Recommended Reads: Art of the Memoir

"Memoirs are a well-known form of fiction." - Frank Harris

When my book group recently decided to read the memoir, Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight, an interesting story of an African childhood, it started me thinking about the genre of memoir and how it differs from standard autobiography. A Reader's Advisory web page from Southern Connecticut University spells out the difference between autobiography and memoir. An autobiography is a "text about the (usually entire) life of the author, while a memoir is told from the perspective of the author and involves a more focused, emotional, and often introspective review of a life." 

Also autobiographies are usually written about more famous people; while memoirs can be written by any person, whether famous or not. For all you readers out there who like to read about the true (or not so true!) stories of people's lives told from their own unique perspectives, this list of titles held by the Perkins Library will interest you.

Recorded cassette (RC), braille (BR), and large print (LT) copies of these books are available from the Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library. Please contact the library to order any of these materials.

Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood by Alexandra Fuller
RC 53942
Recollections of growing up white in civil-war-torn 1970s Rhodesia. Fuller's affection for Africa and for her parents--despite their flaws--withstands her critical scrutiny. Recounts her family's tragedies, including the deaths of children and dispossession of their home, and their efforts to deal with racism, revolutionary politics, and the struggle for survival. Strong language. Bestseller. 2001.

Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing up Iranian in America by Firoozeh Dumas
RC 58658
Author recollects her family's adjustment to American culture after moving from Iran to California in 1972 when she was seven. In a series of vignettes, Firoozeh describes her father's amusing attempts to assimilate, her uncle's penchant for fast food, and their experiences during the Iranian Revolution. 2003.

Cockeyed: A Memoir by Ryan Knighton
RC 62851
Canadian professor's account of going blind in adolescence from retinitis pigmentosa. Describes attending college in the early 1990's, living with a deaf woman, and teaching English to children in South Korea. Offers his assessment of others' perceptions of his disability. Strong language. 2006.

Sleeping With Cats: A Memoir by Marge Piercy
RC 58077
Born in Detroit in the 1930s, poet and novelist Marge Piercy details her abusive, racy youth; political activism; marriages; and other relationships. Piercy intersperses this account with depictions of her cats, who have provided faithful companionship and consolation. Includes several of her poems. Some descriptions of sex. (Also available electronically through Bookshare)  2002.

Broken Music: A Memoir by Sting
RC 57114
Memoir by British songwriter and musician born in 1951 reconstructs his life before he gained fame as a member of the band Police. Describes his childhood in Newcastle, his academic success that sends him to teachers' college, the influence of 1960's music, and his early bands. Strong language. Bestseller. 2003.

The Dog Who Came to Stay: A Memoir by Hal Borland
RC 64728
In Process (Rerecord  of RC 11760) Nature writer's affectionate account of his dog Pat, a skinny stray who came to the Borlands' Connecticut farm one stormy Christmas night and stayed despite their doubts about the canine. Recalls Pat's exploits in hunting and fishing, brushes with skunks and poachers, and skirmishes with bobcats and porcupines. 1961.

Scattered Shadows: A Memoir of Blindness and Vision by John Howard Griffin
RC 58675, BR 15751
The author of Black like Me (RC 17498) recounts losing his sight in 1947 from a war injury and unexpectedly recovering it ten years later. Describes his religious conversion to Catholicism during his blindness and individual and institutional reactions to his physical impairment. Some strong language. 2004.

Dog Years: A Memoir by Mark Doty
BR 17586, LT 7226
In Process. Award-winning poet recalls experiences with his beloved retrievers, Arden and Beau. Describes how they helped him through his grief after his partner's death, and how, in turn, he cared for them as they aged. Reflects on the lessons learned about life, loss, and unconditional love. Some strong language. 2007.

Are You Somebody:  The Accidental Memoir of a Dublin Woman by Nuala O'Faolain
BR 11561, LT 1976
An unmarried, childless Irish woman reviews her life and examines its meaning. She recalls her deprived childhood, her years at boarding school and university, and her career in broadcast and print journalism. Approaching sixty, she takes stock of her accomplishments and her solitary life.

The Story of My Father: A Memoir by Sue Miller
RC 56071, LT 7677
Author of While I Was Gone (RC 47671), among other works, becomes her father's caretaker as he slowly succumbs to Alzheimer's disease. The widowed James Nichols, a retired minister, begins to show symptoms of forgetfulness in the late 1980's. Miller describes their changing relationship and other effects of his condition.  Also available electronically through Bookshare.  2003.

Seldom Disappointed: A Memoir by Tony Hillerman
RC 54082, LT 2583
Author of award-winning Navaho mysteries records his memoir of growing up in depression-era Oklahoma, serving with the WWII American infantry, pursuing a career in journalism, and teaching at the University of New Mexico. Concludes with notes on his works and some origins of his ideas. 2001.

