Inspiring Biographies

This study guide collection celebrates the life stories of fascinating and inspirational figures. Read on to discover insightful analyses and discussion starters for an array of uplifting biographies, including the award-winning A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea by Melissa Fleming, Becoming Nicole by Amy Ellis Nutt, and Strength in What Remains by the Pulitzer-Prize-winning writer Tracy Kidder.

Publication year 2012

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Family, Environment

Tags Food, Business & Economics, Science & Nature, Social Justice, Arts & Culture, Health, Biography

Will Allen, author of the 2012 book The Good Food Revolution: Growing Healthy Food, People, and Communities, co-written with Charles Wilson, is an important figure in the American urban farming movement. Born into a farming family, Allen spent much of his adolescence and early adulthood hoping to avoid the agricultural life; however, after a career in professional basketball and later in corporate sales and marketing, Allen finds himself farming full-time, with idealism in his heart... Read The Good Food Revolution Summary

Publication year 2013

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Science & Technology, Politics & Government, Safety & Danger, Good & Evil, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies, Hate & Anger

Tags Crime & Law, Mystery & Crime Fiction, World History, Biography, Health, US History, Depression & Suicide, Mental Illness, Trauma & Abuse

The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder by Charles Graeber is a true crime biography of the life of Charles Cullen, one of the most prolific serial killers in US history. Graeber is an American journalist who spent time as a medical student before moving on to journalism, writing for many prolific news outlets. His joint history in medicine and writing provides him with the necessary expertise to explain the intimacies... Read The Good Nurse Summary

Publication year 1984

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Memory

Tags US History, Military & War, World War II, World History, Biography

“The Good War”: An Oral History of World War II was published in 1984 and received the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction the following year. Written by Studs Terkel, the book is still considered a classic of oral history. Unlike traditional history, which tends to rely on written records and other material artifacts like works of art and literature or archaeological remains, oral histories collect information about past events through interviews with individuals who were... Read The Good War Summary

Publication year 1889

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Economics

Tags Business & Economics, World History, Biography

Andrew Carnegie wrote “The Gospel of Wealth” in June 1889. Carnegie begins his treatise by identifying what he sees as the most significant problem of modern-day times: “the proper administration of wealth, so that the ties of brotherhood may still bind together the rich and poor in harmonious relationship” (1).Carnegie mentions that, in the past, “there was little difference” (1) between the living situations of a leader of a community and those of the members... Read The Gospel Of Wealth Summary

Publication year 2010

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Family

Tags Humor, Asian History, Education, Education, Biography

The Happiest Refugee is a 2010 autobiography by Vietnamese-born, Australian author, actor, comedian, and artist Anh Do. Following his journey from a perilous escape from Communist-ruled Vietnam as a toddler with his large family, to his working-class childhood in Australia where he struggled to fit into the predominantly white society, to his rise as one of Australia’s most sought-after comedians and motivational speakers, The Happiest Refugee is considered one of the most well-received stories of... Read The Happiest Refugee Summary

Publication year 1971

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Family

Tags European History, Holocaust, World War II, Christian, Religion & Spirituality, World History, Biography, Classic Fiction

The Hiding Place, published in 1971, is written by Corrie ten Boom and co-authors John and Elizabeth Sherrill. Ten Boom’s autobiographical account centers on her family’s work with the Dutch underground during World War II. The authors consistently center the way the family's Christian faith shaped their experiences and inspired them to persevere. The Hiding Place was adapted into a 1975 movie and another film, Return to the Hiding Place (2013), expands on the story... Read The Hiding Place Summary

Publication year 2016

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Indigenous Identity, Language, Race, The Past, Colonialism, Community, Immigration, Nation, War, Equality, Justice, Wins & Losses

Tags Irish Literature, Biography, US History, Military & War, World History

The Immortal Irishman: The Irish Revolutionary Who Became an American Hero (2016), by American author and journalist Timothy Egan, is a biography of Thomas Francis Meagher, an Irish revolutionary and American Civil War hero who later became the governor of the Montana Territory. Egan's narrative captures Meagher's tumultuous journey, from his fight for Irish independence to his contributions in America, focusing on broader themes of exile, resilience, and identity. Egan contextualizes Meagher’s life against the... Read The Immortal Irishman Summary

Publication year 2010

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Tags US History, Health, Science & Nature, World History, Biography

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot is a non-fiction book that tells the story of Lacks and her HeLa cells, or the immortal cell line that doctors retrieved from her cervical cancer cells. Crown Publishing Group published the book in 2010, and it won a National Academies Communication Award the following year. This guide refers to the Crown 2010 first edition. Henrietta Lacks was a black American woman who died of cancer... Read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Summary

Publication year 2006

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags Incarceration, Crime & Law, Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, World History, Biography

In The Innocent Man, noted crime-fiction author John Grisham takes on the true story of a series of murders in Ada, Oklahoma that led to the conviction, imprisonment, and near execution of not one, but four innocent men. Grisham uses a no-nonsense, journalistic style to present the facts, though an occasional sarcastic aside from the author slips in when the true events become almost too ridiculous to believe. Tracing the aftermath of the murders of... Read The Innocent Man Summary