woke up this morning

I woke up this morning for work, wanting to "talk" about biographies (and "ers" -- biographies and biographers) here on my blog.
Then I get in here and discover, sort of by accident, that one of the biographers I was going to write about has Big new Position in national magazine.
So --
two brief topics.
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1. Biographies. I haven't read that many, but have developed a preference: I like it when they lay out the highlights and fabric of the subject's life and the reader can't see much of the author's personal opinion. When the biographer has an "axe to grind" I find it worse than tedious. I just want to -- take the book back to the library and, I don't know, move away or something.

Why does any author write a book about a person and run them down? Either because the author just doesn't like the person, or because the publishing company says, "Write it this way, it'll sell." (I couldn't think of any other reasons....)

I like the story of the person's life to be balanced, and I don't want to hear that much of the author's personal opinions, prejudices, grinding axes, whatever -- the less of that, the better.

From small amount of biographies I've read, I want to rank them -- the top ones are the "best" in my view because the book is about the subject, not a platform for the writer.
1 (best) Robert Dallek.
his books are scholarly. (The one I have on LBJ is huge.)
Not everyone would be up for that kind of read, but my opinion of his writing & research etc. is high.

2 Grace And Power, story of Kennedy Administration, by Sally Bedell Smith.
When you read that, you don't hear about Sally Bedell Smith. You hear about the Kennedy Administration. And it isn't a bunch of gossip-innuendo-yuck. It's recent history which shaped our world, written in a scholarly-yet-broadly accessible style.

3 I, Tina the story of Tina Turner's life, by T. Turner with Kurt Loder

Tied for #3 position on my list is Donald Spoto's bio: Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis: A Life

4 The Diana Chronicles, by Tina Brown.
I feel two ways about this Diana biography. I was riveted, reading it -- I love the fact that, as well as story of the Princess of Wales, Tina Brown also includes a lot of information about the aristocratic system and monarchy, which I never understood before, and also much background about current tabloid journalism scourge, and sort of its origins and its effects.
Problem I have with her book, however, is that being a (tabloid?) journalist herself (she was in charge of something called Tatler, in England, then came here for some very big jobs -- Vanity Fair and The New Yorker [hello?!]), her writing style is sort of -- well, at times, you feel like she's leading you around in a circle, saying one thing, then proving another, and -- doing what our parents' generation called, 'talking out of both sides of her mouth.' (Writing with two pens...??)

At times, The Diana Chronicles is spinning so fast, you're like -- WHAT??
It's a certain style --
but -- I don't think college professors would assign students to read it, if I can put it that way.
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Then -- I glance on-line today and discover --
they put her (Tina Brown) in charge of Newsweek - !
? ! ? !
Newsweek, the magazine. Yes, that one.
Suffice it to say, I was surprised.
Not saying I don't like her writing -- I do. But -- I think of Newsweek as "hard news," not gossip, or info-tainment.

We'll have to wait and see what the other commentators on the media who are more important than me (that is to say, All Of Them) have to say.

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