Books for your Memoir Writing Journey
Memoir writers have a big task ahead—a journey of courage, passion, and determination. We need to be inspired, and we need to learn the craft of writing well. These books are great resources to get you started, and each one may lead you to another gem. Enjoy the journey!
Start reading memoirs, and begin with this list.
Allison, Dorothy Bastard Out of Carolina (published as fiction, but drawn from her life.)
Angelou, Maya I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings & other works
Balakian, Peter Black Dog of Fate
Bragg, Rick All Over But the Shoutin’; Ava’s Man
Conway, Jill Kerr When Memory Speaks; The Road from Coorain
Fremont, Helen After Long Silence
Harrison, Katherine The Kiss
Heilbrun, Carolyn Writing a Woman’s Life
Hoffman, Eva Lost in Translation
Gornick, Vivian Fierce Attachments
Karr, Mary The Liar’s Club; Cherry; Lit
Lauck, Jennifer Blackbird; Still Waters
McCourt, Frank Angela’s Ashes; Tis
Mead, Margaret Blackberry Winter
Merton, Thomas Seven Story Mountain
Myers, Linda Joy Don’t Call Me Mother–A Daughter’s Journey from Abandonment to Forgiveness
Norris, Kathleen Dakota: A Spiritual Geography
O’Faolin, Nuala Are You Somebody?
Rhodes, Richard A Hole in the World
Strayed, Cheryl Wild
Williams, Terry Tempest Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place
Wolff, Geoffrey The Duke of Deception
Wolff, Tobias This Boy’s Life
Woolf, Virginia Moments of Being
Books on Writing, Writing as Healing
Adams, Kathleen The Write Way to Wellness
Barrington, Judith Writing the Memoir: From Truth to Art
Cameron, Julia The Artist’s Way
Cron, Lisa Wired for Story
De Salvo, Louise Writing as a Way of Healing
Gornick, Vivian The Situation and The Story
Heilbrun, Carolyn Writing a Woman’s Life
Kephart, Beth Handling the Truth–On the Writing of Memoir
Lamott, Anne Bird by Bird
Ledoux, Denis Turning Memories into Memoirs
Myers, Linda Joy The Power of Memoir—How to Write Your Healing Story
Pennebaker, James Opening Up: The Healing Power of Expressing Emotions
Rainer, Tristine Your Life as Story: Writing the New Autobiography
Ueland, Brenda If You Want to Write
Jerry Waxler, an NAMW advisory board member, has reviewed the various ways that memoirists write about family on his blog The Memory Writers Network. Be sure to check out his list of memoirs!
