I'm learning this through many attempts to read them and many attempts have left me bored after the first 50 pages. Yes, I do try and endure through the first 50 in hopes it will pick up or that I'll be drawn into it somehow. Unfortunately, the last few attempts I've made haven't worked.
It seems that I try to forge through the first few pages, only to be bogged down by the author's self-importance and ridiculous vocabulary. They always pretend to be the "true"account of this persons life, when in reality, they never really tell you much about the life so much as they interpret it and tell you the importance of certain events. And I am so not okay with that. Tell me the events in context of the life and I'll interpret them for myself, thank you very much.
I read my first biography when I was...9? However old you are when you're in the 4th grade. But it wasn't until I read "John Adams" by David McCullough that my love of biographies was rekindled.
I love David McCullough. He manages to present a life in an articulate, intelligent way without overwhelming his reader with too much minute detail or over-dramatic verbiage. He presents the person and their flaws without excusing or exploiting them. It's a rare gift that I think comes when you actually enjoy learning about the subject you are writing as opposed to enjoying presenting them.
So, what this means is, despite the fact that I would love to read a good biography about Bobby Kennedy, I'll put the bad version I have aside to read a biography written by McCullough about President Truman - a man who I have no intense desire to learn about so much as I desire a good biography to read.
That being said, I have 1776 on request through interlibrary loan. I'm waiting to get an e-mail telling me it's arrived any day now. I'm so excited! Until then, though, I shall endure through whatever it is I'm reading. I can't even remember it right now.
I read my first biography when I was...9? However old you are when you're in the 4th grade. But it wasn't until I read "John Adams" by David McCullough that my love of biographies was rekindled.
I love David McCullough. He manages to present a life in an articulate, intelligent way without overwhelming his reader with too much minute detail or over-dramatic verbiage. He presents the person and their flaws without excusing or exploiting them. It's a rare gift that I think comes when you actually enjoy learning about the subject you are writing as opposed to enjoying presenting them.
So, what this means is, despite the fact that I would love to read a good biography about Bobby Kennedy, I'll put the bad version I have aside to read a biography written by McCullough about President Truman - a man who I have no intense desire to learn about so much as I desire a good biography to read.
That being said, I have 1776 on request through interlibrary loan. I'm waiting to get an e-mail telling me it's arrived any day now. I'm so excited! Until then, though, I shall endure through whatever it is I'm reading. I can't even remember it right now.
Toodles!
1 comment:
I know John Adams was great! But I started (The real George Washington)which has many of his own writtings in the book., and it has a good flow to it. Granted I didn't get very far because of 7 Brides but I can't wait to get back to it. You might want to check that one out. I also bought the real: Thomas Jefferson & Benjamin Franklin. Great fall and winter reading. I think it's wonderful that you enjoy History like I do. I believe it's very important to learn from the past. That's why we have the scriptures as well to learn from the past. To not make the same mistakes over and over again. To be blessed with wisdom & knowledge to make the right choices.
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