September 12, 2005
The Power of Autobiographies
I've long been a reader of self-development and how-to books. I love the fact that you can have almost any goal and find books by people who've accomplished it and that tell how you can too.
I've now begun to appreciate autobiographies as well. Good ones provide an honest (albeit biased) and open retrospection of the author's life. They are entertaining, provide a new perspective on history, and are extremely valuable for understanding how great people think and the path their lives took. Recently, I've read the following books:
- Gandhi An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments With Truth
- The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.
- A Life In Leadership: From D-Day to Ground Zero
These books have given me the inspiration and determination to make some very large changes in my life, which I'll write about in a future entry. If you know of any great autobiographies, send them my way!
Posted at September 12, 2005 08:14 PM
Michael,
I've started reading your blog a few weeks ago and I really like it. Now I know where your Ghandi quote comes from...
I created my own blog literally minutes ago (I will review biographies and interview live professionals) and when I returned clicked the bookmark on my browser to take me back to your blog to I could link to it, I thought it was uncanny that you had a post on autobiographies.
I'll have to admit, most of my reading experience is from biographies, so I'll pass on a golden double, both by David McCullough, that have been inspiring to me: John Adams and Truman.
How have you been Michael? You probably do not know who I am, but I was at the APCA Conference in NY City on the weekend of August 4th - 6th. I was in your session at 1:30pm on Thursday(4th) and you were giving everyone your book. Well I began reading it on the second day of the conference and then lost it. I didn't care right away, but I asked myself what if this book could tell me something that I have never known before. So the next day, luckily you were still in the main ballroom talking with some people and I approached you about possibly getting another copy of your book. You didn't hesitate in offering me another one, and now I am about finished reading it and I think that it was the most important piece of literature that I have read in my entire college career. I'm starting my 4th year of school on Sept. 21st at the University of Cincinnati and I have never been more ready to face a new year of school like I am now. That is all thanks to the motivation and determination that has taken over me from reading your book. You state some of the most basic advice that any young individual needs to succeed at any venture, but that do not recieve it through conventional means of education. I feel like I've learned more from your book about my own path to success than any professor could ever try to explain to me. Thank you for giving me that second book. It has changed my life for the better, far more than you could ever imagine.
Ben Franklin lived an incredible life, and wrote an autobiography to match. I highly recommend it.
I recently bought the PBS DVD "Benjamin Franklin: An Extraordinary Life. An Electric Mind." It brilliant!
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00007KE63/qid=1128395589/sr=8-9/ref=pd_bbs_9/102-7413291-8135340?v=glance&s=dvd&n=507846
Franklin lived the American dream before it was dreamt. As a statesman, (social) entrepreneur, inventor, diplomat and not to mention 70 year old playboy, I would argue that he is the true father of our country.
