Memoir / Autobiography
Plot/Idea: In this highly impactful memoir, the author takes readers on her journey to self-discovery. The read is easy, but never simplistic. With subtlety and narrative prowess, Stein conveys complex circumstances, poignant moments, and powerful emotions.
Prose: The author's prose is smooth and approachable, while her voice is candid, gently humorous, and intimate. Readers will have no trouble becoming fully immersed in the storytelling.
Originality: While this work of memoir is fairly straightforward in its approach and doesn't take significant narrative risks, Stein's work stands apart for its sense of immediacy, honest emotion, and genuine exploration of queer identity.
Character/Execution: Map is a finely crafted coming-of-age story. The author emerges as a fully formed individual who develops meaningfully throughout the work. The conclusion to the story is somewhat abrupt; readers may be left wanting even more.
Plot/Idea: Harbuck's remarkable life story is told in raw, compelling fashion. When I Grow Up I Want to be a Chair: A Memoir is an honest, emotional, and humorous reflection on how losing the use of her legs changed the author's life.
Prose: The author discusses some very dark moments in her life, most of which stem from the car accident that left her paralyzed and her boyfriend dead when they were just teenagers, but this darkness is punctuated with hope, acceptance, humor, and a smattering of small miracles that makes it a delight to read.
Originality: The author tells the story of her life up to adulthood, but the narrative is structured in such a way that the chapters are more like interlocking essays, each related to the others but also interesting on their own. This polished memoir strikes a great balance between jumping around in time, creating some narrative interest and tension, without confusing the reader.
Character Development/Execution: Overall this is an engaging, emotional read that keeps the reader's attention throughout. Readers also may wish for more discussion of the idea behind the title and how it ties into the text.
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Nadeem’s Journey: A Heart Wrenching Story of a Loving Mother Losing Her Son to Cancer
by Sherine AnniruthRating: 8.75
Plot/Idea: Anniruth tells a touching story of loss and grief. Nadeem's battle with cancer is painful and heart-wrenching for readers, but the distressing parts of the text are bolstered by his devoted mother sincerely sharing her memories and love.
Prose: The narration feels intimate and personal, with an inviting and empathetic voice. Anniruth's willingness to bare even the most disquieting and heartbreaking memories allows readers an inside glimpse of Nadeem and his family as they follow along with his fight.
Originality: This is an emotionally moving memoir, but Anniruth heightens the book's impact through sharing photographs and real-life moments from her experience, adding a level of originality—and intimacy—that is lacking in similar titles. Her addition of a glossary for relevant medical terms at the end is an added bonus.
Character/Execution: Anniruth's focus is on recording her son's struggles chronologically, but in the process readers will become familiar with the family and Nadeem's development from birth onwards. By recounting the family's history before delving into Nadeem's cancer treatment, Anniruth breathes life into an excruciating story.
Plot/Idea: Haveson's Laugh Cry Rewind is a moving chronicle of a Houston family's joys and struggles with illness and loss. The author vividly brings her extended family members to life while injecting humor and poignancy throughout her storytelling.
Prose: Haveson is a highly capable writer. Her prose style is warm, inviting, and gently humorous, even amidst tremendous emotional pain and trauma. The book features excellent pacing and a sound balance between informative sections, dialogue, and personal reflections on the unfolding circumstances.
Originality: Every family's story is unique, but not all memoirs are distinctive. Haveson's warm and endearing writing style, paired with a keen eye for detail, allow this work to shine.
Character/Execution: Haveson excels at characterization. While the author herself emerges clearly, family members are equally well rendered through descriptions, charming anecdotes, and dialogue.
Plot: Nicole Sallak Anderson is a free spirit who connects with trees, fairies, and other ethereal and timeless beings. She is able to see the beauty and depth that is present underneath the shallow outer layers of life, which proves itself to be a valuable gift. Anderson presents the reader with a powerful collection of essays regarding falling in love with a space, watching it literally burn to nothing, and then rising from the ashes.
Prose: Anderson's writing flows gently like a calm creek; one can get lost in her prose as she meanders through the different emotions centered around loss, grieving, acceptance, and moving forward.
Originality: Although the idea of a phoenix rising from the ashes is a fairly tired trope, Anderson's careful prose and personal details keep the reader invested as they continue to page through the evolution of her grief and rebirth.
Character/Execution: Anderson presents a few main characters in her essays, and the majority of them are not human. These include the little fairy who has inhabited her property and given her hints as to how to conduct her life, various trees who impart their wisdom, and other specters. It is enlightening to read about these living beings who we traditionally do not think of as characters, as Anderson brings them to life in a very humble and authentic way.
Plot: This is a straightforward yet riveting account of the author's experiences as a young, Jewish Londoner during World War Two. The author has a talent for bringing both the huge terrors—like the blitz—and the small joys to life for readers.
