There is something we love about heroes — someone to look up to, to learn from, to aspire to be. But everyone is flawed, and when our heroes — whether they are literary icons, sports stars, musicians or politicians — show those imperfections, or mistakes, even outright terrible parts of their personalities, we become disillusioned. So, we are left with this great schism between reality and myth. Which should we choose? Or do we have to choose?
I’ve been thinking a lot about biography and myth lately as I just interviewed author David Maraniss about his new book "Path Lit By Lightning: The Life of Jim Thorpe." In the book, Maraniss delves through the legendary life of the sports star, sifting through fact and fiction with a journalist’s eye. I’m also reading "The Code Breaker" by Walter Isaacson, about Jennifer Doudna, a Nobel Prize winner who developed a gene editing technology. Deeply researched biographies are one way of recounting a life. In this week’s TTBOOK, we bring you a few other angles on the theme, "Telling a Life," including an interview with Patti Smith about her memoir, "M Train." Let us know about what stories you’re reading about peoples’ lives – myth busting, or not, at listen@ttbook.org.
–Shannon