Biography Books > S Biography Books

Advantages: A great read
Disadvantages: Swearing

...2006, I read Extreme - Sharon Osbourne's autobiography. I really enjoyed it, so when I heard she had a second book out - Survivor - I borrowed it from the library and finished it last night. I think most people know who Sharon Osbourne is. As well as being the wife of Black Sabbath star Ozzy and mother of actress and singer Kelly, Sharon Osbourne is well-known in her own right, especially in the UK for her part on the judging panel of The X Factor. ...
...married, as both Ozzy and Sharon had been nasty to each other in the past and often displayed unacceptable behaviour. In Survivor, with Ozzy now sober and clean, their marriage comes across as mutually beneficial, loving, caring and warm - just as it should be. It was also interesting to read updates on her children - Kelly, Jack and the more private Aimee. As a mother myself, I was interested to read about Sharon moving onto a new phase of her ... Read review

Advantages: A great read
Disadvantages: I could've kept reading another 100 pages

Stiff Little Fingers were one of the most commercially successful punk bands of the late 70's and early 80's. Formed in Belfast in 1977, they were often wrongly accused of cashing in on the troubles in Northern Ireland. Nothing could be further from the truth, their songs were simply about the things they new best, the army on their streets, the paramilitary organisations influence over communities, and above all, being a teenager in a city where ...
...and went "Jesus Christ, Mr Stiff Little Fingers" And I thought "F*** me, Phil Lynott knows who I am' This is a book not just for the loyal SLF fan, or for people who just have a fond memory of them. It's so well written, funny and entertaining I believe anyone would find it an enjoyable read…Go For It! -------------------------------------- Pages: 190 Sanctuary Publishing ISBN 1-86074-513-X Original price £12.99 ... Read review

Advantages: Introductory essay, clear and concise, beautiful illustrations
Disadvantages: None

...the poet and historian, Robert Southey in 1813. It has been revived and edited by Richard Holmes in a series of biographical books, Flamingo Classic Biographies series, released by HarperCollins on 17th September 2001. The book retails for £7.99. I attended a talk given by Richard Holmes promoting this set of short books (The Life of Nelson is just 300 pages) whilst at the Hay Festival this year. For the Talk, Holmes focused on another biography, ...
...At the time when Southey wrote Nelson’s biography, he was the Poet Laureate. The Life of Nelson was acclaimed as his greatest prose work. Southey meticulously researched his subject to avoid making any technical mistakes. The book is beautifully illustrated with 12 glossy prints of paints including the Battles of The Nile, Copenhagen and Trafalgar and the Death of Nelson. The front cover is a portrait of Nelson by Hopwood. Richard Holmes embarked ... Read review

Advantages: Very well written
Disadvantages: May not reach the audience that needs it most

The "true confessions" style of writing seems to have made the move from women's magazines to books in recent years. But in an effort to make a decent book out of these things, it's never the simple "I fell in love with my brother" type story you get, but a far more wide reaching tales. There have been many about being abused as a child, either sexually or emotionally. There have been people talking about their sex lives, whether they accepted money ...
...to more or less any substance going. It is this last category that Koren Zailckas' "Smashed: Growing up a Drunk Girl" falls into. She marks her history with alcohol, from her first drink aged just fourteen, to her last roughly ten years later. She uses alcohol throughout her growing up years, as a way to feel good and to help her with her social skills, eventually getting to a point where she can rarely relate to others, particularly members of ... Read review

Advantages: Tragic yet inspirational story of survival
Disadvantages: none

...own unique upbringing, a first stolen life. At the age of 4, her presence was requested at court to be a companion to the Princess Lalla Mina, and so she was taken from her parents to be raised at the Palace. Certainly, to most of us, the concept of growing up in a harem in a royal palace sounds highly exotic and mysterious, but Malika reveals a life of isolation and loneliness from being separated from her beloved mother. She was considered to be ...
...abuse. Her first stolen life is given back to her when she finally leaves the palace, and for a portion of the book, her joy and sense of freedom (and rebellion) is palpable. She wants to be an actress, she lives in Paris, sneaks out at night; in short, she has a relatively normal teenage life. What makes these portions of the book so much more poignant is the way these memories come back to her while she languishes in jail, and how they become absorbed ... Read review