Super Short Summary

Ron Powers' Mark Twain: A Life explores the complex life of Samuel Clemens, known as Mark Twain, from his birth in Missouri through his adventures as a steamboat pilot, brief Confederate militia stint, and mining attempts to becoming a famed writer and speaker. The biography delves into his transformative travels, influential marriage to Olivia Langdon, and financial struggles despite literary successes, ultimately culminating in his prediction of his 1910 death alongside Halley's Comet's return. The book includes sensitive topics such as slavery and depression.