What Makes a good autobiography
“It was as I was stumbling home at 5am, alone, tired and very, very drunk that it dawned on just how funny licking the dirt off the floor in the bar, actually was. “ Was that any good? I doubt it. What was wrong with it? It offers nothing out of the ordinary, nothing that differs from most young people in the UK. There is nothing says to the reader, I, Richard Jacobs, have lived a different and varied life such that others really want to invest a month of the spare time reading about it. But what if that was written by a premiership footballer reminiscing about a team Christmas party? I bet that quote would be all over sky sports news like an alcoholic at a free bar. So what does make a good autobiography? What makes a page turning, can’t put down, can’t go to sleep yet, introspective tale of person’s life. For me, what makes people first pick up an autobiography, read it cover to cover and then retell the stories and insights they have learnt to their friends is that th...