recommend an autobiography..

sporina

i wanna read about someone who has achieved the unattainable, or someone who has succeeded in spite of all odds.. or just someone who makes you proud to be human.. i wanna be inspired/shocked by what marvelous creatures we can be.. any recommendations?

Chucken

A Stolen Life: A Memoir
by: Jaycee Dugard

Typer Monkey

Michael J Fox: Lucky Man is an excellent read. I was a fan anyway but the way he came to terms with his Parkinson's Disease was inspiring

Tombo2001

A Personal History by Katherine Graham.

Why.

Very good writing.

Hits many of the key moments in American 20th Century History.
The family was owner of the Washington Post, so she was very close to Watergate, the Kennedy's, LBJ. Her father was chairman of the Federal Reserve during the 1930s and one of the wealthiest Americans at the time, so the parts about her childhood are fascinating.

Personal story also very interesting, her husbans life, her experiences as the only female CEO in a male dominated business world in the 1950s and 1960s.

Winner of Pulitzer prize 1998.

OP......please do give us a clue. Dont turn around after i write this and say "not really interested in that sort of thing, more into pop music/ sports/ whatever".

Tuesday13

'A long way gone' - A harrowing and humbling tale of a child soldier in Sierre Leone in the early/mid 90's

drumbear

Call me Elizabeth, a sad story about the struggles of a woman to create the perfect home for her family by selling her body and the aftermath.

Nody

Mad, Bad and Dangerous to know; the life story of the world's greatest adventurer still living today (climbed Mount Everest at age of 72 etc.).

sporina

cool - thanks for the recommendations..

but what about something a little less morbid - like about someone inspirational?

Nody

sporina wrote: »

cool - thanks for the recommendations..

but what about something a little less morbid - like about someone inspirational?

Personally I do find Sir Ranulph Fiennes life to be inspirational you can always try "God Grew Tired of Us" which is not the nicest book but does have a ton and half of inspiration.

dots03

"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!" by Richard Feynman.

Feynman was a Nobel Prize winning physicist and a very inspiring man (and a hero of mine). It's not a chronological autobiography as such, but each chapter covers a different period in his life. For example, one chapter describes his time at Los Alamos working on the Manhattan Project....but he talks mainly about how he refined his safe cracking skills. Another chapter looks at his time in brazil ...where he joins a samba band.

The man was a genius, but he also loved life and is a very inspiriational figure.

Check out some of his videos on youtube if you haven't heard of him to get an idea of what he was about.

Mardy Bum

Hitch 22 by Christopher Hitchens is a wonderful read regardless of whether you agree or disagree with his opinions.

Odysseus

Mad, Bad and Danergous to Know by Ran Finnes. Excellent read charting his life and his various expeditions.

mrwhimwham

An unusual one I know, but was given I am Jackie Chan by my father. Have read the book at least 5 times and still go back for an oul read every once in a while.

D-FENS

mrwhimwham wrote: »

I am Jackie Chan by my father.

Your Dad is Jackie Chan?! F*ckin cool!

Yavahnna

Paula by Isabel Allende! Check if you can get a translated version, it's originally in Spanish but it's great!!

Carawaystick

Chronicles Vol. 1
Bob Dylan

Swiper the fox

I read a really good book called Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand a few years ago, it's a biography of an American long distance runner from the wrong side of the tracks who had his career halted by WW11 and subsequently had the most unbelievable experiences during the war, interred in a Japanese POW camp where the commandant hated him, weeks spent floating on a raft in the pacific, has to be read to be believed.

If you are interested in sports Andre Agassi's book might be up your street. What fields are you particularly interested in?

sporina

Swiper the fox wrote: »

I read a really good book called Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand a few years ago, it's a biography of an American long distance runner from the wrong side of the tracks who had his career halted by WW11 and subsequently had the most unbelievable experiences during the war, interred in a Japanese POW camp where the commandant hated him, weeks spent floating on a raft in the pacific, has to be read to be believed.

If you are interested in sports Andre Agassi's book might be up your street. What fields are you particularly interested in?

wow now that sounds cool.

I guess he came out the other side?

I am not a big sports person but an athlete would be someone who for sure would tell a tale of courage, perseverance, .. all that sort of thing.

sporina

Tombo2001 wrote: »

A Personal History by Katherine Graham.

Why.

Very good writing.

Hits many of the key moments in American 20th Century History.
The family was owner of the Washington Post, so she was very close to Watergate, the Kennedy's, LBJ. Her father was chairman of the Federal Reserve during the 1930s and one of the wealthiest Americans at the time, so the parts about her childhood are fascinating.

Personal story also very interesting, her husbans life, her experiences as the only female CEO in a male dominated business world in the 1950s and 1960s.

Winner of Pulitzer prize 1998.

OP......please do give us a clue. Dont turn around after i write this and say "not really interested in that sort of thing, more into pop music/ sports/ whatever".

i am into people - people are my thing. So the background is only secondary to the main subject - which is people. How we behave to get to where we want to, to get out of situations we do not like; basically how we cope with situations that the world throws us into or out of.
I know a lot of such books would be about surviving situations of despair ie war and what not, but I would also like to know about those that might be just about people who have mad changes - positive changes, and not for profit - but just because they believe in doing good and had the courage and defiance to do so.

tHE vAGGABOND

Just finished Joseph Anton by Salman Rushdie, a great read, mainly about his "interesting" last 10 years or so

CiaranMcDCFC

Not Autobiographys but two best Biographies I have read are about Howard Hughes and Charles Lindberg.
Both achieved great things technically but both lost lots personally but fasinating reads. Howard Hughes life was probably as interesting as a life can get!

zombiepaw

Total Recall by Arnold Schwarzenegger. I found it quite inspirational and very funny too.

Mental Mickey

Slash's book is a good read. Some of it is quite funny.

Cavehill Red

The best three autobiographies I've ever read are, in ascending order:

3. A Postillion Struck by Lightning, Dirk Bogarde.

2. The Moon's a Balloon, David Niven.

1. Little Wilson and Big God (vol 1) and You've Had Your Time (vol 2), Anthony Burgess.

Odysseus

Cavehill Red wrote: »

The best three autobiographies I've ever read are, in ascending order:


2. The Moon's a Balloon, David Niven.

I have to say that is certainly one of the best autobiographies I ever read. It really is excellent, and he led such an interesting life.

Cavehill Red

Odysseus wrote: »

I have to say that is certainly one of the best autobiographies I ever read. It really is excellent, and he led such an interesting life.

Wonderfully written too.
If you liked it, you'd like the other two, I think.

[-0-]

http://www.amazon.com/Joseph-Anton-Memoir-Salman-Rushdie/dp/0812992784

Red About Town

Gerry Duffy's book is a good read. Quite inspiring too.

Who Dares, Runs: The Remarkable Story of a Man Who Went from 50 Lbs Overweight to Running 32 Marathons in 32 Consecutive Days

SuperInfinity

Get the audiobook An Autobiography of Charles Darwin for free off of Librivox.

I could not recommend it enough. It's quite short also but to the point, like most autobiographies should be.

Feelgood

Andre Agassi's autobiography is very good, even if you are not a big fan of tennis.

Richard Bransons losing my virginity is a good read too, though not strictly and autobiography.