Biography, Autobiography, Memoir discussion
Challenges
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February 2019 Challenge
ooh well on my waiting list is Becoming by Michelle Obama
But since there's like 1000 holds on this book, may be waiting a while. I think I've read enough books about Jackie Kennedy. Enough about her fabulously wealthy lifestyle! I don't want to know anymore... Michelle seems a bit more down to earth.
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Becoming by Michelle Obama
But since there's like 1000 holds on this book, may be waiting a while. I think I've read enough books about Jackie Kenn..."
I got the Michelle Obama book for Christmas, which is one of the reasons I decided on this topic for February, the other reason being that February is President's Day ( formerly known as Lincoln's and George Washington's birthdays) in America and because it seems to be a sub genre that most of you like. Selina, I hope you get the book on time and we could do a buddy read.
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I want to read that one but probably will not get to it this month. Duel with the Devil: The True Story of How Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr Teamed Up to Take on America's First Sensational Murder Mystery is staring me right in the face on my TBR shelf, though...but it's not a memoir. Does it still count?
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The challenge says ANY nonfiction book. I think any nonfiction book would be considered biographical. It doesn't need to be a memoir.
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Koren wrote: "Fishface wrote: "I want to read that one but probably will not get to it this month. [book:Duel with the Devil: The True Story of How Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr Teamed Up to Take on America'..."Coolness. I just wanted to be double-dog sure.
Once again, I have so many to choose from.Here are my top picks:1) The Pink Lady: The Many Lives of Helen Gahagan Douglas2) Eunice: The Kennedy Who Changed the World 3)The Senator and the Socialite: The True Story of America's First Black Dynasty4) A Secret Life: The Lies and Scandals of President Grover Cleveland
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That was the hope, Erin. I want to make it easy for you all to do and perhaps read more than one book if you want. I never lock a discussion so feel free to add to it 6 months or a year from now if you want.
Just started on Duel with the Devil: The True Story of How Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr Teamed Up to Take on America's First Sensational Murder Mystery. What a page turner it is. Really gives me a taste of what it was like to be alive in the 1700s.
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I had a look at the political bio section of the library yesterday since am still waiting on Becoming but nothing much appealed until I came upon a bio of the former mayor of my town. I thought it would be interesting so I borrowed it am going to read it next. Wild Westie: The Incredible Life of Bob Harvey
Well that was quick I whizzed through Wild Westie: The Incredible Life of Bob Harvey (only about 230 pages) and got to know the former mayor of my home town a bit better.Things like...he didn't know he was adopted till he was in his fifties. Then he went looking for his birth parents and that was funny as he met his dad posing as a journalist but his birth dad didn't know it was him...he had to basically drop the bombshell "I'm your son' imagine that. Because his birth dad was married at the time of course this devastated his wife.
He's a basically a socialist/communist.
He worked in advertising and had his own company..and then got into political campaigns and eventually local politics.
He loves surfing.
He basically raised the profile of our city with a lot of bluster, proclaiming it to be an 'eco city' but actually, whether it was all talk or not because we were still using plastic rubbish bags up till last year and I don't really see much that is 'eco' about the way things are run. Crime did reduce and people felt better about themselves, but he was a man that would have lots of plans and dreams but many of them weren't actually realistic. Very self-promoting too, he would say outrageous things and never apologise, people liked him cos he was a bit mad.
Whatever he was, he was and still is a distinctive personality. He served 18 years as Mayor of the now amalgamated Waitakere City so many people did appreciate his leadership. But then politicians are always mavericks. Someone who has power often do stuff just to get noticed.
Personally I haven't actually met Bob (or Sir Bob), even though I did work in public libraries under his term but I think he had a lot of drive and charisma that got him places. Knowing he was adopted maybe makes a bit of sense because he's always saying 'Pick me'! His mum basically faked her pregancy to his family and pretended she gave birth naturally by hiding a pillow under her clothing but actually people kind of did know when she 'gave birth' to a six month old baby!
He has written a few books about West Auckland and its beaches although I do suspect a lot of his green tendencies was more marketing spiel than anything else, to get people voting for him because once our city became amalgamated the whole 'eco city' thing was dropped, people were calling it 'ego city'.
I could go on but it might bore you if I talk about local politics here!
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Things li..."
He sounds like a colorful character.
