Biographies/Memoirs

Angry Optimist by Jon Stewart:  Fans of The Daily Show who miss Stewart will probably enjoy this book - not because it contains anything that new or insightful but because it's just something about Stewart.  It's an easy-to-read telling of his rise to stardom from humble beginnings - the usual rags to riches story filled with incredible failure - where you marvel at how determined some individuals are to make their dreams come true - and also how overlooked obvious talent so often is.   Most of the book focuses on his time at the Daily Show - I'm not that interested in the inner workings of television - more interested in Stewart's own brand of humor and his own insights - which is probably why reading a biography of his life, was not as fulfilling as reading something actually written by Stewart himself.  But, it had some interesting tid-bits and was worth a quick read.

On the Move by Oliver Sacks:  I'm a big fan of Oliver Sacks - I first started reading his books in 2007 when I wanted background on neurological disorders.  He was a tremendous story-teller and made complicated brain science accessible and completely fascinating to the average person like myself.  On the Move is Sack's memoir - about his fast-paced life, his obsession with motorcycles, his drug addiction - it's a brilliant look into how the personality traits that makes someone so determined and successful can also lead dangerously close to their demise.  This book was published just shortly before Sack's death in August 2015 - reading it after his death was a nice way to learn more about about and hold on to his genius.

Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton:  At the beginning of this year, I decided to open myself up to a few "self-help" type memoirs - the type that talk about life reaching rock bottom, and then how people find the will to keep going on, to reinvent themselves, etc   I have no idea why - but I thought maybe I could gain some perspective and generally feel like - well, if these people can pick themselves up after so much loss/tragedy/etc, then surely I can find a way to be more positive about work and life in general!  Can't hurt.  I think I probably picked this one up because it was an Oprah Book Club Selection, and I have read Melton's blog Momastery once in awhile and thought it was pretty funny.  But, it turns out that sometimes a book about hitting rock bottom can be so incredibly depressing that it's hard to find the message in the end.  This one is about Melton's marriage (which takes on new meaning when you know that she has since gotten divorced and remarried), and the lengths so go to to forgive - even when it absolutely seems like there is no reason she should - and maybe that was my problem.  I felt like she was punishing herself and bending over backwards for someone who she just didn't seem to belong with - and I guess it turns out that was true.  I was ambivalent at best about this one.