Biography, Autobiography, Memoir discussion
Biography, Autobiography, and Memoir read in 2023
My Word is My Bond
Roger Moore
4/5 stars
Roger Moore, actor and James Bond portrayer talks about his life, family, his film career and his philanthropic endeavors. This covers his life up to 2008. He died in May 23, 2017. Very well written and he definitely led a very interesting life! Books About Film and Television
Mod
The Peabody Sisters: Three Women Who Ignited American Romanticism ..."
I've never heard of the Peabody sisters.
Koren wrote: "Karin wrote: "I have finally read another biography, but this was a slow slog for me even though it was nominated for a Pulitzer.[book:The Peabody Sisters: Three Women Who Ignited American Romant..."
I'm not surprised--I hadn't heard of them, either before I lived here, but I was familiar with many other things about the history of education here. I think their influence is over-rated in this book, but the average rating is over 4 stars, so obviously others think differently.
Mod
3 stars
I did not know who Paul Laroche was. I saw this book in the library and it looked interesting. Paul grew up in southern Minnesota and had a happy childhood. He knew he was adopted but his adoptive parents kept his American Indian heritage a secret. After they passed he found his adoption papers and found out he was adopted from a reservation in South Dakota. He embraced his native heritage and went on to found a band called Brule, which plays authentic American Indian music. I did a search to find out more about his music and it is incredible. The book was ok, but as others have said in their review, I think it would have been better if it was written in Paul's voice and delved into his emotions. The conversations seemed invented. If I see Brule in my area I will go for sure.
Mod
Woody Guthrie was a folk singer in the 50's and 60's. He is best known for the song This Land Is Our Land but has written hundreds of songs. He led a very interesting life, but was not a very nice guy and yet somehow I got a soft place in my heart for him. He was not much of a husband or father. He has a famous folk-singer son, Arlo, who is most famous for The City Of New Orleans. I wanted things to go better for him, but even after he started making money things did not go very well for him.
Mod
4 stars
Long, but comprehensive. It did not always hold my interest, but I appreciated the fact that it was honest and did not try to cover Lincoln's fallibilities. He was not a perfect man but he did a lot to abolish slavery in the United States.
Time Flies When You're Alive: A Real-Life Love Story by Paul LinkeNot quite 'Love means never having to say sorry' but close enough - Paul's young wife is diagnosed with breast cancer and this is the story of her journey. She had 3 children before she died and was into alternative new age therapies. (they were hippie flower children living in California) She tried everything.
There's probably a lot of breast cancer survivor memoirs out there, its very common nowadays. I just wanna know the cause...? Paul's wife Chex (or Francesca) reckoned it was some bad turkey she ate.
Mod
4 stars
Always interesting to see what goes on in the minds of a person with autism. Many times I think it is not a disability, but only another way of thinking. For the author it works to his advantage and he becomes a successful writer. My book had a note from the previous owner that stated she did not like the drug and alcohol use in the book. Because the author was not diagnosed until he was an adult, I wondered if it was an attempt to self-medicate. Interesting story.
Mod
4 stars
Troy Ball is an amazing woman. To start a business while taking care of two severely handicapped boys is something I could never aspire to accomplish. You will also learn a lot about the history of moonshining and the history of the Asheville, North Carolina area. I read this thinking I would love to go there for a visit. There was only one thing I found a bit irritating...I thought she was a bit pushy, but I guess you have to be to be a successful entrepreneur. Aside from that, I found her to be a very likeable person. It made me want to look for Pure Heart Whiskey in my area and I don't even like whiskey!
Mod
4 stars
Love this lady's music! This book is a combination of reflections on family, food and faith. If you love Reba, I'm sure you will love this book. She's an inspiration for always having a positive attitude and loving everyone.
I first knew her from reruns of her TV series, which of course is her acting, so not the same thing at all. However, I read Reba: My Story a few years ago, but since that's from 1994 it is rather out of date, but was interesting and I gave it a full 4 stars which means it was very good.
I don't read celebrity autobiographies as much as I used to, but when Patrick Stewart's new book Making It So: A Memoir came out I was right there. What a delight listening to Stewart reading the audiobook version.My review:
https://mypointbeing.com/2023/11/06/m...
Whispers in the Windstorm: A Journal of God's Blessed Assurance During My Year With Breast CancerA Christian mother of 3 battles breast cancer. Happy ending - she's healed, and its comforting to read her thoughts each day of what she's going through.
