Bobby Allison was born on Febuary 22nd, 1947; his name appeared in the Miami Herald as one of the city's four hundred middleschool spelling champions, but otherwise avoided the world's attention until after his death in 2008, when once again we were reminded by his obituary that he had indeed spent 61 years on this planet.This weighty tome (682 pages if you an believe it) is not only remarkable as the most singular biography I have ever read, but also for its dashing, almost arrogant confidence. Bobby Allison is the only biography I have ever found that did not need a reason to justify its subject. The personage and life of Bobby Allison are entirely commonplace.
As McCullough says in his preface, "After writing so many biographies of the famous--presidents, saints, CEO's, generals, politicians, and aritists--I thought it was about time to aim my lens at something much more universal: a normal guy." And just such a one is Bobby Allison. But Bobby Allison proves that no normality is normal. For everyone, the guy who takes out your trash, the person who serves your latte, your coworker, your friend, the people on tv, your mechanic, your uncle, even, maybe, your pet, live more exciting lives than most that could be imagined. That's why Bobby Allison is a biography to read; that's why Bobby Allison is going to change how you think about fame.
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