Biography, Autobiography, Memoir discussion
Biography, Autobiography, and Memoir read in 2024
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Sometimes we need to find humor to cope with our dysfunctional childhoods. Told in the voice of elementary school age Tom, this kid is genuinely funny. The book ends a little abruptly as it continues in the next book of the series. I will definitely look for the next two books that take off where this one left off.
The Devil's Half Acre: The Untold Story of How One Woman Liberated the South's Most Notorious Slave Jail, by Kristen Green3 stars
This book is the result of a monumental effort to reconstruct the life of Mary Lumpkin, who was born a slave and sold to slave trader Robert Lumpkin as a child. Aside from having to bear him 5 children, she had to help run his slave jail, where disobedient slaves were imprisoned for resale or just lodged there for beatings or other punishment when the enslaver didn't want to get his or her own clothes all bloody. Mary survived past the end of the Civil War, inherited all her enslaver's property, educated her children, and eventually converted the former jail into a school which eventually became Virginia Union University. She led quite an impactful life.
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4 stars
Most of his autobiography are about the author's journey on American Idol. It was interesting to read about all the hoops the contestants have to go through just to audition. After that, if you watched the show the year Scotty McCreery won, you probably know most of it already. Scotty is a deeply faith-based guy, so there is a lot of this, too. This book was published in 2016, so it is a little dated. Maybe he will write a follow-up someday.
Good Night, Irene
by Luis Alberto Urrea
4/5 stars
Based loosely on a true story which revolves around World War II in which females from the United States came to help set up food depots to serve the men during the war. Very fascinating! Miscellaneous Books
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5 stars
The picture of the little girl on the cover draws you in and makes you want to learn more about her. Then you feel so bad for her as you read about all the abuse she and her siblings suffered at the hands of her father. But she is a strong woman and tries to make a better life for herself, even though sometimes she makes bad decisions. Then she goes on a search to find out who her real father is. I ended the book hoping that she is doing well.
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5 stars
You can probably surmise by the title of the book that the dogs die. Which makes sense when you read the bio of the author who went on to become a vet who does in-home hospice treatment for dogs. She starts with her childhood and then going to vet school and later working at a vet clinic and telling some interesting cases she worked with. Along the way, she tells about her own dogs lives and the ending of their lives, but doesn't get overly emotional, trying to milk as many tears as possible from the reader. This was an interesting book. I always thought working in a vet clinic would be great if you like animals, but I learned that it can be very stressful.
Julie wrote: "Good Night, Irene
by Luis Alberto Urrea
4/5 stars
Based loosely on a true story which revolves around World War II in which fe..."
FYI, "Good Night, Irene" is probably taken from the song of a popular song and first sung by Lead Belly under the name "Irene" (his stage name, his given name was Huddie William Ledbetter) back around that time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT-Ou... a blues song. It was a big hit with folks song listeners as well in 1950 when The Weavers recorded it under the name "Good Night, Irene"--they acknowledged where they learned it, no stealing!
The Pyramid Principle: A Battle-Tested Hall-of-Famer Discovers UCLA
Coach John Wooden's True Meaning of SuccessAs the co-writer of John Vallely’s story, “The Pyramid Principle,” I joined the project for the impactful message John has had on the world. A powerful journey of a UCLA Hall of Famer, who must revisit the timeless Pyramid Principles of the legendary Coach Wooden, as he and his nine-year-old daughter confront their life and death battles with cancer.
A unique drama of lifelong love, faith, and hope, ESPN’s Greatest Coach of the 20th Century, teaches John that the Pyramid of Success is more than just a guide for basketball—it is the foundation for surviving the hardest moments of life.
Their story is not just about cancer, and I hope you can find the story inspiring, comforting, and entertaining and use it to your own personal journey.
In The Best American Food and Travel Writing 2024 editor Padma Lakshmi selects a wide range of autobiographical and personal essays on these two topics.My review:
https://mypointbeing.com/2024/12/18/t...
