There are few things as inspiring as a first-hand account of greatness. One of the best ways to learn about human nature and the world is through reading biographies and memoir books.
Whether the subject is your hero or someone about whom you are simply curious, each chapter reveals the struggles and challenges they faced along the way to make them the people they became.
If you are looking for a bit of inspiration, or if you just need a new book to read, there is probably something here for you.
Otis Redding: an Unfinished Life by author Jonathan Gould chronicles the too-short life of this musical genius from Georgia. He dives into the cultural and historical changes that led to the birth of soul music while delivering insightful descriptions of Redding’s live performances and recording sessions. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Redding’s death in a plane crash at the age of 26. This is a great tribute to this legendary musician.
Mark Lukach writes a riveting read with My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward: A Memoir. Newly married and looking forward to all life has to offer, his world crumbles when his 27-year-old wife suffers a terrifying and unexpected psychotic breakdown. Lukach takes us through the harrowing years of diagnosis, hospitalization, treatment and recovery. This book offers a personal insight into the caregiving side of the mentally ill and the struggles one faces to seek the best care for those we love.
Down Inside: Thirty Years In Canada’s Prison Service by Robert Clark details his time spent working for the Canadian Correctional Service, rising from student volunteer to deputy warden. This memoir gives one an inside look at Canada’s prison system as Clark writes about escapes, lockdowns, a riot, prisoner murders and suicides as well as his experience with solitary confinement. This book provides the reader with an authentic, unfiltered view of how prison staff perform their duties and how prisoners learn to survive. It held my attention from start to finish.
Fans of the iconic musician and singer Tony Bennett are in for a treat with his latest memoir, Just Getting Started. Co-written with Scott Simon, this book acknowledges the people who contributed to Bennett’s success, such as Charlie Chaplin, Judy Garland, Martin Luther King Jr., Amy Winehouse, Fred Astaire, Lady Gaga and members of his family. Bennett explains how each of them played vital roles in the shaping of the person he has become both musically and artistically. And at 90 years of age, this legend believes he is just getting started!
Manal al-Sharif, a women’s rights activist from Saudi Arabia, pens a gripping memoir in Daring to Drive: A Saudi Woman’s Awakening. She writes about living in a country where females are forbidden to talk with male colleagues, go on business trips, wear pants or drive a car. Daring to Drive covers the author’s difficult upbringing, her fight to be educated and all it took for her as a young Muslim woman to stand up to a kingdom of men. The book details the threats and accusations she received for her actions and her incredible strength and determination to never give up on what she truly believed in. An honest account of growing up female in a deeply conservative society.
Find these and other fascinating biographies at the Terry Fox Library.
A Good Read is a column by Tri-City librarians that is published on Wednesdays. Caroline Wandell works at Port Coquitlam’s Terry Fox Library.
