You can’t start a writing project without a hefty reading list! And my instinct tells me, to become a memoirist you must learn from those who’ve done it.
Over the years I’ve read several memoirs with stories more incredible than fiction - Cheryl Strayed’s Wild, The Last Act of Love by Cathy Rentzenbrink, and more recently, Becoming by Michelle Obama.
What is it about these stories that stay with us? That become international best sellers and Box Office hits?
For me, it’s the connection I feel with their openness. With their admissions of unpopular thinking and behaviors - because let’s face it, no one is perfect, no one gets it right all the time, and everyone has done something they regret or are ashamed to admit.
This is what it means to be human! And I am in awe of their bravery to write it all down for the world.
Non-fiction seems to be having a moment, and I want to understand the craft. How to put edges on your life events and find the meaning through reflection.
I thought about signing up for a course to shortcut the process and meet other aspiring writers. But when I saw the class I wanted to join was full, I decided to steal the recommended reading instead…
Writing on writing
To Show and to Tell, Philip Lopate, Simon and Schuster
The Art of Memoir, Mary Karr, Harper Perennial - READING
The Situation and the Story, Vivian Gornick, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York
Into the Woods, John Yorke, Penguin.
General Reminiscence
Why be Happy When you Could be Normal, Jeanette Winterson, Penguin
The Cost of Living, Deborah Levy, Penguin
I Am, I Am, I Am, Maggie O'Farrell, Penguin
Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight, Alexandra Fuller, Random House.
Dealing with Difficult or Contentious Subject Matter
The Last Act of Love, Cathy Rentzenbrink, Picador - COMPLETED
Homesick, Catrina Davies, Quercus - COMPLETED
A Place for Everything, Anna Wilson, HQ Books. - COMPLETED
Finding our Way via a Connection with the Natural World
The Outrun, Amy Liptrot, Canongate
Hidden Nature, Alys Fowler, Hodder
Wintering, Katherine May
Nature Cure, Richard Mabey.
Memoir Based Around a Specific Experience or Event
About a Son, David Whitehouse, Orion
Sins of My Father, Lily Dunn, Weidenfeld and Nicolson
Educated, Tara Westover, Windmill Books.
This list is only a starting point and in the last month, I’ve read three - as you can see by my recent Kindle reads.
As I go through each I will focus on the time period they cover, how the writer framed their experiences, their stylistic choices, and the broader commentary they’re trying to make.
I’m particularly interested in those who focus on their family and upbringing, coming-of-age tales, mental disorders, dealing with abuse, travel and relocation, and relationships.
This post will be updated after I complete a book and with new recommendations.
I invite you to read along with me and join in a monthly discussion about what we’ve learned. Also, if you have any suggestions to add to either list please leave a comment.