Recommended
Memoirs in the BEHS Library
List by Cathy Belben, Librarian, Burlington-Edison High School
Librarian
Updated October 2001
Albom, Mitch.
Tuesdays With Morrie.
The author, an alumnus of
Brandeis University, tells of his meetings with a former professor suffering
from Lou Gehrig's disease and of the lessons he learned about life and death
from his college mentor.
Alter, Stephen.
All The Way To Heaven.
Stephen Alter chronicles the
experiences he had as he spent his childhood living at a hill station in the
Himalayas and discusses how he and his brothers combined their American heritage
with the Indian culture.
Continues Angelou's
autobiography, "I know why the caged bird sings."
As this book begins she is in her teens and has given birth to a son.
Angelou, Maya.
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings.
An autobiography covering the
childhood of a woman who has been a dancer, actress, poet, journalist, and
television producer.
This fourth autobiographical
work by Maya Angelou tells of her entry into New York's circle of black artists
and writers, her involvement in the civil rights movement, and changes in her
personal life.
In this third volume of her
autobiography, Maya Angelou describes her life when she first entered show
business and embarked on a European tour.
Ashe, Arthur.
Days Of Grace.
Tennis champion, Arthur Ashe,
tells of his life, career, and battles with heart disease and AIDS.
Baker, Russell.
Growing Up.
The memoirs of the Pulitzer
prizewinning columnist of the New York Times which is the story of growing up in
America between the World Wars, through the years of depression, and of
overcoming adversity with courage and love.
Barnes, Kim.
In The Wilderness.
Author's memoir of her coming
of age in the 1960s in Idaho, recalling her rebellion against her strict
Pentecostal father, and her attempts to reconcile the child she was to the woman
she became.
The author, who died two days
after the French publication of his book, tells of his life and feelings after
suffering a brain stem stroke that left him unable to move his body or
communicate in any way except through the blinking of his left eye.
Bolnick, Tina S..
Living At The Edge Of The World.
A teenager's survival in the
tunnels of Grand Central Station.
Bragg, Rick. All Over But
The Shoutin’.
The author recalls his
poverty-stricken youth in Alabama in the 1960s and 70s, focusing on the
extraordinary efforts of his mother to protect her sons from the violence of
their father, a man scarred by war, and telling of the sacrifices she made so
her children could have a better life.
Brave Bird, Mary. Lakota
Woman.
Story of Mary Crow Dog, nee
Mary Brave Bird, who rebelled against the life of the South Dakota Indian
reservation and participated in the beginning of the tribal movements of the
sixties and seventies.
Brown, Christy. My Left
Foot.
The autobiography of a man who
was one of 22 children in his family, and the only one afflicted with a disorder
that left him without control of any part of his body except for his left foot.
Born crippled by cerebral palsy, Brown was unable to walk, talk intelligibly, or
use his hands. With the help of his mother, he was spared a life in an
institution and able to pursue art, join in games, and enjoy a happy life.
He learned to write with his left foot and later, to paint with it.
Brown, Larry. On Fire.
An autobiography of a the
fireman-turned-author who gave up his seventeen-year career as a fireman to
become a full-time writer.
Bryson, Bill.
A Walk In The Woods.
Bryson share his experiences
hiking the Appalachian Trail with a childhood friend. The two encounter eccentric characters, a blizzard, getting
lost, and rude yuppies along the way.
Bryson, Bill.
In A Sunburned Country.
Go with Bill Bryson, noted
author of numerous works of travel literature as he takes you on a rollicking
ride far beyond the beaten tourist path in Australia.
"Outside" magazine
editor Tim Cahill tells of his adventures and exotic dining experiences in
remote areas of the world such as Honduras, Peru, Iranian Jaya, and the North
Pole.
A memoir about motion, about a
daughter's journey forward to reclaim her past, about her parents' enduringof
flight, and about a mother's race against a life-threatening disease.
This book is also about identity, about Chelsea Cain's discovery that no
matter how far or how fast she travels, her parents' early choices will always
be the foundation for her own.
Campbell, Bebe Moore.
Sweet Summer.