Koren wrote: "Selina wrote: "Well that was quick I whizzed through Wild Westie: The Incredible Life of Bob Harvey (only about 230 pages) and got to know the former mayor of my home town a bit bet..."Yea there was a bit about how he liked to go to nudist camps and one time he had an argument with a ratepayer and basically pulled down his (own) pants and sort of mooned him. ?? I don't remember that but anything he said was constantly commented on in the media of course I suspect he says or does those things to get people talking about him. It's a bit shameless self-publicity.
There was a few scary bits too of his life where a disgruntled ratepayer threatened to kill him and kept harassing him. (We pay land taxes and for council services like rubbish/roads/libraries in our 'rates' thats why residents are called ratepayers). So there's definitely a downside to being high profile...you a target, but out here most politicians don't go round with bodyguards or secret service agents like the Presidents of the US require. Also we don't have paparazzi. Not famous enough!!
Duel with the Devil: The True Story of How Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr Teamed Up to Take on America's First Sensational Murder Mystery, Paul Collins4 enthusiastic stars!
What a great read! The author manages to give me some of the flavor of the times without any long detours into the stuff that bored me to tears when I had to read about it in Middle School. A true murder mystery, with a defendant's life hanging in the balance, in the days when forensic science was almost nonexistent, the police were not allowed to investigate most crimes and the accused had no right to an attorney. The writing was wonderful, too, and except for 3 places where I found "a" where there should have been an "an," the copyediting was flawless. Whatever you do, read this one. It will appeal to readers interested in American history, true crime, law and politics.
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4 enthusiastic stars!
Wha..."
Sounds good. Will put it on my list.
Just watched a movie called Selma, about Dr Martin Luther King jr , civil rights activist it was inspiring so I will read his autobiograpahy next. His wife also wrote a memoir.
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Koren wrote: "Reading Becoming by Michelle Obama. I'm really liking it. There is one thing she said that really gave me food for thought. Shortly after having her two children she had to make a d..."What kind of work was Michelle doing though?
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She went to college to become a lawyer but only worked at it a few years and decided it sucked. When I think 'lawyer' I have always pictured her as a trial lawyer. Not so. She worked in corporate law. So she made a decision to work at something she enjoyed rather than money and took a job that was quite a bit less pay. That was for an organization that helped young people build careers in public service. She only worked at that a short time and at the time she had to make a decision on whether to work or be a stay at home mom she was working at the University of Chicago Medical Center in community relations.
I thought I had Becoming, just looked on my shelf and I don't, I have Everyday Icon: Michelle Obama and the Power of Style and What Happened. So I could pick from those two, as soon as I finish One of Us: The Story of Anders Breivik and the Massacre in Norway, which is in itself kind of political ......
Koren wrote: "Selina wrote: "Koren wrote: "Reading Becoming by Michelle Obama. I'm really liking it. There is one thing she said that really gave me food for thought. Shortly after having her two..."Hmm its hard to say what I would do in her place...presumably she talked it over with her husband and both decided, its not like Obama gave up his job to look after the kids instead. If they could afford to, maybe it worked for them. And they didnt have family members who could help? I think it depend on the job too, if she enjoyed her work and was doing good things. Different scenario of she didn't. I think some parents dont bother to arrange good childcare if they decide to work instead of staying home. Many children end up raising themselves with absentee parents so it was good they got someone. Most parents these days just drop children off at daycare till they finish work. Or after school care, or rely on babysitters. I think there is a trade off though, children learn from their nannies, cooks etc instead of being raised by their own parents. And the parents get jealous of that bond.
This happened with Jacqueline Kennedys children, she had an english nanny looking after John and Caroline for many years but fired her once she saw they were closer to her than she was. She missed out on their childhood a lot claims the nanny, even though Mrs Kennedy didnt have a job, she would just take off on overseas trips, or horseriding, or buying antiques. She didnt want to be a housewife. But ironically she ended up redecorating the White House as her 'job'.
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All good points. Yes, they did talk it out. Michelle is not one to make rash decisions. It seems like everything is well- thought out. She did like her job and I suppose to some it would be worthwhile to pay the help so you still have the job when they are older. My neighbor did that when her boys were little she said most of her money went to daycare but she wanted to have the job when they kids were too old for daycare. She worked in a small town bank and they rarely hire so that was a good move for her. Of course Michelle had to give up her job anyway when Barack became president. Her mother was close by and did help quite a bit. Barack's family was in Hawaii so they couldn't help. When he became president her mother moved to the White House to help.
