What good biographies/autobiographies have you read..?

[Kathleen04]

About anyone that you found interesting, political or not? :)

[opiate69]

1. If you like 14th Century Eastern European politics...

Dracula: Prince of Many Faces was a great read..

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0316286567/qid=1082245514/sr=1-4/ref=sr_1_4/002-4930584-2859212?v=glance&s=books

[morningglory]

8. Ecology of a Cracker Childhood by Janisse Ray

Wonderful read. Much humor and observations on the marvels of nature in the Georgia pine woods, and growing up poor.

[JohnKleeb]

2. Robert Kennedy and his times

[flowomo]

3. "The Man Who Knew Infinity:

A Life of the Genius Ramanujan" by Robert Kanigel

And, "The Tristan Chord: Wagner and Philosophy" -- a wonderful book about Richard Wagner -- by Bryan Magee

I can't recommend these highly enough.

[Parrcrow]

4. Robert Caro's biography of Lyndon Johnson

Fascinating work. It seems to be a real love/hate piece of work on this extremely complex president. It is at times a little bit petty. Three volumes so far and he's not even Vice-President yet.

Stephen Ambrose's three volume bio of Nixon is also fantastic. Volume two covers the watergate period and is, I think, the best book on that subject.

[Leilani]

7. I agree on Robert Caro

I have read the first 2 volumes, & they are amazing.

Mornings on Horseback, by McCollough? about Teddy Roosevelt is wonderful.

Also loved Eleanor & Franklin.

[DODI]

5. Zelda by Nancy Milford

about Zelda Fitzgerald.

[fudge stripe cookays]

6. Florence Harding

I can't remember the author.

I had no idea about her.

Fascinating, very complex woman. She had a majorly domineering father, and wanted to escape from him so she had an illegitimate child (in the 1890s!) and married the father (who eventually died an alcoholic). She taught piano to make ends meet.

She was the power behind Warren. She pushed his ass all the way through Ohio politics and into the White House.

Along the way, she put up with more infidelities than Hillary ever dreamed of, several resulting in children out of wedlock.

And it does address the whole "did she poison him" issue. Supposedly, Harding was the first president to visit Alaska during a western tour. While there, he apparently ate some tainted crab (which just made other folks nauseous), but he had a bad heart, and it killed him. But not until several days later after they'd reached San Francisco.

[Nailzberg]

9. Royko

nuff said.

[bobbieinok]

10. several

Catherine Drinker Bowen

...Yankee from Olympus - about supreme court justice Holmes

...also her Miracle at Philadelphia - about the Constitutional Convention

A Man Called White - by one of founders of NAACP; he could pass for white so he often investigated crimes vs blacks in the south

The Autobiography of William Allen White

...one of the most famous newspaper editors of all time

...from Emporia KS 19th - 20th century

...his eulogy on his daughter's death in the 1920s was in our jr (sr?) hi English text

.......http://www.kshs.org/cool2/marywhit.htm

[Kathleen04]

11. shamless self-kick

:kick: