Magical Memoir Moments
Memory and Truth–Three Different Memoirs from One Family
You may have read about how Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs created dissension in his own family and in the family of Dr. Finch, the psychiatrist with whom Burroughs went to live at the age of 13. There have been law suits charging defamation of character and invasion of privacy. This book, which was…
A Million Little Pieces of Memoir Genre Trust
Like most of my readers, I am an admirer of Greg Mortenson and think what he has done in Afghanistan and Pakistan–building schools (helping girls, especially) and building relationships of trust–is the best way for Americans to interact with the people of Central Asia. A vast improvement over drone strikes and endless war! Yet the…
Say It Ain't So, Greg! Three Cups of Tea Comes Under Memoir Scrutiny
I loved the book Three Cups of Tea. You likely did also if you read it. This morning The New York Times carried an investigative story that questions the veracity of the central narrative about stumbling upon Korphe, a village in Afghanistan, after failing to reach the peak of the mountain K2. Here’s the story:…
Telling the Truth About One's Life: Memoir Controversies
What would a memoir blog be without a category for memoir controversy? Can you trust the label of memoir when it appears on a book? Today’s writers, editors, and their lawyer’s are continuing to ask Pontius Pilate’s question, “What is truth?” Most readers, myself included, expect that the basic facts reported in memoir correlate to…
Memoir Controversy: Does Gender Matter?
My friend Sonia, who is doing a fantastic job of blogging about her experience as an expatriate in many different countries (check out http://gutsywriter.blogspot.com) and who has written a memoir about taking her family, including three teenage sons, to Belize for a year, sent me the following link. Apparently, the life stories of women and…
The Latest Memoir Controversy: Angel at the Fence
“Read all about it!,” the newsboys could be saying, if there were newsboys today. “Another memoir bites the dust!” “Oprah decides to vet all future memoirists with truth serum!” Of course, there is brand new president, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and an economic meltdown to report on, too, but, hey, memoir dishes up conflict…