Who wrote the best autobiography?

[chrisqqgx4]

It's another totally subjective choice, but I say David Niven's The Moon's a Balloon. The combination of humour (the daffodil!) and emotion (the death of his first wife) make me feel emotional. And there are precious few books that do that to me.

Second place to Stephen Fry's Moab is My Washpot. Can't name a third as it's not a genre I read much of. Recommendations gratefully received.

(edited for typo)

[Riddick]

Howard Stern, Private Parts

[chrisqqgx4]

I was also going to mention Raymond Chandler Speaking (OK, not strictly an autobiog.) and Jung Chang's Wild Swans but the literary might, wit and sheer genius of Stern must prevail. This thread is dead.:o

[JAR]

"If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor" by Bruce Campbell

"Seven Pillars of Wisdom" by T.E. Lawrence

[JAR]

Originally posted by Riddick
Howard Stern, Private Parts
I haven't read the book, but I really liked the movie.

[kittynh]

well, Winston Churchill, especially "My Early Life". It's funny and he comes across as so human and likable.


If you like David Niven, you'll LOVE Douglas Fairbanks, jr.

He's VERY funny,

"The Salad Days" contains information about his early years acting and his famous father

"A Hell of a War" has to be the funniest book by a war hero ever. You would hardly know he was highly decorated and put himself again and again in danger. He acts like he just sort of "fell" into these adventures and was scared out of his mind, but really, it would be too hard to tell everyone that he really DIDN'T want to go on that secret mission. He claimed people were constantly confusing his screen personality with his real personality and saying, "Boy, Doug, are you lucky! I was able to swing a spot for you on this secret landing in Italy. I knew you would just love to be in on it!" It's especially funny when he once was hiding out in Italy when he was recognized by an Italian civilian who owned a movie theatre and had lost money on one of his pictures.


Monica Dickens, "One Pair of Hands"
the granddaughter of Chareles Dickens decides to take jobs as a cook. Hilarity ensues, and it's true. Laugh out loud funny.

[hgc]

I don't read many memoirs, but Moving Violations: War Zones, Wheelchairs and Declarations of Independence (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0786881623/qid=1079162565/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-6088536-8668165?v=glance&s=books), by John Hockenberry was one of the best I've read. He's the wheelchair-bound reporter for CNBC/MSNBC (? - not sure any more). Why include the descriptor "wheelchair-bound" in front of his name? Read the book. It's an incredible story.

[Yahweh]

Antwone Fisher.

[Armi Shanks]

Spike Milligan's war memoirs. Apparently full of inaccuracies but who cares - hilarious stuff.

[Abdul Alhazred]

My Bondage and My Freedom (http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/DouMybo.html) by Frederick Douglass.

Public domain.

I read it on paper 30 years ago. You read it online now!

Pay particular attention to his life as an urban slave. You already know about most of the plantation stuff.

[Mark]

Ray Davies: X-Ray.

Simply because he managed to successfully pull off the notion of an "Unauthorized Autobiography." Brilliant.

[Igopogo]

I vote Benjamin Franklin's & Benvenuto Cellini's

[Brown]

The following are not strictly autobiographies but are stories of personal experiences spanning several years, and are excellent reading:

"All My Best Friends" by George Burns. Enjoyable as hell, full of insights, and surprisingly educational about the history of popular entertainment. I especially enjoyed reading this book aloud, and imitating all of the voices, including the slightly gravel-ly voice of George Burns. Unfortunately, I could never read the part about the death of Jack Benny aloud, because I would always get too choked up.

"Black Boy" by Richard Wright. One of my favorite books of all time. Few writers have the skill of expression that Richard Wright had, and Wright actually makes you see the events through his own eyes.

[EdipisReks]

Benjamin Franklin's is great.

[epepke]

Originally posted by JAR

I haven't read the book, but I really liked the movie.

It was good, wasn't it? It's really hard to play oneself in a drama Although it seems like it should be easy, it is incredibly difficult. But Stern did it brilliantly. And it couldn't have just been "being himself" because he had to play as he had been and how that changed.

