I have a memory of seeking out the biography section of the Wychwood Children’s library as a young reader. Why was I intrigued by the story of Alexander Graham Bell? Reading about of the lives of others is fascinating. We may choose to read an author’s autobiography because we are familiar with their life as a celebrity (Barbra Streisand, Randy Rainbow) or an author (Salman Rushdie, Allen Say). Other memoir titles we may dig into because the story told intrigues (an Orthodox transgender rabbi, a queer muslim activist, childhood sexual abuse). Each of the ten authors delve into their memories and create a literary map of their lives that reveals a discovery of self and a reflection of their mental and emotional growth (and sometimes physical growth). Everyone has a story to tell. Published memories invite readers to come into their world as they share events from their lives, their relationships, their views. These are stories of courage and tenacity, I am fascinated by these life stories and often while reading memoirs I think “How do these stories connect to my own life stories?” and, too, given the circumstances and choices and hopes that each of these authors share, “What would I do if I were in their place?”. A good book helps us learn about others in order to learn about ourselves.
SHOUT OUT
The following two memoirs, each published by an author of renowned, were a punch in the gut for me. Hanif Kareshi tells a story of his recovery from a traumatic fall that required constant hospital care. Salman Rushdie presents a meditation on his reovery from a violent knife attack while giving a lecture on the importance of keeping writers safe. Each story is deeply personal, honest and philosophical. Each powerful story is about how FATE can interfere and alter our lives in an instant and how recovery is dependent on hope, faith, and love. Both stories shattered me – there but for the grace of God, go I.
KNIFE Meditations after attempted murder by Salman Rushdie / 2024
My birthday is on August 12. On August 12, 2022, 27 seconds changed the life of British Indian writer Salman Rushdie. While onstage preparing for a presentation at the Chautauqua Institution, the author was attacked by a masked man wielding a knife who repeatedly stabbed Rushdie’s body and face, including his eye. Since living in fear from the fatwa issued by Ayatollah Khomeini, after the publication of his book The Satanic Verses ((1989) Salman Rushdie lived a fearful life. Two nights before the conference, Rushdie had a nightmare that was a premonition of a violent attack. Rushdie’s first thought “So it’s you. You are here.” Ironically, Rushdie’s lecture was the importance of keeping writers safe from harm. Knife details the traumatic events of the day of the attack and his journey towards physical and mental healing. Eliza, his devoted wife, along with teams of doctors and therapists and loyal friends helped to give the Booker Prize winning author strength to recover. Salman Rushdie chooses not to name his assailant (i.e. “A” but in Chapter 6, he records a conversation that never occurred, a brilliant imagined interview between him and “A” . The book is divided into two parts: ‘Part One: The Angel of Death’; ‘Part Two: The Angel of Life’. Writing this memoir has provided the author with a forum to makes sense of the unthinkable. (After half a year of nothingness, the writing juices had indeed started to flow again.” (p. 173). The writing is a brutally honest, moving meditation of finding resilience and moving forward day by day and find “the willingness to go on fighting the good fight.” (p. 201). The book is filled with social commentaries, and reflections about religion, free speech, social media, literature and other authors. Note: The cover of this book, depicting the word ‘knife’ being slashed, is staggering and worthy of an award. Knife is deserved of an award. It needs to be read.
Excerpts
“I don’t like to think of writing as therapy – writing is writing, and therapy is therapy – but there is a good chance that telling the story as I saw it might make me feel better.” (p,129)
“Art is not a luxury. It stands at the essence of our humanity and it asks for no special protection except the right to exist. / It accepts argument, criticism, even rejection. It does not accept violence.” (p. 168)
“My way of trying to deal with PTSD was to claim, most of the time, that I was okay. I told my therapist, “I don’t know what good it does to complain?” He laughed. Don’t you know that the reason you are here is to complain?” (p. 174)
“Who am I? Am I the same person as I was on August 11, or am I now another?” (p. 198)
SHATTERED by Hanif Kureishi / 2024
While I was browsing in a book store, the jacket cover caught my attention. A sombre beige background with the hanif kureishis name, the title of the book and the word memoir featured in a deep plum colour font, all in lower case. Filling the page in grey font are the words ‘two weeks ago a bomb went off in my life which has also shattered the lives of those around me. at least I haven’t lost the one thing that was most valuable to me which is the ability to express myself.” I was somewhat familiar with the author’s name: The Buddha of Suburbia (novel) ; My Beautiful Launderette (screenplay). Late in the year 2022 while relaxing in his apartment in Rome, Hanif Kureishi stood up, fell flat on his face, breaking his neck. Paralyzed, he could no longer walk. Over the next year, Kureishi was confined to hospital wards and was totally dependent on the care of others. Unable to move his hands to compose, the author , with the ability to speak, relied on family members to record his thoughts and feelings about what is happening to him as well as reflections on is life as a father, husband and creative life. Shattered is the results of this extraordinary process where the author reveals his views on parenthood, immigration, sex, psychoanalysis and the art of writing and his faith that he will one day be able to return to his home. The dispatches were edited, expanded and interwoven into the publication I held in my hand, a book that left me shattered, astounded by the heartbreaking honest account of loss, of pain, of dependency, of gratitude and hope. Strange how life can change in an instant and Kureishi’s memoir is a testimony to how resilience and love that can help to conquer calamity. This powerful book – harrowing and inspiring – will be on the list of my favourite reads of 2025.