Bebe tells of the surprises,
secrets, disappointments, loneliness, and the bond between a daughter and her
father who were separated by divorce.
Chambers, Veronica.
Mama’s Girl.
Memoir of the author's life
growing up as an overachiever in an underpriviledged family, chronicling the
blessed relationship she forged with her mother after her father deserted the
family.
Checkoway, Julie.
Little Sister.
A memoir in which the author
recalls the year she spent as a teacher in a large, industrial, politically
conservative Chinese city and discusses what she learned about the lives of
China's women.
Conway, Jill K.
The Road From Coorain.
The memoirs of Jill Conway and
her journey into adulthood from a 30,000 acre sheep ranch in Coorain, Australia,
to America where she became the first woman president of Smith College.
What makes a person, a happy
life? In this remarkable book,
George Dawson, a 101-year-old man who learned to read when he was 98, reflects
on the philosophy he learned from hios father-a belief that "life is so
good." He offers valuable
lessons in living and a fresh, firsthand view of America during the twentieth
century.
Chronicles the experiences of
two African-American women growing up in North Carolina at the turn-of-the
century.
A memoir of impeccable
beauty-funny, sad, wise, about brotherhood, family, and the domestic arc of
American life since the shiny-bright fifties.
Eighner, Lars:
Travels With Lizbeth.
Author's account of his
experience with homelessness, the companionship of his dog Lizbeth, and their
struggle to survive.
Ellroy, James: My Dark
Places.
In 1958, Jean Ellroy was
murdered, her body dumped on a roadway in an L.A. suburb.
Her killer was never found, and the police dismissed her death as a
casualty of her own poor judgement. James
Ellroy was ten when his mother died, and he spend the next thirty-six years
running from her ghost and attempting to exorcize her memory through writing (he
is the author of L.A. Confidential and American Tabloid, among other books).
In 1994, Ellroy quit running and returned to L.A. to find out the truth
about his mother and her murder.
Filipovic, Zlata:
Zlata’s Diary.
Galli, Richard:
Rescuing Jeffrey.
When his seventeen-year-old son
is paralyzed from the neck down in a swimming accident, the author, Richard
Galli, is convinced that his son would rather be dead than live without any
physical mobility, but after his son awakes from a coma and is able to
communicate his wishes, Galli realizes that a happy life is not necessarily
determined by what the body is able to do.
Graham, Robin Lee:
Dove.
The author describes the five
years he spent sailing around the world alone in his twenty-four-foot sloop.
Grealy, Lucy:
Autobiography Of A Face.
Lucy Grealy describes her
journey to find physical beauty after surgery left her face disfigured.
Handler, Lowell:
Twitch And Shout.
The author shares his
experiences living with Tourette syndrome, a neurological disorder characterized
by facial tics, uncontrollable movements, and verbal outbursts.
Harrer, Heinrich:
Seven Years In Tibet.
An account of an Austrian
mountain climber's escape from a British internment camp in India during World
War II and his twenty-one-month journey through the Himalayas to safety in the
Forbidden City of Lhasa in Tibet.
Hawk, Tony:
Hawk.
Details the life and career of
professional skateboarders.
Presents the true story of
Modoc and Bram Gunterstein, an elephant and boy--born on the same day in
1896--following their adventures from Germany, to India, to the United States,
and telling of the extraordinary relationship shared by the man and animal for
over seventy years
Heywood, Leslie:
Pretty Good For A Girl.
In this memoir of her life as a
runner, Leslie Heywood explores why girls need and want to participate in the
American dream of competition and individual achievement; it also reveals the
obstacles they still face.
Homer, H. Hickman:
Rocket Boys.
An entertaining and
extraordinary memoir of Homer Hickam's life in Coalwood, West Virginia-a town
where the only things that mattered were coal mining and high-school football.
After watching the Soviets launch Sputnik in 1957, Homer and his friends took
the future into their own hands, changing their lives and their town forever by
turning scraps into rockets and launching their futures as NASA scientists.
Hornbacher, Marya:
Wasted.
The author reflects on her
fourteen-year battle with bulimia and anorexia, discussing how the eating
disorders have affected her life from childhood through the present day.
