Truth is Stranger Than Fiction

My name is Tom and I am a non-fiction junky. I am sure I have read over a hundred. If it is reported to be interesting, and the person who did something interesting wants to tell the story, then I want to hear it.

Autobiographies and mostly-true stories, these are what I live for. I prefer first hand accounts. I have an affinity for non-fiction and prefer it to fiction. I am not sure why I care what Lance Armstrong was thinking while riding up a hill in the Tour de France. Why Do I care what inspires other people? I don't know why I like story after story of what makes a person who they are. Am I looking for an insight or "secret" to life? I don't know.

For some reason, I just like reading and hearing stories about peoples experiences in life. I have read the story of a black woman who got a law degree at Harvard and said the whole Harvard thing was a joke. I continue to read fishing stories of men in pursuit of wild trout.
(Note: Many do not think fishing stories are non-fiction or any actual form of literature)

In high school I had a great class, Multicultural Literature. The instructor was a passionate Latina who showed us a whole new group of authors that I had never heard of. People from all walks of life and various cultures that had interesting stories. For an impressionable white boy from a small town, these stories of a growing up in a barrio or ghetto were incredible. The stories of people surviving war, famine, rape, and near death really grabs a hold of me, still to this day.

When I look at my bookshelf, I have many books on many subjects. Most are non-fiction. I do like some fiction such as Michael Crichton, Mark Twain, or the Harry Potter series.

I have read some stories that possibly changed my life. The book "Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou and "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah.

Some I read just because I wondered who these people "really" are. For example, the autobiographies from Tony Hawk, Lance Armstrong, Dog the Bounty Hunter, or Chef Gordon Ramsey. When you read Gordon Ramsey's book, you will see why he is the way he is.

I read books to peer into other cultures or places I would otherwise never be able to. People such as Richard Wright and Ernesto Galarz's "Barrio Boy" opened my eyes.

Some books are because of an interest in science. A book by Richard Feynman gave me humorous insight a physicists' mind and the making of the first hydrogen bombs. An untold story written by two astronauts "Two Sides of the Moon", told the tale of the space race to the moon by the USA and Russia.

Sometimes I go on a tangent of topics like sports or Mt. Everest. I read four or five books by people who had climbed and survived Mt. Everest. I even got DVD's on Everest. I think Sarah thought I was going to take off and go the mountain. These stories of exceptional endurance and not giving up are great reads to me. The best book I read about climbing Mt. Everest was "Left for Dead" by Beck Weathers.

I just ordered two new non-fiction titles.

The first one I just couldn't help myself, retired porn star Jenna Jameson's "How to Make Love Like a Porn Star: A Cautionary Tale." Complete with lovely pictures of her. The second book is "The Ice Opinion" by Law and Order actor Ice T. He talks about where he came from, gangs in L.A., politics, and other topics. I somehow find this stuff interesting.

Maybe I just like to read.