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3 stars
The author is a top-rated transplant surgeon, but for some reason he focuses more on his failures than his successes. He also seems to focus more on the people he disagrees with. His father was a surgeon, and that helped him to decide to get into medicine. I would have liked to read more about his successes, but otherwise it was an interesting read.
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3 stars
At the end, the author states that she didn't mean for this to be a name-dropping book, but really that is what it is. We read about everyone she has sex with, does drugs with, and of course, works with. There is very little here about the show she is most well-known for, the teacher on Little House On The Prairie. It seems like she goes out of her way to let you know that she is not at all like the character she plays on television. There are better Little House memoirs out there.
In To the River: A Journey Beneath the Surface author Olivia Laing writes about her hike from to source of the River Ouse to its mouth on the English Channel, as well as about other topics. Mostly about other topics.My review:
https://mypointbeing.com/2024/12/20/t...
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3 stars
I'm not really a Kattan fan. I watch Saturday Night Live occasionally. I have seen Kattan on the show and think he is hilarious. The Garth Brooks sketch is the best. So, I picked up this book thinking it would be funny. Actually, there are not many funny moments in this book. I felt bad for him when he talked about his accident and the subsequent health challenges. I think fans will like this book but if you if you are looking for a humorous book I would skip it.
A Fatal Inheritance: How a Family Misfortune Revealed a Deadly Medical Mystery
Lawrence Ingrassia
4/5 stars
This is an interesting non-fiction book about a family who discovered that many of their family members came down with cancer and how they lived and coped with the disease.
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3 stars
The story of a small-town doctor on Nantucket Island. When you are one of only a few doctors in an area you get to be a jack-of-all-trades. It is refreshing to read about a doctor that is more concerned about his patients than how much money he can make and stands up for his patients. I do think when someone writes a memoir, they should include at least one picture of the person they are writing about. I did find a picture of Dr. Lepore by searching, but this book was written in 2012, when google wouldn't have been as big of a thing as it is now.
The Sound of Silence: Growing Up Hearing with Deaf Parents by Myron Uhlberg -- but I wish I'd realized there was this book: Hands of My Father: A Hearing Boy, His Deaf Parents, and the Language of Love4 stars
If only I'd known that Uhlberg first wrote a memoir for adults that this is taken from for younger readers (and done well, I might add) I'd have read that. I learned about this book when one of my GR friends posted a review.
This book starts with his birth and ends when he leaves for university (aka college) at eighteen. It's about what it was like growing up as the hearing child of deaf parents in the 1930s and 1940s when most people assumed deaf people were also stupid and treated them badly. Uhlberg was loved, but also expected to translate for his parents, particularly his dad, because he could hear, speak and sign, although he didn't sign as fluently as if he'd been deaf himself. There is quite a bit more, but it's best to read Uhlberg's writing for yourself.
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That sounds interesting. My son has a hearing friend who has deaf parents. Must have been very quiet growing up.
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2 stars
You really, really have to be a fan to get anything out of this book. Written from a fan perspective, there is no biographical information. It is just a girl talking about the concerts she's been to. 20 years on the road refers to her following the band around, not to the band itself. Skimmed through and finished in a day. Picked it up at a library sale for 50 cents. Glad I didn't pay more than that.
Tales of Horsing Around on the Trail to Success by Edith B Wislocki
4 stars
As Wislocki aptly pointed out, this book isn't going to be a NY Times bestseller, but it's well done for a local history of a Therapeutic Riding Center which is still operating today. One of my kids almost got to go here because of her Asperger's etc when we received a grant, but she didn't qualify so we took fewer private lessons. After reading this book, I understand why, but it's too bad because neither she nor I liked the private riding teacher where we were recommended to go. Like at least one other reviewer, I rode horses growing up, but unlike the riders here, I rode on a Western saddle and didn't do any sort of dressage nor English riding. We only did trail riding and lived in a place where land was cheap so the horse lived in our large yard.
