Under Construction - MHWA Retreat

I guess it depends on how you choose to look at it. Take The Diary of Anne Frank. Although I think it was published to inform and educate, it could be called exploitive. Then again, are we exploiting her memory to educate? I'm not sure. Maybe it's all in the intent. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is the one that stands out most to me. It was required reading in school, but it sparked my interest in poetry and led me to read every Maya Angelou book I could get my hands on at the time. Looking back, I viewed it as learning about history. As an adult, I see a little self-indulgence at play. Which can probably be said about most memoirs. I love history, so I've definitely read a few, but can't remember any titles except Memoirs of a Geisha right now. Probably because it contains the word memoir.
I do plan on reading On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft one day. I own the book and have yet to open it.

As for writing my own, I have my doubts. I have journals that I'd like my girls to read one day to understand me better. I'm not so sure I want all my dirty laundry flapping in the wind for just anyone to pick up. It's one thing to display my best bra to the neighborhood, but a completely different thing to wave around my old granny panties.