Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with biography

Other historical works like 1776?

kingjoeshmoe — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:13:43 -0800

I'd like to buy a book or books for someone who really liked 1776, by David McCullough, but who now wants to know more about the Revolutionary War. I'm looking for both (a) other books that expand on the time period of the revolutionary war in the same breezy style (the book, as implied by the name, stops at the end of 1776), and (b) books about other historical periods or persons that she might like. She's a fan of biographies and politics as well, and also a fan of Toni Morrison.

I'm not interested in buying other books by David McCullough, because I think someone else might buy her one of those, and I don't want to get the same book.

Last, as this is for a gift, I'm perfectly open if you think there's something else she might like that is not strictly a book. This is not my area of expertise. My books have dragons on the cover. Any help?

Jung for the Fool?

mccarty.tim — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:33:23 -0800

Good books on Carl Jung and the general history of psychology written for laypeople? Lately, NPR has been talking about the publishing of Carl Jung's Red Book, his private journal of sorts that he used to develop his theory of psychology and the collective unconscious. It sounds interesting, but the reprints cost $200 a piece, and I'm guessing I wouldn't be able to get much out of it if I didn't better understand Jung's theories. I don't know if I'd plan on ever reading the Red Book, but I'm definitely intrigued by what little I've heard about Jung.

Are there any good books written for laypeople about Jung and the transition away from Jung and Frued's theories to the more modern psychological methods like CBT? I'm fine with a biography of Jung, so long as it explains the theory well. I'm especially curious about the Jungian ideas of archetypes (I'm embarrassed to admit this is because I've been playing Persona 3 and thus learning a bit about the Tarot arcana lately).

Bonus points if the book is not too dry. I'm not looking for a book to try to definitively prove whether or not Jung was right. I get that his arguments were largely based on assumptions, and sometimes not even wrong. I'm just curious about how Jung relates to the history of psychology, what his theory was, and what his legacy is. I have a basic understanding of the general history because I took an Intro to Psychology course in college as an elective.

Other good books about psychology in general (not self help) would also be good if anything you recently read was great, as my family is asking about ideas for gifts for this Christmas and I don't have too many ideas so far.

What makes a good academic scholar?

jfricke — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:32:08 -0800

Where can I find personal stories of popular scholars on their life as students, phd candidates and/or professors? I love my field of study and I am a smart student. But sometimes I feel like this might not enough. That there is something more I should have.

Thus, I am looking for personal stories of popular scholars on their life as students and/or scholars. An example would be Leon Lederman's Low Pay and Long Hours that is also quoted in another ask metafilter thread:

"It was probably five years after my PhD when I began to realize I was fairly competent. By year 10, I realized to my surprise that I was as productive as those best friends who brought me into physics, even though they understood much more than I did (...) Hard work--yes, it really accounts for a lot of the success. Most scientists aren't brilliant. Some are even very slow. Being solid is important--that means really knowing what you have to know even if it takes a long time. Many "brilliant" guys are superficial. Determiniation, doggedness and hard work are the characteristics that are highly valued in a group."

Although I am more interested in humanities or social sciences, personal accounts from any field are fine with me.

Sharif wore a cape, and other soch bio's.

elationfoundation — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:33:44 -0800

Are there books on the history of sociology (or social psycology) told through the sociologists? I finished Bill Brysons book "A brief history of everything" a few months back and enjoyed it. Today I heard an anicdote about my first love, social psycology. It mentioned that a snide remark from Freud to Gordon Allport about Allport being a dirt fetisisht helped to speed up the movement away from Freudian psych in America. I want more! Does a book like this exist?

