good rec for memoirs

DefyGravity

Thu, Jan 22 2009, 8:08 am

Ruth Reichl's books: Garlic and Sapphires, Comfort Me with Apples, and Tender at the Bone. All are excellent books about her life.

Raisin

Thu, Jan 22 2009, 8:11 am

frank mccourts angelas ashes and tis are pretty good, (though depressing!) if you haven't read them yet.

when I saw your thread title the memoirs of Gluckel of Hameln popped into my head.

ca't think of any others right now.

Clarissa

Thu, Jan 22 2009, 8:16 am

I loved Anne Roiphe's 1185 Park Avenue, about her complicated childhood. She recently wrote a memoir called Epilogue, about being widowed. I went to a reading and it sounded good, and I bought it, but haven't read it yet. My mother is reading it and likes it. I've read all of Ruth Reichl's books. I've enjoyed them (love memories tied with food) but don't think they're brilliantly written. In that food-memory thing, I probably prefer Laurie Colwin. But back to memoirs. I recently bought a couple, will post when I've read them.

NotInNJMommy

Thu, Jan 22 2009, 8:51 am

I don't know if you want davka not Jewish, but the previous Lubavitcher Rebbe's (Yosef Yitzchak)memoirs are amazing. I've read a couple reduxes into English and it was just amazing. His time prison, fleeing/hiding from the communists, so full of suspense. I found (at least in English) that he writes in a way that you can feel and imagine yourself there. He discusses his feelings, fears, childhood experiences, etc. I can't describe it better than saying it's just so real.

BH Yom Yom

Tue, May 26 2020, 9:06 am

Hi! I know this thread is old, wanted to bump it up to see if anyone has more recommendations of memoirs.

Some good ones I’ve read/ am in the middle of:

The Center Cannot Hold, by Elyn Saks
The Sound of Gravel, by Ruth Wariner
Educated, by Tara Westover
Never Broken, by Jewel
Manic and The Dark Side of Innocence, both by Terri Cheney
Beautiful Boy, by David Sheff

I second The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

What memoirs have you read recently that you would recommend? TIA!

amother

Mistyrose

Tue, May 26 2020, 9:23 am

I recommend memoirs by Lucette Lagnado, Ariana Neumann (this is a brand new one), and, don't laugh, Agatha Christie. She led an interesting life, and her autobiography was fascinating. I've read it more than once.

seeker

Tue, May 26 2020, 10:45 am

NotInNJMommy wrote:

Anyone know the title of this?

If you're ok with some darkness, The Choice is phenomenal. Holocaust survivor but goes way beyond typical holocaust memoir material into her recovery and beyond.

sevengirl

Tue, May 26 2020, 11:21 am

Weekends at Bellevue
Twelve patients
Maybe you should talk to somebody
This narrow space

Lol I have a theme of books I like

amother

Forestgreen

Tue, May 26 2020, 11:28 am

seeker wrote:

Anyone know the title of this?
.

The Lubavitcher Rebbes Memoirs

seeker

Tue, May 26 2020, 11:30 am

amother [ Forestgreen ] wrote:

The Lubavitcher Rebbes Memoirs

oh lol for some reason I thought that was a description rather than the title. Sounds fascinating. Thank you.

PinkFridge

Tue, May 26 2020, 12:28 pm

DefyGravity wrote:

Ruth Reichl's books: Garlic and Sapphires, Comfort Me with Apples, and Tender at the Bone. All are excellent books about her life.

There are more: Not Becoming My Mother (reprinted under a new name) and a book about her time at Gourmet. I suspect there was embellishing in the latter.

PinkFridge

Tue, May 26 2020, 12:31 pm

If you want Jewish books, As Long As I Live, To Remain a Jew, Metamorphasis. I'll try to think of books that are more memoir than biography.

amother

Teal

Tue, May 26 2020, 3:08 pm

It's not a memoir, but a story of the life of Forough Farrokhzad.
The title is Song of a Captive Bird.
It was a different and interesting read.

Another memoir I just read but didn't finish yet was
If All the Seas Were Ink by Ilana Kirshan.
She learned all of Daf Yomi and writes about it as she parallels her life in Yerushalaim. It is very current.

Cheshire cat

Tue, May 26 2020, 4:38 pm

I loved Beverly Cleary`s "girl from yamhill" and "my own two feet".

I grew up with her cast of characters- Ramona Quimby, Beezus, Henry, Ribsy, etc...

Reading her autobiography gave me insight into all the characters I loved so much as a child.

thunderstorm

Tue, May 26 2020, 4:41 pm

The Girl with No Name
By Marina Chapman

Fascinating story of a young girl raised by monkeys in the jungle.