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Biographies that you liked or hated

SFG75

SFG75

Well-Known Member
I've enjoyed a few biographies. I read one on William Jennings Bryan that was very entertaining. I knew of his political career, but not so much of how his theology influenced his progressive political beliefs. It was fascinating to read of a man who was so dedicated to reforming politics and who also participated in the Scopes-Darrow trial. I do have a mammoth biography of Franklin Roosevelt that I'll try and read over my work break. He is another individual that I've been very interested in learning more about. One of the best ones was an autobiography on former auto chairman Lee Iacocca. For those who don't know, Iacocca single-handedly revived Chrysler during the 1980s when they were on the brink of going out of business. Perhaps Ford should should hire him back.:eek: :D
 
Walter Isaacson's Benjamin Franklin is a fine one to look into. Isaacson gives a well-balanced portrayal of the Quaker kid who became an American legend.
 
The first that came to mind is a biography of Moe Berg called The Catcher Was a Spy. I'm not even sure what it was about the book, except that Berg was a true American original.
 
abecedarian said:
Walter Isaacson's Benjamin Franklin is a fine one to look into. Isaacson gives a well-balanced portrayal of the Quaker kid who became an American legend.
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Well, I just happened to read his autobiography recently, and Franklin was not born a Quaker and never was a Quaker, despite being on the Quaker oatmeal label (which I'm sure he wouldn't mind, as it is an economical and nutritious food).

I love his autobiography. It neatly dispenses with the myth of sexual Puritanism in the Colonies. Marriage apparently was a matter of somewhat informal convenience, and one could just move out of the marriage house and start over, if one felt inclined. No harsh judgments rendered.
 
novella said:
Well, I just happened to read his autobiography recently, and Franklin was not born a Quaker and never was a Quaker, despite being on the Quaker oatmeal label (which I'm sure he wouldn't mind, as it is an economical and nutritious food).

I love his autobiography. It neatly dispenses with the myth of sexual Puritanism in the Colonies. Marriage apparently was a matter of somewhat informal convenience, and one could just move out of the marriage house and start over, if one felt inclined. No harsh judgments rendered.
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Why is that Quaker myth so firmly planted in my feeble brain then? I know he wasn't particularly religious himself, but I thought he had some sort of Quaker background..must be the Philadelphia connection...

I liked the insight into Franklin's relationships with various women too..I don't think his ways were the norm of the times, but there must have been a certain liberality of thinking for him to be so well accepted and respected by the rest of society. What floors me is the sheer brilliance of the man. And he wasn't just book-smart, he was a lively, well-rounded individual, able to fit in with various kinds of people. He must have been a blast to talk to.
 
I enjoyed Lust for Life by Irving Stone (a Vincent van Gogh biography).
Moonwalk by Michael Jackson :whistling:
 
The Autobiography of Malcolm X - Alex Haley

I found this to be an excellent book. I read it in the early 1990's when Public Enemy were especially popular and their politically charged lyrics actually made me want to learn more about the people they were referring to.
 
eldog_oz_2008 said:
The Autobiography of Malcolm X - Alex Haley

I found this to be an excellent book. I read it in the early 1990's when Public Enemy were especially popular and their politically charged lyrics actually made me want to learn more about the people they were referring to.
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I have to agree with you, it was a great book and it does a great job of showing he came full circl with his radicalism and anger. The book is very popular where I work and I assign it a lot.
 
Long Walk to Freedom : The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela.

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela certainly lived a very fascinating life and I really enjoyed getting to learn about his early life in a tribal environment, and then his education and employment opportunities in a law office. He chronicles his political awakening, his role in the ANC, three decades of prison ( 27 years at Robbens Island a maximum security prison) and his triumphant release with the climatic elections of 1994.
Throughout the book Nelson Mandela emphasizes that he was only for peaceful protest. He states that the only time they resorted to violence was in order to sabotage and then they tried not to hurt anyone.
I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about Nelson Mandela's life (covers almost 70 years) and the history of South African apartheid.
 
MoogSM said:
Robert Caro's loooong bio of LBJ is perhaps my favorite book of all time.
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I don't know how I missed this post, but I did.

I more than concur, Caro did a GREAT job, no doubt about it. I particularly loved the story of how he won a tight race in '48. Johnson has the best quotes of anyone.:lol:
 
Véra by Stacy Shiff. The biography of a life-long love and marriage between Véra Nabokov and her famous author-husband Vladimir. She was an amazing and memorable woman, a very important and large part of the total Nabokov duo.
 
I read Mahatma Vs Gandhi by Dinkar Joshi. The book highlighted the story of Mahatma Gandhi's elder son Harilal Gandhi and gave a glimpse into Mahatma's role as a father. Quite an engaging read.

I am reading The Story of My Experiments with Truth and I must say that I can connect more with Gandhi's ideologies and my respect for him has increased manifolds. When I read Mahatma vs Gandhi, Harilal had garnered all my sympathies, but, Gandhi's autobiography has turned me into Mahatma loyalist now, and I can understand why he was so strict with Harilal.
 
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