Autobiography Recommendations

[Tinsel]

Hi There

I love autobiographies but I can't think of who I would like to read about. Tell me which books you recommend. Which books made you go 'wow'.

Thanks

[PollyA]

Fred Hollows
A Hospital By the River
Will think more and get back to you, Love a good autobiography

[AnyDream]

It's not about the bike by Lance Armstrong ...fantastic read and I"m not even remotely interested in cycling LOL.

Mao's last dancer - Li Cunxin

[ladybird11]

thanks MD - I was thinking about reading that :-)

I've read:
Lindy Chamberlains (800 pages, but I loved it)
Marilyn Monroe
Michael Hutchence
Victoria Beckham
Richard Branson
and I'm sure there are others but I can't think of them...

Oh, Nelson Mandela's too.

Lindy gets my top pick though!

[feeb]

The White Masai
Back from Africa
Reunion in Barasloi (all by Corrine Hofmann) awesome reads

Hospital by the river

Dr Chris O'briens is ment to be great

[Jewel]

I agree the Lance Armstrong one is really good. I wanna read the Dr Chris O'Brien one too.

Sorry I don't have any to add. I'm getting ideas from this thread too.

[danniellabella]

Mao's last dancer - Li Cunxin

I loved this book and highly recommend it. I was really disappointed in the movie version though.

[Laranna]

It's not about the bike by Lance Armstrong ...fantastic read and I"m not even remotely interested in cycling LOL.

I'm currently reading this one and it's awesome!

[Tinsel]

Wonderful! Thanks for the recommendations. I am ordering from a second hand bookstore and they don't have all the above but I have the Lance Armstrong book on order and Never Say Die by Chris O'Brien. I think the Lindy Chamberlain book might tip my shipping costs over

I will definitely keep this thread handy for future reference.

[~me~]

Nelson Mandela - Long Walk to Freedom

A Woman of Independance - Kirsty Sword Gusmao

Various versions of Marilyn Monroe
Vivien Leigh

I am a big autobiographer reader..love them!

[Roryrory]

"A Fortunate Life" by AB Facey is an Australian classic. Are you particularly after autobiographies, or do you life biographies as well? If you don't mind biographies, there is one about Germaine Greer which is a ripper!

[meow]

I love autobios too! Some great recs in here that I haven't read- thanks!

I love some of the ones mentioned and some others to add:

Wild Swans -3 gens of women in china
The Glass Castle- a woman in the US about her family life growing up in poverty
A Child Called It- distressing story of extreme child abuse
I, Phoolan Devi - indian woman of low caste (not many books from this class of society- she dictated the story as she is illiterate)
Cave In The Snow- UK woman who becomes a buddist nun
When World's Collide - australian woman who survives a violent rape
Sunshine on my Shoulders - australian woman dealing with agrophobia

[indie24]

Man in Black - Johnny Cash
There were a couple about Princess Grace that I found interesting
Prairie Tale - Melissa Gilbert
True Colors - Adam Gilchrist (I am a cricket nut)
If you like older actors Cary Grant had an interesting life.

[AnyDream]

Wild Swans -3 gens of women in china
...
I, Phoolan Devi - indian woman of low caste (not many books from this class of society- she dictated the story as she is illiterate)
Cave In The Snow- UK woman who becomes a buddist nun

Oh we must have such similar tastes!!! I was going to write about Wild Swans - fantastic fantastic read. Although I'm not sure it's strictly a biography?
I've also read Cave in the snow, so interesting!! Love when the snow leapord visits!
Also, if you enjoyed the Phoolan Devi story, you might be interested to know they did a movie about her about 15 years ago called "Bandit Queen" -- highly highly recommend it.

There's another that I'd like to read, something like Paper Cranes? Has anyone read that one?

[Rivlas]

I loved the Chris O'Brien story and hope someone will finish his next one.

[mummato1]

I also am a huge fan of autobiographies.. a few of my favourites

Running with Scissors - Augustine Burrows
As nature made him - John Colapinto (might be a bio actually, about a boy raised as a girl)
Will there really be a morning - Frances Farmer (actress)
Sickened - Julie Gregory (memior of a munchausen by proxy childhood)
In my Skin - Kate Holden (australian woman who was a prostitute on streets of St kilda)
Grace (bio) by Robert Lacey about Grace Kelly
A piece of cake by Cupcake Brown
God's call Girl - Carla Van Raay

hmm I have heaps more!

[megs]

I read Ray Martins and found that to be good,

My husband recently read Andre Agassi's bio titled Open, he isn't a big reader but he loved it and spent our 2 week holiday sneaking off from the kids so he could keep reading, so it must have been good.... either that or he just gave me an excuse as to why he wasn't watching them.

[miss.cinders]

Shattered Dreams - My life as a polygamists wife by Irene Spencer
Loved it! Makes you realise the strength some women have.