Wow, Another Person Actually Experienced This!

The Magic of Memoir

If you are a reader, you know what it feels like to be absorbed into another world. The magic of it, the thrill and wonder.

I know the feeling well.

For as long as I can remember, I have absolutely loved to read! I was rarely picky about genre; if the characters were interesting and the plot engaging, I would read just about anything. There was one exception.

Any nonfiction was hard for me to get excited about.

I wanted to be dazzled by imaginary worlds, and was not particularly interested in spending my time reading about the real worlds of real people. As a result of my skepticism, I didn’t pick up a memoir until I was well into my teen years.

I had no idea how much I was missing out on until I started to actually read memoirs. Not only did I enjoy getting into the stories, but there was also the extra layer of Wow, another person actually EXPERIENCED this! That knowledge created a reading experience that I never had when I only read fiction.

Suddenly, it was about more than being absorbed into another world; it was about being invited into the world of a fellow human being, and that felt like a deep honor.

The vulnerability of memoirs is part of what has been so compelling to me. I have rarely felt empathy as strong as I do when I’m reading a memoir. Each one I read reveals both the devastating experience of being alive in this world, as well as the resiliency of the human spirit, and the redemption that is possible for every story.

Needless to say, memoirs have started to make up a significant portion of what I read, and here are five of my favorites in the order that I read them. I hope you love them as much as I do!

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

This was the first memoir I ever read, and it completely wrecked me.

It is the story of Paul Kalanithi’s transition from a dedicated young neurosurgeon saving the lives of his patients, to a patient dying from lung cancer. It is beautifully written and deeply moving; so heartbreaking, and yet still hopeful. To know that Kalanithi wrote these words as he was dying makes reading his insights about life and death feel like a sacred act.

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

This memoir was my introduction into the “celebrity memoir” scene, and I loved every second of it.

Child actress Jennette McCurdy (you may know her as Sam from iCarly) tells the story of her toxic relationship with her mother (hence the blunt title that turned my head), as well as her rise to fame. McCurdy is a good writer, and she captures her own unraveling in a brutally honest way that is very compelling. Please note that there are graphic descriptions of her eating disorder, as well as other difficult subject matter like abuse and addiction, so if you are sensitive to that sort of content this book may not be for you.

Will the Circle Be Unbroken? By Sean Dietrich

This is a book that is near and dear to my heart.

While telling the story about living in the shadow of his father’s suicide, Sean Dietrich (Sean of the South) has a way of making you laugh out loud one sentence, and weep the next. Dietrich has such an obvious talent for storytelling, and his book is bursting with love, courage, and the best of the American South. I read all of this goodness in one sitting, and it truly stayed with me long after I finished it. If you have experienced loss of any kind, this book will remind you that “you’re gonna be okay”.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

I can’t adequately express how badly I didn’t want this book to end.

It is the story of Jeannette Walls’ dysfunctional childhood as her bipolar parents moved her and her siblings around the country in a whirlwind of chaos and adventure. The result is a collection of astonishing, infuriating, and inspiring events, and a portrait of a truly one-of-a-kind family. Walls has an incredible ability to describe things in such a way that makes you feel like you are actually there, and once I was there, I found myself not wanting to leave.

Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri

I found this book to be so profound and unique.

It is the story of Daniel Nayeri and his family as they leave their home in Iran and find themselves immigrants in Oklahoma, dealing with poverty and ostracization. What is so profound is that Nayeri’s essays about life in Oklahoma are interspersed with myths and legends from his homeland, as well as stories about the wealth and extravagance of his family. The contrast between these two worlds is unbelievably stark, but Nayeri weaves them together beautifully. This book made me laugh, made my heart ache, and was altogether dazzling.

Now it’s your turn: what memoirs have left their mark on your own heart and imagination? We’d love to hear about them down in the comments below!