Prose: Ehrenkrantz uses clear and engaging prose to highlight her knack for storytelling.
Originality: So many accounts of WWII focus on what happened in continental Europe (the battles, ghettos, concentration camps, and more) — it is fascinating to read about how a family of English Jews experienced the violence of war (and antisemitism) from British shores.
Character/Execution: The author movingly narrates her wartime experiences through the eyes of her childhood self while also integrating retrospective wisdom. While the memoir is obviously most focused on the wartime years of the 1940s, readers will be saddened by the mention of her family's ongoing tragedies after the war: news of her Polish family's murder in Auschwitz and the way her parent's relationship crumbled. Wartime narratives don't necessarily stop when peace is declared; spending more time lingering on these post-war events would be very impactful.
Blurb: Seeking Shelter: Memoir of a Jewish Girlhood in Wartime Britain is a fascinating, fast-paced account of the author's experiences as a young Jewish girl living mostly in London during WWII, and the challenges, fears, and small joys her family endured while dodging bombs from the blitz.
Plot/Idea: Asfaw openly describes her life experiences, focusing on her idyllic childhood to the harrowing deaths of her parents to grappling with her own alcoholism and time in rehab. Her road from trauma and addiction to recovery and success is truthful and vivid. The author's honesty and willingness to focus on not only the realities but the emotions of each moment make this memoir pack quite an emotional punch.
Prose: Asfaw writes in direct and conversational prose. While the dialogue and expression of emotions are strong, the descriptive parts aren't as prevalent, which makes the prose feel uneven in certain passages.
Originality: The author bravely conveys both the highs and extreme lows of her journey. Sober Daughter is a powerful and insightful memoir that might help others take control of their own lives and recovery.
Character/Execution: Asfaw doesn't hesitate to share her darkest moments. She does a commendable job of relaying the challenges and nuances of addiction. Her parents, however, may benefit from a degree of additional characterization.
Plot/Idea: Drayton wears his heart fully on his sleeve, and readers will be drawn in by his vulnerability in this moving memoir that serves as a reminder of the power of kindness.
Prose: The author shares his story with an introspective tone and clear prose that allows the story to unfold without being bogged down by too many details and jargon.
Originality: While many memoirs tend to uncover the traumas and hidden difficulties faced by the writer, not all connect their life experiences to a greater overarching lesson for the reader. Drayton's memoir feels like it was written to help others in their own dilemmas and endeavors.
Character Development/Execution: Drayton does a great job of helping the reader understand his emotional motivations and his cognitive process of the environment around him. While some descriptive details of other characters could be filled in, he still manages to paint their significance to his story.
Plot/Idea: The author recounts the ups, down, and existential crises of her early life (which was quite an eventful youth). Her stories range from entertaining to meaningful, and she holds nothing back about her sexual experiences, both pleasurable and traumatic.
Prose: The writing is clear and engaging. The timeline jumps around somewhat, which is largely effective, but there are certain places when the timeline becomes confusing for readers.
Originality: The author had an action-packed youth, and her narration of these events is largely gratifying and illuminating. There are points at which the author raises issues (like her mother going to great lengths to protect her) that are left as cliffhangers (presumably to be discussed again in later volumes). These left the reader wanting more answers -- and thus interested in reading the next volume in the series.
Character/Execution: The memoir keeps the reader invested, but the narrator introduces a number of experiences--particularly those involving violence and trauma--that may leave contemporary readers wanting to gain a deeper sense of the emotional/mental impact of these events. Some of the strongest moments in the memoir occur when the author describes the secondary trauma she experiences concerning the holocaust -- that type of honest vulnerability would have been appreciated in other areas of the memoir, too.
Blurb: In Found, the first volume of Barbara Ann Quinlan's memoir series, the author narrators her youthful journey from New York to California and then Paris and Poland as she searches for passion, peace, and love.
Plot/Idea: Cohen offers a moving story of love, grief, and a passionate reflection on the true meaning of devotion. She chronicles her early adulthood path of discovering love in the midst of searching for her place among her family and the world, addressing how she navigated social prejudice against her sexuality and contemplating her choice to date an older woman.
Prose: Cohen writes with confidence, blending humor effortlessly into the narrative, even during the story’s solemn moments. Her prose flows smoothly and will incite profound sorrow for readers, as well as the nostalgia and poignancy that come with first love.
Originality: This is an intimate recounting of Cohen’s life and deep connections to her loved ones. The journey is a mixture of grief, joy, and self-discovery.
Character Development/Execution: Cohen brings her story to life through vivid characters who readers will easily connect with. She sorts through her past brilliantly, and her emotions are raw and utterly convincing. Secondary characters feel natural—anyone who has ever lost a loved one or navigated the pain that often accompanies passion will relish this memoir.
