BIOGRAPHIES FROM WHICH WE CAN BETTER LEARN LIFE
USEFUL, THOUGHTFUL, INSIGHTFUL


A starter list, to be added to, but get through the top ones first...

I will also cite movies which I think are good biographies (which are easier than reading, but may not be as deep.  Some biographies are motivating, some show examples of how to be successful in business, some let you see possible models to emulate in certain areas (but be careful, as it is important to keep your perspective on what is useful for your happiness - such as in my piece: Great 'Men', But Did They Lead Great Lives?, where I sort out which seem to be the best models for living my life. 



A1.  The Autobiography Of Benjamin Franklin.
      The Autobiography Of Thomas Jefferson (Consider some of the other books, too.)
      Long Walk To Freedom The Autobiography Of Nelson Mandela
      The Story Of My Life, by Helen Keller - Tremendous wisdom.
      Autobiography: The Story Of My Experiments With Truth, by Mahatma Gandhi
      Abraham Lincoln: A Biography, Benjamin P. Thomas
      The Snowball: Warren Buffett And The Business Of Life, Alice Schroeder

A10. The Autobiography Of A Yogi (Paramhansa Yogananda.)

A30. The Autobiography Of Mark Twain, 2 volumes, huge, so it is not a first book to read.  A bunch of journal entries, with alot of thinking and lots to learn.

The Life Of Keith D. Garrick And What Can Be Learned From It - What Could Have Been Done Better? - In Hopes Of Making Other People's Lives Better.  (to be written, Transition To Where I Am Now is the start)

It will be hard to extract the lessons from these, but these are extraordinary biographies that may have other gifts to you in how to proceed in life.

Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson
Losing My Virginity: How I Survived, Had Fun, And Made A Fortune Doing Business My Way, Richard Branson
Straight From The Gut, by Jack Welch

GoodReads.com lists biographies in reader voted order


QUICKIE BIOGRAPHIES

Use the internet, especially Wikipedia.


MOVIES - These do not teach as much as books, but they certainly provide role models.

The Last Lecture, Randy Pausch - YouTube (1:16:27) - See his other talks.  Great!
Temple Grandin - Autistic and... inspiring (rent on Netflix) 
Netflix:  Pick off all the famous people you admire and you're likely to get a movie or a documentary about many of them, such as on this list: People I Admire, People Who Inspire.




Add anything on Stephen Hawking as a model of what can be done.
I COULD USE YOUR HELP ON THIS

Since I cannot do all of the research in my limited time, I ask that you suggest some books that made a large impact on your life and/or which you think will be beneficial to the lives of others.  Your evaluation and summary would be nice, but not necessary, additions.  (Please tell me if you want to be credited by name and the state or country you live in.  Otherwise, they will be anonymous.)


ALSO, SOME FICTIONAL "BIOGRAPHIES"

Some fictional books are so well written to teach life lessons that they should be included in the list of biographies that are most impactful.

Your suggestions in this area would also be great.
Biographies With Valuable Lessons About Life - Biographical excerpts and reviews.