I'm giving this 4 stars because it's a well done history, but I'm not going to give it 5 because it's not brilliant (mind you, my criteria for 5 stars is quite steep.) One of the things I love about this book is that Wislocki didn't rely only on her own memory; wherever possible she had her memories checked and read by the people in them. In the testimonials, she also had the people who wrote them reread them if any edits were made to be sure it said what they wanted. It's that kind of integrity, which both she and Sheila Greenbaum, who co-founded this (yes, the name comes from their two surnames) had that helped lead to this being such a fabulous centre.
Please note that Wislocki was so vested in this that she and her late husband bought the farm Greenlock is located on.
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Tales of Horsing Around on the Trail to Success by Edith B Wislocki
4 stars
As Wislocki apt..."
I wish we had something like that where I live.
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3 stars
Back in the early days of Hollywood, the movie studios spent a lot of time and money making sure the public saw the actors and actresses as squeaky clean and morally pure. If word got out, it could ruin an actor's reputation. In this book, it would seem like that was a full-time job. This book makes it sound like pretty much everyone was having an affair, was gay, having an abortion, committing suicide or being murdered. I have watched a lot of the old movies were there were quite a few people in this book that I had never heard of. The book was most interesting when I had at least heard of the people they were talking about. I think a lot of the stories in this book are common knowledge to people who have read a lot of golden age of Hollywood bios. Lots of typos in this book.
Koren wrote: "Karin wrote: "Tales of Horsing Around on the Trail to Success by Edith B Wislocki
4 stars
A..."
Yes, it would have been fabulous for you! I still wish my daughter had qualified since it was less expensive, but her biggest issues aren't physical plus she's always been highly verbal. Too bad it couldn't have been just for emotional stuff :(.
Dear Black Girls: How to Be True to You4.5/5 stars
This is more than a basketball memoir—it’s a heartfelt call to action for all of us to lift each other up and cheer loudly, unapologetically, for the beauty in our unique journeys.
I’ll admit, as a 60-something white woman who doesn’t follow sports, I had never heard of A’ja Wilson before picking up this book. Basketball? Not really my thing. The WNBA? Not on my radar. So why did I decide to read Dear Black Girls?
It was a single line from a review that caught my attention: “This is for all the girls who are labeled ‘too loud’ and ‘too emotional.’” Or, in my case, “too sensitive.” That resonated deeply, and I couldn’t resist diving into A’ja’s story.
What I found was a voice that felt both refreshing and deeply relatable. A’ja Wilson is a professional basketball player for the Las Vegas Aces, a two-time MVP, and arguably the face of the WNBA. Yet in her memoir, she doesn’t boast about her achievements—she shares her journey with warmth, humility, and and vulnerability.
As I turned the last page, I felt proud—not just of her incredible journey, but of the resilience, strength, and heart she represents. She even made me want to sit courtside at a game, cheering for the team, fully appreciating the heart and skill honed and developed off the court that make them winners on the court.
Married in Moscow: A Red-Hot Memoir in Cold War TimesIn 1979, a California wild child and a mad Englishman meet in Moscow, Russia, back in the USSR. We were new teachers at the Anglo-American School of Moscow and embarked on an adventure of a lifetime. Watch our YouTube interview for more about our life and love in the Soviet Union during perilous times. www.MarriedinMoscow.com or https://www.amazon.com/Married-Moscow...
In 1979, a California wild child and a mad Englishman meet in Moscow. Both are new teachers at the Anglo-American School as they embark on an adventure of a lifetime, back in the USSR. Watch their interview about their new memoir www.MarriedinMoscow.com
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4 stars
This is the story of Cedric Jennings, who overcame adversity to go to an Ivy League school. There were many obstacles along the way and at times he almost gave up. The book came out more than 25 years ago so it's worth a search to find out what became of Cedric after his college years. I think it would surprise you!
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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Bride of the Tornado
James Kennedy
3/5 stars
Interesting book about a town who has a Tornado D..."
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