Best Biographies
What are the best in-depth biographies?
(Please exclude Memoirs/Autobiographies. You can find many lists for those books, including this one.)
(Please exclude Memoirs/Autobiographies. You can find many lists for those books, including this one.)
Tags:
autobiography, biography, conquerors, heroes, history, memoir, memoirs, politics, womens-history, womens-studies
Comments Showing 1-50 of 66 (66 new)
message 1:
by
Shashi
(new)
Dec 25, 2012 10:50PM
![Shashi Jakhar](http://web.archive.org./web/20220703010251im_/https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1356502719p1/15779074.jpg)
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![Katrina](http://web.archive.org./web/20220703010251im_/https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1348964998p1/1969587.jpg)
![Jessica](http://web.archive.org./web/20220703010251im_/https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1268901139p1/603238.jpg)
![Mj](http://web.archive.org./web/20220703010251im_/https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1323026745p1/5706631.jpg)
![Mj](http://web.archive.org./web/20220703010251im_/https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1323026745p1/5706631.jpg)
http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/28..."
Thanks for the info.
![Stephanie](http://web.archive.org./web/20220703010251im_/https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1296879444p1/3882912.jpg)
The Help (#38) isn't non-fiction...actually there are several after #100 that aren't non-fiction
![Susanna - Censored by GoodReads](http://web.archive.org./web/20220703010251im_/https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1208973046p1/1109068.jpg)
Batman: Haunted Knight, by Jeph Loeb
The Shack, by William Paul Young
The Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
One Good Dog, by Susan Wilson
Beloved, by Toni Morrison
Moby-Dick, by Herman Melville
Someone Knows My Name: A Novel, by Lawrence Hill
One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd, by Jim Fergus
Breakfast at Tiffany's, by Truman Capote
The Red Tent: A Novel, by Anita Diamant
Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand
The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand
I Know This Much is True, by Wally Lamb
The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold
The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini
Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen
The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd
Half Broke Horses, by Jeanette Walls
Memoirs of a Geisha, by Arthur Golden
The Notebook, by Nicholas Sparks
11/22/63, by Stephen King
The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath
Also, there are several memoirs. You want me to remove them, Jessica?
![Jan C](http://web.archive.org./web/20220703010251im_/https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1654109964p1/1855321.jpg)
![Susanna - Censored by GoodReads](http://web.archive.org./web/20220703010251im_/https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1208973046p1/1109068.jpg)
Rush to Destiny, by L.J. Martin (historical fiction)
Failure Is Not an Option, by Gene Krantz (memoir)
The Diary of Anne Frank (memoir)
The Five People You Meet in Heaven, by Mitch Albom (novel)
Hit Man: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling, by Bret Hart (memoir)
A Backward Glance: An Autobiography, by Edith Wharton (autobiography)
The Power of Positive Thinking, by Norman Vincent Peale (self-help)
Bigger Than Hitler - Better Than Christ, by Rik Mayall (autobiography)
Yes, Chef: A Memoir, by Marcus Samuelsson (memoir)
Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert (memoir)
Control Switch On, by Ira Teller (either fiction or memoir)
Neglected but Undefeated: "The Life of a Boy Who Never Knew a Mother's Love," by Jonathan Anthony Burkett (autobiography)
The Road Less Traveled, by M. Scott Peck (self-help)
Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang, by Chelsea Handler (comedic memoir)
Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea, by Chelsea Handler (comedic memoir)
Angela's Ashes, by Frank McCourt (memoir)
Left several on which I have mixed mind about, such as 1776, At Dawn We Slept, and Quiet.
