Favorite memoir?

[CheeringCharm]

I'm in the mood to read a good memoir. Do you have a favorite? Doesn't matter what it's about as long as it's interesting

TIA!

[charlatti]

An Embarrassment of Mangoes by Ann Vanderhoof -- a year(ish?) on a boat in the Caribbean
Dog Year by Mark Doty -- a poet and his dogs
About Alice by Calvin Trillin -- written about his wife
All But My Life by Gerda Weismann Klein -- her Holocaust experience, very powerful
All Dogs Go to Kevin by Jessica Vogelsang -- a vet's early practice years and her own dogs (I'm a sucker for dog books)

[snshne322]

I feel like susiebw would have some great suggestions.

[ufcasey]

I liked Angela's Ashes, though apparently I listened to the abridged version of the audiobook and didn't realize it until I was done so I missed parts of the book. Whoops. But for what I did listen to, I liked it.

A quasi-memoir is Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. It talks about his experiences fighting for the rights of others as a lawyer some of which went all the way up to the Supreme Court. But the book does give background information about some of his various cases, which is necessary but kind of takes it slightly out of the memoir category? I'm not sure. Absolutely worth reading though either way.

[aurora]

I thought I am Malala was incredibly uplifting as well as interesting.

[kelliebeans104]

May 3, 2016 9:01:59 GMT -5 c7 said:

For something more modern (and funny), I really enjoyed both Tina Fey and Amy Poehler's memoirs. I have Aziz Ansari's Modern Romance on my TBR list.

Adding a couple more celebrity memoirs:

Felicia Day's You're Never Weird on the Internet is pretty funny.  Extra good if you're into gaming.    

Also Leah Remini's Troublemaker is really good.  You get a really interesting look into Scientology and how it works and what it does to its members.  

Jenny Lawson's Let's Pretend this Never Happened is really good and funny.  She talks about her life coping with depression with humor.  She just came out with a new one but I haven't had a chance to read it yet.

[MrsAxilla]

I loved My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor. She is incredibly inspiring.

[packfan20]

In An Instant by Lee Woodruff

[frog]

Glass Castle

[jf940407]

May 3, 2016 12:45:05 GMT -5 frog said:

Glass Castle

Ditto. Also loved Two Kisses for Maddie; A Memoir of Loss and Love.

[susiebw]

Is there a difference between autobiography and memoir?  I feel like when it's called a memoir, I am more accepting of embellishment.  Or is it just that a memoir is about a particular event/period in ones life, while an autobio is supposed to be a whole life story?

But I digress.

Most of the ones I read are music related.

The Dirt by Motley Crue, Scar Tissue by Anthony Keidis and Just Kids by Patti Smith are all excellent whether you are a fan or not.  I am a huge fan of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but was never all that into Motley Crue and even after reading the book can only name one song that Patti Smith ever wrote.  Just Kids is a great book, though.  Catch A Fire: The Life of Bob Marley by Timothy White is another great music history/biography, if you're into it.  Lots of political and Jamaican history, in addition to a Marley biography, because you can't understand the man or his music without the setting.  Not a memoir, but I'm on a role.

Down the Rabbit Hole by Holly Madison was like a train wreck for me.  But a really entertaining train wreck.  If you are into Reality TV, Playboy, or celebrity gossip, this book is great.  If you hate all of that, then probably steer clear.  I walk a fine line between those two extremes, and I couldn't shut this book off, as much as I often wanted to.  It was a total guilty pleasure for me.

Ted Kennedy's True Compass was really good, and I've heard good things about Patrick Kennedy's new book, A Common Struggle, though I haven't read it yet.

Rob Lowe and Betty White's books were good too.

[charlatti]

May 3, 2016 14:12:10 GMT -5 susiebw said:

Is there a difference between autobiography and memoir?  I feel like when it's called a memoir, I am more accepting of embellishment.  Or is it just that a memoir is about a particular event/period in ones life, while an autobio is supposed to be a whole life story?

The bolded is how I've always understood the difference.

[labbie]

Confessions of a Prairie Bitch was great if you're a little house on the prairie fan

Love, Lucy by Lucille Ball

Bossypants by Tina Fey

Forever Liesl, especially if you like The Sound of Music

Any of Bill Bryson's travel memoirs

Orange is the New Black

Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl

Bitter is the new Black by Jen Lancaster ( I liked most of her other memoirs too, not so much her novels)

[BlackCanary]

Both Bruce Campbell books, so hilarious!
All Jen Lancaster books, also funny.

[Mashara]

I want to read A Street Cat Named Bob. It's about a street musician who bonded with a ginger street cat.

I read a Jacqueline Kennedy biography a long time ago that was good. Actually, I think it was an audio book. Back when I drove more than 15 minutes at a time.