Biography Books > T Biography Books > C > less than 5 GBP

Advantages: Appendices make this a useful reference work
Disadvantages: No real insight as the author was kept at a distance.

The list of rock stars who have been taken from us early is a long one. Many have lived the rock 'n roll lifestyle to excess and paid the ultimate price. Others have died through no fault of their own, their deaths a tragedy. Far fewer are those who have deliberately snuffed out their own spark. Kurt Cobain of Nirvana is perhaps the highest profile of these but more than a decade for he killed himself there was Ian Curtis of Joy Division. Deborah ...
...to talk about Ian Curtis' life, as she shared many years of it as his girlfriend and wife. She knew him from when he was just schoolboy with big dreams and was with him during his rise to fame, through until his sad end. She would see every side of Ian Curtis but, like many, would believe that the depressing lyrics he wrote were just something he was writing, not something he was feeling. Deborah Curtis takes us through her own life as it intersects ... Read review

Advantages: Educational
Disadvantages: Heartbreaking

“The Girl in the Picture” is the story behind the subject of one of the Vietnam War’s most shocking images; that of nine year old Kim Phuc, who was badly burned, and was captured on film running naked from her village back on 8 June 1972. the picture itself was shown around the world and won a Pulitzer prize for its cameraman. There were in fact many pictures of this terrible war, but this picture more than any other around the world, made people ...
...Phuc lived in the village of Trang Bang, north of Saigon in South Vietnam in 1972. She was the middle of nine children, born in 1963 to parents Nu and Tung. It was widely reported that she lost two brothers in the napalm attack, although the two boys in question were in fact cousins. Kim’s life was never to be the same again, not only for the injury and the devastation on her country and family, but for the fact that she was an unwilling celebrity, ... Read review

Advantages: Good account of two men conquering the elements
Disadvantages: May be of limited interest if you weren't aware of the events at the time

For most sane people the prospect of spending up to 2 months at sea, in a vessel only 25ft in length, with someone you barely know, would be the last thing that they would consider. However, not everyone is like this and this was the challenge accepted by double Olympic champion James Cracknell and TV presenter Ben Fogle. This book is the account of their voyage and a thoroughly interesting read. I first became aware of the Atlantic Rowing Race ...
...flyer inviting me to enter the challenge. I did consider it, for a split second, but soon the reality hit and the flyer ended up in the bin. A few months later I was sat at my computer and saw an article saying how the TV presenter Ben Fogle was planning on rowing across the Atlantic Ocean with a yet to be announced partner. I had first become aware of Fogle when he was on the TV program, 'Castaway 2000', possibly the first ever reality TV show, ... Read review

Advantages: Cheap, fun and easy to read
Disadvantages: I want her life

I bought this book on a spur of the moment shopping trip, basically because I was interested to see how Coleen went from being a schoolgirl to a WAG in such a short space of time. I was amazed to read her story and see how down to earth she really was, even after being catapulted at amazing speed into the limelight. She was even thoughtful enough to come back to her book and update it with her wedding plans for the release of the paperback edition. ...
...quick life update, within which she includes girly pages with tips on make-up, fashion, nights out and quizzes, making it so much more like a diary. It is really easy to read and highly enjoyable to learn how down to earth she is and how she enjoys nothing more than snuggling on her sofa watching the soaps just like the rest of us. ... Read review

Advantages: Shows a reverse perspective.
Disadvantages: Heartbreaking at times.

...six, makes this sometimes a little difficult to read and comprehend. ( I have a six year old daughter and the idea of her seeing the atrocities that the author did is heartbreaking to me). Amongst all the fear, desperation, hunger and complete and utter exhaustion is the story of the true hero's of this book……. The people. The true humanitarian feeling you get throughout the entire book is astounding, the people who have nothing and nowhere to ...
...a stranger, the people who fear for their homes due to the "invasion" of the English and like, who at a moments notice, will have someone "billeted" to them, ( this is what they called the refugees, after they were allocated a bed or home in the village they happen to come across) and show the refugees unforgettable kindness by providing a warm bed for the night and a delicious meal to boot. This book is full of sadness, and the stories of the complete ... Read review