The first memorable memoir I read was in 1991; My roommate and I were living in NYC, we were big readers, and we both read the same book and were obsessed. We saw each other last month and referenced the book again, more than 3 decades later! When Rabbit Howls, by Truddi Chase, published in 1987 was about a woman who in therapy discovered she had multiple personalities. The hardcover version of the book had all 92 signatures of the different “people” that told her story covering the front and back inside covers. It was mind blowing, educational, and stretched the limits of our understanding of others. Not every memoir is quite as profound, but I find value in other people’s prospectives and how they choose to live and share their lives through their writing. Memoirs are a great way to get to know more about people we “know”, like Matthew Perry in Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, as well as people we might not know, like Clemantine Wamariya in The Girl Who Smiled Beads. Here are two recent books I enjoyed.
The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin
Hardin’s memoir provides us with a window into her emotioinal rollercoaster of a difficult life. As a convicted felon and drug addict soccer mom, she navigates prison, faces her past, overcomes shame and creates a new way to find her peace and be productive. Her journey taps in to all the feels and the reader is right there with her as she takes on challenges and celebrates her successes. It is always inspiring to read how someone turns their life around, and Mama Love did just that. An Oprah Book Club book, The Many Lives of Mama Love is well written memoir and a must read.
About Lara Love Hardin
LARA LOVE HARDIN is a literary agent, author, prison reform advocate, and president of True Literary. Her memoir, The Many Lives of Mama Love is a 2024 Oprah Book Club pick and a New York Times bestseller. She has an MFA in creative writing and apart from her own book, is also a five-time New York Times bestselling collaborative writer, including the #1 New York Times bestseller Designing Your Life, and 2018 Oprah Book Club pick, The Sun Does Shine, which she coauthored with Anthony Ray Hinton about his 30 years as an innocent man on Alabama’s death row. In 2019, she won a Christopher Award for her work “affirming the highest values of the human spirit,” nominated for an NAACP Image Award, and short-listed for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. Lara is also the co-founder of The Gemma Project, a gender-responsive organization serving incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women with integrity and compassion. Love Hardin lives in La Selva Beach, California.
And two other great books that take place in prison…
I’ve Tried Being Nice by Ann Leary
I am a big fan of Ann Leary’s fictional work, which includes the The Foundling, The Children and The Good House, so I was thrilled to read her collection of nonfiction essays that gives us a glimpse into her personal life, her struggle with alcoholism, her marriage to actor Denis Leary (comedian and star/co-creator of Rescue Me), and her humorous stories as a people pleaser. Entertaining and relatable, I highly recommend I’ve Tried Being Nice. Follow her on Instagram to keep up with her book news, family celebrations and dog training progress!
About Ann Leary
Ann Leary is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels, THE FOUNDLING, THE CHILDREN, THE GOOD HOUSE, OUTTAKES FROM A MARRIAGE, and the memoir, AN INNOCENT, A BROAD.
She has written for numerous publications including Ploughshares, NPR, Real Simple and the New York Times. Her novel, THE GOOD HOUSE was adapted as a motion picture starring Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline and was released in theaters in September, 2022.
Her new essay collection, I’VE TRIED BEING NICE (Simon Element/MarysueRucci) was published on June 4, 2024
Ann and her husband Denis Leary live in New York.
Two MORE memoirs written by Humorists…
