# What are some good autobiographies? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 18, 2001, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-autobiographies/94026 "2001-11-18T03:11:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Larry\_Bee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Larry\_Bee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Bee)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2001, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-autobiographies/94026/21 "2001-11-19T15:31:25Z")
Spike Milligan’s books about WW2 are quite brilliant: Hitler: My Part In His Downfall Rommel? Gunner Who, Monty: His Part in My Victory, Mussolini: His Part in My Downfall Where Have all the Bullets Gone? Goodbye, Soldier and Peace Work. ---
**Author:** ![Zoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/6de8d8/32.png) [@Zoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoff)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2001, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-autobiographies/94026/22 "2001-11-19T19:38:09Z")
I enjoyed _A Good Life_ by Ben Bradlee, former editor of the _Washington Post_. You get some good stories about some of the early days of people who became big in the business. You also get some fascinating stories about Watergate and publication of the Pentagon Papers. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2001, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-autobiographies/94026/23 "2001-11-19T21:14:11Z")
Although she is much more well-known for _The American Way of Death_, Jessica Mitford’s autobiograpical _Hons and Rebels_ is fascinating and very funny. Born into a _bizarre_ titled English family (that has earned a few biographies of its own), she became a communist, eloped with Winston Churchill’s nephew, fought in the Spanish Civil War, and eventually ran away to America. Great read. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2001, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-autobiographies/94026/24 "2001-11-19T21:44:10Z")
Born in Liverpool in 1910, Nicholas Monsarrat was educated at Winchester and Cambridge, where he studied law. His first novel to receive significant attention was This is the Schoolroom, published in 1939 - a largely autobiographical novel dealing with the end of college life, the ‘Hungry Thirties’ and the Spanish Civil War. Monsarrat served with the navy in the Battle of the Atlantic, which provided the subject of his most successful novel, The Cruel Sea (1951), which at the time made him one of the most successful writers of the twentieth century. Later works include the novels The White Rajah (1961) and The Pillow Fight (1965), and a two-volume autobiography, [Life is a Four Letter Word](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0304934615/qid=1006205726/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_8_1/107-7875480-1625341). This is one of the books I have enjoyed the most. ---
**Author:** ![BalmainBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6a8cbe/32.png) [@BalmainBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BalmainBoy)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2001, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-autobiographies/94026/25 "2001-11-20T01:12:57Z")
Look for Dirk Bogarde in hte non-fiction section; he wrote a lot of books that were about his life, inv9olved his life, or were tangential to it. Sort of “bored non-working actor” and the other interests in his life he tries to be involved in. The first book (as usual) is the best - “A Postillion struck by Lightning”; about his childhood years. Dame Edna Everage wrote her autobiography “My Wonderful Life” and it hit number 1 in the British non-fiction list !!! (hint: Edna Everage is a stage persona) ---
**Author:** ![bobkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2001, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-autobiographies/94026/26 "2001-11-20T12:59:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by don’t ask \* > \*\*One of my favourite autobiographies is Michael Crichton’s _Travels_. \*\* Dammit… that’s what **I** was gonna say!!! I ADORE that book. Second vote for Maya Angelou… any of her series of books, though _Caged Bird_ is my favorite. Would James Herriott’s books count? I _devoured_ those books as a kid, and pretty much thrust them upon anyone who will sit still long enough. -BK ---
**Author:** ![DarkWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee59a6/32.png) [@DarkWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarkWriter)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2001, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-autobiographies/94026/27 "2001-11-20T18:28:45Z")
A couple favorites: **Papa John** by John Phillips. It’s about his time with the Mamas and the Papas. If you’re fascinated with the 60s music scene like I am, this is a great book to read. I read **California Dreamin’** by Michelle Phillips, but hers wasn’t as good. She whined a lot in it. **The Endless Steppe** by Esther Hautzig was my favorite as a child, and it’s still one of my favorites. Esther and her family were taken to concentration camps in Siberia during WWII. This is her story, and how she lived through it. Absolutely fascinating. Sheri ---
