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March 2001
Compiled by Sarah Nagle of Carver County Library-Chaska (MN), from contributions by the members of Fiction_L.

(To use this list in your library, book club, etc., please include the following credit line: "Compiled by the subscribers of the Fiction_L mailing list." This list may not be used for commercial purposes.)

ETHEL AND ERNEST (Raymond Briggs)

I really enjoyed this unusual biography. It's an illustrated biography of the lives of the author's parents, from about 1920 to 1971, including their experiences living in England during World War II. Fascinating..

FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION: MISSION CONTROL FROM MERCURY TO APOLLO 13 AND BEYOND (Gene Kranz)

I enjoyed Gene Kranz' memoir of his experiences at NASA. He was portrayed by Ed Harris in the movie "Apollo 13". Not a traditional biography, but it reads like one.

BEYOND THE SKY AND THE EARTH (Jamie Zeppa)

A Canadian woman travels to Buhtan to teach and finds love and a whole new life. Very nicely written, with great insight into a little-known part of the world.

THE MEASURE OF A MAN (Sidney Poitier)

An excellent biography. This man's life's journey has been extraordinary. I bought a copy for my son for Father's Day. This book was also chosen for our April Book Discussion Group.

AN APPETITE FOR LIFE: THE BIOGRAPHY OF JULIA CHILD (Noel Riley Fitch)

Julie Child is one of the most interesting people I've ever read about. She didn't learn how to cook until she was in her mid 30's, and she met her husband when they were both working in Ceylon and China during WWII (she worked for the OSS, the forerunner of the CIA). They became friends because they both loved to eat.

LAND OF A THOUSAND HILLS: MY LIFE IN RWANDA (Rosamond Halsey Carr)

About the the newspapers were full of the escalating conflicts between Tutsi and Hutu tribesmen of Rwanda, this book chronicling an adult life spent in the same area appeared. The nature of the conflict became a bit clearer to me after reading Carr's experiences and observations. It reminded me a lot of Dinesen's Out of Africa with an infusion of modern politics.

H.P. LOVECRAFT: A LIFE (S.T. Joshi)

Of course, it helps if one is interested in Lovecraft . . . Joshi is the ideal biographer of HPL, being sympathetic to (most of his) worldview and being a meticulous researcher with access to huge amounts of material (Lovecraft was one of the 20th century's most voluminous letter writers, spent many years in the amateur journalism movement, and was memorialized at great length by many of the people he knew in person or via correspondence), so this is heavily documented and detailed down almost to the "and then he had this for breakfast the next day" level. Since HPL lived a life of genteel poverty and Didn't Get Out Much, those looking for exciting adventures should go elsewhere, though. Joshi has just produced a sort-of-HPL "auto"biography as well, cobbling together what HPL said about his own life in his letters and such; I've not read that yet but expect to enjoy it also: Lord of a Visible World: An Autobiography in Letters.

WOODY GUTHRIE: A LIFE (Joe Klein)

Not new, but fortunately back in print.

GHOST LIGHT (Frank Rich)

A great read for anyone who grew up listening (or seeing Broadway shows, especially musicals. Rich covers the 1950's when he felt his parents' divorce alienated him from his school mates and his trips to the theater gave him solace. Anyone who remembers the songs from " South Pacific", "Damn Yankees", "Carousel" and other musicals of that era will enjoy this.

ALL OVER BUT THE SHOUTIN' (Rich Braggs, 1997)

My favorite bio of recent years. Bragg writes for the New York Times (or at least did when the book was written), and as I read he would allude to stories that I would remember having read, though I did not notice his byline. His writing is excellent. I have recommended it to a few people and received pretty good feedback.

THE SOUL OF A CHEF (Michael Ruhlman, 2000)

I (and many of my colleagues) loved this. It could be considered a biography of sorts. The author's earlier book The Making of a Chef was equally as fascinating.

CHARLES DICKENS (Peter Ackroyd)

It is a very engaging read, almost like a novel. A lot of detail, and a good sense of the period, very long, but hard to put down. Other Dickens fans have also enjoyed it very much.

ME: STORIES OF MY L IFE (Katharine Hepburn)

Hepburn's terrific autobiography. Great reading - like having her in the same room with you.

OUTSIDE PASSAGE (Julia Scully) and AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A FACE (Lucy Grealy)

Memorable coming-of-age accounts.

ARE YOU SOMEBODY (Nuala O'Faolin)

One of my favorites. Why? Her blunt honesty in assessing her life and her family . . . the lyricism of her writing . . . the way she seems to capture the Ireland of a certain time period . . . the literary quality of the memor. I connected with it in a way I did not with Angela's Ashes, more akin to the way I connected with 84 Charing Cross Road.

