Recommended Memoirs

My Last Remains, by Jill, published by Denlinger. A POWERFUL memoir of growing up with mentally ill parents. It raises the question of what happens to the children of the mentally ill. What happened to the author will shock you. Yet she survived and is now a faculty member at U/WA. You can view the book and order it from the publishers web: www.thebookden.com MY LAST REMAINS under Memoir nonfiction
Anne Hayamen

Re: MY LAST REMAINS a memoir by U/WA faculty member

Anne,

Thanks for letting us know about My Last Remains. I'm finishing a Master's in Counseling, and I am very interested in checking this book out. Also, my mother had emotional/mental problems. Children, of mentally ill parents, are subjected to turmoil, that is sometimes incomprehensible. I spent a good deal of my childhood apologizing for or about my mother. As a result, I was well past forty before I realized that I could stand up for myself. Yes, sometimes, it is warranted to get angry, and you can do so without making a complete fool out of yourself.

Annie

Let's hear about other memoirs people recommend . . .

Thanks, Anne, for the recommendation. Other published memoirs you all recommend? Let us know what you particularly liked about it, too.

Stephanie
wz.com/arts/WritingYourLifeStory.html
wz.com/arts/LifeStoriesOfOthers.html

Blackbird, by Jennifer Lauck (I read the entire first half of this book standing in the bookstore; it was quite amazing)

Somehow Form a Family, by Tony Earley

to annie

For those of us who had mentally ill mothers or fathers, I know that it was especiallly hard because as children we identify with our parents and live in fear that we too are ill.
Anne

the attached web is not mine

when i posted my message, there was another message just below it that linked to a web. It was not my post. I dont know how it was put in the space I was using.
anne

Memoirs

If autobiographies qualify as memoirs, then two that I really enjoyed were Ben Franklin's and Lee Iacocca's. The former for the common sense enhanced by a brilliant mind; the latter for his hatred of bankers. I recently read Dutch which, since it's not by Reagan isn't technically a memoir, but is a well researched and documented biography.

Parents and Childhood

Everyone has a story.

Whether it be raised by parents who possibly just shouldn't be parents, or raised in a family that was just totally unadjusted for whatever reason.

It is funny how books are written on the misery that is suffered and not on the perfect childhood someone has had. Is there such a thing or are human perspectives just focussed on the hard times.

It is all point of reference, isn't it?

Those of us who were raised in a situation that we feel was less than what it should have been, may seem like a dream come true to those who were raised with no family at all.

Perspective. It is a wonderful human trait.

*I apologize, I am feeling a little melodramatic today*

visit my web site at www.ahawritingservices.com

Re: the attached web is not mine

Hi, Anne. I deleted that message since we do not know how those got there. Very odd. :\

Stephanie
www.absolutewrite.com/stephanie.htm

Tangewystle,

Please enlighten about Blackbird. Could check it out on Amazon.com or Barnes

**

Prozac Nation (young and depressed in america)

movie, having been pushed back since 2001, will be out in march of 2003. augh.

Recommended memoir

Now I can't remember the name, but it is subtitled "A Partial Autobiography" by P.D. James. Wonderful book by one of my favorite writers. Can't look for title as book is currently lent to a fellow reader. (no password, never been here before)

Re: Recommended memoir

"The Liars Club" by Mary Karr
"A Girl Named Zippy" by Haven Kimmel
"Operating Instructions, a Journal of My Son's First Year" by Anne Lammot.

All are excellent reads.

Re: Recommended memoir

A Thousand Pieces of Gold- Adeline Yen Mah
A Monk Swimming- Malachy McCourt
'Tis- Frank McCourt.

Re: Recommended memoir

“The territory of men” shoot, what’s the author’s name? Eek! It explores how this girls life changed as her single mother’s boyfriends did. Sort of white oleanderish…

now reading a book called “the cranberry queen” about a girl who escapes after her family is killed in a car crash…very good so far. I just adore memoirs.

Child Abuse Memoir

I would like to recommend a very compelling memoir about child abuse, "Charred Souls: A Story of Recreational Child Abuse" by Trena Cole. I have read it several times and find the author to be a miracle. The book is quite graphic, but is worth the read for anyone interested in the well-being of children.

Re: Recommended memoir

"Angela's Ashes" by Frank McCourt.
"Running with Scissors" and "Dry" by Augusten Burrough (hillarious, dark and disturbing, not for the faint-of-heart)

p.s. I don't consider biography the same as memoir... just me.

Re: Child Abuse Memoir

autobio, memoir and bio, they're all different to me, too. that's cuz i'm writing a memoir though.

Re: Recommended memoir

"Running with Scissors"

Click to expand...

Sorry, I just had to address this. :rollin Did you put this in for me?

I'm in the process of writing a memoir and have been reading little else since I started this project. Here's a link to my web page with a list of short reviews and comments on mostly memoirs:

www.drizzle.com/~ncorbett/booklist.html

I just finished Reading Lolita in Tehran, and it is the best book I've read this year. I would love to design a course around it. I've been told that Running with Scissors is a good read. The list grows. But check this web page from time to time if you're interested, and thanks for the recommendations on this list!

Nancy

wz.com/arts/WritingYourLifeStory.html has been hijacked. FYI

Stephanie and all writing readers and reading writers;

Hello. Just a note to inform you that your URLS/links have been hijacked by some pseudo dorectories advertising "sperm on face" shots, et.al. deplorable crap.

wz.com/arts/WritingYourLifeStory.html
wz.com/arts/LifeStoriesOfOthers.html

As if it isn't enough to offer force spam on women for Viagra and men for breast augmentation, now it's our memoirs....argh.


Respectfully,
R--

I love Memoirs!

I only read non-fiction, and memoirs are a favorite of mine. The subject never seems to be as important as how the book is written. I'll read anyone's memoir if the writing is good!

I wish I would have kept a list, but I didn't. One of the most shocking was :
Sickened : The Memoir of a Munchausen by Proxy Childhood -- by Julie Gregory.

Incredible story - a must read. This is the one book that actually had me writing a letter to the author.

:eek