However, typical is her WASP lifestyle turns upside down, I don't know if she quits her secular job or what her husband does, at the end. I thought she would but then how can she pay for 2 week mission trips to Haiti?
Why doesn't she live there all the time...? Her daughters also end up being maids to her, but they don't mind. She emails everyone and everyone prays for her, though I don't know if her husband ever has any health issues as well.
She had a mastectomy and chemo until she couldn't handle it anymore, so she's without a left breast now. However she was blessed in that she could afford to pay for that treatment.
Hangsaman
Shirley Jackson
4/5 stars
Natalie, a seventeen-year-old, is the main character in this novel by Shirley Jackson. Her life at home is stifling and when she finally gets away to go to college she doesn't like her life at college either. This story is based on a true event about a young college coed who went missing in the 1940's and was never found. Intriguing!
Mod
3 star
Gotta admire this woman for blazing trails for women to work in crime investigation, but there aren't really any interesting stories of cases she worked on. The author said in the beginning that there isn't a lot of information on the first women police investigators and at times it felt like some of it was imagined, especially conversations. This story focuses mostly on one woman who went after what she wanted.
I'm reading American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, the book on which this-year movie is based. The writing style is one of a thriller, so it's very easy to read, and 700 pages don't seem like a mountain to conquer. In one day, I read almost 100 pages.
Mod
3 stars
Reading through the comments, I thought I must be the only one that thought this memoir was a bit of a bore. Mostly 5 star reviews. So I think if you are a fan, you will like this book. I thought it was a lot of name dropping. It must be hard to hit your peak with your first full-time job and then be type-cast after that. But I was glad things are going good for him now. Henry is a likeable guy and seems to like almost everyone he works with and he has been married to the same woman for a long time. So don't look for too many secrets. I enjoyed reading about his younger years the most.
Desperate Hours: The Epic Rescue of the Andrea Doria
Richard Goldstein
4/5 stars
This is the story of the Andrea Doriaocean liner built in 1951, who was taking passengers on a cruise in 1956 when it was hit by the Swedish ship Stockholm during a dense fog and tells the aftermath of the disaster. Goldstein relates the ship's history, the sinking of the ship and the stories of the passengers on board. The collision killed 51 people—46 from the Andrea Doria and 5 from the Stockholm. Very interesting but sad!
Mod
3 stars
I stumbled upon this book at the library when I needed a book with food on the cover for a challenge. I live about an hour away from the Spam museum in Austin, Minnesota and have never been there. I'm going to put that on my bucket list. I was surprised that the museum was mentioned in the book but not much more about it. Anyway, I like Spam and some of the trivia was interesting. I think you would get much more out of the museum if you read the history of Spam before you go.
Koren wrote: "SPAM: A Biography: The Amazing True Story of America's "Miracle Meat!" by Carolyn Wyman3 s..."
I've never liked Spam and was rather appalled when I learned what was originally in it. To be fair, I was a very selective eater as a child with a very sensitive palate, but there are people who enjoy it :)
Barbra Streisand: the Music, the Albums, the Singles
Matt Howe
3/5 stars
This large book details everything that Streisand sang, wrote and her collaborations with other famous musical artists. This was just okay for me. At times it just dragged. I can't recommend it but I am looking forward to reading her new autobiography.
Koren wrote: "SPAM: A Biography: The Amazing True Story of America's "Miracle Meat!" by Carolyn Wyman3 s..."
Wait...SPAM museum???
Mod
[bookcover:SPAM: A Biography: The Amazing True Story of America's "Miracle Meat!..."
Yes. Austin, Minnesota is the headquarters of Hormel, the makers of Spam, among other food products. George Hormel is the founder of the company and the inventor of Spam. I believe Hormel is probably the largest employer in Austin, a community of 26,000 people. Hormel just in Austin employs 1800 people. (There ya go, a little trivia in case your ever on Jeopardy)
Website for the Spam museum:
https://www.spam.com/museum
Koren wrote: "Selina wrote: "Koren wrote: "SPAM: A Biography: The Amazing True Story of America's "Miracle Meat!" by Carolyn Wyman[bookcover:SPAM: A Biography: The Amazing True Story of America's..."
Isn't Austin the place where people are weird? As in 'Keep Austin Weird'
Mod
[bookcover:SPAM: A Biography: The Amazing True Stor..."
