Why I Love Reading Biographies

I have a confession to make: I don't love reading books.

I don't dislike reading, but it's not my favorite activity, either.

I'm a slow reader. A reluctant reader.

I'm not the worst reader but am for sure not the best.

Whereas Brett might read over a hundred books in a year, I might read a dozen.

This is due in part to the fact that I am an antsy person, a, let's say, to put it in the most flattering light, a kinetic person. I don't like sitting still for very long, whether in reading a book or even watching an action-packed movie. When I do read, it's always while walking on the treadmill or making laps around the island in the kitchen. I don't have ADHD; I focus fine, for long periods, while immersed in tasks like writing and editing, but I prefer activities that feel less passive and more engaging than reading books.

Related to my restless mind is the fact that I actually do read a ton of longform articles, but am less interested in books. I guess I have a difficult time staying with one topic for a sustained stretch.

I couch all this as a confession because it seems like being a big reader carries a lot of cache. From what I've seen of social media, it's cool to post a photo of the formidable stack of books you've torn through in just a month's time. Readers are better thinkers! Readers are better writers! Readers are leaders!

I think there's some truth to those ideas (though I also believe there's at least as much correlation as causation in those connections). And I need to read to keep my brain sharp and gather fodder for my work. So, despite a not-so-robust natural inclination, I still make myself regularly read.

The books I can read with the least amount of self-flagellation, and, in fact, intrinsically enjoy, are biographies. Most of the books I read each year belong to that genre. (And in my defense, even "short" biographies are 400+ pages, which naturally puts a cap on how many books I can get through in a year, so even when I only read a dozen, I still end up reading a lot of words).

Today I'll share why I love reading biographies, even as someone with a middling love of reading overall.