Excerpts
“It took some time to get used to the utterly serious nature of my injury and how life-changing and permanent it is. There’s no going back, though I wish all the time there was.” (p. 112)
“I exist in a constant state of panic, fear and tearfulness. I want to escape myself.” (p. 114)
“Wit is the brilliant expression of a truth, a way of exposing something with concision and effect, making the world seem like a brighter place…If I am funny, in conversation, it is something I had to learn and cultivate; it is a form of creativity, as is all conversation.” (p. 279)
“We are in constant development, never the same as yesterday. All the time we are changing, there is no going back. My world has taken a zig where previously it zagged; it has been smashed, remade and altered, and there is nothing I can do about it. But I will not go under; I will make something of this.” (p. 323)
SHOUT OUT… David A Robertson
ALL THE LITTLE MONSTERS: How I Learned to Live with Anxiety by David A. Robertson / 2025
Brilliant author, David A. Robertson, has opened up his heart and his mind to describe his journey of living with – and through – anxiety. This memoir takes a plunge into the depths of confronting and competing with ‘all the little monsters’ who whisper in his ear ‘you can’t do this!’ Readers learn about the fears, the compulsions, the depression of Robertson struggles to get out of bed, to climb those stairs to ‘get on with it’. The honesty that Robertson sticks to as he recounts his experiences with anxiety and a heart condition, are presented, not only to get to learn about what the author is going through but is moreover written, to help others who are going through similar trials and let them know that they are not alone. There but for the grace of God, I do not suffer from anxiety, or know someone who does, but this book helped me understand in some way what those who deal with anxiety and depression might be going through. It also raised awareness to look around me and become aware of what someone, like Robertson, might be experiencing, even though I might never know that they are struggling with mental health issues. All the Little Monsters is a brave, intimate book. Accounts of family and friendship supports, therapy sessions, hospital visits , breakdowns, panic attacks and medications are heart-squeezing. I found myself turning down the corners of over a dozen pages as I read wise philosophical views of what the author was / is going through. As I read this book, I wanted to reach and out shake this mans and I was lucky enough to do so when I listened to him share his stories aloud during a conference session. David A. Robertson, you are a hero. This revelatory memoir is VITAL reading.
Astonishing to me is the fact that despite his mental health issues (because of them?) David A. Robertson continued to write and write and write. He is at the top of the heap of Canadian authors. As a Cree author his revelations of Indigenous issues are essential for readers young and old. He is prolific. He has won awards for his picture books When Were Alone and On the Trapline. His Misewa Saga series is enjoying popularity for middle-grade readers. I am very fond of a recent publication The Kodiaks which is a terrific novel about playing hockey, about being on a team and about confronting anti-Indigenous racism. His novel, The Theory of Crows is staring at me from my book shelf and I look forward to reading it soon.
