So as I mentioned yesterday, I had lots of suggestions of other memorable memoirs from staff and friends. Here is the list of what they suggested! There is definitely something for everyone. I know I was introduced to any number of memoirs that I’m going to add to my future reading list. Thanks to everyone who offered a suggestion. And if you are reading this, please leave your memoir suggestions in the comment box!
Double Take by Kevin Michael Connolly
About a guy born with no legs. The book makes you take a look at prejudice and maybe see yourself in a different way.
Gerbil Farmer’s Daughter by Holly Robinson
About, well, a gerbil farmer’s daughter, but his other job was commanding an air craft carrier, so the farming was kept pretty quiet. Holly writes about her life and family with a down to earth tone, highly readable.
Life in Rewind by Terry Murphy
About OCD … incredible story with a happy ending.
My Stoke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor
Scientist has a stroke and lives … and recovers … really fascinating.
Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog: the amazing adventures of an ordinary woman by Lisa Scottoline
This is from the prolific mystery author, and is based on the columhns she writes for the Philadelphia Enquirer.
Traveling with Pomegranates by Sue Monk Kidd and her daughter
Based on their travels in Greece together while the daughter was trying to “find” herself in a depression and Sue was trying to understand and reconnect with her daughter. Another from a renowned author.
The Big One by David Kinney
This is about the famous fishing tournament on the Vineyard……probably isn’t exactly a memoir but he does talk about his time in the tournament.
Not Quite Paradise: an American Sojourn in Sri Lanka by Adele Barker
Details an American woman’s time there before and after the tragic tsunami that hit southeast Asia. She went there to teach and research a book.
Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: a memoir of going home by Rhoda Janzen
A woman leaves all she knows (after her husband leaves her for another man) and goes back to her Mennonite roots and family.
When a Crocodile Eats the Sun by Peter Godwin
A memoir of growing up in Africa during the rise of African nationalism from the white perspective.
Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson
Anyone who thinks Bryson is hilarious should read his memoir of growing up in Iowa in the fifties.
Farewell My Subaru by Doug Fine
I think I first heard about this on NPR as he writes for them. Loved it!
Logs of the Dead Pirates Society: a schooner adventure around Buzzards Bay by Randall Peffer
Really enjoyable for anyone who loves the waters of Buzzards Bay and the surrounding area.
Cabin Pressure: one man’s desperate attempt to recapture his youth as a camp counselor by Josh Wolk
Self-explanatory.
Through the Children’s Gate by Adam Gopnik
A sequel to his memoir of taking his young family to live in Paris. This is of their readjustment to American life in Manhattan.
Human Experiment: two years and 20 minutes inside Biosphere 2 by Jane Poynter
An older book but I was influenced to read it by the intense new movement to the “Green” side.
Wind, Sand and Stars by Antoine de Saint Exupéry
Remembering Poets : reminiscences and opinions : Dylan Thomas, Robert Frost, T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound by Donald Hall
Hall was the editor of the Harvard Advocate in the 1950’s and in that capacity first encountered and then started multi-year correspondences/friendships with four of the most interesting and certainly most respected poets of the 20th century. It’s a relatively short book and an easy read, and Hall captures well and in amusing, self-deprecating fashion, both his initial intimidation and then growing familiarity with—and fondness for—his subjects.
Burn Journals by Brent Runyon
Local author, good story.
Here’s the Story: surviving Marcia Brady and finding my true voice by Maureen McCormick
For someone that grew up loving The Brady Bunch, it was a fascinating look at what went on behind the scenes. It also dealt with the perils of aging parents. There were parts that were a tough read, especially the drug use, but overall it was a hopeful survival story.
About Alice by Calvin Trillin. Short, sweet, have a tissue box ready.
Michael J. Fox’s first autobiography, Lucky Man. I listened to it in the car, and he reads the first chapter himself, which was fabulous. I wish he’d read the whole thing. He has since written other memoir type things, but in Lucky Man he talks about his childhood (in Canada), and his start in show business. The part I remember the most (I read a few years ago) deals with being a “celebrity” and what it does to your personality when everyone says yes to whatever you do, which, of course, leads to celebrity excess.
Another staff member writes: My teenage daughter and I loved Jung Chang’s Wild Swans: three daughters of China It describes the lives of three generations of women in one family who lived through the change from dynastic to Communist rule. A little violent, but very engaging and illuminating. Also, Farley Mowat’s Never Cry Wolf was a big hit with the non-fiction reading group. The time frame is limited to a few months, but it brings up several issues (such as man vs. nature, natural balance and portrayal of wolves in literature) in a humorous and sentimental way.