Books like Otherwise engaged by Donald Spoto

Jeannette Walls' memoir chronicles her turbulent childhood in a dysfunctional, itinerant family, detailing poverty, alcoholism, and homelessness across the United States as she seeks stability and personal growth.

Neurosurgeon Paul Kalanithi’s poignant memoir chronicles his battle with stage IV metastatic lung cancer and his reflections on life, medicine, and mortality.

Tina Fey’s memoir blends sharp wit with personal anecdotes, charting her rise from Pennsylvania to Saturday Night Live fame while offering candid insights into comedy, gender dynamics, and the juggling act of fame and family.

A memoir of a woman who overcomes a strict survivalist Mormon upbringing in rural Idaho to pursue higher education, ultimately earning a PhD in history at Cambridge.

Michelle Obama chronicles her life from South Side Chicago to the White House, revealing the personal drive behind her public advocacy for women, families, and health.

Cheryl Strayed chronicles her 1,100‑mile solo hike on the Pacific Crest Trail, a journey that confronts grief, self‑discovery, and resilience after her mother's death.

"The follow up to Chris Rojek's hugely successful Celebrity, this book assesses celebrity culture today. It explores how the fads, fashions and preoccupations of celebrities enter the popular lifeblood, explains what is distinctive about contemporary celebrity, and reveals the psychological, social and economic consequences of fame both upon the public and celebrities themselves. The book develops the framework for looking at celebrity culture which Rojek set out back in 2001, by showing how ascribed celebrity, achieved celebrity and celetoids overlap. The book gives a new emphasis to the role of the media and public relations in engineering fame, and the psychological consequences of celebrity - notably Narcissistic Personality Disorder and Celebrity Worship Syndrome. The book is a landmark contribution in explaining how celebrities dominate the social horizon and why we need them."--Bloomsbury Publishing.

Drawing on his unprecedented access to Grace Kelly, bestselling biographer Donald Spoto at last offers an intimate, honest, and authoritative portrait of one of Hollywood's legendary actresses.In just seven years--from 1950 through 1956--Grace Kelly embarked on a whirlwind career that included roles in eleven movies. From the principled Amy Fowler Kane in High Noon to the thrill-seeking Frances Stevens of To Catch a Thief, Grace established herself as one of Hollywood's most talented actresses and iconic beauties. Her astonishing career lasted until her retirement at age twenty-six, when she withdrew from stage and screen to marry a European monarch and became a modern, working princess and mother. Based on never-before-published or quoted interviews with Grace and those conducted over many years with her friends and colleagues--from costars James Stewart and Cary Grant to director Alfred Hitchcock--as well as many documents disclosed by her children for the first time, acclaimed biographer Donald Spoto explores the transformation of a convent schoolgirl to New York model, successful television actress, Oscar-winning movie star, and beloved royal. As the princess requested, Spoto waited twenty-five years after her death to write this biography. Now, with honesty and insight, High Society reveals the truth of Grace Kelly's personal life, the men she loved, the men she didn't, and what lay behind the facade of her fairy-tale life.From the Hardcover edition.

Peter O'Toole’s autobiographical memoir opens with his early life, career highlights and personal reflections, offering readers an intimate look at the celebrated actor’s journey from birth to the silver screen.

Lord Mottesford wagers he can bring Prudence to heel, but she resists his blandishments. He should help his cousin Charlotte, poor and threatened with dreadful Hubert, while her stepmother, the former cook, seeks a wealthy husband for her daughter Emma. Introducing Charlotte to acceptable men, Prudence forgets the wager. She believes Mottesford's astonishing proposal, but when he is trapped into a betrothal with Emma, Prudence realizes her love for him.