READ: Best Biographies

I absolutely love biographies because in them you get a front-row seat into the big and little pieces of their lives and learn all sorts of fun nuggets of information. Below are a few bios that are in rotation:

"Ali: A LIfe" by Jonathan Eig. I listened to the audiobook. Very much a definitive biography of the icon, with some details that will gob-smack you. Did you know that he became a fighter only because of an interesting twist of fate when his bike was stolen as a kid? And that his conviction for draft dodging was vacated by the Supreme Court of the United States only because a law clerk there read the writings of Elijah Muhammad (Ali's spiritual leader) and shared them with the justice assigned to write the opinion that was originally going to UPHOLD the conviction? You also have to admire his bravado, confidence, and style - and yes, how pretty he is (and how he loved to talk about it). Absolutely loved it.
"Will" by Will Smith. I listened as well to the audiobook which is FANTASTIC because it was narrated by Will Smith himself. He includes music, wonderful voices, and it's so full of heart. I've never listened to a biography that I found so interesting and funny - probably because Will was telling his own story. I started listening to it more as lark because although I've enjoyed some of his movies, don't consider myself a crazy fan. But I wanted to learn more about his origins in hip hop and how he became an actor. And from the different pieces covered in the book you can see a clear blueprint of why "The Slap" happened and have to admire his work ethic. His stories about meeting Muhammad Ali and filming "Ali" are very touching. And you can find out how he got the nickname "The Fresh Prince." Very fun listen.
I know a lot of people who love Viola Davis's "Finding Me." And I love Viola Davis - I mean, her performance in "The Woman King"?!!! A revelation!! I'm working my way through it but some of the struggles she had triggered me a little. Hearing her voice - particularly as she speaks about her mother - is very touching.
"Shoe Dog" by Phil Knight. I recently watched the film "Air" this weekend about how Nike (then very much an underdog shoe company) managed to cinch THE deal with Michael Jordan to create the Air Jordan juggernaut and found it pretty interesting, so wanted to dig more into the background of Nike founder Phil Knight. I am very much loving this bio right now because he mixes his spirituality with a creativity related to his business which is very inspiring. I will buy this one in paper so I can dig into some of his quotes - this is really wonderful.

Have any bios you want to share? Please reach out to tell me about them.