There are a lot of autobiographies out there. Pretty much every celebrity, politician and sports star has one but how do you navigate through them all and pick one that you will enjoy. Some biographies are great with interesting stories, unknown facts and loads of information. Some are terrible, boring, self-absorbed and meaningless. Some even have much of the content fabricated, not unlike what happened with Burt Ward's book about his time playing Robin from the Batman TV show in the 60's. Here is some good ones that cover a wide range of interests.
Marilyn Manson: Long Hard Road Out Of Hell
For fans of Marilyn Manson this is a must read of course but what if your aren't a fan of his? Well, this is still one of the better biographies out there. First, it has tons of backstage stories about Manson, his band, his fans and other bands he toured with. Some are funny, some are weird. Manson just tells them like sees them even calling out band members for their antics.
He relates some famous stories as well, for instance when he met Anton Lavay the founder of the Church of Satan for the first time. He has quite a few interactions with Trent Reznor and goes into depth about their relationship. Of course there is lots of drug use as well.
Manson gives the impression that he doesn't seem to care too much about all the craziness going on around him and doesn't get involved with it too much either. He doesn't take himself seriously and prefers to be called by his real name when he isn't performing. Its a very entertaining and revealing read that shows a side of Manson that not many people know about.
Ernest Hemingway: A Moveable Feast
Hemingway was a very prolific writer and his novels have been made into movies and are studied in schools. Most of his novels are easy to read and teach important lessons. His real life is by far and away one of the most interesting lives any man could have. Hemingway pretty much did it all in his life and made people and locations famous along the way.
Hemingway spent time as a reporter and an ambulance driver during war. Fished for Marlins down in Florida. He loved to travel down to Key West which wasn't very popular at the time.
Bottom line is that Ernest Hemingway was the man's man. Everything he did, saw and experienced is of interest to men in some way. His life is an example of someone who tried to do as much as possible with his time which all men should strive to do.
Richard Kuklinski: The Iceman: The True Story of a Cold-Blooded Killer
For those who don't know about Richard Kuklinski, he was a contract killer for the mafia in New York. He was famous for freezing his victims or at least chilling before he dumped them to throw police off the time of death.
The book covers pretty much his entire life up until his eventual imprisonment and death. Of course being a contract killer he describes many of his kills in detail so be ready for some gory stories. He also goes into detail about some of the inner workings of the mafia and some of the major players of that world.
Some of the stories seem a little far fetched like what happened to Jimmy Hoffa and a few of his other contracts. Its possible he was playing it up a little to the ghostwriter of the book but he was eventually convicted of 5 counts of murder so there definitely truth to it.
Alexander the Great: The Landmark Arrian: The Campaigns of Alexander or Alexander of Macedon, 356-323 B.C.: A Historical Biography
Alexander the Great, if nobody knows did more in his life of 32 years than almost anyone ever. His life and character at times seems complicated and yet sometimes his actions and motives are clear. He was a master at motivating his troops, army tactics and psychology. He seemingly overcame any obstacle presented to him with relative ease.
There are many books written about Alexander because he did so much in his lifetime. His campaign to conquer the known world was immense. He fought countless battles with countless different adversaries. His world was a world of strength, honour, religion and war.
One book may not be enough to cover everything about Alexander so we've recommended two. As much that happened on the battlefield also happened off the battlefield. For men looking to expand their mind and knowledge base should be familiar with Alexander the Great and his life.
To be a well rounded man you need to learn about other man, both great and small. Learn what makes them tick, where they began and what choices they made in their life. There are hundreds of lessons to take away from these books and essential for building a your knowledge.
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