Chapter 6 - Memory Is My Name

Of all the genres I routinely read - history, historical fiction, literary fiction, women's fiction, thrillers, spy fiction - one of my favorites is memoir. Interestingly enough I don't love autobiography but give me memoir and I am definitely on it. What is the difference between memoir and autobiography you might wonder. Well, it is described in this way by Grammarly.com - "A memoir is a nonfiction narrative in which the author shares their memories from a specific time period or reflects upon a string of themed occurrences throughout their life. An autobiography is a factual and historical account of one’s entire life from beginning to end." Which may be why I don't really enjoy autobiography because really who has lead a completely fascinating life from start to finish?

We are all familiar with some of the now classic (and widely read) memoirs of the last 10 years. These include The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls, Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt, and Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance (which has had a resurgence recently). There are always people who denounce the author's recollections as untrue. For example, many Dubliners decried McCourt's view of 1930's and 40's Dublin and said he made up much of the memoir. Who's to say? I tend to give the author the benefit of the doubt as it is his/her memory which is being recalled and as you probably know if you have siblings - other's memories of the same event is often different.

I had a friend recently ask me for recommendations for memoirs or autobiographies and here is the list I gave her.

Inheritance by Dani Shapiro - Dani Shapiro is a writer by trade and has many books to her name. In this memoir she tells the story of how her stepsister asked her to take a DNA test so that they could determine which of their heritage came from their father and which from their mothers. Reluctant at first, Dani complied only to find out that none of results matched her stepsister's. So, the dig began to uncover why that might be.

Educated by Tara Westover - This got a lot of publicity when it first came out and I think it is still worth reading. Tara Westover grew up in a survivalist family in Idaho and was 17 years old when she first stepped into a classroom. Mostly self-educated before that time, her move into formal education not only took her away from a violent situation but also exposed her to worlds she had never known.

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb - We read this in book club a few years back and it is a book I still recommend to friends. Lori Gottlieb is a therapist with a very active client group. When her own long term relationship fell apart, a friend suggested that she talk to a therapist to work things out. This is her story interwoven with the stories of several of her clients.

Tender At The Bone: Growing Up At The Table by Ruth Reichl - Ruth Reichl was the editor of the now defunct Gourmet Magazine. From an early age Ruth had a fascination with food and decided that if "you watched people as they ate, you could find out who they were." Her book tells the reader about all the fascinating people Ruth met who shaped her tastes and her world. Ruth has since added a few novels to her catalog and they are also very good.

Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World by Anthony Doerr - Anthony Doerr is best known for his fiction books All the Light We Cannot See and Cloud Cuckoo Land. This memoir tells of him receiving the Rome Prize, one of the most prestigious awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and with it a stipend and a writing studio in Rome for a year. Doerr learned of the award the day he and his wife returned from the hospital with newborn twins. This is the couple's journey to a country where neither spoke the language nor knew anyone.

Are there any memoirs or autobiographies you've enjoyed? Please share!