Houston, Jeanne Wakatsuki:
Farewell To Manzanar.
A true story of Japanese
American experience during and after the World War II internment--Title page.
Jackson, Livia Bitton:
I Have Lived A Thousand Years.
The memoir of Elli Friedmann
who was one of the few teenage Auschwitz inmates.
Jiang, Ji-li: Red Scarf
Girl.
Gives a child's-eye view of a
terrifying time in 20th century history, and of one family's indomitable courage
under fire.
Karr, Mary:
The Liar’s Club.
An account of the author's
childhood in a Texas oil town and of her family's struggles with cancer,
madness, and alcoholism.
Kaysen, Susanna:
Girl, Interrupted.
Hospitalized for a vaguely
defined personality disorder, Kaysen describes her two-year stay at a
psychiatric hospital renowned for its famous clientele and for its progressive
methods of treatment.
Kuusisto, Stephen:
Planet Of The Blind
Krakauer, Jon:
Into Thin Air.
The author relates his
experience of climbing Mount Everest during its deadliest season and examines
what it is about the mountain that makes people willingly subject themselves to
such risk, hardship, and expense.
L’Amour, Louis: Education
Of A Wandering Man.
L'Amour writes about growing up
in North Dakota, and his lifelong love affair with learning, recalling many of
the books he read, the places he visited, and the people he met that catalyzed
his evolution as a writer.
Lamott, Anne:
Operating Instructions.
Lamott, Anne:
Traveling Mercies.
The author describes the
lifelong process through which she came to believe in God, discussing the
battles she fought with alcohol, food disorders, and the loss of loved ones, and
following her search for the spiritual path.
Least Heat Moon, William:
Blue Highways.
Gives a striking sense of what
America is, and was, and will be. Least
Heat Moon seeks and finds a small town America where people worry less about
making a living than about making a life.
Lobel, Anita.
No Pretty Pictures.
The author, known as an
illustrator of children's books, describes her experiences as a Polish Jew
during World War II and for years in Sweden afterwards.
Mah, Adeline Yen.
Chinese Cinderella.
After her mother dies giving
birth to her, Adeline's affluent, powerful family considers her bad luck.
Life does not get any easier when her father remarries.
She and her siblings are subjected to their stepmother's disdain, while
her half brother and half sister are thoroughly spoiled.
Although winning prizes at school, all she yearns for is the love and
understanding of her family.
Mah, Adeline Yen.
Falling Leaves.
Born in 1937 in a port city
1000 miles north of Shanghai, Adeline Yen Mah was the youngest child of an
affluent Chinese family who enjoyed rare privileges during a time of political
and cultural upheaval. But wealth
and position could not shield Adeline from a childhood of appalling abuse at the
hands of a cruel stepmother.
Manning, Martha. Chasing
Grace: Reflections of a Catholic
Girl, Grown Up.
One woman's humorous account of how being raised in a Catholic home and attending parochial schools affected her.
Marcinko, Richard. Rogue
Warrior.
Autobiography of Richard
Marcinko recounting his thirty years as a Navy Seal and being involved in secret
missions and special warfare.
Matthiessen, Peter:
The Snow Leopard.
The author discusses his
experiences on a 250-mile journey through the Himalaya Mountains and his
attempts to locate the Lama of Shey in an isolated monastery.
Mayes, Frances:
Under The Tuscan Sun.
The author discusses his
experiences on a 250-mile journey through the Himalaya Mountains and his
attempts to locate the Lama of Shey in an isolated monastery.
McBride, James:
The Color Of Water.
An African-American male tells
of his mother, a white woman, who refused to admit her true identity.
McCall, Nathan:
Makes Me Wanna Holler.
Washington Post reporter Nathan
McCall recounts the story of his journey from troubled youth to professional
journalist, providing insight into what it's like to be a young African-American
male in this country.
McCourt, Frank:
‘Tis.
The story of Frank's American
journey from impoverished immigrant to brilliant teacher and raconteur.
McCourt, Frank:
Angela’s Ashes.