![LindaJ^](http://web.archive.org./web/20220703010251im_/https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1486929124p1/4999879.jpg)
![Katrina](http://web.archive.org./web/20220703010251im_/https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1348964998p1/1969587.jpg)
Rush To Destiny by L.J. Martin (again! fiction)
Bossypants by Tina Fey (autobiography/memoir)
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey (self help)
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie (self-help)
Life by Keith Richards (autobiography)
Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali (memoir)
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg (self-help)
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a ... by Susan Cain (self-help)
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman (psychology)
Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by Jenny Lawson (memoir)
The Tears Ive Cried: A Personal Memoir by Makaila Renee (memoir)
Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No, to Take Control of Your Life by Henry Cloud, John Sims Townsend (self-help)
The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X (autobiography)
بيكاسو وستاربكس by ياسر حارب (shelves list as self-help/literature/philosophy)
The Price Of My Soul by Bernadette Devlin (autobiography)
All Marketers Are Liars: The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low-Trust World by Seth Godin (self-help)
Chatterton by Peter Ackroyd (historical fiction)
Hey, Wait a Minute by John Madden (memoir)
Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else by Geoff Colvin (self-help)
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen (self-help)
Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki (business/self-help)
The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb (economics)
How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer (psychology)
The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness by Dave Ramsey (self-help)
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill (business/self-help)
Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's by John Elder Robison (memoir)
Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher (memoir)
![Katrina](http://web.archive.org./web/20220703010251im_/https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1348964998p1/1969587.jpg)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (fiction)
A Child Called It by David Pelzer (autobiography/memoir)
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (fiction)
WROTE THE BOOK, MADE THE MOVIE, RAISE... by Shamim Sarif (memoir)
Rush To Destiny by L.J. Martin (yep, it's still fiction)
Virals by Kathy Reichs (fiction)
One For The Money by Janet Evanovich (fiction)
The Art Book by Phaidon Press (art)
The 20th Century Art Book by Phaidon Press (art)
Chatterton by Peter Ackroyd (fiction)
The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie (fiction)
![Donna Davis](http://web.archive.org./web/20220703010251im_/https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1382848193p1/11510694.jpg)
![Donna Davis](http://web.archive.org./web/20220703010251im_/https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1382848193p1/11510694.jpg)
![Donna Davis](http://web.archive.org./web/20220703010251im_/https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1382848193p1/11510694.jpg)
![Donna Davis](http://web.archive.org./web/20220703010251im_/https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1382848193p1/11510694.jpg)
Helter Skelter a story about several people killing several other people, but not a biography
The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts On Record, by Barrack Obama (autobiography or memoir)
Bring on the Empty Horses, by David Niven memoir
Long Walk to Freedom, by Nelson Mandela autobiography
The Story of My Experiments with Truth, by Ghandi (I think I have to assume this is either memoir or autobiography, given the word "My" in the title)
Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt, by Eleanor Roosevelt
Marley and Me
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
![Katrina](http://web.archive.org./web/20220703010251im_/https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1348964998p1/1969587.jpg)
Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan (fiction)
On Writing by Stephen King (memoir)
The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers (fiction)
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (fiction)
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson (memoir)
Decision Points by George W. Bush (memoir)
Harpo Speaks! by Harpo Marx (memoir)
Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art by Scott McCloud (art)
Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles (fiction)
Naked by David Sedaris (memoir)
The First Days by Rhiannon Frater (fiction)
Open by Andre Agassi (memoir)
![Donna Davis](http://web.archive.org./web/20220703010251im_/https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1382848193p1/11510694.jpg)
It may shift positions, but the title begins with "At Canaan's Edge:" and the rest is above. Can someone who is able, please zap it?
![Katrina](http://web.archive.org./web/20220703010251im_/https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1348964998p1/1969587.jpg)
However, I note that book's page states it's a National Book Critics Circle Award Nominee for Biography - so I'm not confident to delete as I haven't read it myself.
![Mj](http://web.archive.org./web/20220703010251im_/https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1323026745p1/5706631.jpg)
So far however all I have seen is what books that should be taken off or have been taken off.
I have also seen the vote counts mounting.
What I would love to see are comments about "why someone has chosen a specific book for the best biography." I know I could look at which bio has the most votes but when choosing a book, the reason or the why is usually what motivates me, not the numbers.
If anyone who has vote already or who will wote in the future would care to add the reason they have picked this particular biography as the best, it would be much appreciated.
![Donna Davis](http://web.archive.org./web/20220703010251im_/https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1382848193p1/11510694.jpg)
I feel most capable of judging, if it is a book I have read. Here's another teaser: the book on James Herriot has the word "Memoir" in the title, but it is "a memoir of my father", so although maybe it's mistitled, one can't say it's misplaced, provided that the son did the writing. Tricky business.
![Donna Davis](http://web.archive.org./web/20220703010251im_/https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1382848193p1/11510694.jpg)
My own first 3 were almost a tie. I added comments to my own votes, MJ, but for you, here is a more complete accounting. You can read the first, or all three, which I consider to be a virtual tie. They are Trotsky; John Brown; WEB Du Bois,who wrote about John Brown; and General William Tecumseh Sherman all big-deal heroes of mine. Trotsky was co-leader of the Russian Revolution alongside Lenin. I don't agree with all of his ideas, but the most critical difference between him and Stalin was the importance of free and open discussion. If you don't like someone's ideas, you don't shout them down or arrest them; you out-argue them. If your own ideas are sound, there is nothing to be feared by debate. Had Lenin been younger and not died at such a critical time, the world might be a very different place.
John Brown is portrayed in the history books at public schools where I taught as a crazy guy with good intentions (but I told my students that the book is wrong there, and referred them to Lies My Teachers Told Me). WEB DuBois, a free Black man before and during the American Civil War who wrote The Souls of Black Folk, is the lone voice that speaks up in his defense, and it is an eloquent voice that will not be denied. For many, many years, where Caucasian families in the USA had a portrait of George Washington hanging over the fireplace, many Black families had a painting or drawing of John Brown,the first Caucasian to fight and die for the rights of Black folks in the U.S.
