Homemade Biography

(Paperback)

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Homemade Biography is a fun, practical guide to writing the biography of a close relative guaranteed to unearth wonderful hidden chambers of memories, timeless anecdotes, and provide your family with a treasured keepsake. Undoubtably a way to learn more about your relatives and gain valuable insight into your family, a biography is certain to bring generations closer together. Using his personal experiences interviewing everyone from his grandmother to Paul Rusesabagina regarding the Rwandan genocide of 1994, Tom Zoellner provides witty and informative advice on how to ask even the hardest of questions.This essential guide is chock full of tips on:- What materials you will need: from paper and pen to the newest technology- How to set the mood and gain trust- The right questions to ask to get started- How to get past sensitive subjects- How to properly interview Alzheimer's patients and war veterans, and much moreAs an all-inclusive, no-nonsense guide, Homemade Biography covers everything you will need or could need to know to start your homemade biography and complete one of the most fulfilling projects you will ever work on.

Reviews

"[A] dazzling display of intrepid reporting" --Entertainment Weekly on The Heartless Stone

"His...investigation into the global diamond industry...shatters the mystique with all the vengeance of a jilted lover." --The Oregonian on The Heartless Stone

"[An] illuminating expose of a mineral and an industry." --The Wall Street Journal on The Heartless Stone

"With sharp narrative style, and a wealth of detail, The Heartless Stone cuts through the sparkle and marketing to show us that a rock is what you make of it." --St. Petersburg Times on The Heartless Stone

"A sobering and well-reported look at today's diamond culture." --The Salt Lake Tribune on The Heartless Stone

"Riveting..." --The Arizona Republic on The Heartless Stone

"Profoundly reflective, incredibly researched history of the diamond industry...The Heartless Stone leads reader and author alike to an ever-evolving story--as troubling as it is fascinating--of a gem that tells as much about us as it does about a dirty rock." --Missoula Independent on The Heartless Stone

"Sparkling debut from adventuresome journalist Zoellner, who traveled the world to tell the dirty, glorious and sometime bloody story of diamonds...Lives up in every way to the power of its almost magical subject." --Kirkus, *Starred Review* on The Heartless Stone

"The author is expert with vivid prose...This is a superior piece of reportage." --Publishers Weekly on The Heartless Stone

"[Zoellner's] book is part personal travelogue, using the return of his own proffered diamond engagement ring as the starting point, and part investigative journalism...The end result A gem." --Library Journal on The Heartless Stone

"Distinct for its astuteness...Zoellner's sharp, observant descriptions of people and places will sensitize readers to the wider processes of monopoly, smuggling, and war, all of which lurk in the background when a suitor buys a ring for his beloved." --Booklist on The Heartless Stone

Author Bio

Tom Zoellner, author of The Heartless Stone, is a contributing editor for Men's Health magazine and wrote for the San Francisco Chronicle, and numerous other publications. He is the 2002 recipient of the Knight Fellowship in Specialised Reporting. He lives in New York City.