Hello and welcome back! Before my finale, I wanted to discuss an interesting phase in my life relating to my reading habits. I read a series of biographies throughout high school about various American historical figures. While I wouldn’t say that I had fun while I read them, they fascinated me and I was always interested in them.
This all began in the summer leading up to 9th grade. At this point in time, the musical Hamilton was pretty popular, and I knew that it was written after Lin-Manuel Miranda read Alexander Hamilton’s biography written by Ron Chernow. So I made the (rather unwise) decision to read the book, as I was able to obtain a copy. I failed to account for the sheer amount of pages and how dense the subject matter was. I’ll admit that, at times, I struggled with the book. There were certainly points in the book that I was genuinely interested in Hamilton’s life, such as the Revolutionary War and his various political pursuits. However, there were also a lot of times where I had very little interest, such as the intricacies of the financial system that he put into place.
It certainly took time, but I finally finished that book during spring break in 9th grade. Now, was that the end of the biographies? Well, if the answer was yes, I wouldn’t have a blog post. You see, while I was reading Hamilton, my parents gifted me another biography for Christmas – the biography of Ulysses Grant by the same author, Ron Chernow. When I first opened the gift, I thought to myself You’ve got to be kidding me. Honestly, reading Hamilton’s biography had disillusioned me with biographies, and I was not looking forward to reading another one of similar length.
It took me a little while, but I finally picked that book up in the summer leading up to 10th grade. Reading this one, though, was different. I found Ulysses Grant’s life to be much more interesting, and I thought that Grant himself was a fascinating character. As a general of the Civil War and President of the United States, he certainly lead an eventful life. Furthermore, Chernow’s writing brought him back to life – when I was reading about Grant during the Civil War, I was on the edge of my seat, wondering who would come out on top (obviously the Union, but it was much easier to suspend my disbelief in this book). When I finished the book that February, I was genuinely sad, because when Grant died, I felt like I had lost someone (never mind the fact that he died in the late 1800’s).
Of course, I couldn’t categorize this as my biography ‘phase’ if I only read two biographies. The third biography that I read was about Harry Truman, written by David McCullough. I had wanted to read about Truman after reading an article describing his massive upset win in the 1948 presidential election. So, like clockwork, I started this book in the summer leading up to 11th grade. By far, I enjoyed this book the most, even though he seemed to live a comparably less extraordinary life than the other men I read about. He wasn’t an immigrant, nor a war general. He just seemed to be a regular guy who rose to the highest office, almost by accident. Honestly, sometimes those stories are the most interesting.
I read and learned a lot by reading all of these biographies. I think this helped show me how learning on your own can be so incredibly rewarding. But I don’t know. Maybe not all of these books have to teach me a larger lesson. Most of the tine I just read to read, without expecting a lesson. Sometimes that lesson comes, sometimes it doesn’t. And that’s okay, because I love to read, and I don’t need any extra motivation to do it.
Hey Matt,
I think it’s really special that you found a way to enjoy biographies about famous figures in history. Simply by learning how these people lived can change your entire outlook on life and develop you into a better person. It’s surely something that I should do more. I like how a lot of these stories about you reading are at first looking at a book as a challenge or as something that you would never want to spend the time reading, but then as soon as you pick it up and get into it you are just continually blown away by the ingenuity of the author and the wonder that only a book can bring. Also, I really liked what you said about how sometimes, it’s good to read just to read; we don’t have to always see books as these “educational devices.” I feel that’s what holds me back far too often from picking up a book, and it’s a thoughtful consideration for the future. Thanks for your words as always!
Hey Matt,
Getting deja vu from me leaving another late comment? I am really sorry about that. I don’t know why I keep not leaving comments on Sunday this semester like I did last semester. Anywho this one is interesting. I have to say that while I have been right with you for most of these blogs in terms of me enjoying the same type of books as you, and the same authors, I can say that we are diverging here. I’ve read a biography before as well, and a book similar to a biography (Democracy in America is not literally a biography but it reminds me of one), and I must say that while there are certainly things I believe I learned from them of value, it is not the kind of book I’d want to read any more of. So, I’m impressed. Your passion for reading is evident in each of these posts and made more and more clear as you introduce a new genre or new type of book that you have read or enjoy to read.
Speaking of average people achieving the amazing, though not as impressive as Ulysses S. Grant, have you ever heard of Vince Papale. 30 year old bartender who made the Eagles at a tryout and played for 2 seasons. He wrote a book about it, and they made a movie called Invincible about his story starring Mark Whalberg. Maybe they should make a Mark Whalberg Ulysses S. Grant movie.