Memoir of the author's
miserable childhood growing up in the perpetually damp country of Ireland, with
the sterotypically long-suffering mother and drunken father whose nurtures in
his son an appetite for stories.
Mori, Kyoko:
The Dream Of Water.
Kyoko Mori takes you on a
journey through her native Japan, from which she fled as a teenager, and then
returned in 1990. She gives a
personal jouney of discovery that is also an exploration of national
differences.
Morrow, Susan Brind:
The Names Of Things.
A memoir in which the author
combines details of her personal life with tales of her work and wanderings in
the deserts of Egypt and Sudan in search for the birth of language.
Moss, Thylias:
Tale Of A Sky-Blue Dress.
A memoir in which the author
recalls her years at the mercy of a sadistic babysitter and discusses the impact
that experience had on the rest of her life.
Newhouse, Brian: A Crossing:
A Cyclist’s Journey Home.
Newhouse traveled across the
United States on a bicycle to resolve personal issues and pursue discovery about
himself. Along the way, he is
plagued by two unsettled relationships: one
with Karen, a woman whose religious beliefs both repel and seduce him, and his
father, who gave him everything he needed except love.
He encounters unusual people who challenge and amaze him, and eventually
begins an internal quest more challenging than the physical one he accomplishes.
Nordon, Lewis:
Boy With Loaded Gun.
His own mother referred to him
as a "nervous child," and "odd child."
How did this boy get to be the most famous son of Itta Bena, Mississippi?
The flood gates of confession open in this funny, tragic, and bittersweet
memoir about an awkward kid who dreamed of a world beyond his home in the
Mississippi Delta.
Novac, Ana:
the Beautiful Days Of My Youth.
Ana Novac's diary that she kept
during her 6 months in Auschwitz and Plaszow.
Opdyke, Irene Gut:
In my Hands.
Recounts the experiences of the
author who, as a young Polish girl, hid and saved Jews during the Holocaust.
Parks, Rosa:
The Autobiography Of Rosa Parks.
Rosa Park's life story reveals
the deliberate choices that earned her the title "Mother to a
Movement."
Paul, Caroline:
Fighting Fire.
The author shares her
experiences as one of the first women to join the San Francisco Fire Department,
discussing the factors that led her to attempt to qualify for the traditionally
male profession, and revealing why she has decided to remain on the force.
Paulsen, Gary:
My Life In Dog Years.
The author describes some of
the dogs that have had special places in his life, including his first dog,
Snowball, in the Philippines; Dirk, who protected him from bullies; and Cookie,
who saved his life.
Paulsen, Gary:
The Beet Fields.
Paulsen describes his own
sixteenth summer, when he left his alcoholic mother. He works with migrant
Mexican farmer workers on a beet field, travels across the country with a
friendly man who dies a bizarre death, and ends up working as a carnival worker,
where he meets an older woman and has his first relationship
Paulsen, Gary:
Woodsong.
For a rugged outdoor man and
his family, life in northern Minnesota is a wild experience involving wolves,
deer, and the sled dogs that make their way of life possible.
Includes an account of the author's first Iditarod, a dogsled race across
Alaska.
Pelzer, David J.:
A Child Called “It”.
David Pelzer, victim of one of
the worst child abuse cases in the history of California, tells the story of how
he survived his mother's brutality and triumphed over his past.
Pelzer, David J.:
The Lost Boy.
The author tells of his
experiences in five foster homes and juvenile detention, after he was taken away
from his abusive mother and alcoholic father, and discusses how he made it into
the Air Force, and found love and contentment in his life.
Prejean, Sister Helen:
Dead Man Walking.
Sister Helen Prejean describes
her experience as a spiritual advisor to Patrick Sonnier, the convicted killer
of two teenagers who was sentenced to die in the electric chair of Louisiana's
Angola State Prison. In the months before Sonnier's execution, Prejean, a Roman
Catholic nun, comes to know this man who is as terrified as he was once
terrifying. At the same time, Prejean comes to know the families of Sonnier's
victims and the people who were responsible for carrying out his sentence. Made
into a movie with Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn.
Prosek, James:
Joe And Me.
A journal about fishing, the
spirit of nature, and that one mentor in a young man's life who changes the way
he looks at the world.