Everybody has a story

mippy — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 01:53:57 -0800

I like biographies of ordinary/non-famous people with interesting stories to tell, or stories from before they became notable. Can anyone recommend any? Recent-ish books I've enjoyed were Rhona Cameron's 1979: A Big Year In A Small Town, Noelle Howey's Dress Codes, Ken Dornstein's The Boy Who Fell Out of the Sky, Quentin Crisp's The Naked Civil Servant, and Alexander Master's Stuart: A Life Backwards - all of which featured the lives of ordinary people with extraordinary events, ideas or feelings, like novels about real life...I only like 'famous' people's biographies if they're resolutely un-dry and un-deferent, and am open to reading stories of people about which I know nothing if they're interesting enough. (I'm still disappointed that Boy George's autobiography was ghostwritten - Marc Almond's was a much more fun read.)

I'm currently reading War Paint, a biography of Helena Rubenstein and Elizabeth Arden, which, while covering the careers of both women, is as much about myth creation, social history and marketing. Any similar books which you can recommend?

Want to write a biography

frosty_hut — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 07:41:50 -0800

I've fallen in love with a certain older British character actor and want to write his biography...where do I begin? The thing is, I'm not a published author. I'm finishing a novel, but don't have a deal or an agent or ANYTHING lined up yet.

I think the field is pretty wide open for me. I've scoured the Internets and haven't found any evidence that this guy has either written an autobiography himself, or had anything written about his life so far. I don't know if he's a nice guy and approachable, or impossible to get in touch with. I haven't tried. I'm terrified.

My question: How do I approach him? Should I wait until I've published my own book, so I don't look like a complete crackpot and phony and have some minimal publishing credentials (although in another category)?

This is a minor actor, a name most people wouldn't recognize -- but fans of certain of his movies and television dramas might know him. He's more familiar to English audiences. If it makes any difference, I'm American.

Any thoughts appreciated, especially from any writers/biographers out there.

Looking for more details of Salem-as-Arkham

robocop is bleeding — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 06:37:38 -0800

I'm looking for details about H.P. Lovecraft's visits to Salem, MA. Thanks to Google Books and Scholar, I know HPL visited the Salem area pretty routinely (1923, 1929), basing his fictional towns of Arkham and Kingsport off of Salem and Marblehead respectively. I'm looking for details of his visits - where he went, where he stayed, etc. Being a true 'man of letters' I'm pretty sure he would have written about his visits in some of his correspondence.

However, the sheer volume of correspondence (and surprisingly high cost of bound editions of his selected letters) is pretty daunting. So before I unleash the dogs of ILL, I was hoping that there was some sort of online guide or resource I could consult first in order to better target my interlibrary loans.

An Index to the Selected Letters of H.P. Lovecraft by Joshi seems like a place to start, but my best source for the volume is prying it from Harvard's cold, dark vaults and I'm a'feared of the hound, so I'm looking for other options.

The eventual goal is to produce a pamphlet and/or podcast walking tour of Salem-as-Arkham, sort of a ghost walk through a bit of Lovecraft country. It would combine details from his fiction ("Here's where Carter sat in The Unnamable, watch out for shoggoths."), his life ("Lovecraft slept here."), and city sites that are evocative of the Mythos ("This building is not Arkham Asylum - that's in Danvers - but it is architecturally similar." or "The Peabody-Essex has a vast collection of items imported from the Orient by Salem merchants. What dread stone idols lie moldering in its basement, whispering their secrets to the empty air?").

I've got all the references from his tales that I need (although more are always welcome) and my fertile imagination can produce enough eldritch symmetry between the Mythos and Salem. It's the hard biographical data that I need a leg up on.

Interviews, Research & Archiving, oh my!

ikahime — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 12:06:04 -0800

I'm preparing for a massive personal archiving/interviewing trip with my grandparents and need advice regarding many aspects of the project. My grandparents came to America from Lithuania during WWII and have an amazing story that my cousin and I started documenting several years ago. Life being what it is, we really only got a rough outline and are now going for another week long visit with them (now 97 and 90 years old, but still witty and spry). Not only do they have some great/astounding anecdotes that we haven't documented, they also have an amazing collection of photos (some taken by Life Magazine photographers) which are in not such good order (to say nothing of being stored or digitally preserved).