[JAR]

Originally posted by epepke
It was good, wasn't it? It's really hard to play oneself in a drama Although it seems like it should be easy, it is incredibly difficult. But Stern did it brilliantly. And it couldn't have just been "being himself" because he had to play as he had been and how that changed.
It was very good. I saw it when I was still a teenager and I remember that my mother rented it after I confessed that I had a feeling that it was good and that I was curious about it and my mother than confessed that she thought the same about it and she rented it and me, my parents and my two brothers all really liked it.

[thrombus29]

Heddy Lamar-Ecstasy and me

Just because she invented the Cell phone (Kinda)

Klaus Kinski- All I need is Love.

Not totaly autobiographical but close, Jean Shepard- In God we trust, All others pay cash.

[TomStockholm]

Originally posted by chrisqqgx4
Moab is My Washpot[/i]. Can't name a third as it's not a genre I read much of. Recommendations gratefully received.

(edited for typo)

I agree on this one. Stephen Fry is (among other things) a great writer and also a great sceptic. Read his novel "The Hippopotomus" to see what I mean. He has also frequently mentioned that he is an huge admirer of Randi.

If you are looking for someone good for the next TAM (hopefully in Europe somewhere) then book Stephen Fry.


Otherwise I would recommend "The Informer" by IRA informer Sean O'Callaghan. Whatever your politics, and however truthful it may or may not be, it is a very well written good read.

[Rat]

For a great and fascinating life turned into a turgid and egotistical autobiography, I can't recommend Richard Wagner's 'My Life' highly enough.

Cheers,
Rat.

[Tanja]

Originally posted by Armi Shanks
Spike Milligan's war memoirs. Apparently full of inaccuracies but who cares - hilarious stuff.

I agree with you. I bought one of his war memoars almost by accident (actually, because it was on sale), and ended up reading all of them. He was very witty, and wrote in a way that was at the same time absurd, heartwarming and hillarious.

When I heard that he died (about two years ago I think), I cried. I never cried after any other public figure.

edited for silly spelling

[Tanja]

Originally posted by TomStockholm


I agree on this one. Stephen Fry is (among other things) a great writer and also a great sceptic. Read his novel "The Hippopotomus" to see what I mean. He has also frequently mentioned that he is an huge admirer of Randi.

If you are looking for someone good for the next TAM (hopefully in Europe somewhere) then book Stephen Fry.



I always admired him as a comedian, but never read any of his books. This might be an incentive. And you say he is an admirer of Randi? It would be great to see Fry talk about skepticism...

[mummymonkey]

I saw the title of the thread and thought of David Niven. Bring on the Empty Horses was also very good.

[The Central Scrutinizer]

Frank Zappa, The Real Frank Zappa Book (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0671705725/qid=1079493629/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-4296834-3671900?v=glance&s=books)

[Ian Osborne]

I've just started Karl Dönitz' Ten Years and Twenty Days, which is excellent. Highly recommended.

[Ladewig]

I enjoyed "Ish Kabibble: The Autobiography of Merwyn Bogue" but I cannot say it was among the best ever written. (He was a trumpet player for Kay Kaiser's orchestra)

Silliest autobiography cover goes to "Mr. T: an autobiography by Mr. T."

[Azazelbird]

I would second Richard Wright's Black Boy, particularly a copy of the restored text edition. Wright's individualism and his determination not to let his society keep him down are very impressive.

[whitefork]

The Book of my Life by Girolamo Cardano is very good, but Benvenuto Cellini's is truly in a class by itself. Talk about a renaissance man.

[CaptDrakes]

I loved reading Errol Flynn's 'My wicked wicked ways'. It's been rumored that some of it is untrue, but even if half of it is true it would have been a very interesting life.

[Ove]

It's another totally subjective choice, but I say David Niven's The Moon's a Balloon. The combination of humour (the daffodil!) and emotion (the death of his first wife) make me feel emotional. And there are precious few books that do that to me

Second that anytime, it's wonderfull. I don't know if it is out in English but Victor Borge's self biography "A Smile is the shortest distance between two people" has the same blend of sadness/fun (he was a jew and had to flee Denmark leaving his terminally ill mother behind in '41).

