Best of
Autobiography

1962

My Happy Days In Hell


György Faludy - 1962
    Fleeing Hungary in 1938 as the German army approaches, acclaimed poet Faludy journeys to Paris, where he finds a lover but merely a cursory asylum. When the French capitulate to the Nazis, Faludy travels to North Africa, then on to America, where he volunteers for military service. Missing his homeland and determined to do the right thing, he returns – only to be imprisoned, tortured, and slowly starved, eventually becoming one of only twenty-one survivors of his camp.

My Land and My People: The Original Autobiography of His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet


Dalai Lama XIV - 1962
    My Land and My People tells the story of his life.

To End All Wars: A True Story about the Will to Survive and the Courage to Forgive


Ernest Gordon - 1962
    I was a prisoner of war, lying among the dead, waiting for the bodies to be carried away so that I might have more room."When Ernest Gordon was twenty-four he was captured by the Japanese and forced, with other British prisoners, to build the notorious Railroad of Death, where nearly 16,000 Prisoners of War gave their life. Faced with the appalling conditions of the prisoners camp and the brutality of the captors, he survived to become an inspiring example of the triumph of the human spirit against all odds. To End All Wars is Ernest Gordon's gripping true story behind both the Academy Award-winning film The Bridge on the River Kwai starring Alec Guinness and the new film To End All Wars directed by David Cunningham.

Veeck As In Wreck: The Autobiography of Bill Veeck


Bill Veeck - 1962
    His classic autobiography, written with the talented sportswriter Ed Linn, is an uproarious book packed with information about the history of baseball and tales of players and owners, including some of the most entertaining stories in all of sports literature.

C. H. Spurgeon Autobiography: The Early Years, 1834-1859


Charles Haddon Spurgeon - 1962
    Here is an inspiring record of a Christian life which continues to be of blessing for so many.

Underfoot in Show Business


Helene Hanff - 1962
    Each year there are hundreds of stagestruck kids arrive in New York determined to crash the theatre, firmly convinced they're destined to be famous Broadway stars or playwrights.

The Lonely Life


Bette Davis - 1962
    The Hollywood legend talks about her four marriages, her leading men, her feud with a well-known co-star, her longing to have a child, and her favorite roles.

Priestblock 25487: a Memoir of Dachau


Jean Bernard - 1962
    Casts light into dark and previously neglected corners of the horror that was the Third Reich.'' —Richard John Neuhaus, Editor in Chief First Things ''Father Jean Bernard's portrait of survival in a German concentration camp is simple, forceful and vivid and therefore impossible to put down or forget. It ranks with the great 20th Century personal testimonies against totalitarian violence... Priestblock 25487 is a diary of Catholic discipleship under extreme conditions that will deeply move all persons of conscience.'' —Charles J. Chaput, Archbishop of Denver ''Gripping! This crisp story of the 3,000-plus Christian clergy at Dachau in 1941 forces me to turn pages quickly, in horror... In its understated power, this brief book is unforgettable.'' —Michael Novak, author of Washington's God (with Jana Novak) ''Many hundreds of books have been written and published about German concentration and extermination camps during World War II, including at least two or three dozens written or dictated by their actual survivors. Of these, Father Jean Bernard's Priestblock 25487 is among the very best, because of the exceptional intelligence and honesty of its author. Dachau, where he was imprisoned, was not the worst of all those camps, and Father Bernard was, surprisingly, released after two years of imprisonment: but perhaps because of these very circumstances his diary is extraordinarily telling, convincing, and graphic. Every scholar and student of that dreadful chapter of twentieth-century history ought to read—and ponder—its contents.'' —John Lukacs, author of The Hitler of History; and Five Days in London: May 1940 ''Father Bernard has left readers with a gripping testimony of the brutal treatment the Catholic clergy received at the hands of the Nazis in Dachau. Despite t

A Cat in the Window


Derek Tangye - 1962
    From the first moment Derek, who was not until then a cat-lover, met a tiny bundle of fur with Jeannie, through to the pet's old age when he would still walk down to the stream to make 'Monty's Leap', this is a touching story of friendship between two people and their cat.

We Seven: By the Astronauts Themselves


Scott Carpenter - 1962
    Chosen from hundreds of crackerjack pilots for their fitness, intelligence & courage, the original Mercury Seven astronauts risked their lives to cross the space frontier. In We Seven they take readers behind the scenes to show them their training, technology & teamwork, & to share personal stories, including the lighter moments of their mission. They bring readers inside the Mercury program, even into the space capsules themselves. We Seven straps you in with the astronauts & rockets you along for the ride. Share Alan Shepard's exhilaration as he breaks thru the earth's atmosphere. Endure moments of panic with Gus Grissom when his hatch blows, stranding him in the open sea. Race with John Glenn as he makes split-second life-or-death maneuvers during reentry, & feel his relief when he emerges safe but drenched with sweat. Despite such heroism, Project Mercury was more than the story of individual missions. It defined the manned space flight program to come, from Gemini thru Apollo. In We Seven America's original astronauts tell us 1sthand about the space program they pioneered, & share with us the hopes of the USA at the dawn of a new era.

I Am Alive


Kitty Hart - 1962
    She was sent to the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp in 1943 at age 16, where she survived for two years, and was also imprisoned at other camps. Shortly after her liberation in April 1945 by American soldiers, she moved to England with her mother, where she married and dedicated her life to raising awareness of the Holocaust. She has written two autobiographies entitled I am Alive (1961) and Return to Auschwitz (1981).

My Life


Ahmadu Bello - 1962
    The descendant of the great reformer, Shehu Usuman dan Fodio, the Sardauna grew up in the atmosphere of the Muslim and aristocratic tradition of the Fulani conquerors of Northern Nigeria. He reached maturity in a Nigeria that was rapidly advancing towards independent nationhood, with political institutions deriving largely from the traditions of the Christian West. As leader of the Northern Peoples Congress, the majority political party in Northern Nigeria, the Sardauna became the first Premier of that region in 1954.

They Shall Not Pass: The Autobiography of La Pasionaria


Dolores Ibárruri - 1962
    The gripping, autobiographical story of the Spanish Civil War by the legendary Communist leader.