Recommend a good biography or memoir

[DawnM]

Bold Spirit: Helga Etsby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America

 

http://www.amazon.com/Bold-Spirit-Forgotten-Victorian-America/dp/1400079934/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1464487945&sr=8-1&keywords=bold+spirit

[Alicia64]

If it's possible you haven't read Unbroken, it's excellent.

 

Also The Glass Castle.  This book changed me.  In fact I started a thread to discuss it (General Board maybe?) and many had read it and had strong opinions about it.  

 

Funny enough there are several titles by different authors called Unbroken. Which author do you mean?

 

And I LOVED the Glass Castle!

 

Alley

[Catherine]

Funny enough there are several titles by different authors called Unbroken. Which author do you mean?

 

And I LOVED the Glass Castle!

 

Alley

 

The Unbroken I am referring to is the biography of Louis Zamperini.  

 

I have 2 more: My Beloved World, Sonia Sotomayor's autobiography, mostly focusing on her life before becoming a judge, with only a little about her life as a lawyer in a private firm and assistant DA.  I listened to the recorded book, read by Rita Moreno, and just loved it.  Because I am a doctor, the story of her type 1 diabetes and how it, and her relationship with a family doctor, shaped her life, were especially moving for me to read.  

 

I also read Personal History, Katharine Graham's autobiography.  Rather long (almost 700 pages) but engrossing story that covers her childhood of fabulous wealth and privilege, family background, her marriage to a charismatic man who tragically committed suicide, then her decision to succeed him as publisher of the Washington Post in the 1960's.  It was especially interesting to read about the Post's decision to publish the Pentagon Papers, the story of the Watergate investigation, how she dealt with a huge strike, and her experience as a woman managing a media empire, making it up as she went along.  

[livetoread]

"Coming Clean" by Kimberly Rae Miller. It's by a woman who grew up with hoarding parents.

[OnMyOwn]

The Art of Soviet Cooking

Cakewalk

The End of Your Life Book Club

Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's

The Devil that Danced on the Water

When All the World Was Young

A Girl Named Zippy

A Girl Named Zippy is one of my favorites.

[Mothersweets]

The Unbroken I am referring to is the biography of Louis Zamperini.  

 

I have 2 more: My Beloved World, Sonia Sotomayor's autobiography, mostly focusing on her life before becoming a judge, with only a little about her life as a lawyer in a private firm and assistant DA.  I listened to the recorded book, read by Rita Moreno, and just loved it.  Because I am a doctor, the story of her type 1 diabetes and how it, and her relationship with a family doctor, shaped her life, were especially moving for me to read.  

 

I also read Personal History, Katharine Graham's autobiography.  Rather long (almost 700 pages) but engrossing story that covers her childhood of fabulous wealth and privilege, family background, her marriage to a charismatic man who tragically committed suicide, then her decision to succeed him as publisher of the Washington Post in the 1960's.  It was especially interesting to read about the Post's decision to publish the Pentagon Papers, the story of the Watergate investigation, how she dealt with a huge strike, and her experience as a woman managing a media empire, making it up as she went along.  

 

I had no idea she is type 1! One of my dds has type 1 diabetes so I'm always interested to read other's experiences growing up with it and how they manage their adult lives with it. I'll be sure to put this on my tbr list. Thanks!

 

And Unbroken is a great read!

[busymama7]

Didn't read the thread but I have recently read and love The Reading Promise and The Girl from Yamhill

[TianXiaXueXiao]

The Gangster We're all Looking for by le thi diem thuy

 

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Ann Fadiman

 

Wild Swans by Jung Chang 

 

Falling Leaves by Adeline Yen Mah

[madteaparty]

Wild did nothing for me.

The Katharine Graham bio (forget the name) was fascinating.

[Rachel]

Funny enough there are several titles by different authors called Unbroken. Which author do you mean?

 

And I LOVED the Glass Castle!

 

Alley

I'm guessing the version written by Laura Hilldebrand. It is a fantastic book and after you have read it, there is a not quite as good as the book movie that came out in the last year or two.

[VaKim]

I also enjoyed Coal Miner's Daughter (Loretta Lynn), but her second book, Still Woman Enough was better, as it filled in things she had glossed over or couldn't tell about when she was younger and her husband was still alive. It amazes me how poor some of those country stars actually still were when we were watching them on TV already!

 

[Jane Elliot]

Not to thread-steal. . . but how do you find the kids version? I just see one Boy in the Boat at the library.

 

Thanks!

 

Alley

 

It's called a young readers adaptation or edition. Here's a link. Try using the ISBN in your library's search engine. If you like this sort of thing, there are young readers adaptations for Unbroken and The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, too. My son has enjoyed all three.

[TrixieB]

"Coming Clean" by Kimberly Rae Miller. It's by a woman who grew up with hoarding parents.

 

You recommended it, I read it... couldn't put it down.  Today I am decluttering...

 

[Carol in Cal.]

Girl Meets God--so well-written

 

Currently reading and greatly enjoying Wild Swans.

 

Cheaper By The Dozen and sequel Belles On Their Toes are very entertaining, light though

 

Into Thin Air is great.  Just recently heard a very inspiring speech by another participant in that trip, Beck Weathers, and now I want to read his version of the same story

 

 

[Stacia]

Into Thin Air is great.

 

:iagree:  It's one of the best non-fiction books I have ever read.