What makes a good memoir?

As I wrote previously, I love reading memoirs. So...as I was meandering around the library the other day, the memoir Jesus Land (Julia Scheeres) caught my eye. I liked the cover. So...I read the book, and it was fairly interesting...but ultimately unsatisfying...which got me thinking about what makes a good memoir. I've read a great many memoirs, and those that I consider not very good tend to be those that would be better left as personal journals. Published memoirs should not be solely written for catharsis or a therapeutic exercise. Jesus Land felt that way. In one sense, Scheeres did not have enough distance on the subject matter, but yet in another way, she had too much distance and the telling was almost rote. As I said, it was interesting, but I can't say I came away with much except not to ship my kids off to a religious reform school in South America. After another few years of therapy, the book might have been better.

In comparison, I think of some of my favorite memoirs: Expecting Adam by Martha Beck, Undercurrents by Martha Manning, Turning Stones by Marc Parent and One Child by Torey Hayden. These are books that not only kept my attention while reading them, but truly took up residence in my being and changed who I am. In addition to being well-written and witty, all of those books have an overarching relatability. If you're human, you'll probably identify. They possess a certain vulnerability and insight.

Interestingly, Martha's Beck more recent memoir, Leaving the Saints (about her experience of sexual abuse and leaving the Mormon church), falls short of that greatness, at least in my opinion. I attended an author's event when the book was released, heard her speak and chatted with her personally for a bit. Many in attendance were former Mormons/LDS, and they found her book very immediate. Although I can relate to many things, not ever having been a Mormon, the book doesn't have the same impact. It is well-written, with Martha's signature humor, and I learned a lot of interesting history about LDS....but again, it seems to lack the universal appeal that I see in Expecting Adam. For instance, Expecting Adam is about Martha's pregnancy with her son, Adam. Both she and her husband were working on advanced degrees at Harvard when she found out the baby she was carrying had Down's syndrome. Friends and colleagues urged her to abort. The entire experience rocked her worldview to its core, as she was challenged to re-examine her values and lifestyle. Okay, so I've never been pregnant, never had a child with Down's syndrome and never been to Harvard. However, the book resonates. Almost everyone has been trhough an experience that challenges assumptions and calls for re-evaluating one's life.

Well, I could go on and on about memoirs (and probably will at a later date), but I will leave you for those thoughts for now. If you want a good read, try one of the books I mentioned. :)