In Our Time: Memoir of a Revolution by Susan Brownmiller
RC 63353
Feminist journalist and author of Femininity (RC 20231) chronicles the women's liberation movement in the United States during the late twentieth century. Highlights leaders including Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem, and Germaine Greer and discusses the social issues such as economic oppression, sexual harassment, and abortion rights. 1999.

I'll Always Have Paris: A Memoir by Art Buchwald
RC 44689
Continuing his autobiography begun in Leaving Home (RC 37938), Buchwald writes of his years in France in the 1940s and 1950's. He arrived in Paris with plans to attend school, but instead spent time at sidewalk cafes, became the food critic for the Paris Herald Tribune, and married Ann, with whom he adopted three children. Some strong language.

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir by Bill Bryson
RC 63131, BR 16929, LT 6393
Travel humorist and author of A Short History of Nearly Everything (RC 56241) reminisces about growing up in 1950's middle America. Recalls the simple pleasures of family life and teen culture under the shadow of the Cold War. Commercial audiobook. 2006.

True North: A Memoir by Jill Ker Conway
RC 39108
In this sequel to The Road from Coorain (RC 31551), the Australian-born author chronicles her 1960 arrival in America as she embarks on the life of a graduate student in history. Conway experiences the downside of academic politics along with a delight in new interests, talents, friends, success as a scholar and administrator, and a husband who becomes her compass point or her "true north." Bestseller.

Lucky Man: A Memoir by Michael J Fox
RC 54165, LT 3694
Autobiography of the actor who was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson's disease in 1991. Reminisces about his Canadian childhood, his move to Los Angeles to begin his film career at eighteen, his alcoholism, and his family--as well as coping with his condition. Some strong language. Bestseller. Also available electronically from Bookshare 2002.

The Tender Bar: A Memoir by J R Moehringer
RC 61119
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist recalls finding male role models at the local bar in Manhasset, Long Island, where his uncle worked. Describes the education he received from the tavern patrons as he struggled to cope with abandonment by his father and life with his mother's dysfunctional family. Strong language. Bestseller. 2005.

The Black Veil: A Memoir with Digressions by Rick Moody
RC 62036
Award-winning author of Garden State (RC 38568) and Demonology (RC 52304) recalls his descent into clinical depression. He explores his paternal heritage, seeking genetic clues to the origins of his illness and traces of a troubled presumptive ancestor said to have inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Minister's Black Veil." Some strong language. 2002.

Leap of Faith: Memoirs of an Unexpected Life by Queen Noor
RC 56048
Born in 1951 as Lisa Halaby, daughter of an Arab-American family, Queen Noor of Jordan relates King Hussein's courtship; their 1978 marriage; her role as wife, queen, and mother; her work in improving the life of Jordanian women; and Hussein's role in the Middle East, including his frustrations with international diplomacy. Also available electronically through Bookshare.  Bestseller. 2003.

Touch the Top of the World: A Blind Man's Journey to Climb Farther than the Eye Can See by Erik Weihenmayer
RC 51505, BR 14512
In this adventure-packed memoir, the author recalls rebelling against becoming blind by age fifteen. Relates acquiring a passion for mountaineering and developing the character traits that enabled him to succeed. Covers his climbing exploits and his wedding on top of Mount Kilimanjaro. Some strong language. Also available electronically through Bookshare. 2001.

The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls
RC 61540
Reporter for MSNBC.com looks back on her unsettled life. Describes growing up in a dysfunctional family, which was always on the move. She recalls her father's dream of building a "glass castle," and relates how she and her siblings escaped to make lives of their own. Strong language. 2005.

The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride
RC 42713
One of twelve siblings in Brooklyn, the author was confused about his mother's race. She called herself light-skinned and refused to discuss her past. Years later she admitted to being an Orthodox rabbi's daughter whose family shunned her after her marriage to the first of her two black husbands. Also available electronically through Bookshare.  Some strong language.

Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love by Dava Sobel
RC 48871
Reappraisal of the famous scientist based on 124 surviving letters from his oldest daughter, Sister Maria Celeste. Discusses how her loving devotion sustained her father during his persecution for stating that the Earth revolves around the Sun. Reveals details of daily life in Italy in the early 1600's. Bestseller. 1999.

Things No Longer There: A Memoir of Losing Sight and Finding Vision by Susan Krieger
RC 60711
Author writes "about things no longer there in the outer world that are still very present in the mind" and describes her experience of losing eyesight. Krieger also shares insights about lesbian social realities. Includes a novella about a special relationship. Some descriptions of sex. 2005.

Blindsided: Lifting a Life Above Illness: A Reluctant Memoir by Richard M. Cohen
RC 57643, LT 7537
Emmy Award-winning television news producer and journalist chronicles his battle with multiple sclerosis and colon cancer. While detailing his vision loss and other symptoms, Cohen's frank account is "not about suffering" but about "surviving and flourishing, rising above fear and self-doubt" with the support of his wife and children. Bestseller. 2004.

Submitted by Linda Rossman
Reference Services Librarian
Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library