Some excerpts
“As far as I’ve come in my journey with mental health, Im intimately aware that its a journey with no finish line, and one that often has wrong turns that lead you back to a place you’ve already been.” (p..105)
“Sharing what I’ve been through and what I’m afraid of and then facing those fears by ignoring the voice that tells me to be afraid have all been a boon to my mental health.” (p. 143)
“I can do hard things. I repeat that in my mind these days, like a mantra, each time the voice in my ears tells me I can’t do something, even the smallest thing, even the most ridiculous things every day. / I can do hard things, and so can you.” (p. 173)
“I live with depression that comes and goes like the tide. Anxiety is always there with me, no matter what time of day, no matter what is going on in my life, and no matter where I am. I pack it in my suitcase with my socks and shirts and jeans, both what it was and what it is.” (p. 248)
BLACK WATER: Family, Legacy and Blood Memory by David A. Robertson / 2020
“I love being recognized as an Indigenous writer by my colleagues and by Indigenous kids who might be inspired by what I’ve accomplished, but someday I want to be known as a great writer, not a great Indigenous writer, which seems to imply that the measures of excellence are different between the two. They aren’t. Or at least, they shouldn’t be.” (p. 142)
David A. Robertson’s is the sone of a white mother, Beverly. He is the son of a Cree father, Dulas – or Don as he became known. Growing up, Robertson knew nothing of his Indigenous roots. His father’s absence from the family left Robertson without any teachings or knowledge of his father’s early experiences, especially those of Don’s early childhood on a trapline in the bush of Manitoba and life on reserve where he was forbidden to speak his language Swampy Cree. The author was only left with ‘blood memory’, that he was encouraged and challenged to put together. (“When I put my foot onto the ground in Norway House, a feeling came over me that I’d come home. It was a feeling I now recognize as blood memory – that the memories and lives of my ancestors, of Dad, are woven into the fabric of my DNA. That everything they lived through, everything they experienced, lives within me.” (p. 257)
In this memoir, Robertson and his father come to deepen their bond through a journey to the trapline, a journey which had him come closer to his father, to himself and their connection to the land. The book is a loving tribute to Donald (Dulas) Alexander Robertson, a wise minister, educational leader, activist, and father. The book deepens a reader’s understanding of family and identity and legacy. To come to grips what it means to be Indigenous, Black Water is a moving personal story that is essential reading.
As I read Black Water, I often found myself turning down the corners of pages for the beautiful words and precepts that this gifted author has written. Here are some samples:
“I’ve watched him look out over the water. I’ve seen his face. It makes me feel a part of those memories, as if they’re as much mine a they are his. And maybe there’s some truth to that.” (p. 60)
“When Dad and I discuss reconciliation, he talks about it, within the context of healing, as an act of remembering. We learn more about today when we know about yesterday. We know more about the direction we are headed if we understand where we are now. Yesterday has led us to today, and today will lead us tomorrow.” (p. 62)
Dad suggested ” that teacher training programs prepare educators to work with Indigenous children by emphasizing that they teach from the known and work towards the unknown, That is to say, they should connect with students based on the students’ world view, not the teachers.” (p. 104)
“When Dad sits in the chair and stares out the window, he’s trying to think back on the way he lived and ask himself questions. What is this knowledge? How can he remember it, reclaim it, so that it becomes useful to him once more? How can it be passed on to the next generation, to ensure its legacy.” (p. 109)
“The choice my parents made, then, was not to hide the Indigenous part of our identity, our genetic makeup. or to raise us as non-indigenous, but rather to raise us as humans and let us fine for ourselves what it means to be Indigenous. Let us go on that journey of discovery in our own way, in our own time. And that begs the question: What is Indigenous identity?” (p. 172)
“What is Cree identity? There isn’t one Cree identity. There as many Cree identities as there are trees in the forests that line the rivers that lead m home when I visit Norway House and Black Water. There are as many Cree identities as there are Cree people.” (p. 174)
“Most of the time I’ve come to accept that you can’t change the past. You can only learn from it.” (p. 184)
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BECOMING EVE: My Journey from ultra-orthodox rabbi to transgender woman by Abby Chava Stein / 2019
Abby Chava Stein was raised in a Hasidic Jewish community in Brooklyn where laws and practices of eighteenth-century Eastern Europe were strictly enforced. All aspects of modern life were shunned, Yiddish and Hebrew were her only spoken languages. Abby was the first-born son in a rabbinical family. From an early age Abby knew that she was a girl. With no access to media and no one to term to, her desires, confusions and hopes were suppressed. What was expected of her was a strict devotion to Jewish laws and an ultra commitment to studying, studying, studying. Much of this story recounts Stein’s school experiences, her fervent commitment to reading and her sometimes outspoken views with those in authority. Forced to suppress her desires for a new body, she sought forbidden religious and secular texts and the essential need to ‘become Eve’ led her to an exodus from Ultra-Orthodox manhood, leaving home, her family (including a wife and son), abandoning traditions and expectations. She is the first openly transgender woman raised to have. been ordained in an Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Institution. Today, she is a rabbi, an activist, a blogger, a model and passionate speaker about her transformative journey. Readers accompany Abby Chava Stein’s in her studies, her relationships with peers, her involvement with family, her first encounter with love, her engagement and marriage but most of all, understanding the truth of her nature and her longing. We partake in the author’s journey to combat everything around her telling her not to do and work towards living an authentic life. This memoir offers readers an education – and a questioning – about the demands of Hasidic religious practices. This is a compelling story. NOTE: Becoming Eve was produced as a well-reviewed off-Broadway play in the spring of 2025. I longe to see any production of this play someday.
