Some of My Favorite Memoirs

Memoirs are such a great way to see how someone else lives. They give us a picture of not only their lives, but the cultures and histories around them. Here is a list of some of my favorite memoirs!

Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson 

Summary: 

In the sequel to Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, Jenny goes on to talk about her insanely hilarious life and finding happiness while she struggles with mental illness. 

THIS BOOK WAS HILARIOUS. I listened to the audiobook and I was just a happy and active listener to her amazing story. Her memoir was bits and pieces of her very interesting and unique life, but I was able to relate to her in a way that was genuine and so real. If you are looking for a memoir that gives hilarity to very real and raw issues, this is the book for you. 

The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher 

Summary: 

In 1977, Carrie Fisher was shooting the first Star Wars and was struggling with a crush on her co-star, Harrison Ford. In this memoir, she reveals embarrassing moments and very real and raw details of her life while filming her most well known role. 

So I listened to this book on audiobook and it was read by the great Carrie Fisher herself. I also listened to it the week after she died and it was my way of grieving for her loss. I grew up watching her in Star Wars and she was my hero in every way and to hear her real and raw thoughts was AMAZING. There were so many things revealed that I had no idea about and it was just such a wonderful book. 

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes and Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty 

Summary: 

Caitlin Doughty decided that she wanted to work with the dead. In this coming of age story, readers Ms. Doughty not only tells hilarious anecdotes about her life working in the crematory, she also gives details about what the process is actually like and the history of funeral practices in the United States and around the world. 

OMG THIS BOOK WAS SO INTERESTING! I loved this book so much because I am a little nerd like this author and everything she talked about was fascinating to me. Some of her stories were a little gross, but I reveled in it and was desperate for more. I am now obsessed with funerals and death and I gained all the knowledge I could ever need from this author. 

Maus I: A Survivor’s Tale: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman 

Summary 

In this graphic novel, Art Spiegelman tells his and his father’s story of WW2 through cartoons, featuring Jews as mice and the Nazi as cats. It takes you through their journey before the start of the war to when they are imprisoned in a concentration camp. 

I read this book as an assignment in my young adult fiction class in college and I fell in love with it! It painted the Holocaust in a very different and very unique light than ever before. The story was heartbreaking and raw, interpreted in an art form anyone would enjoy! 

The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After by Clemantine Wamariya and Elizabeth Weil 

Summary: 

After the massacre in Rwanda in 1994, two sisters traveled through seven countries to gain asylum in the United States. This is their story. 

Holy Shit, this book made me feel so bad about complaining about my life. These strong and amazing women went through such a terrible and heart wrenching journey to gain their freedom. It was such a powerful and captivating memoir that I will never forget. It taught me so much about the politics of the time as well as introduced me to a culture I have never known. Pick us this book and learn the power of perseverance and the bond of sisterhood. 

All of these books send a powerful and heartwarming message about what makes us human. I love reading memoirs so much because they are such wonderful stories and give me an inside look at what life is like in someone else’s shoes.