I have never heard of that so I googled it. That refers to Austin, Texas. Hormel is in Austin, Minnesota.
Mod
3 stars
One of my favorite authors. There were parts of this book I was interested in and parts that I skimmed. I think fans will like this. If you don't know who Pat Conroy is, you might enjoy this as a book about brotherly love.
Koren wrote: "Selina wrote: "Koren wrote: "Selina wrote: "Koren wrote: "SPAM: A Biography: The Amazing True Story of America's "Miracle Meat!" by Carolyn Wyman[bookcover:SPAM: A Biography: The Am..."
I didn't know that term, but that's what I assumed. When I hear Austin as a place, I think of Texas. When I hear it as a name, I think Powers even though I didn't care for the films (my sister in law likes them)
There are two things to say about Move Like Water: My Story of the Sea. Hannah Stowe is a tough woman and her writing is evocative and poetic.My review:
https://mypointbeing.com/2023/11/20/m...
Indelible City: Dispossession and Defiance in Hong Kongby Louisa LimA Hong Kong born journalist (English mother, Chinese Father) writes about her home town and all the contradictions and things that happened after the 1997 handover. In particular focus on the 'King of Kowloon' a mad graffitti artist/calligrapher who was like London's Banksy.
It was a bit tough going and Lousia has her own biases and prejudices but there is a lot of insight into what it's like to live in this unique East meets West city...a city that was built on druglords whim...and the unequal power play between London and Beijing. The voice of Hong Kongers has become lost amid these power struggles.
Selina wrote: "Indelible City: Dispossession and Defiance in Hong Kongby Louisa LimA Hong Kong born journalist (English mother, Chinese Father) writes about her home town and all the contradicti..."
On to my want to read shelf this goes! I have met many people who came over here from Hong Kong before 1997 but haven't read enough about what it was like for those who stayed.
Dancing with Demons: The Authorized Biography of Dusty Springfield by Penny ValentineDusty's manager and friends (and lovers) put together this book about her life as singer and woman. I didn't know much about Dusty apart from her famous songs 'You don't have to say you love me' 'Son of a Preacher Man' that were big 60s soul songs. She was a diva on stage and off.
Dusty's demons I don't think she danced with them, but she struggled with addictive personality, abandonment issues, manic depression, alcoholism, cutting and lastly breast and bone cancer. The other thing that she tried to hide was that she was a lesbian. However I don't know if that was fully explored why or whether her relationships with women were just intense friendships. Were men just not attracted to her? Dusty's 'lovers' seemed to have a hard time living with her because she would throw things around and get into fights. She might have avoided men because her parents neglected her and her brother hardly gave her the time of day. She was also Irish Catholic and carried all that guilt around of being a good christian woman and failing.
She was so famous in England and made it in America, though without quite breaking it into Hollywood as she may have hoped. Most people remember her as a 60s icon. And she had an amazing voice without peer. She sounded black when she wasn't and could do things no other artist at the time did. I wish this book had better photos but there's probably other bios that explore her career better, this one was more personal anecdotes and mostly focussed on Dusty's erratic diva behaviour. People loved her anyway as she was charming and frank. She trashed hotel rooms but people forgave her because she could make things extradorinarily fun - or maybe it was just groupies not wanting to upset her or tell her what not to do!
Mod
3 stars
I'm sure people that work in the funeral industry have many stories to tell. This book is a bunch of short stories by different people that work in the funeral industry. I wish they would have used the names of the people that submitted stories. By not using actual names it makes it seem like the stories are made up. They probably aren't made up, but it made me wonder.
Iceman: My Fighting Life
Chuck Liddell
This is the autobiography of Chuck Liddell who is a mixed martial artist. I am not a big sports fan but I learned a lot about wrestling and being a mixed martial artist! I thought this was very interesting!
Ride On! Dame Sarah Storey’s Extraordinary Journey of Triumph: How to Unleash the Power within, Push Boundaries, and Champion ExcellenceHello, everyone! This is my very first book as an author. I would be honored if you would consider reading it and telling me what you think.
Humbly,
S.A. Sterling
Sad Mum Lady by Ashe DavenportMight put this under Mommie Dearest memoirs...although its more about Ashe's own motherhood rather than her mother. Ashe has two children under two and then a third, (all daughters) and this is not a 'yummy mummy' memoir but no holds barred trainwreck of sleepless nights, unable to function post partum depression and anger management.
