Well Trained Mind Readers discussion

Cleo's question: "I'm interested to find out what you think of the tone of the more recent biographies compared to some of the earlier ones we've read. Do you see some same universal problems? Have people's way of seeing them changed? .... people's way of dealing with them? In what ways are the biographies the same, yet in what ways are they different?"

I'm not done reviewing this question, but to open the discussion, I can tell you immediately that it is obvious the more recent tones of the bios compared to the earlier ones are less spiritual and more personally and socially-minded or political.

Somewhere around Rousseau, Franklin, and Thoreau (whom I do love), and later Nietzsche, it became egotistical. Of course, the three slave narratives were either urgent calls for change, or declarations of personal struggle and perseverance. Mien Kampf was just arrogant and insane, while Experiments With Truth and Merton were struggles for perfection, maybe even slightly egotistical, too, as well as Sarton's Journal. Then I found Hunger of Memory to be very introspective, humbling and honest, just like Born Again. And now I think Road From Coorain to have the same open and honest approach.

What about you?