{"id":8344,"date":"2023-03-15T08:00:25","date_gmt":"2023-03-15T08:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/books-we-read\/?p=8344"},"modified":"2023-03-15T18:53:57","modified_gmt":"2023-03-15T18:53:57","slug":"memoirs-musings-and-memories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/books-we-read\/memoirs-musings-and-memories\/","title":{"rendered":"Memoirs: Musings and Memories"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Memoirs, autobiographies and biographies are all book genres that focus on <\/span>someone<\/em>. A person\u2019s life, put on display. The difference lies in the way this\u00a0person\u2019s story is told. Although both memoirs and autobiographies are first person account<\/span>s, a memoir takes selected memories and musings and weaves them into a cohesive narrative. This can be a tiny snapshot of someone\u2019s life, or it can take a wider view, perhaps the same type of experiences throughout the person\u2019s life, often as a way to link common threads. An autobiography is also told in first person, but the material is much more comprehensive, encompassing that person\u2019s entire life. A biography is similar, but it is written by someone else, requiring a good deal of research and interviews.<\/span><\/p>\n

As I mentioned in a previous BWR post<\/a>, memoirs are one of my favorite types of books. I am a fan of pop culture (and a child of the 80s \u2013 yes, dating myself here) and love to read about some of the icons of my youth and teen years. Some of my favorites have been books by brat-packers Rob Lowe (Stories I Only Tell My Friends<\/em><\/a> and Love Life<\/em><\/a>) and Andrew McCarthy (Brat: An \u201880s Story<\/em><\/a>) and former Brady Bunch kids Barry Williams (Growing Up Brady<\/em><\/a>) and Maureen McCormick (Here\u2019s the Story<\/em><\/a>). This year I have had the chance to read three memoirs of note. Two also written by actors \u2013 The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man<\/em><\/a> by Paul Newman and Have I Told You This Already<\/em><\/a> by Lauren Graham \u2013 and one by Montana rancher and writer Holding Fire: A Reckoning with the American West<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

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The Extraordinary L<\/em><\/a>ife of an Ordinary Man<\/em><\/a> is presented in an interesting format. Written post humorously from interviews between Newman and his close friend screenwriter Stewart Stern, it provides a firsthand glimpse of Newman\u2019s life experiences and how they affected and influenced those around him. A well-known and revered Hollywood icon, Newman exuded confidence and a raw sexuality due to his rugged good looks and piercing blue eyes. But even\u00a0<\/span>after he became famous and very successful, he was often unsure of himself and just couldn\u2019t seem to shake his feelings of self-doubt and realize his talent. These types of humble and candid revelations are what make memoirs so interesting.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Actress Lauren Graham is no stranger to writing. Have I Told You This Already<\/em><\/a> is her second book of personal essays, comprised of fifteen insightful chapters relaying impactful moments and life lessons that have helped shaped who she is today. She also wrote a debut book of fiction (Someday, Someday, Maybe<\/em><\/a>),\u00a0<\/em>another book of personal essays (Talking as Fast as I Can<\/em><\/a>) and an advice book for graduates (In Conclusion,<\/em> Don\u2019t Worry About It<\/em><\/a>)<\/em>. Graham\u2019s writing is fresh, sharp and very funny, with fast, staccato-laced sentences that evoke what it must be like to be at the other end of a conversation with her. Inviting the reader into her world, she conveys an openness that makes you want to be her best friend. Memoirs are revealing\u00a0by nature, and this one is, but its humorous, down-to-earth tone provides a refreshing counterbalance.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Holding Fire: A Reckoning with the American West<\/em><\/a> is the only book here not written by an actor or person of real fame for that matter. But that doesn\u2019t make Bryce Andrews\u2019 vibrant, candid account of his experiences working as a cowboy in Montana any less significant. Although labeled and marketed as a memoir, Holding Fire<\/em> also has many elements of regional non-fiction, natural history, and even diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) scattered throughout.\u00a0As a result, it is structured in a fresh and unpredictable way, with each chapter opening a new window into Andrews\u2019 thoughts, feelings and prior experiences. Framed around the inheritance of his grandfather\u2019s gun \u2013 a Smith and Wesson revolver \u2013 each of these reflections has a theme that helped him comprehend the fragility of life and inevitability of death. Over time it led him toward the realization of the pattern of destruction caused by violence. So he takes the gun and forges it into a useful gardening tool, learning blacksmithing in the process. Mastering this new skill and transforming the gun helps him find purpose, meaning and a new outlook, providing insight about the past, present and future of not only Andrews\u2019 own life, but the existence of all living things.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Some memoirs available here at Rutgers:<\/p>\n