TEN THOUSAND SORROWS: THE EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEY OF A KOREAN WAR ORPHAN (Elizabeth Kim, 2000)

I am not a big biography reader, but I enjoyed this. It was a "can't put down" read and that has never happened to me with a biography!!

STOP TIME ( Frank Conroy) and DAUGHTER OF THE QUEEN OF SHEBA (Jackie Lyden).

SYLVIA BEACH AND THE LOST GENERATION ( Noel Riley Fitch).

CONVERSATIONS WITH WILDER (Cameron Crowe)

This is an in-depth discussion with film director Billy Wilder. Director Crowe ("Jerry Maguire") asked questions and Wilder not only gave answers, but told stories from his work, life, and experiences. A sincere, sometimes funny book, but possibly more of a film study title, since it is not told in the "traditional" biography form.

BROTHER TO A DRAGONFLY (Will D. Campbell)

Describes his childhood on a dirt-poor Mississippi farm and his later life as an Army medic, a Baptist preacher, and a leader in the 1960's civil rights movement. But the most touching part of the book is his relationship with his brother. Recently featured on a PBS documentary called "God's Will".

ELEANOR OF AQUITAINE AND THE FOUR KINGS (Amy Kelly)

This book plunged me, mentally, into the society and politics of the 12th century and didn't let me out until the end.

A HEARTBREAKING WORK OF STAGGERING GENIUS (Dave Eggers)

It's certainly not a conventional biography, but adventurous readers may enjoy the challenges of following Egger's relentlessly ironic "staggering" trip through his sometimes-exciting, sometimes-dysfunctional life.

AMAZING GRACIE ( Dan Dye and Mark Beckloff)

My favorite, recent, biography is actually the biography of a Great Dane. The authors are the founders of Three Dog Bakery, the bakery for dogs. GREAT READ!!!!!!

MY DARK PLACES (James Ellroy)

A dark, gritty autobiography about noir mystery author Ellroy's obsession with his mother's murder. Very intriguing and hard to put down.

MAKES ME WANNA HOLLER: A YOUNG BLACK MAN IN AMERICA (Nathan McCall)

I usually don't read biographies, but the title (comes from an old Marvin Gaye tune) caught my eye. At times both sad and frustrating, you're rooting for the author to come around and become a decent human being. For those of us who grew up in the 60's - 70's, I'm sure you'll see someone you know in this man.

IRIS, A MEMOIR (John Bayley)

About the author's wife, Iris Murdoch, who has contracted Alzheimer's.

MALCOLM AND THE CROSS: THE NATION OF ISLAM, MALCOLM X, AND CHRISTIANITY (Louis A. DeCaro, 2000)

This book is well-written and researched and is recommended to anyone interested in a historical overview of the Nation of Islam, Christianity and the man, Malcolm X.

THE HAIRSTONS: AN AMERICAN FAMILY IN BLACK AND WHITE (Henry Wiencek, 1999)

This book is about two families from the same family tree; however, one were slaves and the other were slavemasters. The black family, which included Jester Hairston (famed actor and writer of traditional gospel music such as AMEN) were owned by the white Hairstons, the largest slaveholders in North Carolina. Fascinating read.

FIVE SISTERS: THE LANGHORNES OF VIRGINIA (James Fox, 2000)

Absorbing account of the author's mother's family (5 sisters) from the Civil War through the Second World War. Famous for their beauty, they would marry into the highest society of England and America. Must read.

ON HER OWN GROUND: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MADAME C.J. WALKER (A'Lelia Bundles, 2000)

The first definitive biography of Madame Walker, written by her great-great-granddaughter. It graces the life of Sarah Breedlove Walker, born the daughter of former slaves during the American Reconstruction era to her rise as entrepreneur of African-American haircare products and noted philanthropist.

MY SERGEI (Ekaterina Gordeeva)

I really loved this. But dig out the tissues.

ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL (James Herriott)

Also a good one.

TO THE ISLAND; AN ANGEL AT MY TABLE, and THE ENVOY FROM MIRROR CITY (Janet Frame)

A three-volume autobiography that was made into an excellent movie.

THE ROAD FROM COORAIN (Jill Ker Conway).

RAIN OR SHINE (Cyra McFadden).

ST. EUPERY: A BIOGRAPHY (Stacy Schiff)

I've enjoyed St-Ex's writing about flying for a long time, so I found the bio interesting as well.

BUTCH CASSIDY: A BIOGRAPHY (Richard M. Patterson)

What surprised me was how much I enjoyed this bio. I loved the movie of course but am not a great reader of westerns or western history; still I found it fascinating.

CONFESSIONS OF A FAILED SOUTHERN LADY (Florence King)

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF CHAUCER (John Gardner)

Shows what happens when a good writer writes a bio; interesting social history as well. Far better than more recent work on Chaucer.

DON'T WORRY, HE WON'T GET FAR ON FOOT: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A DANGEROUS MAN. (John Callahan)

Outrageously funny, not for the faint-hearted. A frank description of learning to deal with being a paraplegic.