Finally, W.T. Sherman, a highly controversial general, is my favorite US general of all time. He was principled,talented, unafraid, and quite sane,despite some nervous habits during periods of inactivity and hostile press reports (he hated the press passionately, and indeed, more than once the Northern press found out what his next military move was, printed it before he did it, and thus delivered his plan to the enemy)!
Several respected sources noted that Hart's biography of Sherman was the best and least biased account of his military career, and indeed, since Hart was British, he had neither a Southern nor Northern perspective to defend. I am reading Sherman's memoir now, and the voice and courage he shows makes me want to stand up and cheer, but as biographies go, Hart's is one that I find truly remarkable, and greatly enjoyable.
While I'm being windy, I will add that I am really glad we had this list even though there was another,as has been pointed out, that included biographies, autobiographies,and memoirs all together. Before voting on this list, I was unaware to what extent I read memoirs and autobiographies rather than biographies, so this gave me some insight into my own habits, for what that's worth. I am glad it's here.
![Mj](http://web.archive.org./web/20220703010251im_/https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1323026745p1/5706631.jpg)
Thanks Donna for taking time to do this. A big help was also letting me know that if I clicked on the people voted part, that the voters who added comments about their votes would also be displayed. Thanks again.
![Katrina](http://web.archive.org./web/20220703010251im_/https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1348964998p1/1969587.jpg)
The Price of Deception by Simangele Kekana (erotica / fiction)
Through a Dog's Eyes: by Jennifer Arnold (dog research)
Anything Goes: My Autobiography by John Barrowman (autobiography)
Growing Up Amish: A Memoir by Ira Wagler (memoir)
![Donna Davis](http://web.archive.org./web/20220703010251im_/https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1382848193p1/11510694.jpg)
![Donna Davis](http://web.archive.org./web/20220703010251im_/https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1382848193p1/11510694.jpg)
Diary of Anne Frank (diary)
The Story of My Experiments With Truth
by Mahatma Gandhi (memoir or autobio)
the autobiography of Ida B Wells
Mrs. Kennedy and Me--A Memoir
Andy Roo--a children's book about a long legged puppy.Whimsy has its place, but this isn't a biography.
Thunder Dog--it's a memoir written by the dog's owner, who is blind.
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! by Feynman. Memoir.
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
Yes, Mr. Bronson: Memoirs of a Bum Actor
I had the strange experience of adding the following to my to-read list before deleting it, because it's a memoir:
They Poured Fire On Us from the Sky
I had wondered about 1776, but checked and it is regarded by many as a biography of Washington, so fine.
Did not remove (doubts) but question:
Is any book about numerous people really a biography?
Also these:
Three Cups of Tea (sure looks like a memoir)
Imperfect, Improbable Life
To other librarians: I don't have the page #s for those I question above, and with the list being relatively short, they keep changing anyway...hope someone can suss these out.
Thanks to all who added some really strong biographies; gave me more for my to-read list.
PS Primal scream. "Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water". Removed The Making of the Panama Canal etc. Just because McCullough writes it, does not make it a biography! And it wasn't. DONE.
![Donna Davis](http://web.archive.org./web/20220703010251im_/https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1382848193p1/11510694.jpg)
Question and will leave to the list-maker or perhaps a super-librarian: #146, which appears to be a college football story of 3 athletes during a finite time, but so little other data was available that I didn't touch it lest I be wrong;
and #160 Lives of the Artists: again, can a biography be about a series of subjects? If each chapter is about a different person, do we regard it as a series of small biographies, or does it belong in a listopia of collected works? Again, someone higher up the food chain (or braver) than I must decide.
![LindaJ^](http://web.archive.org./web/20220703010251im_/https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1486929124p1/4999879.jpg)
![Donna Davis](http://web.archive.org./web/20220703010251im_/https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1382848193p1/11510694.jpg)
Thank you!!!
![Mark](http://web.archive.org./web/20220703010251im_/https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1399004146p1/31041884.jpg)
![Delita](http://web.archive.org./web/20220703010251im_/https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_25x33-ccd24e68f4773d33a41ce08c3a34892e.png)
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
by Laura Hillenbrand
Sad to see entertainment listed as a biography (you are kidding, right?)…
A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail
by Bill Bryson
Looking forward to my own most recent “want to” and addition here…
Bully!: The Life and Times of Theodore Roosevelt: Illustrated with More Than 250 Vintage Political Cartoons
By Rick Marschall
![Yris Bermúdez](http://web.archive.org./web/20220703010251im_/https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_25x33-ccd24e68f4773d33a41ce08c3a34892e.png)
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