[COCT]

Interestingly, the current issue of the magazine The Believer (http://www.believermag.com/issues/march_2004/index.htm) (which has nothing to do with religious beliefs or skepticism or anything, and everything to do with literature, despite what the name seems to suggest) has an article all about Autobiographies of Inanimate Objects.

The article is titled "You and Your Dumb Friends" subtitled "What we might glean from the autobiographies of animals and the memoirs of inanimate objects."

This is how the article begins:

I am perfectly willing to read celebrity memoirs, but only if they conclude with a crowd of children smashing the author over the head witn an iron poker. Then, ideally, he should burst into flames. That, at least, is how one of my favorite Victorian autobiographies ends, and a most satisfying conclusion it is, too.
He's talking about The Autobiography of a Lump of Coal (1870) by Annie Carey.

It's a really interesting article. I recommend picking up a copy of the magazine.

COCT

[rikzilla]

The Autobiography of Henry VIII
with notes by his fool, Will Somers

;)

Very cool book....who knew the King kept such detailled journals?
;)

[Aoidoi]

Chuck Yeager's autobiography was excellent (name currently escapes me). More from the material to work with than the writing, but a great read regardless. His second one was interesting (it was all stories from friends/relatives/etc., not sure if that's really an autobiography) but I didn't find it as good. Though reading his wife's views of some things was pretty interesting in contrast. ;)

Jesse Ventura had a surprisingly good autobiography as well. Any guy who gets elected as governor with an autobiography out where he freely admits to visiting brothels while in the SEALs in SE Asia has GOT to be an interesting read. :D

Some interesting comments on his wrestling and movie career, as well. Surprisingly good read (picked it up in a book store in MN out of sheer randomness).

[Ove]

Chuck Yeager's autobiography was excellent (name currently escapes me).

It was quite cunningly called "Yeager".:D

And yes, it was brilliant.;)

[Colloden]

“Who on earth is Tom Baker ?”
The autobiography of the man you probably know best as the fourth DrWho (curls, teeth and scarf) or Wyvern from the latest version of Randal and Hopkirk (Deseased). Being a monk, suicide, drink, DrWho, drink, marrage, devorce and finding comfort in having a man he hated die in his arms.

He’s had an interesting life – poor sod.

[Mr. Skinny]

Originally posted by Aoidoi
Chuck Yeager's autobiography was excellent (name currently escapes me).
I enjoyed the book also. Yeager was one gutsy guy.

I actually got to meet him once (I think it was about 1989 or 1990) when I went on a trip to Edwards AFB. He was the featured speaker at a luncheon I attended.

Even though he was retired, the AF still let him come to Edwards and fly whenever he wanted.

Interesting speaker, and a very personable gentleman.

[Brown]

Originally posted by Mr. Skinny

I enjoyed the book also. Yeager was one gutsy guy.

I actually got to meet him once (I think it was about 1989 or 1990) when I went on a trip to Edwards AFB. He was the featured speaker at a luncheon I attended.

Even though he was retired, the AF still let him come to Edwards and fly whenever he wanted.

Interesting speaker, and a very personable gentleman. I enjoyed Yeager's book also. At times it seemed a tad too folksy for me, but on the whole it was pretty good. There were so many similarities to Yeager's book ("Yeager") and Tom Wolfe's "The Right Stuff" that it's hard to escape the notion that Yeager was one of Wolfe's main sources.

I've never met the man, but one of my friends has. In the course of visiting with him, she found that Yeager felt that women should not work, but should stay at home and raise the kids, period. She said she was surprised by such a blatantly sexist attitude, especially in this day and age. (Yeager, incidentally, was best friends with two of the most liberated women of his day, Jaqueline Cochrane and Pancho Barnes. Each was a famous aviatrix in her own right, and they each hated the other... but they liked Yeager.)

[S. D. Youngren]

Originally posted by Colloden
“Who on earth is Tom Baker ?”


I had no idea he had an autobiography. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

[S. D. Youngren]

I'm not sure what book I would nominate, by the way; I'll have to think about it (I read more biographies than autobiographies). Husband is currently reading Frank Muir's, A Kentish Lad, which I confess to having given him; he's been enjoying it, and I've been enjoying the snippets he's read me.