Have you ever picked up a memoir or autobiography that you expected to really enjoy or at least find yourself agreeing with and then had the exact opposite experience?

Without getting into a huge political discussion or debate, let's just say that I'm a pretty dyed-in-the-wool liberal who isn't real thrilled with the war in Iraq. So when I started reading Cindy Sheehan's book, "Peace Mom" yesterday, I expected that I would enjoy it and would be cheering her on as well as sharing in a mother's tears.

Instead, two chapters in, I'm finding that I don't think I like the woman very much. In fact, I'm frequently raising my eyebrows and strongly disliking a lot of what she says.

This surprises me.

So I go back to my original question. Have any of you read a book by or about someone you thought you'd admire and ended up not caring for the person at all?

I think I'm more likely to find I admire - or at least respect - someone I thought I wouldn't like at all than the other way around. Being a conservative leaning centerist, there are very few people on either end of the political spectrum that I genuinely admire.

I think I've also been jaded by too many experiences in 'real life' where someone I liked and respected turned out to have such vile thoughts about some issue that I think is important. I think the most common occurance there is conservatives and/or religious adherants who turn their beliefs into a reason to to display extreme racist attitudes. (note that I've seen that on the left as well, but some of the most eggregious examples are on the right)

I find all my relationships last longer if I enter them fully reconciled to the circumstance of being a far better person than my counterpart. Otherwise I just set myself up to be disappointed by them.

It's such a horrible feeling to disappoint someone, and I never want it to happen to anyone on my account. So I keep my expectations low, and every once in a while someone pleasantly exceeds them. And what a good feeling that is for them.

You've heard people say there's good in everyone. This is the secret to finding it.

-magnanimousAndy

who doesn't read political books (but loves Daniel Henninger) and doesn't really have anything to say about the topic but felt like running his mouth anyway

I don't mind if you take it off topic, Tom. I just didn't want to start too much of a political discussion--especially not when I'm only two chapters into the book.

Amy, I've had that in real life, but I've not had it so often in books. Usually there is an editor or someone who will help the writer put his/her best foot forward.

Andy, I have a friend who insists that what makes us interesting as people is that we're all flawed individuals. I've liked that attitude in part because by considering the flaw to be an "interesting" feature--something that makes the person someone I can learn from, I'm more accepting of them. I'm also less likely to try to put a fradulent "best foot" forward because I can also accept myself as a flawed individual.

Oh crap!
Man, I've got to take my sarcasm meter in for repair.

I'm sorry.

I'd say I didn't mean that the way it sounded--but now I'm not sure how I sounded. I really was just spouting off what your post made me think about. Honestly, it was the ramblings of someone being totally self-absorbed. I really wasn't thinking anything critical of you.

Steering back on course a little...

I have had similar experiences with Ohitika Woman by Mary Crow Dog (Mary Brave Bird) and Living to Tell the Tale by Gabriel Garcia Marquez but for two completely different reasons.

With Ohitika Woman it was as you've described, I ended up seriously disliking her incessant whining and ended up hitting myself over the head with the book after I'd finished as penance for wasting time on it.

Living to Tell the Tale had excellent content, but I found it horribly boring. I expected better from the renowned author of Love in the Time of Cholera, amongst others. However, as stated in my review of that book, I decided to call it bad translation into English and blame that instead