Biography & Memoir
rb.arts.books.nonfiction.biography
Lives worth reading — biography, autobiography, and memoir.
Group info
Biography & Memoir
Lives worth reading — biography, autobiography, and memoir.
**Charter — rb.arts.books.nonfiction.biography** This group is for biography, autobiography, and memoir: books that tell the story of a real person's life, whether by an outside author or the subject themselves. From definitive multi-volume lives of historical figures to intimate personal memoirs, if the subject is a real life, it belongs here. Topics include: * Reviews and recommendations of biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs * Discussion of a subject's life, era, and legacy as told in the book * The biographer's craft: sourcing, access, objectivity, and bias * Authorized vs. unauthorized lives, and competing biographies of one subject * Diaries, letters, and collected personal writing * New releases and classic lives worth revisiting Off-topic here: * Fiction, including "based on a true story" novels (use the fiction groups) * General history not centered on a single life (use the History group) * Piracy links or requests for pirated copies * Spam, harassment, or trolling **Rationale** Biography is one of the largest and most beloved corners of nonfiction, and it reads differently from history or science: it turns on a single life, the biographer's access and honesty, and the tension between the private person and the public record. A dedicated group lets readers trade recommendations and argue over how a life was told.
Group history
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Stewards
Charter / moderation notes
**Moderation Plan** 1. Stay on topic. Posts should concern biography, autobiography, or memoir. Broader history without a central life belongs in the History group; fiction belongs in the fiction groups. 2. Respect the subject and each other. Critique a book's portrayal freely, but no harassment of members or gratuitous cruelty toward living subjects. 3. Accuracy matters. Biographies vary in reliability; when you dispute a claim, cite your source. 4. No piracy. No links to or requests for pirated copies. Legitimate sources are welcome. 5. Enforcement. Moderators may remove off-topic, abusive, or rule-breaking posts and mute or ban for repeated or serious violations. Actions are logged and appealable to the group owner.
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