Which do you prefer? Biographies written about someone? Or Autobiographies written by the actual person (and/or ghost-writer)?I read a lot of non-fiction, and I don't think I've ever read a biography. For some reason I tend to think of these as the celebrity tell all books, and I usually try to stay away from that kind of sensationalism.
Autobiographies work the best for me because I'd much prefer to hear the story directly from the source. In this type of story you get the feelings along with the events, and that makes the story much more complete.
4 comments:
Interesting response! I do love biographies, mainly because it's so interesting to think about one person's circumstances and choices.
I agree with you on the autobiographies, as long as they are telling the truth. I like hearing about their personal reactions and feelings. On the other hand, biographies may be a bit more factual.
Both have their ups and Downs. I prefer memoirs.
Booking through Biographies/Autobiographies
That's funny, I love biographies and frequently read them, along with history. I'm currently reading "A Traitor to His Class," by H.W. Brands, a new life of FDR, and coming up in my TBR pile is "Brothers In Arms," a joint biography of the Kennedy brothers and the Castro brothers.
And, I generally don't get much out of autobiography. It's the rare person who is frank and honest enough about their own lives to do it up right, and when run through the inevitable ghostwriter I often find them bland. There are exceptions of course. Some show business ones are fun to read -- I loved Michael Caine's a few years back!
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