Thankfully Ashe has a husband who at least helps out 50 percent of the time - her own mother had to do it all on her own, while her dad kept on having children with various other wives...
Also Ashe is Aussie and her husband Sam is a kiwi, so there's a bit of a cultural mismatch there.
Read if you want to commiserate or remember what hell it was if you were not a natural born mother who expelled babies like a flower opening. I think most mothers don't remember what childbirth was like because they get high on drugs or were conked out while having them...
Selina wrote: "Sad Mum Lady by Ashe DavenportMight put this under Mommie Dearest memoirs...although its more about Ashe's own motherhood rather than her mother. Ashe has two children under two a..."
It's tough having so many young children at once. I didn't appreciate it when I used to have identical twin friends. They were the two oldest, and had two younger siblings, all born in July and the other two were born one and two years later. I will say that their mother was in her early 20s when she had them which at least gave her more energy, and her mother lived locally so perhaps she helped, but I didn't meet them until we were 4 and obviously I was oblivious to that sort of thing.
Mod
4 stars
This story seemed so far out there that I didn't believe it was nonfiction until I did a search and found out the company she worked for actually was sued for the things she talks about in the book. It was hard to believe the sexual misconduct and harassment is still going on in this day and age. Once I found out it was a true story I liked it a lot better. I'm glad she figured things out, even though it took her a while.
I liked Sam Kerrs journey to world cup. I am also looking for children's non-fiction recs for my bookworms for over the holidays:https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
There’s a Cure for This: A Memoir by Dr Emma EspinerNot sure why I am reading medical memoirs again, maybe being a home nurse to mum has got me thinking how to people do it because I'm not the best at it (have gotten used to it now). This ones by a Maori doctor who works as a surgeon at Middlemore hospital in Auckland and is a story of her journey of how she got there. I can't remember if I read This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor I think I must have in the past as its quite similar in terms of what junior doctors go through.
She at first was an unlikely candidate for a medical career as Emma had pretty much parties and drank her 20s away but sobered up and got real after she had her first and only child. The poverty she endured may not compare with the poverty todays generations go through post-covid. She was a mixed race child of divorce who's mother became a lesbian so had to face even more hurdles of discrimination.
As with other medical memoirsts its the patients stories that doctors are priveliged to witness, help and even cure though that's not really centre stage in this memoir. And the medical heirarchy are not good with relating to the Maori population in general, not understanding or even dismissing the cultural context or tikanga of health and wholeness that they have had in the past (rongoa) its very much fitting a Western medicine tradition to the way people live now.
Hi Selina,Would you be interested in a fast-paced political/adventure memoir? If so, please take a look at my Confronting Power and Chaos: the Uncharted Kaleidoscope of My Life. You can find it at my publisher's website https://www.austinmacauley.com/us/boo..., at Barnes and Noble, Ingram and Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Confronting-Po...
Folks are saying it knocks them for a loop and "it will inspire your daughters."
Thank you,
Christine Skarbek
Hi, Koren Would you be interested in a fast-paced political/adventure memoir? If so, please take a look at my Confronting Power and Chaos: the Uncharted Kaleidoscope of My Life. You can find it at my publisher's website https://www.austinmacauley.com/us/boo..., at Barnes and Noble, Ingram and Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Confronting-Po...
Folks are saying it knocks them for a loop and "it will inspire your daughters."
Thank you,
Christine Skarbek
I enjoyed all the iterations of the Siskel and Ebert movie review program, so when the book Opposable Thumbs: How Siskel & Ebert Changed Movies Forever by Matt Singer was published I had to get it. I was not disappointed. The book contains a lot of biographical material about both men and the different way in which the two men dealt with releasing information about their respective illnesses.My review:
https://mypointbeing.com/2023/12/05/o...
Dusty: The Classic Biography by Lucy O'BrienMore for the music geeks this one as it details more of Dusty's career than her personal life. I think it needed more pics, but then its assumed that you already have all Dusty albums already in this bio. ( I don't have any) I suspect if you new to Dusty Springfield can't go far wrong then a to listen to Dusty in Memphis.
I don't think its easy to have a singing/music career and to stay popular, though Dusty's reason d'etre seemed to be her stage persona which was hard to reconcile with who she originally was - Mary O'Brien, this one focuses more on the Dusty than the Mary. I always find it fascinating that someone can literally change who they are on stage and become that person, a lot of performers are like that, and are so consumed with their role/persona that they can't remove it once they have success.
