MEMOIRS T his c hapt er is brought t o y ou by S ybil P riebe and edit ed part s of t his W ik ibook 24.
You Are Now About to Know More About Memoirs Than Oprah. Yes, You Read That Correctly. In 2006, James Frey wrote a memoir about parts of his life when he was under the influence of drugs called A Million Little Pieces, and after Oprah had him on her show to discuss the book – it was featured in her popular book club, of course – she was told that he “lied” about certain parts. Well, he didn’t lie. Memoirs contain what we remember. What we remember isn’t always “fact.” What I always say is that if you have all of your family members report what happened at a family gathering – like a birthday party or Christmas – whose report would be correct? No one’s! That’s what memoir is. It’s still nonfiction because it’s what the person remembers, but it’s not false on purpose. If I remember that my sister responded to me in a snotty way one day and my other sister didn’t think so, no one is correct. It’s just my memory versus hers. Now, typically, memoirs encompass just a chunk of someone’s life, like when James Frey wrote about his drug years, but sometimes, some famous person in their 70s (or older) will write his/her memoir. No matter what, it’s simply what they remember, and I suppose if someone’s on drugs or has an awful memory, the stories could appear to be false. But they aren’t. That’s why they say “life is stranger than fiction.” Memoirs are part of the nonfiction category of literature; they contain a lot of description and detail, and they are typically very, very personal in content.
Why Read Memoirs? To learn about others’ lives and their thoughts about what occurred. Memoirs are a personalized history.
Memorable Memoirists: David Sedaris, Augusten Burroughs, Chelsea Handler, George Carlin, Jim Gaffigan, Tina Fey…
When to Write Memoirs For class, after a life-changing event, towards the end of one’s life…
How to Write Memoirs Reflect upon your life by recording what you remember about parts of it, in great detail, with your own unique point-of-view on how situations played out.
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