WAITING: THE TRUE CONFESSIONS OF A WAITRESS (Debra Ginsburg)

One of my favorites last year.

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN (Frank Abagnale)

This book was featured on NPR. It's about a man who managed to con people into believing he was an airline pilot, doctor, lawyer, sociology professor and amassed $2.5 million along the way all before he was 21. The writing is zippy and the narrator is one of those loveable con-artist types. Should make a good movie.

LINDBERGH (Scott Berg)

Anything and everything by Berg, who won a Pulitzer for this. My favorite by him is GOLDWYN. I read somewhere that Katharine Hepburn has chosen him as her official biographer to be published after her death; that could be the greatest selling biography of all time.

UNDER A WING:A MEMOIR (Reeve Lindbergh)

A memoir of growing up as the daughter of the Lone Eagle. It has accounts of flying with Lindbergh, the family dynamic, Anne Morrow's confused final years, etc., all much more immediate than anything in Berg's biography (above). Although imperious, demanding, and daunting as a parent, it turns out (in Reeve's view) that Lindbergh was the warmest and most compassionate of the parents, and the beautiful, brilliant Anne Morrow the most distant and reserved.

GALILEO'S DAUGHTER (Dava Sobel)

I'm not much of a biography reader, but I was very impressed with this book. Sobel manages to tell Galileo's life story through the eyes of his daughter, a cloistered nun, by using their correspondence as the basis of the story. I really liked the attending to historical detail and the even-handed way Sobel dealt with the Church controversy over Galileo's work.

AFTER LONG SILENCE (Helen Fremont)

Fascinating story of a Catholic girl discovering her parents' Jewish roots. It opened my eyes into how yet another family was able to survive the gruesome environment of Nazi Poland.

ROCKET BOYS (Homer Hickam Jr.)

The story of a NASA rocket scientist. A very inspiring story for school kids as well as teachers. It encourages young people to follow their dreams.

THE COLOR OF WATER (James McBride)

About a black man's having had a white mom of Orthodox Jewish background . It gives insight into how one family was able to deal with racial differences. Hopefully the message will carry across to the readers of this book.

ANGELA'S ASHES (Frank McCourt)

An Irish boy's childhood of poverty. Oh, it's the beautiful writing that grabbed me in this book.

RACHEL CALOFF'S STORY: JEWISH HOMESTADER ON THE NORTHERN PLAINS (Rachel Caloff)

About a pioneer woman and her new husband who lived in North Dakota at the end of the 1800's. Breaks the stereotype of the "typical" pioneer family. This one was Jewish!

ICE BOUND: A DOCTOR'S INCREDIBLE BATTLE FOR SURVIVAL AT THE SOUTH POLE (Jerri Nielsen).

I MARRIED ADVENTURE (Osa Johnson)

I know you specifically said "recent" but I have to share my most favorite biography. I believe it may have been recently reprinted. I read this when I was eight years old; it was the first "old" book I ever bought and read. This is the story of a young girl from Canute, Kansas who meets and marries and follows her adventurer husband all over the world until his tragic death. She was the first white woman to meet the headhunters of Borneo. She and her husband sailed with Jack London. You remember all that film footge on elephants rampaging from the old Tarzan movies? That footage wa probably shot by Osa and Martin Johnson in East Africa. They lived in a tree house over a beautiful lake in what is now Tanzania. They had funding from the Eastman Kodak company and filmed all kinds of wildlife in Africa. It is a wonderful book and well worth tracking down and reading.

THE PROFESSOR AND THE MADMAN: A TALE OF MURDER, INSANITY, AND THE MAKING OF THE OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY (Simon Winchester, 1998).

THE AVENGERS: A JEWISH WAR STORY (Rich Cohen, 2000)

The story of a group of Jewish partisans in WWII Lithuania.

RESISTING HITLER: MILDRED HARNACK AND THE RED ORCHESTRA (Shareen Blair Brysac, 2000)

The fascinating story of the only American woman executed by the Nazis for espionage. This story intrigued me for three reasons: first, the WWII context; second, the fact that Harnack was born in Wisconsin and attended the university at exactly the same time that my grandmother did and, three, since the author started her research in the 1980s, much more information in Soviet archives became available, shedding new light on this part of history.

50 ACRES AND A POODLE: A STORY OF LOVE, LIVESTOCK, AND FINDING MYSELF ON A FARM (Jeanne Marie Laskas, 2000)

The story of a woman writer who buys a farm with her significant other - it is humorous and "true to life".

CHANGE ME INTO ZEUS' DAUGHTER (Barbara Robinette Moss, 1999).

www.webrary.org/rs:flbklists/favbio.html
First published on the Web: 4/12/2001
Last updated: 4/12/2001