CHOOSING THE BEST MEMOIRS of any time, date, or place is difficult, so I love it when reliable sources do the work for me. But what’s a reliable source? Such a good question.
Let me show you who I’ve chosen, and let’s see if you agree that these are reliable sources. If you do not, say so, and add your own.
First, there are the librarians. Specifically, Library Journal has just published their best-of list for 2011, selections made by my favorite people on the planet, librarians. Here’s their list for 2011.
Another reliable source of mine is anyone who has written memoir of integrity. And at the top of that list would be the incomparable Alexandra Fuller. Her debut book, Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood, finalist for the Guardian’s first book award and the winner of the 2002 Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize, was spectacular. Her 2004 Scribbling the Cat: Travels with an African Soldier won the Ulysses Prize for Art of Reportage. Her latest book, Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness, is sure to garner her more awards, continuing as it does, her life stories of her eccentric mother. Here’s Fuller’s list of top ten African memoir.
Continuing on my list of reliable sources, I really like BookBrowse’s best-of list. It’s here.
Do I have a best-of of the best-ofs? You bet. For intelligence combined with sheer visual beauty, nothing beats Maria Popova’s list of memoir and biographies on brainpickings. Her list is here.
As you can see, I’ve tried here to take you off the beaten path a bit, which is where good memoir should always strive to go.
By the way, the single question I get asked most is not what are the best memoirs, but whether I think that memoir writers should read only memoir. I do not. In fact, I think that is the quick road to writing hell. And with that in mind, you might like a reliable source for a list of most anticipated books of 2012 of any genre. It’s here, brought to you by the brilliant website, the millions.
Get reading, writers.
RobertJulianBraxton says
Agree about reading broadly. I finished reading and enjoyed immensely “The Roots of Desire” and identify to the extent that both my father and I have RED (which does not really show, except through sideways glance of the sun) interspersed in (face) beard. Otherwise, the color of my hair (Irish grandmother) is BALD!
marion says
Hi, Robert.
So glad you enjoyed my book on red hair. It was a joy to write. By the way: Once a redhead, always a redhead.
Enjoy it.
Dee Matthews says
Thanks for the lists of memoirs Marion. I’ve read some of them( Dubus and Dubus III, Proulx, Kingsolver, Silverman, Wiesel, McCourt-all of them, Kimmel, Fey, Smith) and will read some others from the lists. I do recommend the memoir The Place He Made by Edie Clark. She is editor/author of “Yankee Magazine” fame. She is the master of the personal essay as well. All of her writing is quite good-at least I think so! Check her out.
marion says
Hi, Dee:
You are most welcome.
Thanks for the recommendation. It’s so good of you to share this with everyone.
Do come back soon.