Biography – Page 6 – Ryan's Book Blog

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

October 8, 2022 by Ryan

Background

Published in October of 2007, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running is a autobiographical look at Haruki Murakami and largely centered around his experience with the New York marathon and other races. He is primarily a writer but he has done a lot of running.

My Thoughts

This was an interesting book to read. Any work from another culture has elements that can surprise you as you go along. Ironically, I listened to this book while running. He mentions doing triathlons as well and I was disgusted that swimmers would kick an old man as he was trying to compete in a race. Particularly in open water…

On the whole, it was an ok book. I don’t know that I grew too much from it.

Recommendation

I wouldn’t read it again.

Alex Trebek. The Answer is…

October 5, 2022 by Ryan

Background

Published in July of 2020, Alex Trebek. The Answer is… is the autobiography of the host of Jeopardy and many others, Alex Trebek.

My Thoughts

This was a great read. I was a little nervous starting in because I really liked how Alex Trebek handled himself in several situations. For example, I love that he came on SNL to be roasted for their “Celebrity Jeopardy” skit.

However, this book made him out to be a well-rounded, hard-working, salt-of-the-earth kind of guy. I was glad to read it!

Recommendation

One of the better biographies.

Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen

September 29, 2022 by Ryan

Background

Published in October of 2021, Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen is the biography of possibly the greatest guitarists in history.

My Thoughts

I was initially pretty nervous while reading this. Sting’s bio was a terrible read and I came away not really liking the guy. I’ve always looked up to Eddie Van Halen since I first was introduced back in my high school band days. (Our lead guitarist would hit the roof of his car and say “Hail Eddie” everytime we went through a yellow light.)

You have to respect him even if you don’t like him. He certainly had his ups and downs but he bucked the entire production industry and just did what he wanted to do. A true artist.

I felt the write up was balanced with people that really knew him. It didn’t seem to pull any punches and the reader sees who Eddie Van Halen really was, warts and all. However, I came away with a new respect for him but that may be due to my rose colored glasses.

Recommendation

A very enjoyable read.

Live Long and What I Learned Along the Way

September 21, 2022 by Ryan

Background

Published in September of 2018, Live Long and… What I Learned Along the Way is an autobiography of William Shatner interspersed with ruminations and his own brand of humor.

My Thoughts

A very fun read. Shatner never comes off like he is more important or takes himself overly seriously. He seems like a great guy that has had some very interesting experiences.

Recommendation

A fun read.

Robin

September 16, 2022 by Ryan

Background

Published in May of 2018, Robin is the biography of Robin Williams. Larger than life and tragic in death, Robin Williams was and will be an enduring legacy for generations to come.

My Thoughts

What can I say? I love Robin Williams in pretty much everything he did. I didn’t know him from Happy Days but I was a fan of Mork and Mindy, his stand up comedy, and his amazing career all the way to the end. It was so sad when he left us.

Recommendation

I really enjoyed this book.

Overdue

August 19, 2022 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

Published in March of 2020, Overdue was represented as a book on libraries. However, it really just boiled down to one young woman’s 9 months in a DC public library.

I was really disappointed in this book. It was really just non-stop whining and complaining about the author’s life and her issues. It also included every buzz term we hear these days regarding any and every group that isn’t white and male.

She spends all of 9 months in a library in Washington DC and feels like she is qualified to throw rocks at the system. Of course, she has no alternatives. She has no solutions. She just has her entitlement and “confirmed PTSD” because she had to interact with the public. So like all of her contemporary social warrior peers, she gets as far away as she can from the problem (literally moving to California) and starts writing about the problem with her perception of the world.

Of course, she is offended on behalf of the people she is championing while simultaneously ignoring their opinions and getting as much distance from them as possible.

I kept hoping there would be some resolution, some moment when she understands how ridiculous she is but it never came.

Yes, there are problems in the world. (That isn’t a surprise.) If you want to impress me, have an idea of how it would be better and do something about it. Tell me what would be better and really think through how that would be possible.

Becoming Dr. Seuss

July 20, 2022 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

Published in 2019, Becoming Dr. Seuss is the biography of Theodor Geisel who is much more widely known as Dr. Seuss. This biography takes him from birth to death and explains how he became possibly the best known children’s author.

My Thoughts

I think we all know a little about Dr. Seuss and I grew up loving “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” However, I knew next to nothing about his time at Dartmouth, in the Army, or what he was trying to accomplish as an author. I definitely didn’t know his first wife committed suicide and it was likely due to the affair he was having at the time. Other surprising notes was he made the rank of LtCol in the Army and really got his start in children’s books at the University of Utah where he was teaching a class.

Recommendation

It took me a while to get through it but enjoyed the book.

Franklin and Washington

July 8, 2022 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

Published in February of 2020, Franklin and Washington: The Founding Partnership, is the biography and comparison and contrast of our founding fathers George Washington and Benjamin Franklin.

My Thoughts

A very enjoyable read and a novel approach to subject matter that has been well documented. I really enjoyed the comparisons and the narrative of the relationship between these two men.

Recommendation

Worth the time to read. Great book.

You Never Forget Your First

July 6, 2022 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

Published in February of 2020, You Never Forget Your First is a biography of our first President, George Washington.

My Thoughts

The author seriously needs to get over herself. When she wasn’t trying to show how different she is, she made some good observations. However, so much time was spent trying to establish how different she was like this quote to the New York Times, “It’s a biography. Like a man would write.” (Congratulations! You aren’t a man. However, that’s not why I’m reading this book.) Unfortunately, this discredited the author in my eyes and I was primed to look for the usual revisionist tripe that is so trendy these days.

Yes, we know he didn’t cut down the cherry tree. Yes, we know it is impossible to throw a dollar across the Potomac. Yes, we know he had slaves and treated them like slaves. These aren’t revelations. These are cited again and again by biographers who didn’t have the need to tell us how amazing it is that someone from California and a woman would have the audacity to write a biography on a white man. (We don’t care who you are!)

Recommendation

Skip this one.

Six People Who Built America

June 27, 2022 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

Released in June of 2021, “Six People Who Built America” by Harold Evans is a biographical account of six influential individuals who made significant contributions to the growth and development of the United States in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The book profiles Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Charles Lindbergh, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, exploring their lives and legacies in depth. The author examines the impact these figures had on American industry, technology, and society, while also acknowledging the controversies and challenges associated with their achievements. With its rich historical detail and engaging narrative, Six People Who Built America provides an informative and thought-provoking look at some of the most important figures in American history.

My Thoughts

This lecture brought together some ideas I hadn’t considered and linked them together in world history. Each of the people discussed couldn’t have done what they did without the others around them and those who came before.

Recommendation

Pretty good but it seemed shorter than I would have liked.