True, Jilly. I just read Queen Latifah's autobiography. It's short because, well, she's still young with a lot of living left to do.
I remember reading Dan Quail's memoirs and couldn't help but feel some sympathy for the guy after all the media and Washington put him through, especially mean and conniving old Bob Dole.
And although we may never have autobiographies written by historical notables, I appreciate when a biographer includes writings from a diary, letters, memos, etc. that give some indication of the person's private thoughts. I was amazed, for example, by Abraham Lincoln's vivid and prophetic dreams that often helped guide his weighty decisions for the country.
I was inspired by Dorothea Dix's pioneering work for the mentally ill and how it is paradoxical that a seemingly hard woman could have such deep compassion for those on the fringes of socity. And how Ghandi, despite his stand for non-violence, struggled with his frustration with his own wife and kicked her.
There's so much to be learned from other people's lives.
Last edited by Chi-Japanese Food; 04/07/10 12:48 PM.