This one was refreshing in that the author did a lot of research so that she (kind of) knew what she was doing. Not everything worked out perfectly, but I admired her determination to make things work. I would look for more by this author as it looks like the story continues.
The Mosquito Bowl: A Game of Life and Death in World War II
Buzz Bissinger
4/5 stars
This is the story of a group of the All American football players who entered WWII and served in the Marine Corp. This is the story of those players and who survived and who died. I enjoyed this book. Non-Fiction
Mod
4 stars
I know that teaching is a very hard job. I worked as a paraprofessional for a short time and that was enough for me. This book follows several teachers for a year and the trials they go through but also the rewards. There is a lot that needs fixing in the education system. Hopefully, this book opens the eyes of the people that can do something to fix it.
Mod
4 stars
Do you believe in ghosts? This book is full of stories about people who have had their own ghostly experiences. Each story is just a few paragraphs long. A quick read.
Mod
5 stars
The author explores her ancestry and ties to slavery and how our heritage can shape who we are. She also explores how present-day family can shape our lives. As someone who does ancestry research, I had never thought about how difficult it is for people with slave ancestors to research their family because records generally don't exist of these people so all they have is stories that have been handed down for generations but no physical records.
Mod
3 stars
This book was not what I expected going into it. I thought it would be more about the cemetery itself and the people who were buried there and what it takes to run a country cemetery, but it was more about her with some historical information about the death industry itself. There were some interesting things in the book but there are more interesting books about there about the death industry. As for the book description that said it was humorous, I did not find very much of this.
My Beloved Monster: Masha, the Half-wild Rescue Cat Who Rescued Me
Caleb Carr
4/5 stars
Caleb Carr is a bestselling author, and he has written a wonderful story about his life and his pet cat Masha who he rescued from an animal shelter. Non-Fiction
Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell by Ann Powers offers a comprehensive account of that great artist's life and career.My review:
https://mypointbeing.com/2024/10/18/t...
Mod
3 stars
I thought I would know about Hitchcock's movies than what I did. Two of my favorite movies are The Birds and Psycho. The first few chapters are about Hitchcock's life, the rest go through his movies one by one with blurbs by the people that worked with him. Reading about movies I've never seen or mostly haven't even heard of was not so interesting. I wish more of the book would have been like the beginning.
Man, 35, Charged in Double Slaying: The Domino Effect of Addiction by Shelly Meyer-Holland
The author takes full responsibility for her actions while drunk and under the influence, without any excuses (if to compare, for example, with Matthew Perry's memoir). It will be a perfect book to distribute among counseling groups on alcoholism and drugs, as the story is down-to-earth, the storyline straightforward. The fact that the author is the only one of four children to get sober and tell her story makes the book even more valuable
OK, Little BirdWe all deal with loss and grief - how we process and move through grief plays a big role in how we come through it. OK, Little Bird takes readers on an unforgettable father daughter journey and connection - when unthinkable loss and grief grip Little Bird, she learns to navigate her deep pain with the gift of humor from her father.Humor is an incredible coping tool and even in the darkest of situations, its healing powers are miraculous. Inspiring, quick easy read, a story you'll not soon forget - a reminder of someone special in your own life.
Will
Will Smith
4/5 stars
This is the actor Will Smith's autobiography and published in 2021. I thought this was quite an interesting and a good read. Biography
The Spamalot Diaries
by Eric Idle
4/5 stars
This is the story of Eric Idle's creation of his play Spamalot. Our family had seen the play in Chicago years ago and it was very enjoyable and so was his book! A Dozen Film and TV Books
The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War
Erik Larson
3/5 stars
Erik Larsen's newest book looks into the beginning of the Civil War and the events surrounding it including the election of Lincoln. Not my favorite of his books but I still learned a lot about that time in history! Non-Fiction
In the Shadow of Enlightenment: A Girl's Journey through the Osho Rajneesh Cult by Sarito Carroll
5/5
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
If you enjoy Ina Garten’s work, Be Ready When the Luck Happens: A Memoir is a must-read (or listen).My review:
https://mypointbeing.com/2024/11/01/b...
Mod
4 stars
There's no place like home. That's the theme of this book where the author leaves home after high school and becomes a river guide, which was at times a very dangerous job. But she decided to come home and build a house of her own on her parents' ranch. I thought the details of building the house were a little long and I didn't always understand construction talk, but the rest was fairly interesting, especially her relationship with her father, who helped build the house.
Mod
4 stars
Fans will love this book. I'm not a huge fan, but I do like the movies I have seen him in. The thing that struck me the most was the fact that you would think he is a big tough guy, but really he is not. I didn't think he went into much depth about his personal life. If you're not a fan you can probably skip this.
Mod
4 stars
I am a major fan of the group Sawyer Brown. I have been to their concerts several times and have met them three times, so I was excited to find this book. This is written by the lead singer, and it is mostly his story. He is a very positive person and there is not much complaining in this book. He is a very strong person and stands up for what he believes in. For instance, he does not drink alcohol at all and turned down a very lucrative deal from a beer company to sponsor a tour. He also doesn't do anything if it doesn't 'feel right'. I was interested in how the songs came about but if you are not a fan you might not be interested in this.
