To contact Chris Winter, send email to this address.Copyright © 2005-2022 Christopher P. Winter. All rights reserved.
This page was last modified on 15 December 2022.
| MEMOIRS |
Here I go beyond the normal definition of memoir to include everything from true memoirs to full biographies and autobiographies. |
| PRINCIPAL AUTHOR |
TITLE (Linked to review) |
RATING (0-5) |
REVIEW DATE |
ONE-LINE DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allen, Paul | Idea Man | 5.0 | 7/05/2012 | The other Microsoft co-founder tells us how he did it, why he left the company, and the surprising things he's done since. |
| Anderson, Ray C. | Confessions of a Radical Industrialist | 5.0 | 12/21/2013 | Follow Ray Anderson as he wrings waste out of his carpet-manufacturing business — and ramps up the profits! |
| Asimov, Eric | How to Love Wine | 5.0 | 9/16/2013 | "Wine is life! Live it, love it — but don't worship it!" is the (paraphrased) message here from the Chief Wine Critic of the New York Times. |
| Asimov, Stanley (ed.) | Yours, Isaac Asimov | 5.0 | 12/16/2000 | An edited collection of The Good Doctor's surviving letters, organized by topic |
| Clarke, Arthur C. | Greetings, Carbon-Based Bipeds! | 5.0 | 12/13/2001 | A compendium of Sir Arthur's essays written from 1934-1998 |
| Clinton, Hillary Rodham | What Happened | 5.0 | 1/07/2018 | Mrs. Clinton's memoir of the 2016 presidential campaign spares no one — not even herself. |
| Collins, Judy | Sweet Judy Blue Eyes | 5.0 | 6/29/2012 | In her third memoir, folksinger and activist Judy Collins writes with candor and grace of her varied career and the difficulties that plagued her during the early part of it. |
| Collis, John | John Denver | 4.0 | 6/04/2015 | Although he devotes too much space to musical industry metrics, Collis gives us an honest and useful picture of John Denver the man. |
| Comey, James | A Higher Loyalty | 5.0 | 4/29/2018 | The fired FBI Director credibly shows us who he is — and proves the value of his leadership. |
| Cousteau, Jacques-Yves | The Human, the Orchid, and the Octopus | 5.0 | 3/20/2008 | This is both memoir and manifesto of the famed ocean explorer. |
| Daniels, Stormy | Full Disclosure | 5.0 | 8/04/2019 | Here is a remarkable memoir of surviving misfortunes and enormous pressures. It goes from zany to deadly serious by turns. |
| Garver, Lori | Escaping Gravity | 5.0 | 12/15/2022 | Lori Garver — space pirate, crusader at NASA for lower-cost access to orbit, mentor to women in STEM fields — recounts her quest. |
| Ladies Home Journal | The 100 Most Important Women of the 20th Century | 2.5 | 12/24/2001 | A compilation of brief biographies of some important women |
| Lehman, Milton | This High Man | 5.0 | 3/28/1998 | A biography of rocketry pioneer Robert Hutchings Goddard |
| Marques, Nadedja | Born Subversive | 5.0 | 2/05/2017 | Nadedja Marques has survived misfortunes that would break many Americans. Here is her inspiring story. |
| Moon, Sun Myung | As a Peace-Loving Global Citizen | 3.0 | 3/04/2012 | Right here on these pages, the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, aged 90 years, looks back on his life and shares some memories that maybe reveal more than he had intended. |
| Morgan, George D. | Rocket Girl | 5.0 | 3/08/2015 | Wernher von Braun built the rocket that put up America's first satellite. But here's the story of the lady who made the fuel that gave the rocket enough power to do the job. |
| Mulgrew, Kate | Born with Teeth | 5.0 | 3/07/2019 | Actress Kate Mulgrew gives us a frank and fascinating account of her life and career. |
| Mullane, Mike | Riding Rockets | 5.0 | 5/29/2012 | I've never read an astronaut memoir like this, and I expect you haven't either. |