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Becoming by Michelle Obama
5 stars
I was pleasantly surprised that this book was not political. When she does express her opinion about politics it is very brief. This is more about her thoughts about how people and events in her childhood formed who she is, her love for her husband and children and career and balancing all of these things while being very much in the public eye. The one thing that struck me is that she is not always as confident as she seems but does a lot of soul searching and fights to overcome her insecurities. She is a very positive person and looks for the good in everything and everyone and if you were expecting any complaining in the book you wont find very much.
Have My Life with Martin Luther King, Jr. by Coretta Scott King on my shelf. Has anyone read this, or read any other books about Martin Luther King Jr? If so what would be your recommendation.
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5 stars
I had never heard of James Hormel before reading this book, even though his hometown is only 60 miles from mine. I have heard of his family business, Hormel, who's most famous product is Spam. James and his brothers were expected to go into the family business but none of them did. James talks quite a bit about his growing up years in 40's Minnesota, where he always felt like he didnt fit in and didnt acknowledge his homosexuality until after he had a family and 5 children. He did eventually except himself the way he was and spent quite a bit of his life fighting for gay rights. For some reason which he really doesn't elaborate on, he sets his sights on an ambassador to Luxembourgh, even though he had no prior political experience. The last third of the book he describes his fight to get that ambassadorship, being appointed by President Clinton. He feels that there was a lot of discrimination against him because of his sexuality, which I'm sure is true, but I wonder if it also was because of his inexperience in politics. It would be interesting to know if the other appointees that got the job before him had more experience but he doesn't touch on this. I would have liked him to be more open about his personal relationships, especially with his children. I also wanted to know more about what an ambassador to Luxembourgh actually does. He barely touches on this. Did anyone actually know this was a thing? This was an interesting book, but at times seemed to drag.
Huh. Did he ever say why Luxembourg? Are they big Spam eaters? If not, maybe he should have chosen the Phillipines instead.
Yea am puzzled as to why Luxembourg. It didn't have anything to do with someone who lived in Luxembourg did it? I mean, was it anything to do with the gayness.
Finished reading My Life with Martin Luther King, Jr. by Coretta Scott KingWell worth reading, by his widowed wife. It is interesting that Martin Luther King followed the non-violent way of Gandhi to obtain freedom from oppression for his people and he did go to India to check it all out, but was quite appalled by the poverty he saw there. Martin was a Baptist pastor and preacher, he was more of a prophet in his time. But definitely he became a target for hatred - was stabbed, had his home bombed, got beaten up, put in jail etc.
I was thinking isn't non violence basically the same as peaceful protest. The negroes made a lot of marches, for equality on public transport, integrated schools, voters rights, living wages etc. There were so many things negroes were excluded from by whites. I can so relate to being judged inferior simply on the colour of ones skin. It still happens sadly today...and I'm still shocked that it does.
I think what touched me in this book was their four children, one of them asked why they couldn't go to Funtown, which was like an adventure playground park. and Coretta had to say it was for whites only, but that their Dad was working so that they would get to go. And then the day came when it was all integrated and they did get to go, and they were welcomed by the white people.
I don't know who assassinated MLK as she doesn't say, the book ends with his death, at age 39 which Coretta firmly has faith was redemptive, because the work he started must carry on. He was an amazing, humble, inspirational man of God.
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He looked at a list of government positions that were available and decided an ambassadorship was what he wanted. He originally applied for Norway because his daughter lived there but didnt even get a reply. He then applied to Fiji but they didnt accept him because of his sexuality. He then applied to Luxembourgh and they had no problem with him so that is where he went.
Selina wrote: "Yea am puzzled as to why Luxembourg. It didn't have anything to do with someone who lived in Luxembourg did it? I mean, was it anything to do with the gayness."
*shrug*
Is Luxembourg especially gay?
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I mean, was it anything to do with the gayness."
*shrug*
Is Luxembo..."
I dont know but apparently more accepting than Fiji.
It seems Luxembourg has an openly gay PM. According to wiki one of three european countries.
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Truman, to fit the challenge for February.
Well, Capote was a bit of a political figure, at least as far as identity politics go.
