Why should anyone read a biography?
Over the last couple of years, I’ve developed a weird obsession with biographies. It all started when a friend casually shared an opinion:
You know, bookstores shouldn’t have a specific section for biographies. Instead, biographies should be labeled according to the main lesson to be learned from that person’s life.
I probably looked puzzled.
Let’s say you’re looking for a book on resilience. Where would you search for it? Probably under ‘Psychology’ or even ‘Self-Help’. In those sections you might find scientific books, theoretical accounts and practical guides, but you probably won’t find a biography, even though it could teach you a great deal about how the concept applies to real life.
Intrigued, I decided to read a couple of biographies (and then some more) to test his theory. I realized that there were also some great accounts on video, so I included them in my research as well. Here’s what I learned from the experiment.
Why should anyone read (or watch) a biography?
To gain perspective
“As a consequence of reading these accounts, I found myself with a greatly heightened appreciation for my ordinary existence.”
(Gretchen Rubin, The Happiness Project)
When looking back on someone’s story, you travel through victories and struggles, fears and hopes, expectations and revelations, and in that process you realize that, whatever you’re going through in life, you’re not the only one it has ever happened to and things will eventually work out (perhaps not the way you thought they would, but anyway). It is also a good reminder that there are lives way more complicated than yours and that, judging from the outside, you might not grasp the hardships people are dealing with.
Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson has taught me a great deal about the ebb and flow of life. To see one of the great minds of all times make recruitment mistakes, deal with rejection, struggle to keep a steady marriage and to connect with his children was a humbling lesson. However, if you’re not used to reading biographies, I wouldn’t recommend it as a starting point because it is quite dense and the structure is at times hard to follow. Paula Rego: Secrets and Stories could be an easier (not lighter) entry point into the genre. It’s a biography on video, directed by her son Nick Willing, and it is a beautiful portrait of a widely famous artist struggling to support herself, produce work she could be proud of, raising a family and dealing with intense emotional trials.
To find answers
“And how does a human being go about finding meaning? As Charlotte Buhler has stated: ‘All we can do is study the lives of people who seem to have found their answers to the questions of what ultimately human life is about as against those who have not’.”
(Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning)
Bookstores nowadays are filled with “how-to guides”. They provide actionable lists of steps to succeed in challenges as diverse as making a marriage work, overcoming illness, leading a team through hard times, or creating a healthy lifestyle. The main idea behind these books is simple and appealing: providing the reader with a compilation of lessons derived from theory, personal experience or empirical research, ready to consume and implement. But once you try to follow their advice, you’ll probably realize that first, lists are really hard to memorize, and second, life doesn’t always follow the if-this-then-that rule. When reading a biography, on the other hand, you are learning how to deal with life’s struggles indirectly, through someone else’s experience. Because it’s a story, it’s much easier to recall than a list. And because it’s real, it portrays those moments when, well, life happens.
If you often find yourself meditating on the purpose of life, Viktor E. Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning will probably help you reflect on that question. Written by a psychiatrist who survived Auschwitz, it’s a testament to the ability to find meaning in the most unbearable of realities, through dedication to a cause or love for someone. On the lighter subject of becoming your own boss and giving life to a business idea, the self-written Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE (Phil Knight) is, for me, the most complete guide on entrepreneurship anyone can read. It will guide you through the process of building a company from the ground up: assessing the viability of your model, setting up a team, dealing with supply issues, fighting to get funding, taking the first steps in advertising and retail… and all the ambition, perseverance and stamina that takes. Jiro Dreams of Sushi, by David Gelb, is also an interesting account on the topic. This video-biography portrays the tireless quest of Jiro Ono, a sushi master working steadily for over 60 years to deliver high-quality, perfectly executed creations to his customers and, in the process, creating a world-famous small restaurant from scratch.
To make decisions
“The best way to predict your feelings tomorrow is to see how others are feeling today.”
(Dan Gilbert, Stumbling on Happiness)
There are times in life when you just don’t know what to do. When faced with a tough decision, it’s often useful to think of someone you admire and ask yourself “what would that person do?”. Biographies have the amazing added value of introducing you to people who have lived exemplary lives and guiding you through their decision making processes. Also, because it is hard to imagine how things will unfold once we decide to take that step, it might be useful to learn from the example of those who already took it.
Walter Isaacson’s biographies on Steve Jobs and Leonardo da Vinci are great sources of inspiration on this matter. Jobs was famous for being an implacable decision maker: he was able to keep his mind on the end goal at all times, being quick to let go of everything that wasn’t contributing to it. His management style might be questionable, but his ability to focus on his vision and use it as a decision-making compass was admirable. Da Vinci, on the other hand, would frequently fail to meet delivery dates agreed with his patrons, but he was pursuing a deeper understanding of the human body through his anatomy studies to become better at portraying them. His decisions to drop or postpone a certain artwork were often influenced by his insatiable curiosity. And even though that might not be the best example in terms of productivity, it certainly is a lesson on remaining a student of life in its many forms.
. . .
What about you? Is there a biography that influenced you? I’d be happy to add more recommendations to my reading list!