Biographies: Recommends, Anyone?

Hello Friends!

Wow time just has a way of slipping past us in our full lives, doesn't it?  I didn't realize January 25th was the last time I made a post, though I knew it was a while ago!  Well, I'm back!

Truth of the matter is, I have been doing a fair amount of reading.  Most especially due to taking a more than full-time course load in my graduate studies right now!  Talk about a LOT of reading!

So this post actually is about . . . . . *drumroll* . . . . reading!  Yes that's right.  And no, I'm not insane, I promise.  I do have an assignment, however, that requires even MORE reading on top of all I already have each week.  Specifically, a biography.  Or autobiography.

Here's the deal.  I have read more biographies than I can remember in my lifetime.  But that was when I was younger, I haven't read all too many in the last several years.  And honestly, for this assignment, I'm thinking a bio of someone I'm not as familiar with could be fun, possibly.

It's for my Family of Origin class.  Simply stated (or understated, rather), this class involves putting together family trees.  Yes, family trees.  But they are much more involved than your average family tree, and they are called genograms.  Professionals in the counseling/psychology field make use of genograms fairly regularly.  Thus, my assignment involves reading the biography (or autobiography) of someone, preferably relatively well known or famous, and making a genogram of their family from all the info I find in the book.  I'd need a pretty good book where talking about their siblings/parents/grandparents is involved.  Please keep that in mind.

Here's where you all come in . . . . recommends!  I am asking for you to recommend to me any great biography or autobiography that you've read.  Especially if it was about a fascinating person (I'll leave the definition of fascinating up to you in this case! haha) or if it was very well-written and engaging.  AND if it's not terribly long . . . . have mercy on a graduate student with chapters upon chapters to read every week, already!  :-)

Thanks for the help, everyone!  I greatly appreciate it and am excited to see what everyone recommends in their comments.  Just throw 'em out there folks.  I'm waiting and I have to start reading sooner than soon!  All recommends will be considered.  :-)