Magical Memoir Moments
Memoir Holiday Presents: Just in Time for the Last Two Weeks Before Christmas
Of course you want to know which memoirs make great gifts. So here is a quick and dirty guide to what’s good from my perspective. Hope it helps you delight someone who loves to read life stories. You can make shopping really easy by clicking on the picture of the book. It takes you right to…
The Reviewer's Role: Is A Touch of Memoir Appropriate, Honest, Intrusive, Something Else?
Reading and reviewing books side-by-side offers a way of increasing the number of perspectives and experiences one can weave together. The reading process itself is an interactive one. At a minimum it includes the author’s voice and values, reader’s values and experiences, and other texts both reader and writer have woven into their lives. Two books…
Karen Armstrong's Charter for Compassion: Memoir in Action
A few months ago I read and reviewed Karen Armstrong’s memoir The Spiral Staircase here. At the time I never imagined that I would have the opportunity of meeting her. Imagine my delight, then, when she announced that she would use her TED (Technology, Education, and Design Prize Money) to create a Charter for Compassion–and…
Around the World in 80 Days: Reflections on Recent Travels
Pittsburgh: Saturday morning. Post-Starbucks and pre-wedding planning day with Kate and Nik, Anthony and Chelsea, Ila and Neal.In a mellow, grateful, Thanksgiving Weekend mood. It occurred to me, as I was returning from my third trip to NYC last week, that perhaps I have been around the world (24, 901 miles) in the last 80…
Save Yourself the Cost of the Sarah Palin Memoir: Read Great Kakutani Review in New York Times
Thanks to my Facebook friend Marla Miller for pointing me to a great review–and a great strategy for dealing with this particular memoir. Read the review; don’t buy the book. Use the comment section to agree or disagree with the strategy or with the book! Here’s the link to the Kakutani review in the Times.
Laura Bush Memoir Book Deal Illustrates Recession?
Today’s Daily Beast asserts that Laura Bush received less than Nancy Reagan and Betty Ford–and only one third the amount that the same publisher (Simon & Shuster) paid for Hillary Clinton’s memoir. They speculate that the recession may be to blame. Poor Laura. She got a mere $1.6 million advance. Or could it be that in…
Michael Moore's Own Life–Does it Undermine His Message?
Capitalism: A Love Story opened nationwide yesterday, and Stuart and I made the movie our Friday night date. If you have not seen this film yet, I encourage you to do so. Of course, I was watching and listening with a memoir lens. In this film we see pictures and home movies of little Michael…