| Obama, Michelle | Becoming | 5.0 | 11/30/2018 | The first African-American FLOTUS gives us an inspiring and unsparing account of her life to date. |
| Pendle, George | Strange Angel | 5.0 | 3/15/2006 | Finally, a worthy biography of rocketry pioneer John Whiteside Parsons. In his rather bizarre life, the largely self-taught Parsons made major contributions to solid-fuel technology. |
| Perkins, John | Confessions of an Economic Hit Man | 3.5 | 12/27/2005 | I judge Mr. Perkins' confession heartfelt and reasonably well-crafted, but in the final analysis unreliable. Still, it's a good read. |
| Schneider, Stephen H. | Science as a Contact Sport | 5.0 | 8/03/2010 | A memoir of the late Dr. Schneider's remarkable life in climate science and politics |
| Schoen, Douglas | Pat | 5.0 | 6/21/2004 | A biography of the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan |
| Schulman, Daniel | Sons of Wichita | 5.0 | 3/03/2015 | Four sons had Fred Koch of Wichita. Building on the firm he founded, they created the biggest private company in America and used it as a lever to upset the country's political system. |
| Silvey, Anita | Let Your Voice Be Heard | 5.0 | 10/28/2018 | Although classified as "Juv. Lit.", this book does an excellent job of capturing the life and spirit of the foremost American Folksinger. |
| Simon, Charlie May | Faith Has Need of All the Truth | 5.0 | 12/25/1997 | A biography of the Jesuit paleontologist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin for young readers |
| Strong, Douglas H. | Dreamers & Defenders | 5.0 | 8/27/2001 | Short but comprehensive biographies of America's foremost conservationists, from Thoreau to Commoner |
| Takei, George | To The Stars | 5.0 | 3/28/1998 | George Takei (Mr. Sulu of the original Star Trek) describes his life, from an Arkansas internment camp to college at UCLA and Berkeley and success in Hollywood. |
| Trump, Mary L. | Too Much and Never Enough | 4.5 | 9/20/2020 | Insight into Donald Trump's upbringing is provided by his niece Mary L. Trump, a clinical psychologist. |
| Vance, Ashlee | Elon Musk | 5.0 | 3/31/2016 | Ashlee Vance gifts us here with a probing look into the life and work of the enigmatic entrepreneur Elon Musk, who is revitalizing several vital industries. |
| Wakatsuki, Jeanne | Farewell to Manzanar | 5.0 | 5/08/2012 | Jeanne Wakatsuki was seven when she was interned at Manzanar with her family. This book recounts her experiences there. |
| Wallace, Mike | Between You and Me | 5.0 | 1/03/2006 | Long-time 60 Minutes reporter Mike Wallace presents a selection of interview excerpts, along with some news analysis and anecdotes from his eventful journalistic career. |
| Wilson, Joseph | The Politics of Truth | 5.0 | 11/05/2004 | Former Ambassador Joe Wilson recounts his life, with special reference to the current controversy over the disclosure that his wife, Valerie Plame, was an undercover CIA operative. |
| Wilson, Valerie Plame | Fair Game | 4.5 | 11/14/2007 | Unfairly exposed CIA covert agent Valerie Plame finally gets to tell her side of the story. |
| The books are rated from 0 to 5 in increments of 0.5. Colors represent the following quality ranges: | ||||
| 4.0 to 5.0 | Quality: | HIGH | (Color = Aqua) | Competent to exceptional; well worth the money |
| 2.0 to 3.5 | Quality: | FAIR | (Color = Lime) | Useful despite some flaws; may or may not be worth buying. |
| 0.5 to 1.5 | Quality: | POOR | (Color = Yellow) | Seriously flawed; read it if you wish, but don't buy it. |
| 0.0 to 0.0 | Quality: | YUCK | (Color = Fuchsia) | Avoid this book at all costs! |
To contact Chris Winter, send email to this address.