Biography Books > M Biography Books > B

Advantages: Fabulous twisting of the English language
Disadvantages: May not appeal to those of a weak disposition

My Booky wook is a brutally honest biography of the English dandy Russel Brand. He may fool us with his massive hair and strange twistings of the english language but Brand opens up and lets us enter what became a drug fueled hedonism jumping from extreme highs to dangerous lows. When I first saw the book I knew I wanted to read it, with a name like 'My booky wook' written in slightly blurred neon pink, it perfectly reflects Brand's unique sense ...
...of what else is included here are some of the chapter names (in no particular order), - umbilical noose - boobaloo - Dagenham is not Damascus - First class twit - A gentleman with a bike This book begins and ends with Russel in a sex addiction clinic everything in between re-enforces why it was probably a good idea that he ended up there. Following his life so far, from baby to bounder we see how the women in Russel's life played a key role ... Read review

Advantages: Great Caine filmography
Disadvantages: You need to like Caine

THE AUTHOR Christopher Bray graduated in Film and Literature at Warwick University. He's written about films and books for the Observer, Sunday Telegraph, Sunday Times, Independant, New Statesman, Spectator, etc. This is his first book. BIOGRAPHY OR FILM BUFF'S CRITIQUE? A critical filmography and biography. The personal biography takes second stage to the analysis - nay deconstruction - of Caine's performances in every film he appeared in, up ...
...here, from his earliest to 'Mona Lisa' (which arguably heralded his 'comeback'), to 'Last Orders', the 'Quiet American' etc, as well as many you may never have heard of. It's a film buff's book, but also a Caine buff's book. Bray interleaves biography with social history, showing how Caine's initial circumstances, his escape from these, and his later film roles, reflect wider social changes in the latter 20th century. Specifically, Bray is talking ... Read review

Advantages: Very truthfull
Disadvantages: none

I found this book great to read mostly because i wanted to find out Garys true feelings on his former bandmate Robbie Williams. Gary is extremely honest about the highs and lows of take that and what happened after the band split He talks about his life before the band when he was first noticed. Gary was the bands front man who wrote the hits ' A million love songs' , 'Pray' and ' Back for good'. He talks about his apprenticeship in the working ... Read review

Advantages: Easy to follow, heart warming, he doesn't get killed, an unspun version of events in Iraq
Disadvantages: Describes an ongoing brutal war

My War - Killing Time in Iraq is the first book I have taken the time to read relating to the experiences of US forces in Iraq. The book written by Infantryman Colby Buzzell follows in detail his 12-month tour of duty in Iraq in the months following the official end of the Iraq war. The book itself follows a 3 year period in the life of Colby Buzzell, a punk rock loving Californian living in the San Francisco area in his journey from relative obscurity ...
...from his favourite songs. My first impression of the book itself was that it was rather funny! Buzzell tries to write everything as he sees it, there doesn't seem to be any artistic licence used. There is very little of the macho "I fear nothing" approach that you would expect from someone who joined up to go and fight. The views expressed are brutally honest and at times just down right frightening, but this aside it does provide an amazing insight ... Read review

Advantages: Quick and easy read, a good introduction to Brando
Disadvantages: Get a feeling that some of the writing is 'highlights' rather than insights

...a handful of pictures of Marlon which tend to be images of him in his most famous roles. A big part of the book focuses on the film which undoubtedly broke him into a film star, the character of Stanley Kowalski in "A Streetcar named desire", a role which he played many times on stage and was comfortable portraying on screen. After his initial rise to fame his career was then plagued by years of poor film choices and lacklustre roles only to gain ...
...how they found working with Marlon as he had a reputation of 'being difficult'. This book is very much the rise and fall and rise again of a method trained actor who on screen performances changed the way some actors approached their roles, he was very much the first 'lone hero' on screen. An elusive man who claimed he disliked the lime light but yet produced some of the most memorable performances captured on film. You are either contented with ... Read review