Memoir
Crying in H Mart
A musician and writer reconnects with her Korean heritage through food in the wake of her mother's illness and death.
Genre Starter Kit
Memoir Starter Kit
5 books to begin with, in the order to read them.
A life, told with the lights on. A guided first step into memoir: where to begin, how to read it, and what to try next. About 45 hours of reading.
$12Premium
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- Books
- 5
- Reading time
- About 45 hours
- Formats
- PDF, web guide, content pack
A preview
Read the opening
- Why Read Memoir
- How to Read Memoir
- Your Reading Path
- Adjacent Reading
- Keep Going
Welcome
Why Read Memoir
Memoir lets one person show you how a life felt from the inside. The best of it is less confession than craft: a writer shaping memory into meaning, often about grief, family, food or place, and making the particular universal.
A life, told with the lights on.
The Concierge
Practical
How to Read Memoir
- Read for voice first; the story will follow.
- Notice what the author chooses to include, and what they leave out.
- Keep a tissue and a snack nearby. Memoirs can be hungry-making and moving.
Pairs with: A kitchen table, something homemade, and a friend to tell.
The full genre starter kit continues for another 3 sections.
Request accessThe books
On the reading list
Memoir
The Year of Magical Thinking
Didion's precise, unsentimental account of the year following her husband's sudden death.
Memoir
Born a Crime
A comedian recalls growing up in apartheid and post-apartheid South Africa as the son of a Black mother and a white father, at a time when their relationship was against the law.
Memoir
Educated
Raised in a survivalist household in rural Idaho, the author teaches herself enough to reach university, and pays a heavy price for the education.
Historical Fiction
Pachinko
Four generations of a Korean family make their lives in Japan across the twentieth century, held together by stubborn love and quiet endurance.
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