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I just finished reading an autobiography by Billy Graham, and I usually avoid them as I find most autobiographies to have a lot of window-dressing. Let's face it, if any of us were to write an autobiography, would it involve any confessions of our sins, or showing our warts?
I find unauthorized bio's to reveal the person more in his/her entirety, a la Kitty Kelly.
And now I need to get my hands on an unauthorized bio of Billy Graham, to compare. I'm sure there's a number of people, along the way, that he angered that would love to refute his saintly behavior, and note a few sins he committed at some point in time, and take off the halo from around his head.
Neither are more honest. The best of biographies can only guess at the back story of events. The best of autobiographies will leave out some things because it's hard to fit a lifetime into a book.
The term 'more accurate' probably better describes what you're seeking.
It really depends on the individuals involved.
Some figures are less interested in shaping their portrayals than others. And some biographers are more interested in sales numbers than in accurately describing what happened.
Ferreting out which portrayal is more accurate can be difficult. Comparing multiple sources can be useful. What's not too difficult, however, is determining when a book is little more than a hagiography - that's usually pretty obvious.
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