Plot/Idea: Part history book and part personal memoir, this narrative triumphs when it shares the personal stories of Blum's ancestors. The historical sections, particularly the beginning, do slow the pace a bit, but readers will be unable to stop reading Ruchel's letters, particularly knowing how her story ends.
Prose: The jumps between the personal letters and more scholarly prose (particularly the long discussion of U.S. immigration history) can be jarring at times and lend a bit of unevenness to the whole story. Yet, the letters are engrossing--the emotion and fear that Ruchel evokes is powerful and heartbreaking.
Originality: Blum has crafted a compelling memoir by framing the content of his relative's letters within the history of U.S. immigration policy and the rise of the Nazis in Poland. The translations of the correspondence remind readers of the human part of this horrific history.
Character/Execution: This memoir has a lot of characters; most are just names or mentioned in relation to the Leah family. Yet the center of the piece is--as it should be--Ruchel. Her voice is complex, engrossing and fully human, with its pleas, fears, anger, and hope fully "felt" through the translated letters.
Plot/Idea: All Caps is an unconventional homage to the deeper meaning behind the hats we choose to wear. Colby chronicles his choice of hats through the years, including the style and history of each one, but his choice to reminiscence about the relationship between a particular cap and his life experiences is a novel idea.
Prose: Colby's prose is warm and inviting, styled after a comfortable conversation with a close friend, and his use of humor—and gratitude for the life he's led—is appealing.
Originality: Though the book may appeal mainly to extreme sports fans or collectors of assorted curios, this is an incredibly original—and entertaining—take on the significance of our headgear.
Character/Execution: Colby details his success in the television world but manages to remain humble and approachable throughout. The narrative reads like an exclusive on the inner workings of Colby's life, told through amusing anecdotes centered around a particular hat.
Blurb: An entertaining look at the meaning behind one man's hat collection.
Plot: This is a poignant memoir that explores the internal and external challenges faced by a young woman. The storyline holds the reader's interest throughout the book, and the pacing of the storytelling is steady and even.
Prose: Lammers is a strong writer whose prose is engaging and fluid. She is able to bring her emotions to life in a very real and palpable way, so while the reader may not at times know the origin of her angst, they will be well aware of the turmoil within.
Originality: Lammers's personal journey, and the manner in which she shares it, is genuine, individual, and unique.
Character/Execution: The author is successful with characterization. Readers will be moved by Lammers's depiction of the unbreakable bond between horse and human and impacted by her personal growth throughout the narrative.
Plot/Idea: The memoir details the lifelong adventures of a man working in international politics during a tumultuous period of nuclear threat and international conflict. Globetrotting adventures, near-death experiences, and interplay with international politics will keep readers interested and engaged.
Prose: The book is paced well and reads quickly, with a narrative voice that comes clearly through the pages. The writing is clear and the balance between exposition and introspection is effective.
Originality: The author's life in the foreign service, amongst other ventures, lends to a variety of settings and events that are unique and will draw the interest of a broad range of readers. The book contains many pictures to further depict the details of the story.
Character/Execution: The writing is enjoyable and the settings and subject matter make for a relevant and unique story. The author’s reflection on larger, philosophical ideas and ponderings set the book apart from many similarly constructed memoirs.
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Plot/Idea: American author Kaplan recounts his encounters with a vivid cast of characters he met in Southern France. His eye-opening experiences abroad prove witty and pleasant, yet will surprise readers with unexpected twists as he and his family travel through France.
Prose: In this well-executed memoir, Kaplan writes with humor and curiosity. He works hard to adjust to his new surroundings but ultimately fumbles in many ways, and he manages to clearly portray his bungling for readers to experience as well.
Originality: Kaplan’s story is more than a personal travelogue and will ring true with those familiar with the French culture in the Riviera. The characters' personalities are intentionally magnified—as Kaplan and his family are obviously out of their comfort zone.
Character/Execution: The author's words and pacing are spot-on to allow readers to experience his eye-opening observations. His use of the French language throughout helps readers understand his feeling of being completely immersed, and often lost, in the culture. The strength in the writing is Kaplan's humor and determination to persevere.
Plot/Idea: Written as a reminiscence of Young's formative time in India, this memoir paints an evocative portrayal of the country in the early 1970s. The rendering is rich with visual details that bring the setting to life and illuminate the similarities—and the dissonance—between Young's homeland and his cultural experiences in India.
Prose: Young writes with poise, taking care to elaborate the minute details that drive the setting. Despite some minor structural issues, the narrative is complex and absorbing.
Originality: Young melds self-reflection with more standard travelogue fare, and the result is an entertaining and expressive depiction of his free-spirited journey.
Character/Execution: Readers will quickly connect with Young over the course of the story. His love for India is unmistakable, though he remains perplexed about some of its mysteries and traditions along the way.
