Saturday, February 20, 2010

Real People, Real Stories

To me, there is nothing as beautiful and important as a person's story.  Everyone's story is meaningful no matter who they are and to put down that story in words is magical and transformative.  I hope one day to take this journey but for now I'm happy reading about other people's journeys.

I've always loved memoirs but a few years ago I read one called The Glass Castle that just blew me away.  If you haven't read it, I highly recommend picking it up, you will be moved by this woman's life.

Ever since reading her book, I've been even more drawn to memoirs.  Real stories by real people.  Incredible stories of love, joy, suffering, tragedy, redemption, pain, strength, family, and everything else you could possible imagine.  I wonder now why I would spend my few precious hours reading anything but these.  Why read made up stories when there are such beautiful words about real life.

In the last year or so, I've read a bunch of interesting memoirs including The Middle Place, Open, Eat, Love, Pray, The Mistress's Daughter and Driving With Dead People.

Now I'm reading a great one called Hope's Boy.  It's about a boy that was thrown into the foster care system, his struggles and ultimate survival and his unending love of the mother that couldn't take care of him.  As a mother, it's hard to read in parts but also beautiful and moving.  

























Have you read any of the ones I mentioned above?  I would love any memoir recommendations that you have! :)

5 comments:

  1. I read The Glass Castle. I was blown away by what these children went through. It made me appreciate my life as a child and my childrens life. Ours was a picnic compared to theirs.

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  2. I loved the Glass Castle too - I just read her latest book - Unbroke Horses. She wrote it in the first person, about her grandmother's life. It's un-real. So good. As good as The Glass Castle! I'm also reading Eat Pray Love's second memoir right - loved her first. The second is called Committed and more about her journey with Felipe. I will add the others you mentioned to the list. I hope you write yours, one day!

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  3. I'm so glad to read what Christy wrote about Unbroke Horses. I read The Glass Castle and loved it too. I have recommemded it to so many of my friends. Now I'm thrilled to hear her second book is as good as the first. I'm going to check it out the library this week. I'll let you know what I think. Fellow Memoir Lover, MW

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  4. Christy - I didn't really like the Mistress's Daughter and Driving With Dead People was good but not great. The other ones I really liked! :)

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  5. For what it's worth, I'm NOT loving Committed. In fact, I might not finish it...

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