I read the book entitled, "Oprah", the unauthorized biography written by Kitty Kelly. It was thorough and she did her homework. It made me think about a lot of things. Although it was well written, I had mixed emotions from several standpoints.
As a reader, I didn't realize it was a tell-all book seemingly intended to bring out the worst in the subject. I love to read inspirational stories about people who have worked hard to overcome difficult beginnings. I enjoy reading biographies and autobiographies to learn the stories of the lives of others, famous, historical or common. Overall, it felt like a tabloid in book form. It made me realize I need to investigate a little further on the author before just picking a book off the library shelf to read.
When reading a series of book from a particular author, in the future I will research the kind of books written by the author. This will let me know if I really want to invest the time reading those books. Are the books written by that author all tell-all books meant to discredit the subject or do the books lift and inspire the reader to become the best they can be? For myself, I want to read books that leave me with the sense that because the subject in that story made a difference in the world that I can as well.
From the standpoint of what I read about Oprah, I was disappointed but forgiving. Some of the negative stories from her early days stemmed from immaturity. We've watched her evolve over her life on camera. How many of us would be guilty of the same things if surrounded by an overwhelming amount of wealth?
If I had to draw from the book a positive thought, it would be to make an effort to live my life in a way that if presented to the public in the same format would not make me regret my actions. I would hope that I would be able to admit my shortcomings, ask for forgiveness and do everything in my power to make things right. I would forgive myself for immaturity and forgive others, realizing that we've all made mistakes.
I guess we shouldn't have to read a book to come to that conclusion. But in reality, we as humans are each flawed with our own shortcomings. If a book were written about us, there would be both good and bad. So, if I am ever given the opportunity to be the author of a biography, I will try to bring out the best in the subject, the reader and myself. I will make it a work that I would want to be deemed worthy of putting on a library shelf. In the meantime, I will live today to make a difference in someone's life.
Author, Laura Schroeder, has experienced life change first hand. To join an online community of care, visit http://lauramschroeder.com/. To contact Laura, email her at laura@lauramschroeder.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment