The Pursuit of Happyness, by Chris Gardner. HarperCollins £8.99
Chris Gardner, currently being played on screen by Will Smith, drove himself to become a successful stockbroker while spending time living rough in San Francisco with his young son in tow. In his autobiography, he tells, without sentimentality, of a deprived childhood with a loving mother and violent stepfather, followed by a stint in the navy. He cartoonishly depicts his youthful japes culminating in the theft of his step-aunt's glass eye to take to school where he encounters an enraged figure screaming: 'I'm g'on whup your ass, you little thievin' motherfucker!' Gardner ducked out of a promising medical career because he felt that the financial return was inadequate, which leaves one wondering whether happiness, however one spells it, is really synonymous with money.
Blood and Sand, by Frank Gardner Bantam. £7.99
With so many 'experts' commenting on the 'war on terror', it is refreshing to read someone who has hard-earned expertise of the Islamic world. Frank Gardner speaks Arabic, has lived and travelled widely in the Middle East in his original career as a banker and then as a BBC reporter.On 6 June 2004, he was the subject of a brutal jihadi attack in Riyadh which left him paraplegic and his cameraman, Simon Cumbers, dead. Gardner's determination is evident throughout this autobiography. He seeks out a family in a Cairo slum to experience authentic Arab life; he forces his way up the ranks of the BBC despite not joining until the age of 34; and he recovers enough from his injuries to return to broadcasting. His clear-headed and ideology-free account of the successes and failures of the current wars demands attention.
Pete Doherty: Last of the Rock Romantics, by Alex Hannaford. Ebury £7.99
There is something quintessentially British about Pete Doherty, despite the fact that most of us don't daub walls with our own blood or shack up with supermodels. He combines yobbish violence with fey, vulnerable charm and remains an isolated figure, even in a crowd. Hannaford's biography spans Doherty's academically brilliant youth to the dissolution of today. However, it regularly descends into a list of concerts smattered with stale gig reviews. The author conscientiously informs us of Doherty's influences: Lord Rochester, Chatterton, Byron, Tony Hancock and Morrissey. But he never really engages with Doherty's writing, given the latter's love of poetry. Fans wanting to a deeper understanding of the dark heart of Doherty must look elsewhere.
Obedience, Struggle & Revolt, by David Hare. Faber £9.99
Very few books require the author to recite the text aloud. This collection of lectures and articles leaves one salivating for their original performance, especially in the case of 'What Asian Babes? What Nazis?', a ferocious attack on journalists delivered at a dinner for media leaders. Hare is impassioned but always lucid. His anger arises from a deep-seated care. The pieces reinforce the connection between theatre and politics, the centrality of new writing and, most important, the vital role of the theatre audience. Hare writes: 'A play is not a text; a play is what happens between the stage and the audience.' Even theatregoers who don't enjoy Hare's plays will benefit from a quick skim through this. Here's hoping for the audiobook.
