5 Incredible Biographies You (Probably) Haven’t Read
As much as I love Isaacson, Chernow, and Caro, this list doesn’t contain any of them
Glasp’s note: At Glasp, we value the close personal relationships we’ve built with thinkers, creators, and doers who fuel curiosity and growth. This week, we spotlight Bobby Powers —a lifelong learner passionate about leadership development and continuous improvement. With more than a decade of experience leading teams and developing learning and development at startups, Bobby understands the transformative power of curiosity and mentorship. You might remember him from his Glasp Talk appearance, where he shared insights on leadership and personal growth, inspiring thousands. We’re honored to continue learning from Bobby and are thrilled to share his thoughtful reflections with our community.
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Hi Glasp Community!
I’m Bobby Powers, and I run the Leader & Learner publication on Substack. I write two posts per week that will help you become a better leader and learner.
One of my most unique traits is my reading habit. Every night around 9 P.M., I sit down at my desk, crack open a Monster energy drink, and read for several hours—with my feet firmly planted on the floor and a pen gently nestled in my right hand.
My friends make fun of me for never reading in bed or on the couch, but sitting at a desk helps me concentrate and take book notes.
My reading habit has enabled me to read over 70 books per year for the past decade. But even as an avid reader, for most of my life, I’ve been intimidated by biographies.
That was mostly due to their size (they tend to be huge), but also their content (I didn’t know if someone’s life story could keep my attention).
But in recent years, I’ve started to read a ton of biographies and memoirs, and that genre has become one of my favorites. I’ve realized biographies are some of the books that teach me the most: what to do, what not to do, and how to live a purposeful life.
If you start diving into biographies like I have, you’ll hear the same few authors come up over and over: names like Walter Isaacson, Ron Chernow, and Robert Caro.
I love all of those authors, and they write incredible, well-researched biographies. But there are a ton of other, lesser-known writers with fantastic stories to tell.
From the over 1,000 books I’ve read in the past 15 years, here are five incredible biographies I’m guessing you haven’t read before.
The Good Neighbor by Maxwell King
Why You Should Read It: Mister Rogers exemplified quiet, humble strength. He refused to conform to America’s warped concept of manliness as raw testosterone and bravado. His life set an inspiring example for both kids and adults.
What Makes It Unique: This is one of the most uplifting and encouraging books I’ve ever read. It’s impossible to read about Fred Rogers’ love and empathy without realizing you need more of those things in your life. His life story is an invitation to become the best version of yourself.
One Random Fact: Rogers swam every morning and checked his weight after doing so. Remarkably, his scale registered the same three digits every day: 143 pounds. He took pride in regulating his body weight and even found significance in that number, saying that 1-4-3 was the number of letters in one of his favorite phrases: “I love you.”
Becoming Steve Jobs by Brent Schlender & Rick Tetzeli
Why You Should Read It: I’ve read multiple biographies about Steve Jobs, including the famous bestseller by Walter Isaacson. This one is my favorite because it paints Steve Jobs in shades of gray: hard-working genius, impatient asshole, caring human, and passionate creator.
What Makes It Unique: It’s a remarkable look into Jobs’s life written by someone (Schlender) who knew Jobs personally for over 25 years. Schlender tells numerous stories you won’t find in any other Jobs bio.
One Random Fact: Most people think of Jobs as an effortless public speaker, but he spent a hell of a lot of time rehearsing. Schlender once said of Jobs, “I once spent an entire day watching him run through multiple rehearsals of a single presentation, tweaking everything from the color and angle of certain spotlights, to editing and rearranging the order of the keynote presentation slides to improve his pacing.”
Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi
Why You Should Read It: Open is the most well-known book on this list, and there’s a good reason for that. Andre Agassi was tennis’s bad boy, and he also generated headlines outside of sports when he married actress Brooke Shields.
What Makes It Unique: This is the most honest and vulnerable superstar memoir I’ve ever read. Agassi drops some bombs in the book, including how much he’s always hated the sport that made him famous. He describes how he was forced to play tennis as a child and never enjoyed playing.
One Random Fact: In the book, Agassi admitted to taking crystal meth, which is one of the stories that caught fire in the news after he published this memoir.
Dark Squares by Danny Rensch
Why You Should Read It: Rensch grew up in a cult in Arizona. When he was nine years old, he learned how to play chess and got really good, really fast. Then, cult leader Steven Kamp noticed Rensch’s aptitude for chess and figured it’d be a great way to put their church on the map, so he organized Rensch’s entire life around chess—eventually even stripping Rensch away from his mom to do so. This is one of the wildest, most interesting stories I’ve ever read.
What Makes It Unique: Rensch eventually became co-founder of Chess.com, the largest chess site in the world. I can’t think of many books that can simultaneously teach you about cults, trauma, entrepreneurship, and chess. If you’re interested in any of those topics, this book is up your alley.
One Random Fact: The largest cheating scandal in chess history just happened a few years ago, and Rensch got pulled in to informally adjudicate it based on his key role at Chess.com. That scandal was one of the extra morsels that made Dark Squares so fascinating.
Tiger Woods by Jeff Benedict & Armen Keteyian
Why You Should Read It: Not only is Benedict and Keteyian’s book the most gripping biography I’ve ever read, it was also surprisingly instructional. It’s the story of a man who reached the highest heights of money, power, and fame, yet still felt empty inside. Tiger won 15 golf majors but struggled to maintain real relationships with friends and family. Reading this book will prompt you to question your ambition and life choices.
What Makes It Unique: Tiger’s ruthless competitiveness is what makes him so special and also so flawed. Learn from his heroics and determination, but let his mistakes serve as a warning.
One Random Fact: Tiger got a lot of his competitiveness from his dad, Earl Woods. He says Earl trained him to be a “cold-blooded assassin.”
Conclusion
I hope you enjoy these books! Drop me a note below with your favorite lesser-known biographies and memoirs.
If you’re interested in getting two posts every week with book recommendations and personal development tips, I’d be honored for you to subscribe to Leader & Learner.
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🟥 Glasp Talk with Bobby Powers:
Glasp Talk features intimate interviews with luminaries, revealing their emotions, experiences, and stories. The guest, Bobby Powers, is a dedicated learner passionate about leadership and personal development. With over a decade of experience managing teams, leading onboarding, and Learning and Development programs at various startups and SMBs, Bobby is also an avid reader, having read over a thousand books in the last 15 years.
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Love this selection, Bobby. Biographies are such underrated teachers! They give us an unfiltered view of how people wrestle with purpose, failure, and growth. I especially appreciate how your list balances well-known figures like Steve Jobs and Tiger Woods with unexpected stories like Danny Rensch’s Dark Squares.
It’s a reminder that wisdom doesn’t just come from success, but from the struggles and contradictions that shape each life. Adding a few of these to my reading list :)
Thanks for the inspiration!