I had this thought today when I read in a book that one of the engineers working on the Titanic expedition has an autobiography. So it got me thinking...
I understand biographies. I'm interested in reading one on Judy Garland and one on Teddy Roosevelt in the relatively near future. Biographies are generally researched and written by an objective third party, by someone who may be a fan, or may be a family member, but isn't the person themselves. That makes sense to me, particularly if the person being written about has done something worthwhile in their lives, or has some sort of fascinating experience.
But I'm curious about autobiographies. When one looks at one's life, what type of personality does it take to say "heck, I should write an autobiography! I'm the coolest, people want to know about me!" Doesn't it take a certain amount of arrogance to believe that your life is worthy of a full autobiography?
This always has irked me. Barack Obama has 2 memoirs...for 47 years of his life...just sayin...
I totally agree. Some of the most arrogant people have written memoirs and autobiographies: Sarah Palin (46 yrs old), Michael Graham, G. W. & Laura Bush, Susan Boyle, Keith Richards, Cybill Shephard, Ricky Martin, etc. Russell Brand's written at least 2, for Pete's sake.
ReplyDeleteAlthough, I'll admit there are some autobiographies out there with some real value, written by people who know that they've experienced things that the world needs to or would want to hear. The most interesting are those that have lifted themselves up against bad odds to better themselves and/or society. For example Frank McCourt, Booker T. Washington, Elizabeth Gilbert, and a certain politician that we both disagree about.
I think that, as with ANY genre, there are lots of books written for reasons of arrogance or profits. But there are some real gems out there. You just have to shift through all the crap to find it.
Thanks for an interesting topic to ponder. :)