Finished reading The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.. I'm glad I also read his wife's memoir as well, to get a picture of him as husband and father too, since he was so busy as the activist leader/minister for so many things. I learned a lot about the civil rights movement as a whole, not just segregation in the South but what happened in the North with ghettoes, poverty and unemployment. MLK also advocated for all poor peoples of any colour, and peace with non violence as his key to confronting injustice. He spoke up about Vietnam and had the ear of the Presidents. He won the Nobel Peace Prize. He knew that he would be a target but he didn't back down in fear. Just kept marching on...hopefully his great -grandchildren are now realising his dream, not just for themselves but for all mankind. The autobiography was compiled after his death from the papers he left behind and includes many speeches and sermons and letters he wrote. I think it was well done but some of it is heavy going reading about all the struggles he faced with jail time and white oppressors who weren't willing to grant any freedom to the ones they oppressed. He learned that its no good appealing to them or waiting hundreds of years for them to come round, one must confront and demand, whether done through protest march, boycotts, strikes or sit in, and not back down. Otherwise those withholding power will just continue in ignorance.
I am all for equality and justice and freedom so there's much food for thought in this autobiography.
I saw this --- Michelle wants to engage with her readers! I've only read her gardening book. Still waiting on Becoming.This group counts as a book club right?
https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/1...
Selina wrote: "Finished reading My Life with Martin Luther King, Jr. by Coretta Scott KingWell worth reading, by his widowed wife. It is interesting that Martin Luther King followed the non-violen..."
Selina: MLK was killed by a total weirdo named James Earl Ray. For more on him see The Strange Case Of James Earl Ray, or any of the other books on him.
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4 stars
To be honest, when Julian Castro announced his candidacy for president of the United States I really didnt know much about him. I wanted to learn more so I ordered this book from the library. I learned that his grandparents were Mexican immigrants and he and his identical twin brother were raised by a single mother. They actually had a pretty good childhood because their family was very loving and encouraged them to get ahead. Through hard work they went to college, both became lawyers, but Julian was the one who wanted to enter politics to make a difference, first by becoming the youngest mayor of San Antonio, Texas, and then becoming Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Obama. This is an inspirational memoir with the message that if you want something and work hard you can achieve it.
I'm starting to wonder whether the title character of Mrs. Sherlock Holmes counts as a political figure. Grace Quackenbos (later Humiston) broke all kinds of new ground for women of her era, starting before women even had the right to vote, and spent her career advocating for the rights of women, poor immigrants, and anyone else who came to her who was getting the shaft. She rose remarkably high in politics, too, as her career progressed.
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I think she sounds like she could qualify.
I'll keep reading and let you know...The book is wonderful even if it doesn't fit the challenge.
Fishface wrote: "Selina wrote: "Finished reading My Life with Martin Luther King, Jr. by Coretta Scott KingWell worth reading, by his widowed wife. It is interesting that Martin Luther King followed..."
I dont know anything about his killer, what was his motive, why was he a weirdo? Is it worth finding out?
He was one of those guys who apparently believed every nutty conspiracy theory he ever heard. He thought King was at the center of a dastardly conspiracy to mongrelize the nation or something stupid like that. My mom told me about him -- I haven't read the book about him yet myself -- but her weirdness threshhold is VERY high and when she's moved to shake her head and say "That guy was WEIRD," well, you can take it to the bank.
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4 stars
After Kamala announced her candidacy for president of the united states I wanted to learn more about her. She does talk about her childhood but she doesnt talk about it alot, perhaps because it was fairly uneventful. Her mother was an activist, which led her to follow in her mother's footsteps. She talks about how her years as a public prosecutor shaped her thinking. I loved her ideas for reforming the criminal justice system and a plan for ex-criminals to enter back into society and I was glad to learn that she is an environmentalist. I was also glad that this was not a Trump-bashing book and the pages devoted to his election were just a few. I am just tired of hearing about him and wanted to know that that is not the only reason she is running. It will be interesting to see how her presidential candidacy turns out.
Biography, Autobiography, Memoir
Books mentioned in this topic
Becoming (other topics)The Truths We Hold: An American Journey (other topics)
My Life with Martin Luther King, Jr. (other topics)
Mrs. Sherlock Holmes (other topics)
Mrs. Sherlock Holmes (other topics)
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The challenge for February will be:
Read any nonfiction book about a political figure (any country).