For many people like myself, autobiographies are my favorite type of book because they are real-life accounts written by the person who lived it. Rarely do we get the opportunity to glimpse deeply into the lives of fascinating people through their own eyes and experience the emotional ride with the person as they navigate life.
I’ve always felt that regular biographies could only delve so far into a person’s life, leaving too much to speculation. The result could easily be different from the truth where the reader doesn’t know what is fact or fiction. That’s why the autobiography is so exciting. You can bet all of it is fact. (Unless, of course, the author is lying or omitting important information). Granted, many authors penning their bios will use a co-author or ghostwriter to piece together their stories because not all fascinating figures are great writers.
One of my favorite autobiographies is about Marlon Brando, dubbed the greatest actor in film history by many. The title is: Songs My Mother Taught Me. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1924, Brando lived an interesting and somewhat tumultuous life until he died in 2004. His 80 years of life resembles a Shakespearean tragedy. In his book, the actor shares intimate details about his childhood where he dealt with alcoholic parents who he would often have to rescue off the floor of a local bar.
His autobiography shares his rise to fame and the wild ride that came with it, leading to his disenchantment with the entire entertainment industry. Despite his distaste for the business, Brando was renowned as Hollywood’s quintessential leading man. All the women wanted him and all the men wanted to be him. Viewed by many of his co-workers as “hard to deal with,” Brando was simply a genius that the world wasn’t always ready for.
His shenanigans on and off set led to his reputation as a firecracker. He was supremely creative and knowledgeable on many different topics, driven by his never-ending and almost childlike curiosity about the world. He wrote that he could breathe life into his characters by observing the behavior of the people around him. Subsequently, the next generations of leading men continue to give homage to the man, the myth, the legend, Marlon Brando. To be able to read his stories is one example of why autobiographies are so satisfying.
Another autobiography that stands above many in my mind is the Autobiography of Malcolm X. Published in 1965, it still leaves the reader with their jaw on the ground. Born in 1925 just a year after Marlon Brando and in the same town of Omaha, Nebraska, Malcolm Little, (Muslim name Malik el-Shabbazz) grew up to be a two-bit pimp and street hustler. In 1946 he was sentenced to eight to 10 years for burglary and larceny. In prison, he became a militant member of the radical group, the Nation of Islam, changing his name along with the other members who replaced their last names (their white slave names) with an “X.” The “X” symbolized the branding of an “X” on the upper arms of many slaves. Malcolm X was paroled in 1952 after serving eight years and became one of the Nation of Islam’s most prominent leaders in the promotion of separating whites and blacks until he saw through this power structure.
His saving grace was the spiritual and ideological conversions throughout his life making him realize that it wasn’t blacks against whites that was the problem. It was the system against the people. With this knowledge, he left the Nation of Islam and worked to bring blacks and whites together. Malcolm X realized divisiveness was what the system used to keep people fighting with each other. He and Marlon Brando joined Martin Luther King Jr. in the march for civil rights. The system saw the power of this movement and the support that Malcolm X was garnering making him a target that needed to be removed. This resulted in his assassination in 1965 in Harlem, New York.
You can see how both these autobiographies make for some intense reading material. For me, there’s no other genre like an autobiography that can capture my attention like the words coming directly from those I find most interesting. Whether they wrote it themselves or used the help of a professional ghostwriter, these words are a factual account that brings me closer to those I admire.
Writing one’s life story isn’t easy. At Ghostwriters Central, Inc., we often hear from those who have made attempts, but who’ve abandoned the idea, despite hearing from everyone they know that they ought to write a book. Nobody can guarantee a book will become a best seller, no matter what you might see online. Don’t get taken advantage of with tales of super success. Avoid the too-good-to-be-true sales pitches.
Ghostwriters Central offers outstanding autobiography and memoir writing services. We can create the kind of manuscript publishers want through the interview process, which also means it will be the kind that book buyers will want to read. We’ve been building trust with clients since our founding in 2002 by delivering great work on time and on budget. Click the link then give us a call. There is no obligation. Thanks for reading. We look forward to hearing from you.
