Reading List: Memoirs

INTRODUCTION
As with all of the reading lists on this site, this is a living document, meaning I will add to it as I come across books I've omitted, and would love suggestions of any noncelebrity memoir you would highly recommend. As far as the categories, I've done my best--some books fall under multiple categories so I went with the most dominant/specific theme (i.e. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim is primarily about Sedaris's childhood, but not entirely, and it's humorous as is Bryson's memoir). I've read many but not all of these, so please let me know if a book belongs under a different heading. If you're interested in travel memoirs, there's a extensive separate reading list posted.

ABUSE MEMOIRS

Please Stop Laughing at Me - Jodee Blanco
Running with Scissors - Augusten Burroughs
Blackbird - Jennifer Lauck

A Child Called It - Dave Pelzer

The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
Jesus Land  - Julia Scheeres
Lucky - Alice Sebold
The Glass Castle - Jeannete Walls

ANIMAL MEMOIRS

Marley and Me - John Grogan

Seabiscuit - Laura Hillenbrand

Dewey - Vicki Myron
Alex & Me - Irene Pepperberg

CHILDHOOD MEMOIRS
An American Childhood - Annie Dillard
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid - Bill Bryson
Dress Your Family in Corduroy & Denim - David Sedaris

GRIEF MEMOIRS
The Year of Magical Thinking - Joan Didion

HUMOROUS MEMOIRS

Close Encounters of the Third-grade Kind - Phillip Done
A Red State of Mind - Nancy French

Me Talk Pretty One Day - David Sedaris

INTERNATIONAL MEMOIRS
Things Fall Apart - Chinua Achebe
A Long Way Gone - Ishmael Beah
Wild Swans - Jung Chang
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind - William Kamkwamba with Bryan Mealer
Child of the Jungle - Sabine Kuegler
Chinese Cinderella - Adeline Yen Mah
Angela's Ashes - Frank McCourt
Three Cups of Tea - Greg Mortenson
Reading Lolita in Tehran - Azar Nafisi

NATURE MEMOIRS
A Walk in the Woods - Bill Bryson
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle - Barbara Kingsolver
Into the Wild - Jon Krakauer
Life in the Treetops - Margaret D. Lowman

RELIGIOUS & SPIRITUALITY MEMOIRS

Tuesdays with Morrie - Mitch Albom
Eat Pray Love - Elizabeth Gilbert
Angry Conversations with God - Susan Isaacs
The Year of Living Biblically - A.J. Jacobs
Traveling Mercies - Anne Lamott
Blue Like Jazz - Donald Miller
Shattered Dreams - Irene Spenser

SOCIAL EXPERIMENT MEMOIRS
Black Like Me - John Howard Griffin
The Know-It-All - AJ Jacobs
The Year of Living Biblically - A.J. Jacobs
Living Oprah - Robyn Okrant
Julie and Julia - Julie Powell
The Happiness Project - Gretchen Rubin

OTHER MEMOIRS
Minor Characters - Joyce Johnson

Introduction

I wanted to create a place to encourage people to read more books, and share their passion for reading. As a book editor for over ten years, I see every day how an idea can become a proposal, a manuscript, a finished book, and ultimately change a reader's life. Books have the ability to meaningfully impact us in a way other media generally doesn't. Most books can't be finished in two hours like a movie--you have to take more time and absorb them. Without a set and actors, you customize your own vision of what the characters look like, you make them personal to you. My authors sometimes forward me letters from readers who identify with the characters in a way that gives them solace, are inspired by a memoir to change their own lives, or manage to reach a personal goal through the author's guidance and advice. A good genre novel can help you wind down and escape for a few hours each night, and a travel narrative can take you to a place you've never been.
This blog isn't about me. It's about reading, but I will share some of ways I motivated myself to spend more time reading, finally getting around to the classics I'd never read in school, exploring genres I'd never tried, discovering new favorite authors, or just making room on my shelves for new books by reading (and donating) the ones I had. If you have a passion for reading, some of these motivations may sound familiar. For me, it helps to have a clearly defined goal to work toward (I can't tell you how many business/motivation/self-help books I've seen that have setting a goal as the foundation for achievement). I'm going to post reading challenges here that I've tried, or would like to try. I'll also offer reading lists that may inspire you.
Remember, this is about you. While I'm making suggestions, set your own goal that will be a good challenge for you. If you feel like it's too hard or too easy, or you lose interest in the challenge, don't give up--think what adjustments you need to make it work. You might want to invite friends or family to join you (the interest of my own friends and family is what inspired this blog), or to select a challenge of their own.
My goal is to create a community space for those who like to read. I cannot encourage you strongly enough to participate here. If you think I've left a book off a list, add a comment. If you want to share your progress toward whatever goal you choose, do so regularly. If you have a variation or a new challenge you want to try, by all means share it--it may inspire others to try. If you discovered a new author you love, found a classic surprisingly easy to read (or way too hard), or are looking for recommendations, let us know. The act of reading may be solitary, but the passion for reading is something we share (I know this, because if you didn't care about reading, you wouldn't have read this far.) And now, let's get to the books!