Thoughts & Things

Seven Awesome Memoirs To Read

I love a good memoir. There's something about a beautifully told personal story that can speak to me on a deeper level that allows a book to hold a special place in my heart. I didn't always love memoirs, as I thought they seemed dry or banal. While some certainly can be that, I genuinely believe that some of the most important stories that have been told over the last century have been autobiographical works.

This list is for those who are new to memoirs, and perhaps are looking to try something out of their comfort zone that's going to speak to them. That said, if you enjoy memoirs and you see something here you haven't read yet, by all means read it! There isn't anything on this list I wouldn't recommend regardless of your experience level with memoirs, these ones just don't happen to be what one might call obscure.

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou writes beautiful poetry, and I truly believe that spills into her memoirs. Angelou actually captured her entire life story in a series of autobiographies, with I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings being the first in that series. It revolutionised memoirs as we read them now, and it stands the test of time. She brings love and heart to the page just as well as she brings the tragedy to life. I genuinely believe that this is an important work in terms of the history of women of colour in America, and absolutely necessary in terms of understanding the aftermath of childhood sexual assault.

Maus by Art Spiegelman
Art Spiegelman also ranks among those writers that did revolutionary work within their respective genres, in this case graphic novels. Spiegelman shares his own difficult relationship with his father, as well as his father's story as a holocaust survivor. He does this in graphic memoir format, with the Jewish people represented as mice, and the Nazis represented as cats. It is absolutely heartbreaking, and it manages to show the events of WWII with emotion and tact, along with the aftermath of survivors' lives once they were free people again.

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
Marjane Satrapi weaves the incredible tale of her life through graphic memoir format, just as Spiegelman before her did. Unlike Spiegelman, she tells the type of story we don't often hear about in the west. Satrapi writes of her childhood in Iran during the revolution, her time spent in France, and her time again in Iran after returning there. It's one of those stories that is packed with good humour and heartbreaking emotion that makes it irresistible. It's all the more important for being set in a place that many in the west prefer not to think about in any sort of positive light.

Between The World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Ta-Nehisi Coates writes beautifully put together non-fiction prose, and this is a fine example of that quality and importance. Coates did write a memoir that dealt more specifically with his life story, but I haven't read it yet, so I can't vouch for it. I'm honestly certain it's fantastic. Between The World And Me is written as a letter to Coates' son, and discusses the significance of being black in America in this day and age. Written with insightful depth and tender emotion, it makes for an eye-opening read.

Alive In The Killing Fields: Surviving the Khmer Rouge Genocide by Nawuth Keat
Nawuth Keat co-authored Alive In The Killing Fields with Martha E. Kendall to achieve the effortless writing that is comprehensible by adults and teens alike, but regardless of the style, the content is devastating. Keat speaks of his childhood in Cambodia, initially an idyllic one, where the Khmer Rouge began to massacre larges portions of the population. Keat lost much of his family and much of his childhood, and the struggle to leave Cambodia is an intense one. Even though this was the fairly recent past, much of this has been forgotten by the bulk of the west, making it all the more important that Keat's story be shared.

Yes Please by Amy Poehler
Amy Poehler is better known for being a funny woman than a writer, but Yes Please shows she is more than competent at being both of those things. The humour is absolutely on point throughout the entire book, with anecdotes from her career and life all being worth a smile or a laugh, but she also shares some more serious or tender anecdotes that touched the warm places in my heart. I personally heard this one through the audiobook, which features Poehler reading the book herself, with an incredible guest ensemble. The book is worth a read, but the audiobook made this one for me.

Bone Black: Memories of Girlhood by bell hooks
bell hooks is a powerhouse writer and an incredible intellect, both of which she displays tenfold in Bone Black. Bone Black is styled much like a patchwork quilt, with each chapter being a three page snapshot look into hooks' childhood and teenage years. This is a particular standout if you already enjoy hooks' other works, as she really shows the different parts of her background that helped make her who she is today.

(I have committed to blogging daily with Give It 100. This is Day Thirty-Five. Five days of leave taken total.)