**Author:** ![shelbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@shelbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shelbo)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2001, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-autobiographies/94026/28 "2001-11-20T21:45:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by plnnr \* > \*\*The late Katherine Graham (publisher of the Washington Post) wrote a terrific memoir. Born the daughter of a wealthy industrialist and businessman, she grows in both stature and ability after her husband (who essentially ignored her or belittled her, depending on his mood) kills himself and leaves her with The Washington Post Company to run. The book is well written, informative, and is full of references to events that shaped the country (as you might expect, the Post’s involvement with covering the Watergate affair gets a fair amount of attention). > > Ms. Graham was gracious enought to write back when I wrote to her telling her how much I enjoyed the book. She was, by all accounts, a class act. \*\* I just want to second this recommendation. An interesting lady, that rubbed elbows with some of the most powerful people in the world, in an interesting time and place – JFK’s election and assasination, Watergate, etc. The book won the Pulitzer Prize, and deserved it. ---
**Author:** ![naughty\_wicked\_zoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@naughty\_wicked\_zoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naughty_wicked_zoot)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2001, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-autobiographies/94026/29 "2001-11-23T18:39:27Z")
**ME** by Katherine Hepburn. she is so honest and unflinching. and she gives some of her favorite recipes. funny, sad, heartwarming, runs the emotional gamut. ---
**Author:** ![Ace\_Face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Ace\_Face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace_Face)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2001, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-autobiographies/94026/30 "2001-11-23T19:46:15Z")
I’m halfway through **Woody Guthrie’s** _Bound for Glory_. His writing style is a bit unpolished, as you might expect, but it’s an interesting read. It’s amazing what he an his family went through in Oklahoma before the great depression. ---
**Author:** ![reprise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@reprise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/reprise)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2001, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-autobiographies/94026/31 "2001-11-23T19:50:46Z")
Another vote for both Maya Angelou and David Niven (I’m sure there was a third book, “Go slowly, Come Back Quickly”, I think). I won’t suggest Mick Foley’s book as I’m guessing you’ll have already read that. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Breezy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b3f665/32.png) [@Breezy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Breezy)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-autobiographies/94026/32 "2003-03-28T17:15:37Z")
Okay, this thread hasn’t had a post in a couple a year and a half, but I just wanted to say that Ava Gardner’s “Ava: My Story” was a great read. She tells the story of her life. She’s writes so candidly it’s almost as though she’s talking the book instead of writing it, if that makes any sense… ---
**Author:** ![pezboy2u](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@pezboy2u](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pezboy2u)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-autobiographies/94026/33 "2003-03-28T17:43:03Z")
I recommend “How to talk dirty and influence people” by Lenny Bruce. It’s an eye opening, hilarious account of his controversial life as a stand up comic / social commentator. ---
**Author:** ![Bucky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Bucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bucky)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-autobiographies/94026/34 "2003-03-28T20:48:06Z")
I’ll add Annie Dilliard “American Childhood” to the list–I think I have the title right. She is simply a master stylist, an insightful writer, and is quite funny when she wants to be. I’ll second votes on Niven, O’Toole, Malcolm X, and Lenny Bruce. A “sort of” autobiography are the first person oral histories of old ballplayers in “The Glory of their times” and “Only the ball was white.” Those are both dependent on how well you like baseball. ---
**Author:** ![WillSantini](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ed8c4c/32.png) [@WillSantini](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillSantini)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-autobiographies/94026/35 "2003-03-28T22:41:54Z")
[The most decorated Marine in history.](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0553271822/qid=1048891369/sr=2-2/ref=sr_2_2/002-5955862-9625620) ---
**Author:** ![WillSantini](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ed8c4c/32.png) [@WillSantini](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillSantini)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-autobiographies/94026/36 "2003-03-28T22:43:36Z")
Well biography anyway. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-autobiographies/94026.md?page=1)