I think you do … or at least it seems like the publishing industry thinks you do—if the number of books on the supposed secret life (and sometimes lives) of people, places and things is any indication.
I was doing some work in the library collection recently when I stumbled across a book called Overachievers: the secret lives of driven kids by Alexandra Robbins. I was intrigued. Robbins’ book is an in depth look into the world of high school students and the pressures they face to achieve (and achieve and achieve). The book examines the pressure and expectations that students grapple with and how they impact those students, their families and the school system. Interesting reading for teens, parents of teens and anyone with an eye for books on social trends.
Quirk Books—whose name you may recognize from their popular classic novel mashup Pride and Prejudice and Zombies)—have come up with a whole series of books around this theme, all billed around the idea of “what your teachers never told you”. They’ve published titles on great authors, great composers, great filmmakers, great artists (painters and sculptors) and US presidents (“now with Obama!” the library copy says).