Rekdal, Paisley:
The Night My Mother Met Bruce Lee.
Paisely Rekdal, the daughter of
a Norwegian man and a Chinese-American woman, writes about her experiences as a
multiracial teen growing up in Seattle and then traveling as a teen and young
adult in Thailand, Japan, and China.
Ripken, Cal:
The Only Way I Know.
Ripken tells the story of his
journey to the moment when he logged his record-breaking 2,131st consecutive
time on the baseball field, and beyond.
Roberts, Monty:
The Man Who Listens To Horses.
Biography of Monty Roberts,
focusing on the unique methods he has developed for training horses through
gentleness and an understanding of nonverbal communication, and telling how he
has applied his techniques to human relationships.
Ryan, Nolan:
Miracle Man.
The veteran pitcher for the
Texas Rangers reveals his views on marriage and family, moral values, work
ethic, politics, opponents and teammates.
Salzman, Mark:
Lost In Place.
Mark Salzman recalls his
tortured years as an eccentric growing up in Connecticut.
Scholinski, Daphne:
The Last Time I Wore A Dress.
Daphne Scholinski lived in
mental institutions from the time she was fifteen until her 18th birthday,
committed because she was ruled an "inappropriate female," a teenage
tomboy whose lack of interest in make-up and other "feminine" things
was ruled a mental problem. For
those who also enjoyed "Girl, Interrupted," this story of life in a
mental institution and a sane girl's attempt to escape the expectations of those
around her will appeal to all readers.
Tarbox, Katherine.
Katie.com.
As a lonely junior high school
student, Katie Tarbox became attached to meeting people via the Internet. She
met and fell in love with a man she thought was only slightly older than her.
When they arranged a meeting in person, she discovered that he was old enough to
be her father, and a convicted sex offender. She and her family successfully
prosecuted him for his inappropriate behavior.
Ten Boom, Corrie. The Hiding
Place.
Describes the experiences of
the author's Dutch Christian family who hid Jews during the Nazi occupation of
Holland.
White, Ryan.
Ryan White.
Ryan White describes how he got
AIDS, engaged in a legal battle to return to school, and became a celebrity and
spokesman for issues concerning the deadly disease.
Wilson, Barbara.
Blue Windows: A Christian Science Childhood.
A memoir in which the author
discusses growing up as a member of the Christian Science faith and the effects
of the religion on her and her mother, who had a mental breakdown before dying
of cancer.
Toth, Susan Allen.
Blooming.
A memoir of the author's
childhood in the 1950s in Ames, Iowa.
Turner, Ann.
Learning To Swim.
A series of poems convey the
feelings of a girl whose sense of joy and security at the family's summer house
is shattered when an older boy who lives nearby sexually abuses her.
Welty, Eudora:
One Writer’s Beginnings.
The autobiography of the
fiction writer whose honors include the Pulitzer Prize and the American Book
Award for fiction.
West, Cameron:
First Person Plural.
Cameron West describes his
experience with multiple personality disorder.
He experienced the mental illness in his thirties, when he was already a
successful businessman, happily married, and a new father. Over a period of
several months, twenty-four distinct personalities emerge and recount specific
incidents of abuse West had encountered as a child--and kept long hidden.
Wiesel, Elie:
Night.
A young Jewish boy witnesses
the death of his family in a Nazi death camp.
Wilensky, Amy S.:
Passing For Normal.
Passing for Normal is Amy's
emotionally charged account of her lifelong struggle with the often
misunderstood disorders of obsessive-compulsive disorder and Tourette's
Syndrome. A powerful witness to her
own dysfunction, she describes the strain it bore on her relationships with the
people she thought she knew best.
Wolff, Tobias:
This Boy’s Life.
Wolff's account of his boyhood and the process of growing up includes paper routes, whiskey, scouting, fistfights, friendship, betrayal, and America in the fifties
X, Malcolm:
The Autobiography Of Malcolm X.
Zindel, Paul:
The Pigman & Me.
An account of Paul Zindel's
teenage years on Staten Island, when his life was enriched by finding his own
personal pigman, or mentor.