The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel that Scandalized the World
Sarah Weinman
4/5 stars
What a very interesting true-life book about Sally Horner who was kidnapped and killed at the age of eleven. Lolita, the movie was based on Sally's life. Non-Fiction
Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory
Ben Macintyre
4/5 stars
Interesting WWII book surrounding an operation about using a dead man to fool the Nazis into thinking that the Allied Forces were going to attack Greece or Sardinia instead of Sicily. Non-Fiction
Julie wrote: "[book:Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Naz..."
Interesting--I"m sure that it helped part of the victory:) ,
Sadly, no book about, the Americans used Canadian Cree Code Talkers in Europe the same way they used Navajo ones in the Pacific Theatre. I'm guessing there was no political advantage to revealing that because they're Canadian, but there was to reveal the American code talkers--yes, I'm rather skeptical about motives :)
Mod
4 stars
I was very interested in the life of the hobo because my maternal grandfather was killed why trying to hop on a train in 1942. While he wasn't actually a hobo, I learned from this book that thousands of people were killed because they didn't know the safe way to hop on a moving train or they may have been pushed off by the 'bulls' who were cops or security personnel for the railroad. Sometimes they were beaten to death. I had always heard my grandfather was robbed and pushed off the train but I have found his death certificate on Ancestry and it just says he fell from the train and his skull was crushed. Unfortunately, the people that may have known something are gone. There is a monument in the town I work in that denotes the site of a hobo camp. I will look at that with new eyes next time I am there.
Mod
3 stars
I thought I knew every Monkee's song, but this book takes each and every song they ever did, even some that were never released and a couple that were only sung in a commercial. The pick apart each song and I will say I am not very knowledgeable about music, I just know what I like, but these guys pick apart chords, lyrics, songwriting. They say they are big Monkee's fans, but it sure seemed like there was a lot of their music they didn't like. Just a head's up, and I don't think this is a spoiler, but they seem to be big fans of Mike Nesmith and most of his music is positive, and they like Mickey Dolenz and are complimentary most of the time, but they are lukewarm on Peter Tork and they really seem to hate Davey Jones. They use the word 'sappy' a lot when they review his songs. After a while, the reviews mostly started to sound the same and I skimmed through the last third of the book.
Mod
4 stars
I think this book would have been better as a stand-alone biography of the Native American woman Lissa Yellow Bird, instead of weaving the story of her search for a missing man. There is also another sub plot here about the devastation the oil industry is doing to our native lands and environment. Lissa is a very interesting woman who overcame a lot but still struggles. The murder plot never really fleshes out and is almost an afterthought. Worth a read to find out about this amazing woman.
MURDER By SUICIDE: A reporter unravels a true case of rape, betrayal and lies, by Larry Welborn5 stars!
This true crime story weaves the author's own life into that of Linda Cummings, who was supposedly a suicide after being released from a psych ward. Something about the story smelled wrong to Larry Welborn, an experienced crime reporter who covered the Manson case among many others. He got the crimebusting community interested in her case, and what a reeking mess he uncovered here. This is an absolutely gripping read that no lover of nonfiction should miss.
Memoir of a Mangled Mind: How Concealing My Dissociative Identity Disorder Unleashed Multiple Personalities by Steven Simmons Shelton
The book that will break your heart multiple times unless you are a sociopath. The author re-lives his life full of sexual abuse (started when he was 4) and subsequent mental health issues.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown
Anne Glenconner
4/5 stars
Interesting autobiography of Anne Glenconnor. She was friends of the royal family and acted as a Maid of Honor at Queen Elizabeth's Coronation along with being a Lady In Waiting to Princess Margaret. Well written! Books Off My Never Ending Reading List
Hello Memoir Readers, I thought you’d be delighted to know that my memoir is currently free! Here’s the link for you: http://mybook.to/ENROUTETheBestIsYetToBeSince it’s Nonfiction November, what have you read this month so far?
Mod
When I start a book, I try not to read what the book is about, just in case of spoilers. So going into this I thought it would be a book about a crime. Just a heads up, it's not a true crime book at all. It's more about the author's relationships. It says in the title that it is essays, so I found the time lines disjointed. It goes back and forth in time with little warning and leaves you thinking (oh, now she's back to her childhood. Right off the bat she alienates me with her selfishness when it comes to pets, first off because I am totally against buying from pet stores, as she said herself in the book, but then did it anyway, and because she doesn't really seem to have a clue about what it takes to care for a dog. It was also kind of strange that she mentioned being molested by her father, but then didn't really touch on it very much. It seems that she wrote more about that in another book. Anyway, there were parts of this book that were entertaining and parts that were frustrating, but all in all, if you are looking for a crime book, skip this.
Mod
4 stars
If you've seen Iris Apfel once you would never forget her. I was not familiar with the name but I'm sure I've seen her before. This book caught my eye because it is as colorful as she is. Full of beautiful pictures and wisdom from Iris, she tells her life story and what a wonderful life she has had. Iris passed away in March. She was one of a kind. This book is mostly glossy pictures with short bio info from the author and here and there a blurb from others who knew her.