Excerpt
“I would try to immerse myself in my studying. Then, buy thoughts about being a girl would return, and I would turn to philosophical questioning, trying to convince myself that I was only having these thoughts because of my religious disconnect. Then I would decide that I did not believe in any of the religious teachings at all, and my anxiety would surge as I saw no way out.” (pages 153-154)
DRAWING FROM MEMORY by Allen Say / 2011
“Let your dear child journey” is an old Japanese saying Allen Say first heard from his mother.
Allen Say is one of children’s literature most gifted author/illustrators. Many of his picture books are drawn from memories to life important events and people from Say’s life (Tea With Milk, The Bicycle Man, Home of the Brave, Kozo the Sparrow. In Grandfather’s Journey, Winner of the Caldecott, 1984 – Say narrates his grandfather’s immigration between Japan and the United States. Drawing from Memory is a unique memoir presented in picture book format with photographs, sketches and illustrations spread throughout. Short passages that appear on each page synthesize the artist’s journey as he dedicated himself to gaining drawing and painting expertise. Nothing was going to get in the way of Allen Say’s dreams to be the best artist he could be. The book gives Allen Say the opportunity to tell the story of becoming a renowned artist, fighting against the wishes of his father who didn’t approve of his son’s interests. Say pays tribute to celebrated Japanese cartoonist, Noro Shinpei, who became his ‘Sensei’ (master or teacher) and whom the young artist recognized as his ‘spiritual father’. Allen Say’s inspirational story recounts his life in Japan before moving to America. Special you are, Mr. Say.
PLAYING WITH MYSELF by Randy Rainbow / 2022
Playing with Myself is a memoir that answers the question, “Can an introverted musical theatre nerd with a MacBook and a dream save the world, one show at a time?” (from book jacket)
Randy Rainbow (real name) is a remarkable talent. Randy Rainbow is wickedly funny. His satirical videos (particulary those criticizing Donald ‘Jessica Trump) have captured the attention of hundreds of thousands. Playing with Myself the ups and downs story of Randy’s (dare I say we are on a first-name basis?!) is fascinating indeed. The comedian digs into his early family life, his over-imaginative, introverted childhood, his love of his mother, his adoration of his grandmother, Nanny Irene, and his tumultuous relationship with his father. When he decides to make the brave leap to move from Florida to New York, Randy reveals himself to be a tenacious, spirited, hard-working individual as he pursues his dreams of ‘making it there’. Recounts of taking odd jobs (e.g., Hooters host), delving into the world of showbiz (working in a production and management office) and taking any come-what may opportunities to perform are worthy of applause. Embarking on the world of making videos in his apartment provided the opportunity to critically comment on politics and the news of the world (e.g., COVID) . Musical theatre runs through Randy’s blood and has given him a lifeline to take risks and make us laugh through his brilliant inventive lyrics and joyful (i.e., gay) productions. Reading this book has taken me through a rabbit hole of digging into some of popular YouTube video spoofs. His recent piece, “Defy Democracy”, taking another stab at DJT, , is hysterical. His ‘interview with Barbra Streisand is hilarious and last night at 1 a.m, iI woke up at 1 a.m to watch his lip-synching rendition of Patti Lupone’s audio book of her memoir. Funny! Funny! Funny!. Randy you are an entertainment hero. You are a hero for gays. Courageous and audacious, you are! (“Weird is good. Be weird.” (p. 23). I look forward to seeing you perform live some day. I look forward to reading your newest publication, Low-Hanging Fruit. Carol Burnett, Patti Lupone, Audra Mcdonald and Stephen Sondheim are big fans. I am too!
