I've been on a big reading kick lately. And, of all things, reading biographies! It all started one day I was at work with mom--she works in a high school library--and I was just looking on the shelves and saw a biography on Joan of Arc. If you go to/went to Longwood, you'll know that I had to pick it up and least skim through it. Well, I read about twenty pages and I just could not keep going. No offense, to Longwood's patron saint, but those first twenty pages were so boring and I just could not get through it! I took it back to the shelf and saw a John F. Kennedy biography. I wrote about that book here, but after finishing it, I went to the county library and picked up five new biographies. I finished them all in a about a week and a half. They were so good! As soon as I finished those (and took pictures for this post...), I went back to the library and picked up five different ones, which I'm currently in the middle of reading.
I have no idea why there's the sudden interest in reading biographies. I remember in middle school I had to read a biography about Abraham Lincoln for summer reading, and I didn't like it one bit. It probably mostly had to do with the fact that it was REQUIRED reading and not just something I wanted to do for fun.
So, the first five biographies/autobiographies I picked up were:
This biography about Madam C. J. Walker was a great look at how someone can really make a life for themselves, starting from pretty much nothing. It could be great inspiration for anyone who might think they can't do something.
-She created her own hair care products for African-American women, so they could have the 'long, silky' hair like white women. She later created her own cosmetics, too.
-She gave other women opportunities to be successful by teaching them about her products and hiring them to sell.
-She started got the name of Mrs. C. J. Walker after marrying Charles Joseph Walker. Even after they divorced, she used the name Madam C. J. Walker for her business.
This book was probably the slowest of all five books, which is kind of ironic as it is also the smallest! I really wanted to read about the real Marty McFly, and even though it took a while to get into, it was still really good!
-Short random fact: did you know Michael J. Fox was from Canada? I didn't.
-As many know, Michael J. Fox has Parkinson's Disease. It was really interesting to read his description of doing things while dealing with the symptoms of this disease.
-The Prologue of this book was the best ever. The scenario he tells was one we had JUST discused in Sunday School a couple days earlier. When I started reading it, it was literally one of those moments were I just stared at the page with my mouth open!
Tina Fey......seriously, this book is hilarious! Her sense of humor in her writing helped me getting through this book with ease!
-She looks very similar to Sarah Palin...of course, we all know that! But did you know, Tina Fey didn't want to do the Sarah Palin skits on SNL initially?
-I love all the references to SNL cast members, because now when I watch SNL, I feel like I know them, haha. (Jimmy Fallon from the old Weekend Update w/ Tina Fey; Seth Meyers from the new Weekend Update.........you can see what my favorite SNL sketch is right?).
How could you NOT love Betty White? This biography was HILARIOUS and I couldn't put it down. I finished it in less than 24 hours!
-Betty White loves animals!
-She has a room full of stuffed animals, and she says "hello" and "goodbye" to them every time she enters or leaves.
-A favorite quote from this book: "If one has no sense of humor, one is in trouble." You know what they say- "laughter is the best medicine!"
This was such an interesting read and such a realistic insight to what really goes on overseas, and how it affects families back home.
I don't really want to put any bullet points for this one, because I feel like you really have to read the book to appreciate all the information and details.
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