Behind Every Rock Star Is a Messy Story
Everyone loves a good story about a life well lived—or a trainwreck disastrously engineered.
For me, exploring the messy, raw, and sometimes dazzling lives of notables is both enlightening and humbling.
Their stories reveal not just acclaim, but the real highs and lows behind their craft, as well as the many choices they grappled with.
Even as an elementary student, I devoured my school’s biography shelf.
As an adult, historical figures prove fascinating, especially when their lives are chronicled by thorough biographers such as Joseph Ellis, David McCullough, Jon Meacham, Doris Kearns Goodwin, or Ron Chernow.
Facts must be the main ingredient, but when simmered in a broth of unfettered curiosity, exhaustive research, quirky predilections, and deep insights, the dish is a culinary delight.
Author summary: Biography stories reveal highs and lows.