New Blog One: Reader S Digest

Tuesday 30 October 2012

Reader S Digest

Biography and its cousin autobiography are among the most popular forms of nonfiction. I think there’s a couple of reasons for this. First, some people are interesting or have done interesting things, so it’s natural that we might want to learn more about them. Second, every life has a beginning, a middle and and end, which means that biography is more than just facts—it’s also a story. History is another popular category for the same reason: the past unfolds as a narrative. We like reading stories more than we like readings lists of facts. It’s the way the human brain works. And stories about people are among our favorites.

If I were asked to name a favorite biography, I would immediately name The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert A. Caro. This is a door-stopper when it comes to heft; I’d bet that even the e-book edition weighs a couple of pounds