For some reason, we as a society are fascinated by the life of celebrity. Whether is be actor, musician, politician, business leader, or the person next door who gained fame for whatever they did, we love to read about their successes and failures.
It’s this fascination with celebrity that brings success to television shows like Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood, networks like E! Entertainment, magazines like People, Us, and The Star, and to full-length books of biography and autobiography. We just can’t seem to get enough.
As I wrote this column, three of the top five bestsellers at Amazon.com were biographical: “Night” by Elie Wiesel, “Wisdom of Our Fathers: Lessons and Letters from Daughters and Sons” by Tim Russert, and “Dispatches from the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters, and Survival” by Anderson Cooper. The New York Times list added “Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World’s Worst Dog” by John Grogan, “Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball’s Last Hero” by David Maraniss, and “My Life in France” by Julia Child and Alex Prud'Homme in the top ten.
Books about our newest celebrities come out with lightning speed. The Blue Banner biography of American Idol Carrie Underwood was released a short five months after she won the competition. “Aruba : The Tragic Untold Story of Natalee Holloway and Corruption in Paradise” by Dave Holloway was released while the investigation of the girl’s disappearance is still under way. Some subjects of biographies never seem to die as proven by the success of “The Beatles: The Biography” by Bob Spitz released just over a year ago.
No matter what arena of life you find the most interesting, a biography, autobiography or memoir about a celebrated person makes for interesting reading.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
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