Biographies are known for providing us a glimpse into a person’s life. The person who has done something extraordinary in his or her life and has lived a life different from others. Biographies are written to inspire people to do something extraordinary with their life.
They are based on the people who have set an example for all of us through their life journey. Biographies are written in such a way that glorifies the life led by these influential personalities who have faced numerous struggles in their life and actually taught us a life lesson in the process.
Simply put, biographies are an account of a person’s life written by someone else who uses his own perspective to show us things that happened in the said person’s life. The ultimate motto of these books is to inspire people and to show them that how you can rise up every time life has put you down.
The following are is examples of some great books ever written in this genre. These are based on the life of people whose life has influenced and touched the lives of millions.
1. How To Live: A Life of Montaigne
Written by Sarah Bakewell, How to Live is a story about Montaigne. In her attempt, the author of the story tries to answer some questions like how to live a life? how to deal with violence, how you can get along with others, and how you can get over the loss of a loved one.
As the tag line of the book reads, ‘One question and twenty attempts at an answer’. Sarah Bakewell traces the life of Montaigne and tries to show us life through an eye of a true renaissance man.
2. Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
The biography of Genghis Khan is written by Jack Weatherford. The author has tried to glorify the tales of the Mongolian king Genghis Khan and changed the perspective of people who used to see the Mongols as only bloodthirsty pillagers.
In his book, Weatherford shows us how Genghis Khan introduced som progressive advancement in the nations that they conquered with power and how they provided the people with religious freedom and abolished torture. Genghis Khan and the making of the modern world recite the story of the Mongolian king that how he formed an entire empire.
3. The Man Who Knew Infinity, A Life of the Genius Ramanujan
Srinivas Ramanujan is a great mathematician who is celebrated worldwide for his intellect. His autobiography is written by Robert Kanigel who has portrayed the life of Ramajun as a young boy who was uneducated and poor. The story belongs to the time when the homeland of Ramanujan that is India was under the rule of Britishers.
Ramanujan gets recognized for his brilliance by Cambridge University and starts studying there. Then you get to learn about the struggles faced by Ramanujan in a foreign land thousands of miles away from his motherland.
4. The Power Broker
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York is written by Robert A. Caro. The biography is about Robert Moses who was an Americal public official working in the New York Metropolitan area. Robert Moses became famous as a ‘master builder’ and the story answers the question, How does one individual amass so much power?
In his thousand pages long book, Rober Caro has recited the story of Robert Moss and how over the course of time the power of this master builder has turned into a dictatorship.
5. Socrates: A Man of Our Times
Socrates: A man of our times is written by Paul Johnson. Through his biography, Paul has tried to depict the life of Socrates, a Greek philosopher who is famous worldwide for his intellect. Socrates has taught another great philosopher and his name is Plato.
Socrates, the book will not only introduce you with the life of this great Greek philosopher but will also let you explore some aspects of western philosophy or history. You will get to see the lifestyle of people in those times and also how Socrates chose to live his life and how he became such a strong personality from the past.
6. Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War
Boyd: The fighter pilot who changed the art of war is a story about John Boyd. He was a fighter pilot in the U.S military and his smart theories and intelligence actually contributed to making the US army gain some glorious victories.
He is seen as the greatest strategist in the military of the 20th century. His biography is pretty inspirational and you will also get to learn how one military strategist had such brilliance that he was able to form various theories about the war that actually made the U.S. army. The novel is brilliantly written by Robert Coram.
7. Seven Pillars of Wisdom
Seven Pillars of Wisdom right after its release has received a lot of appreciation from the reviewers. The book was published in the year 1922 and since then people are calling it a classic. Seven Pillars of wisdom is authored by T.E. Lawrence and it is the story of the Arab Revolt around 1916-1918.
The book provides an exceptional read for the people who love reading adventurous books. Churchill called it, “one of the greatest books ever written in the English Language.” So if you are fond of this genre then you should definitely give this book a try.
8. Totto Chan, The Little Girl at the Window
Totto-chan, the Little Girl at the Window is written by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi who is a Japanese television personality and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. The book became a hit and it proves to be a turning point in the career of the author. It sold around 5 million copies in Japan and called as ‘instant bestseller’ in Japan.
The book is written before World War 2 in Japan and it revolves around the childhood of a girl named Totto chan. The girl who always used to look out the window in the class as she was always distracted. She was often misunderstood because of her attention disorder and excessive energy but the story forms beautifully when the school principal mentored her and understood her completely.
9. Edison: A Biography
Thomas Edison is a great scientist and inventor who lived quite a significant life. His biography named, Edison: a biography is written by Matthew Josephson. Edison is America’s one of the greatest and most celebrated scientists and his biography interested a lot of people who were eager to know how he lived his life as a young boy and how he became such a great personality in America.
The life of Edison was pretty tough and when he was young, he was deaf, poor and uneducated and his biography tells you how he conquered his life situations and became the famous scientist that we know today.
10. Subtle is the Lord: The Science and the Life of Albert Einstein
There are many many biographies written about Albert Einstein, the greatest scientist who is celebrated worldwide for his intellect and brilliance. But this one called Subtle is the Lord is written by Abraham Pais with the assistance of Einstein private secretary Helen Dukas. This novel is one of the best biographies ever written about Einstein.
The biography of Einstein shows us his life in great detail and from a different perspective. The book remains inspirational as it describes the life of Einstein who is considered one of the greatest minds of the 20th century.
Conclusion
The biographies mentioned above belonged to some greatest personalities of history. These figures have not only led a fulfilling life for themselves but also inspired others to do so and influenced the life of millions. A good biography is not only the one who is based on the life of a great notable figure, but it is also the one that is written brilliantly while reciting the tales of the individuals’ story in an organized manner and great writing style.
Apart from the ones that we mentioned in this article we are sure, there must be others who would be equally great as this one, if you have read or happen to know any other biographies that you feel that should have been in this list let us know about them in the comment section below. Also, we would love to receive your feedback on this one.