Cocktails with George and Martha: Movies, Marriage, and the Making of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Philip Gefter
4/5 stars
Interesting book about the making of the film 1966 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. This is quite an extensive look of the film made by director Mike Nichols. It was Nichols' first film. A Dozen Film and TV Books
Mod
[book:Cocktails with George and Martha: Movies, Marriage, and the Making ..."
I have not seen this movie. I think I might have seen snippets of it. Is it a Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor movie?
Mod
[book:Cocktails with George and Martha: Movies, Marriage, a..."
After clicking on the link to the book I see that i am right, it is Richard and Liz.
Some Unknown Person, by Sandra Scoppetone4 stars!
A novel that traces the life of Starr Faithfull from beginning to end, and offers a very believable explanation of how she died. Even if completely incorrect, the story is satisfying and remarkably well-written. It drew me right in and never let me go until the last page.
Mod
3 stars
***May contain spoilers***
First, I will say that I have never stayed in a $500 a night hotel room. I have never stayed at a hotel where you are expected to give a $20 tip to every person who helps you in the slightest bit. I have never stayed at one where you are expected to give at least $20 to the doorman, the bellhop and the front desk person just for checking you in and if you don't you might end up with urine in your shampoo bottle. It actually makes me angry that the employees can't pay their bills or support their families unless they get these tips. The author doesn't question that a $500 a night hotel can't pay their employees a livable wage, and instead berates the customer who, like me, maybe just didn't know that this was expected or, like me, thinks it is a bit ridiculous. In the beginning, I thought he was going to tell us how he became this hotel manager-extraordinaire, but about halfway he becomes a complainer and a jerk. I did like this book until I realized it was just a lot of complaining, about his job and customers.
Mod
4 stars
A memoir of grieving the loss of a spouse, so a good share of the book was sad. But the way their marriage crossed cultural divides (an Afro-American woman and an Italian Man) was inspirational. I was a little surprised that the story wasn't more centered around cooking, as there are recipes at the end, so I thought that would play a bigger part in the book. A search told me that she did marry again 4 years after the book, so I would be interested to see if she writes another book about finding love again after a spouse's death.
Mod
5 stars
This is a re-read for me. Rory's first book was about his life prior to and after meeting his wife Joey. This book is about his life after Joey's passing from cancer. If you are a country music fan you are probably familiar with Joey and Rory. I love their story about living on the farm, growing their own food and making an old dilapidated farm place into a place of beauty and function. The last book I read about the death of spouse was depressing, but this one is more uplifting. When you are done with the book, do a search to find out what has happened to Rory since this book was printed 6 years ago. He has since found love again and remarried.
I have long been familiar with the work of Roger Penrose, so when The Impossible Man: Roger Penrose and the Cost of Genius was published I was keen on getting it. Patchen Barss provides a comprehensive recounting of Penrose’s life and work.My Review:
https://mypointbeing.com/2024/12/05/t...
Bride of the Tornado
James Kennedy
3/5 stars
Interesting book about a town who has a Tornado Day. The residents lock up during the tornado but there is a boy called the Tornado Killer and the adults seem to know that there is a secret of the origins of this storm! Miscellaneous
Mod
Bride of the Tornado
James Kennedy
3/5 stars
Interesting book about a town who has a Tornado Day. The residents lock up du..."
Julie, did you mean to post this under the 'anything goes' discussion?
I forgot to post this one! I read it in October and it's also a memoir of his family's road trips.Don't Make Me Pull Over!: An Informal History of the Family Road Trip by Richard Ratay
3 stars
I saw the title in 2019 and instantly added it to my want to read shelf; this year it fit a challenge so I finally got around to it. I liked it in spite of some parts that weren't very interesting to me personally (that was some of the history.) Unlike some of those who didn't, I liked the family stories the best because it helped me care more about the other things.
I listened to a significant part of this and also read it. My dad must have said "don't make me pull over" because it sounds so familiar. I was born and raised in Canada, but we also did road trips and all of them in station wagons, so I could relate to some of this; thankfully my dad insisted on seatbelts from before we were born and didn't try to make time the way Ratay's dad did. However, this isn't about our road trips, but about the book. As for the audiobook--they made the family stories better but dragged out some of the history for me.
If you've ever gone on a road trip with your family this is a book for you; triply so if you did it during the 1970s when the family accounts, hotels, etc take place, but the history starts earlier than that.
Koren wrote: "Julie wrote: "Bride of the Tornado
James Kennedy
3/5 stars
Interesting book about a town who has a Tornado Day. The reside..."
I was in a hurry to post my review I forgot I was in the Bio thread! I hope this wasn't a true biography!
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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5 stars
The author's wife is diagnosed with breast cancer at a young age. This could be a sad story, but the author keeps his sense of humor throughout. My copy must be an older edition, because reading the reviews it sounds like newer copies have an epilogue, giving us an update that his wife did pass away. I think there may be another book that follows where this book leaves off. I am definitely going to look for other books by this author.