Here are some of my concerns that perhaps y'all could help me with:

History: I'm not a historian, and so have been trying to bone up on the Soviet-Nazi conflict that took place in the Baltic States. Books and online resource recommendations are appreciated.

Preservation: I need to construct a good workflow for organizing/digitizing old photos. How best to store? Should I be uploading to the cloud, or bring an external hard drive with me?

Interview: Getting these stories out of them is not usually too hard, but I'm wondering about tried and true methods of biographical interview. Should we march thru the historical timeline? Jump around and organize later? Are there some good prompts I shouldn't forget to ask them?

Documentation: I would like to either film or audio record or both. I will probably have access to a decent microphone + laptop and a so-so digital video camera. Should I have both roll at the same time, or just favor one vs. the other? This is my weakest link. Is Audacity a good enough program, or should I be throwing down for something else?

In addition to doing this for my own (and my family's) edification, I'm gathering this info now for some sort of creative project in the future (still yet to work out - could be something as mundane as a book, or more outlandish like an interactive sculpture, or hyperlinked map). I've started making things like timelines and maps of their trip from Lith to Germany to Britain to the US; got any other ideas of rich add-ons?

Lastly, I'm looking for other media to bring with me that may enhance their reminiscing, especially music of the era/region (they were in Germany for quite a few years in the late 40s. Got some faves?

Thanks to all in advance!

Good reads for my honeymoon?

mikeweeney — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:45:26 -0800

Can you recommend some good beach reads for my honeymoon in a few weeks? I'm getting married in a few weeks and we're taking a 9 day trip to the carribean. We're staying at a secluded, low-key resort and plan on spending a lot of time lounging around on the beach and on our deck... which means lots of time for reading. Genres I'm into include horror, sci-fi, and fantasy.

- In the last few years I've gone through most of Vernor Vinge and Dan Simmons' works. I'm looking for a new author to try out... hard SF is a plus, and the ability to tell a story well is also important.

-I wouldn't mind reading fantasy, but I don't want to get sucked into a long series that never ends. I made it through 7 books of Goodkind's Sword of Truth Series and 1.5 books of Martin's Song of Ice and Fire, but I just don't have the patience (or time) for it anymore. I would, however, be willing to read a good one-book fantasy story

-I haven't been much into nonfiction, but on my last vacation I picked up Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil out of the ship library, and devoured it in 2 days. Anything like that?

-Finally, I'm interested in reading a really good historical biography... ideally in US history. Where should I start?

Thank you for your suggestions!

I want to see more bad people

reenum — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 06:48:37 -0800

Please suggest movies, TV shows and books that feature unrepentant, amoral characters I was a big fan of Seinfeld when it was on, and now love It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia and Eastbound & Down.

The common thread running through these shows is a character or group of characters who are often selfish at best, amoral at worst and unrepentant about it. Also, the characters don't seem to have an epiphany that makes them "good", like the case with many movies and books. For example, I loved the movie Roger Dodger until the ending.

I want more of this. I'd love suggestions on TV shows (except Weeds), movies, and nonfiction books or biographies. I've read about such characters in fiction, so don't need recs on those sorts of books.

Thanks!

"Mmm... you're a dandy!"

brittanyq — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 00:38:54 -0800

What are the best Old Hollywood (auto)biographies? I've recently become fascinated by a number of old movies (1930s to 1950s) and the actors in them. I'm having trouble sorting through the bajillions of biographies out there - what are the best, juiciest and most interesting biographies of the stars of this time period? The actors I'm particularly interested in are James Stewart, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Gene Kelly, Judy Garland, Audrey Hepburn, Vivien Leigh, Marilyn Monroe and Katherine Hepburn, but I'm open to others.

Good FLOTUS reads?

LolaCola — Fri, 22 May 2009 12:14:00 -0800

Good biographies or autobiographies about First Ladies? I recently finished "American Wife" by Curtis Sittenfeld, and loved it. It's a novel generally based on the life of Laura Bush. I'm going on vacation, can anyone recommend engaging books about First Ladies? Era unimportant. Thanks!

