Under Construction - MHWA Retreat

Some people argue that memoirs are self-indulgent and exploitative. Do you agree or disagree with those people? Why?

I've definitely read some memoirs that were self-indulgent and exploitative. I don't think they are that way by nature, but certain people have definitely written them to be as such. I think a lot of the celebrity memoirs are pretty awful. I read Scar Tissue   by the lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers because I figured I'd be able to relate to someone who was addicted to drugs throughout their teens.

It was honestly one of the most self-indulgent books I've ever read. Not only is it an overly long memoir (465 pages), it's also like 90% this guy bragging about how fun and cool doing drugs and having sex was. It's like there was no development at all so I felt like I was just listening to the rambling thoughts of my friends who aren't ready to move on with their lives yet.

So, in a case like that, I do think it can be self-indulgent. And in the case of a lot of famous people's memoirs, they tend to be more exploitative, I think. There are some mental health memoirs that I've thought of as being pretty exploitative as well. Mostly ones that romanticize the idea of having a mental illness and make it seem like it's a fun, quirky thing to do in your spare time.

Other memoirs are really good though. Those are usually the ones written by 'normal' people about extraordinary experiences. I could read that type of memoir all day because it's really interesting to see just how different people's lives can be.

Would you ever consider writing a memoir based on your life? Why or why not? What would you include or exclude?

I don't think I'd write a memoir based on my life. I do think I have a lot of experiences that I could write about, and I have written about many of them in my various blogs. I know I've been told before that I could publish my nonfiction vignettes. I don't think I'd want to do that though. In order to really publish a memoir, I'd have to be a lot more straightforward and indulge a lot more information.

There are a lot of things I'm obviously comfortable with sharing, like the general nature of my Catholic upbringing, the abuse in my house, my history of drug abuse, getting kicked out as a teenagers and being a bit of a street rat for some time, but there are also a lot of things I haven't and won't ever write about or talk about.

Overall, I don't think it would be an interesting enough story to read, especially not without the full picture.

Have you ever read any memoirs? If so, which ones have been your favorites? Are there any memoirs on your to-read list?

I've read a bunch of memoirs. If you're into mental health memoirs, The Noonday Demon   was a really interesting book. It's written about depression, but from many different perspectives (biological, historical, political, etc.)

I also adored everything about Speak, Memory   by Vladimir Nobakov. It's just such good writing.

As far as memoirs on my to-read list... I have Educated   on hold from my library. It's a really popular book right now so it will be a few weeks before I get a chance to read it, but I've heard it's really good. It's about a girl who was raised by survivalists in the mountains of Iowa and didn't have any formal education until age 17. I think it will be an interesting read.


Best,

Charlie


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