Modern biography

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Jennifer books 85 friends. B books 0 friends. Joan books 15 friends. Post a comment ». Mar 02, PM. Too many books on this list are not biographies or memoirs. The Catcher in the Rye is a lovely book but it's fiction. Likewise The Great Gatsby. Historical biographies also give the spotlight to people who died without ever getting the recognition they deserved, such as The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

When a group of people share unique characteristics, they can be the topic of a collective biography. These imagined biographies, while often whimsical, still respect the form in that they depend heavily on facts when creating setting, plot, and characters. Subscribe to get articles about writing, adding to your TBR pile, and simply content we feel is worth sharing.

Modern biography

And yes, also sign up to be the first to hear about giveaways, our acquisitions, and exclusives! Step 1 of 8. What Is a Biography? By Jessica Dukes. Learning from the experiences of others is what makes us human. Share with your friends. Related Articles. From comfort foods and vegan dinners to right-off-the-menu restaurant re-creations, our full-course menu of the best cookbooks around will satisfy your cravings.

Read More. From bestselling family dramas and beguiling Southern mysteries to acclaimed psychological thrillers, we pulled together the best fiction book gifts to give this holiday season. From award-winning true crime narratives and acclaimed essay collections to uproariously funny memoirs, here are the best nonfiction book gifts to give this holiday season.

Celadon delivered. You can withdraw your consent at any modern biography. See Macmillan Privacy Notice. Terms of Use. Sign up for the Celadon Books newsletter. Privacy Notice. A prolific essayist, short story writer, and novelist, Hurston turned her hand to biographical writing in with this incredible work, kept under lock and key until it was published A dexterous balance of in-depth research and intimately drawn details makes this biography a perfect tribute to the mercurial man who led Britain through World War II.

Just what those circumstances are occupies much of Bodanis's book, which pays homage to Einstein and, just as important, to predecessors such as Maxwell, Faraday, and Lavoisier, who are not as well known as Einstein today. Without sliding into easy psychobiography, Bodanis explores other circumstances as well; namely, Einstein's background and character, which combined with a sterling intelligence to afford him an idiosyncratic view of the way things work--a view that would change the world.

From the origins and development of its individual elements energy, mass, and light to their ramifications in the twentieth century, Bodanis turns what could be an extremely dry subject into engaging fare for readers of all stripes. When Enrique was modern biography five years old, his mother left Honduras for the United States, promising a quick return.

And while Kahlo no doubt endured a great deal of suffering a horrific accident when she was eighteen, a husband who had constant affairsthe focal point of the book is not her pain. Perhaps the most impressive biographical feat of the twenty-first century, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is about a woman whose cells completely changed the trajectory of modern medicine.

Five months later, McCandless was found emaciated and deceased in his shelter — but of what cause? Another mysterious explorer takes center stage in this gripping biography. Grann tells the story of Percy Fawcett, the archaeologist who vanished in the Amazon along with his son insupposedly in search of an ancient lost city. Titled after one of her most evocative poems, this shimmering bio of Sylvia Plath takes an unusual approach.

Instead of focusing on her years of depression and tempestuous marriage to poet Ted Hughes, it chronicles her life before she ever came to Cambridge. Wilson closely examines her modern biography family and relationships, feelings and experiences, with information taken from her meticulous diaries — setting a strong precedent for other Plath biographers to follow.

What if you had twenty-four different people living inside you, and you never knew which one was going to come out? Such was the life of Billy Milligan, the subject of this haunting biography by the author of Flowers for Algernon. Decorated scholar Andrew Roberts delves into the life of Napoleon Bonaparte, from his near-flawless military instincts to his complex and confusing relationship with his wife.

Lyndon Johnson might not seem as intriguing or scandalous as figures like Kennedy, Nixon, or W. Johnson himself was a surprisingly cunning figure, gradually maneuvering his way closer and closer to power. Finally, inhe got his greatest wish — but at what cost? Anyone who grew up reading Little House on the Prairie will surely be fascinated by this tell-all biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Could there be a more fitting title for a book about the husband-wife team who discovered radioactivity? What you may not know is that these nuclear pioneers also had a fascinating personal history. Marie Sklodowska met Pierre Curie when she came to work in his lab inand just a few years later they were married. Their passion for each other bled into their passion for their work, and vice-versa — and in almost no time at all, they were on their way to their first of their Nobel Prizes.

This appropriately lyrical biography of brilliant Jazz Age poet and renowned feminist, Edna St. Vincent Millay, is indeed a perfect balance of savage and beautiful. Another Gothic figure has been made newly known through this work, detailing the life of prolific horror and mystery writer Shirley Jackson. Author Ruth Franklin digs deep into the existence of the reclusive and mysterious Jackson, drawing penetrating comparisons between the true events of her life and the dark nature of her fiction.

Fans of Into the Wild and The Lost City of Z will find their next adventure fix in this book about Christopher Knight, a man who lived by himself in the Maine woods for almost thirty years. Olympic runner Louis Zamperini was just twenty-six when his US Army bomber crashed and burned in the Pacific, leaving him and two other men afloat on a raft for forty-seven days — only to be captured by the Japanese Navy and tortured as a POW for the next two and a half years.

According to Schiff, she was a genius in her own right, supporting Vladimir not only as his partner, but also as his all-around editor and translator. William Shakespeare is a notoriously slippery historical figure — no one really knows when he was born, what he looked like, or how many plays he wrote. If you're looking for more inspiring nonfiction, check out this list of 30 engaging self-help booksor this list of the last century's best memoirs!