What hurdles did you encounter in trying to get a personnel file on someone "famous"?

garfy3 — Fri, 08 May 2009 05:10:44 -0800

Have you ordered a US military personnel file (aka "OMPF," or "201 file"), for someone famous that was "released" under the Persons of Exceptional Prominence (PEP) program? How did that go? How long did it take? Did you have to go there in person? [Since I'm expecting a flood of people chiming in to tell me how they got their grandfather's personnel file from WWII, just want to point out that I'm only interested in files of persons covered by the "famous-people" program that is the Persons of Exceptional Prominence. Due apologies if that seems elitist or snarky.]

I'm working on a writing project concerning someone famous, who served briefly in the military, and whose military personnel file was "released" in 2006 under this program from the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis. I'm familiar with procedures for ordering those files (via FOIA, form SF-180), which are all rather lengthy, expensive, and fraught with bureaucratic obstacles. So apart from how the procedures may be described on some website (which usually aren't followed in actual practice), I'd like to know how this worked out for you.

Did you obtain a file of someone famous? Did you do it by mail, or in person? How long did it take? Were the copies they made even legible, or would it be a better route to travel there and obtain a digital copy? Do they actually allow digital reproduction of these "famous" files?

Thanks!

Biography suggestions?

GatorFan2000 — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:32:48 -0800

What are some good biographies of James Madison? After reading the Malcolm Gladwell book, "Outliers" I decided I wanted to read a biography of each president of the United States to see what types of advantages lead to someone becoming the president of the United States. I'm about to finish American Sphinx, which is about Thomas Jefferson. Naturally, James Madison is next.

Life writing anthologies?

laumry — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 02:34:27 -0800

Can anyone recommend any life writing anthologies? Hello all. I'm on a creative writing course, and am about to start its Life Writing module. At the end of the module, I will have to write a 1500 word piece of biography or autobiography (using the techniques of creative writing - not a dry academic piece).

I was wondering if you could recommend an anthology of short pieces of life writing that would help me on this module? It would be especially helpful if you explained why your recommendation was worth investigating, rather than just posting titles and Amazon links.

(I'd prefer biography to autobiography, but all recommendations appreciated.)

Tas Soft Wind?? Anyone?

coollibrarian — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 18:53:45 -0800

Who is (was?) Tas Soft Wind? A few quotes have been attributed to Tas Soft Wind, one of the most notable being "I like her because she smiles at me," and tonight a friend asked me if I could find biographical info on this person. I'm not at work (the library) so I don't have access to the other sources I might have checked, so, naturally, I Googled - to no avail, I'm ashamed to say. I was directed to several quotations sites, a frightening number of porn sites (?), and quite a few link farms, but no bio info. I tried several other meta and specialized engines with no result. And now that I can't find the answer, I am dying to know. Anyone? (Also, if you find the answer via Google or somesuch, I would LOVE to know what you used for a search string!) Thanks!

Which Elvis Presley biography should I read ?

Baud — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 05:07:09 -0800

I don't want to start a flame war among the fans but... it recently dawned on me that the late Elvis Presley's life must have been fascinating. Amazon tells me there are several hundreds biography to choose from. I don't want to start a flame war but... it recently dawned on me that the late Elvis Presley's life must have been fascinating. Amazon tells me there are several hundreds biographies to choose from.

What I am most interested in :

The show-business side of his career, the path to success, how to build and maintain a myth, what is it like to be such an idol.

What I am not interested in :

blind hagiography that forgets to be critical, backstabbing, unsubstantiated gossips, conspiracy theories, etc.

What I am only mildly interested in :

the music. My interest would be the same if he had only an acting career.

So... is there one or a few books that meets my needs ? Thanks in advance, hive mind !

Good biographies of F. Scott Fitzgerald?

