Oh, I have nothing against triumph over adversity-type (auto)biographies. Actually, when I was writing this livejournal entry I was thinking of a man who appeared on Blue Peter when I was a child, and was written up in one of the Blue Peter annuals (possibly the Eighteenth Book). I think he was called Eddie, and he was a severely disabled man who had lived in homes all his life. He wrote his autobiography with the help of three of his friends, who were also disabled men in the home. He couldn't speak properly but could grunt, and one of the other men could understand him. So he would grunt out his life story, the other man would translate for him, a third friend would type it in (slowly, and laboriously - one finger typing on a manual typewriter), and the fourth friend would read back the typed pages for Eddie's approval. Of course, this happened in the 80s, when a) disabled people weren't expected to have a voice or anything interesting to say and b) we were significantly less technologically advanced, so I'm not sure how the book would read now. But I'd still kinda like to see it.
I also own "Stuart: a Life Backwards" by Alexander Masters (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stuart-Life-Backwards-Alexander-Masters/dp/0007200374/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207255839&sr=8-1), which appears in WH Smith's Tragic Life Stories section. Except - I bought it to better understand how people end up homeless and drug addicted, rather than to wallow in his misery. And, to be honest, if Stuart himself was still alive, he'd probably hit anyone who described his life story as "tragic".
I briefly knew Douglas Bader's grandson at college. Or possibly great-grandson, can't remember which. He was in icsf during the year he was around, but I'm not sure if you'd have met him. Alec somebody, was UGM Chair of the RCSU when I was RCSU President.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2008-04-03 08:54 pm (UTC)I also own "Stuart: a Life Backwards" by Alexander Masters (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stuart-Life-Backwards-Alexander-Masters/dp/0007200374/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207255839&sr=8-1), which appears in WH Smith's Tragic Life Stories section. Except - I bought it to better understand how people end up homeless and drug addicted, rather than to wallow in his misery. And, to be honest, if Stuart himself was still alive, he'd probably hit anyone who described his life story as "tragic".
I briefly knew Douglas Bader's grandson at college. Or possibly great-grandson, can't remember which. He was in icsf during the year he was around, but I'm not sure if you'd have met him. Alec somebody, was UGM Chair of the RCSU when I was RCSU President.