Lead Sister: The Story of Karen Carpenter: A Times Book of the Year by Lucy O'BrienI'm a big Karen Carpenter fan so of course had to read this book. It doesn't have any pics except for the dust jacket so don't expect that however its a very good bio from a musical point of view as it talks about how Karen was as a singer and drummer. She was without a doubt, the true star of the Carpenters but, sadly, overlooked and dismissed by her now famous emotionally absent/domineering mother - and I don't know where the dad was!
As the anorexia took hold she sadly succumbed. I think the author got a little repetitive about that but had some things to say about body image and stardom, and also what influence the Carpenters had on other musicians..but I don't know if she got to the crux of the hurt and pain Karen had inside like the other bio Little Girl Blue: The Life of Karen Carpenter. This bio is a bit more positive and looks at other aspects of Karen's personality, how fun and humourous she could be, and even how ballsy she was (no girl was playing the drums in the 70s!) although it seems like everyone else around her tried to tone her down, she wasn't really allowed to express herself or become her own woman. And her wedding was really tragic - can't believe she married that scum I'm sorry - who lied to her and fleeced her.
The Heavenly Man: The Remarkable True Story of Chinese Christian Brother Yun by Brother Yun and Paul HattawayThis is a difficult read given the level of persecution Yun and others faced and still face in China where there is no freedom of religion; if you don't join the state run "Christian" church then you are persecuted relentlessly.
Yun, born in 1958, became Christian as a teenager after his father was healed of cancer. He and his family became very committed to this and Yun was a missionary within China. He has been arrested a number of times where he was treated brutally, but he was still able to reach men in prison.
Mod
I'm a big Karen Carpenter fan so of course had to read this book. It doesn't have any pics excep..."
I am also a big Carpenters fan. I think she has one of the most iconic voices.
Koren wrote: "Selina wrote: "Lead Sister: The Story of Karen Carpenter: A Times Book of the Year by Lucy O'BrienI'm a big Karen Carpenter fan so of course had to read this book. It doesn't have..."
Yes, Karen Carpenter had a great voice and with the drumming was ahead of her time.
Karin wrote: "The Heavenly Man: The Remarkable True Story of Chinese Christian Brother Yun by Brother Yun and Paul HattawayThis is a difficult read given the level of persecution Yu..."
Amazing book, I think there's a sequel and his son has also written about his experiences.
Mod
5 stars
Loved this story about an elderly dog and a very good dog dad. I love dogs and I know I would not have had the patience this man had with a dog he had no intention of getting or keeping. The back cover tells us this is a heartbreaking story, so we know what that means. Keep a whole box of tissues handy.
Biography, Autobiography, Memoir
Books mentioned in this topic
Returning Light: Thirty Years on the Island of Skellig Michael (other topics)My Lucky Life in and Out of Show Business (other topics)
A Spoonful of Sugar: A Nanny's Story (other topics)
To Selena, With Love (other topics)
The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Robert L. Harris (other topics)Mitch Albom (other topics)
Dwight Garner (other topics)
Bruce Springsteen (other topics)
Robert Samuels (other topics)
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The Peabody Sisters: Three Women Who Ignited American Romanticism by Megan Marshall
1 star
Clearly I'm in the minority in my feelings on this book, but there's always someone who doesn't like a popular book. I will say that I was ill for much of this, but not all of it, so it wasn't that. I found this really long and drawn out for a book that only covered their lives until they were in their 30s, and I really wasn't that interested in many of the people and situations after a while. But primarily I ended up feeling despondent/depressed after every time spent reading this even when I wasn't sick--can't say why this book made me feel this way, but it happens once in a while. I studied a lot of Women's History in university since I was in Women's Studies so it's not that I don't like that sort of history as a rule. Also, I did have some familiarity with this part of Massachusetts history, the history of education in Massachusetts and already knew a great deal about unitarianism. There are many kinds of unitarianism, but most people think of the Unitarian-Universalist church, and the sort that the Peabody sisters were interested in is the type that led to that. Also, frankly, I don't think they alone ignited American Romanticism, nor were they the only well-known, vocal women in that.
What I didn't know was a lot about the Peabody sisters. While there was much to admire with some of their educational attempts and I loved the fact that their parents ensured that they had a good education so they could support themselves--huge fan of that--I just didn't like this book at all.