Quidam — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 10:22:27 -0800

A friend of mine would like to read more about F. Scott Fitzgerald's life. What can you recommend? I'm interested particularly in any good biographies or other books, hopefully veering more towards "interesting reading" than "overly academic". Suggestions? Thanks.

Good published biographies of alternative musicians/creators

mywinningsmile — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 09:54:41 -0800

A good friend is looking for a good Xmas gift for a younger, 'cooler', musically committed cousin (as in, wants to create and self-publish music). I suggested a good biography of an important figure in alternative music, and now I'm seeking recommendations. Inspirations, cautionary tales.... what tales have been encased in print about a trailblazer that could speak to a maverick young pup of 2008? Anwers on a postcard please!

New York: The Biography

Falconetti — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:27:54 -0800

I read Peter Ackroyd's London: The Biography awhile back and loved the loose-limbed, ambulatory, anecdote-heavy style of it. Is there a "biography" of New York City that shares some of those characteristics? If not, what is the most fascinating book that covers the full history of New York City (rather than specific time periods or subregions)? To be a little clearer, I am looking for a book that is rich is anecdotes, or little known facts, or historical curiosities, etc., a book that sprawls all over NYC in both time and place.

Who is Ruth Obama?

zaebiz — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:24:35 -0800

We all know Obama's father married his American mother, Stanley Ann Dunham. But Obama Snr also had another American wife, Ruth, with whom he had several children. What do we know about Ruth Obama?

Robert Smith biography?

pompomtom — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 22:44:08 -0800

Has anyone written a good biography of Robert Smith?

Tété-Michel Kpomassie: Where is He Now

luriete — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:46:43 -0800

Tété-Michel Kpomassie: where is he now? Whatever happened to him? I can't find other books by him after An African in Greenland; I've read he eventually received French citizenship and lives there now - but what does he do? He must have written other books or articles, right? Anyone know?

gimme authorised or gimme death.

carbide — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 16:14:43 -0800

How does one become a biographer? What's the usual route in, and how do publishers approach it? How does one approach and involve people? Vague specifics inside. Previously but it's extremely vague.

How do people become biographers, and how does one pitch it to a publisher without knowing if all the necessary information might be available, or if people will talk?

I realised a few days ago that one thing that brings together some of my scattered obsessions would be writing a biography. I like playing detective, gathering information and following trails down the rabbit hole to see where they emerge. I love to write, although I haven't got a proven/published record there. I am extremely interested in motivations and decisions people make, and in the critical points in their lives, and in what those decisions cost other areas. I also enjoy research, and am particularly interested in all of this in relation to design and architecture.

I have been working on a small research project (a lot smaller than a Masters or PhD program) and some of the things that have emerged are incredibly interesting to me, and I realise that they aren't general knowledge. If told right, it's a fantastic story, and it overlaps a really interesting period in Irish history.

(I'm being vague deliberately but can flesh it out by MeMail if anyone has close enough knowledge of all of this for it to be necessary.)

Almost all of the people involved are still alive and working, and are successful and in some cases would have no reason to be too easy to reach. It does strike me that any of them could write this, one person in particular, but I wonder if they have reasons for not doing so, and I'm not sure it would be diplomatic to ask if they had intentions.

So, I'd be really interested in any perspective on how/whether to approach this. Would it need to be through an academic project? Is it done to contact a publisher - I know which would be the most likely, for anyone doing this - and make inquiries, or is that totally not the done thing? Are biographers usually invited, or academics/journalists with the connections already in place? Is this kind of thing better left to later in life, when one has the experience and contacts?

Any input would be great. I'm obviously still at the pondering stage but my interest is serious, if it were viable.

Getting the Best out of an interview with a prof

storybored — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 08:37:41 -0800

I'm going to be writing a profile of a business professor who has won some teaching awards. I'll be interviewing him on the phone. What questions should I ask that would help me raise the interview above the lame threshold? I'd like the profile to be insightful and interesting.