I have never been a big reader of biographies, auto or otherwise, preferring to bury my head in fictional worlds or non-fiction narratives that hold stories about history, science or culture. But given all the hoopla over the former U.S. First Lady’s tale of Becoming , I decided to pick it up, and was captivated both by the tone and content of the thick book. I can almost hear you say — “wait, this isn’t a book review column” — and no, it isn’t, and a review is not what I am about to give you.
Lessons
It struck me though, as I turned the last page of the book, that life stories can be an interesting way of learning; in fact, that is precisely why we often have vignettes about people who have made significant contributions to our world, in any sphere. We may not know much about the politics of apartheid, but we all take inspiration from Nelson Mandela’s life. We may know little about the intricacies of the laws of motion, but we remember the story of Newton and the apple, and all of us have a picture in our heads of Archimedes jumping out of the bathtub, as he divined the principle of relative density. We remember something of the science — or the history — because those images are etched in our minds.
There are subtler lessons to be learnt from such stories, too, and sometimes, these lessons lie not in the significant moments of invention or discovery but in the everyday details of their lives. It is a cliché that inspiration comes to the prepared mind, but like all tired phrases, there is a lot of truth to this. Life stories give us a sense of how this preparation happens. What are the ways in which such people manage their ideas, their routines, their relationships? How do they find the connections that move them ahead? What are the accidents they learn from, and what are the plans they make? How do they deal with frustration and failure (for, no great success can be achieved without some of both)? How do they balance competing demands on time, attention, and affection?
Some stories tell us how to do things, while others give us a sense of how not to. The most valuable life stories are those that give us a sense of how the extraordinary can be achieved, in the most ordinary of circumstances. An autobiography offers an intimate view into someone’s thinking and experience, in their own words, and a well-written one can give you the feeling that you have been granted special access into their life. This is particularly true if the writing is reflective and somewhat self-critical. A biography — when the story is told by a third person — is a bit different. Depending on who has written it and the audience it is intended for, it tends to focus on one aspect or another, which is why we have so many different biographies about some prominent people. This also suggests that there is so much one can learn from and about these people, that the lessons are not exhausted in one book.
So, the next time you feel like you don’t know where your life is going, or that you are stuck in a patch you can’t seem to get out of, you may want to take some time to understand how someone else dealt with the difficulties of everyday life, and made something of themselves. It may not offer you a playbook for your own life, but it could introduce you to another way of living.
The author teaches at the University of Hyderabad and edits Teacher Plus. usha.bpgll@gmail.com
