Truth is a better read than Fiction

As fun as a horror novel by Ira Levin or a mystery story by Agatha Christie can be to read the bulk of what I've read the past couple of years has been nonfiction, specifically biographies of classic movie stars, and for the most part they have been just as entertaining as the fictional novels I have read. I'm aware that I am probably the only student here who cares about the lives of long dead, or at least ancient, movie stars enough to read an entire book about them, but if the biography is well written it will not only recount their life, but also explain why they fascinated audiences, analyze their on screen persona and discuss their films, what they were about and how well they have stood the test of time. Often I when I finish a biography I have become an even bigger fan of the star than I was before. In addition to all this, I wasn't kidding when I said that they're lives being just as interesting as fiction. Scarlett O'Hara was a nun compared to Elizabeth Taylor, and her relationship with Richard Burton makes Scarlett and Rhett look like June and Ward Cleaver. Audrey Hepburn's childhood in Holland during the Nazi occupation, and her work for the resistance is a timeless portrait of human suffering and perseverance, and her memories of the occupation, of witnessing her Jewish neighbors being rounded up in trucks and the fear on their faces, is not just a record of the life of a movie star, but also an important historical record of life under the Nazi occupation. Other stars whose real lives rival that of their characters include James Stewart, who served as a pilot during World War Two; Bette Davis, who broke down barriers for women, both on and off the screen, and Judy Garland, who was quite simply incredibly talented, despite an incredibly tragic life. I just started a biography of Natalie Wood, whose character Maria in West Side Story is the only Juliet who can make me sad her lover has died. Coincidentally she will be Turner Classic Movie's star of the month for June, meaning that as I read about her life and films many of her movies will be airing on TV, thank god for DVR, I don't want to miss any hidden gems. God I need to get a life.