Memoir might be a misunderstood genre, and the introductory essay here, by Julie Lythcott-Haims, is clear-headed and helpful. She offers various ways to look at what separates memoir (the story of "a particular experience, a period, or a lesson learned") from autobiography ("a person's entire life"). I appreciate the way Lythcott-Haims asks writers to evaluate whether you are driven by a desire for attention (“the wild scream of ego”) or a quiet certainty that the way you tell the part of the story you tell “bridges your experience to that of others.” I personally am interested in exploring her idea of “reporting from the body,” which she illustrates with an amazing example from Frederick Douglass’s memoir. There are eight prompts to help you report from the body, and a lot of other prompts to help you understand yourself as a narrator. I’ve thought a lot about memoir but hesitated to jump in. This book gives me a way of putting more than just a toe in the water.
Shanna