SAD TIGER by Neige Sinno (Translated from the French by Natasha Lehrer) /2023 / 2025
Apparently this publication took the country by storm when it was released in France in 2023. It is the winner of several book awards in 2023 (e.g. Le Monde Literary Prize, The Prize Femina). As I embarked on digging into memoirs this month, the devastating story of a woman’s account of her experiences of being sexually abused as a child. Neige Sinno unpacks facets of her memory as well as that of her mother and father who repeatedly raped her. Not only does the author chronicle events from her childhood life, but in the second section of the book, ‘Ghosts’ she talks about how she made sense of what happened to her and how reading literature and writing this memoir helped her to restore her sense of self and her place in the world. What intrigue me was the author’s meta approach to creating this memoir, a device that had her reflect upon the purpose of her telling her story for herself – and for an audience of readers; “‘Why?’ Why am I writing this book? Because I can,.And like the soldiers, the answer shatters into an infinite series of fractals that lead to melancholy but also to rage and joy.” (p. 208). There are many fictional and nonfictional accounts of child abuse, and Niege Sanno’s reflective and meditative approach to her experiences help to make Sad Tiger an extraordinary story by a gifted writer who has lived through and is living through this trauma.
Excerpts
“In order to be free, I was going to have to choose what baggage I wanted to hang on to and what I could lose.” (p. 157)
“Child sexual abuse is not an ordeal, an accident of life; it is a profound and systematic humiliation that destroys every foundation of the self. If you have ever been a victim of it, you are always a victim. And you will be a victim forever. For even if you recover, you never truly recover.” (p. 159)
WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HERE: A Queer Muslim Memoir by Samra Habib / 2019
Samra Habib, an Ahmadi Muslim grew up in Pakistan where she faced threats from Islamic extremists. Her family lived ti Canada as refugees and Habib encountered bullying, racism, poverty – and an arranged marriage. Her feminist spirit and her creative talents were ready to burst forth. Significant to the life choices Samra Habib made was her exploration of her queer sexuality as she travelled around the world. Obedience to her family and religion was problematic for the author being true to herself, but in the end, fierce determination and faith in herself moved her forward to becoming the authentic queer woman she became. We Have Always Been Here is a story of family, culture, traditions, community and pride, a remarkable story breaking through family and society expectations. It is the story of pursuing and holding on to authentic identity: “There’s no denying that my identity as a queer Muslim is the lens through which I see and engage with so many aspects of my daily life: fashion, music, literature, social media, politics, history, activism, sexuality, gender, faith art. Basically, everything.” (p, 214) The author’s story is a testament to a life where both learning from others and treasuring ourselves matters. This memoir was deemed the 2020 Canada Reads winner.
Excerpts
“For me, practising Islam feeds my desire to understand the beauty and complexity of the universe and to treat everyone, regardless, regardless of their beliefs, with respect. My faith inspires kindness, patience, and self-reflection in my daily interactions.” (p. 171)
“Being Muslim is one of the absolutes about myself I can be sure of. It serves as an anchor when I’m lost at sea. It helps me come back to myself, and it leads me to others, who’ve struggled to reconcile seemingly disparate parts of themselves. For me it’s not something I can put on and take off like a garment.” (p. 214)
WHALE EYES: A memoir about seeing and being seen by James Robinson; illus. Brian Rea / 2025
STRABISMUS: A condition of eye misalignment where the eye muscles aren’t able to keep the eyes aligned when looking at something. With Strabismus (or crossed-eyes), The eyes my turn in, out, up or down.
WHALE EYES: Thought not a technical term, it is one that James Robinson uses to describe his own visual disability. The eye condition is basically whale eye because it resembles a large wide eye of a whale, seen from the side
James Robinson shares his experiences of growing up with misaligned eyes recounting his experiences with classmates who, confused or repulsed would stare at him. Robinson describes how he wrestled with words on the page, failed eye exams and often struggled with those who stared at him. The book cleverly provides interactive experiences of the author’s struggles (e..g, eye test experiments). True to the subtitle of this book – a memoir about seeing and being seen – Robinson, has written this memoir to talk about his experiences of seeing and unpack the experience of ‘being seen’ as a person with a disability. Ultimately, his story is intended to help others confront any discomfort they may have when meeting others with a disability. Robinson provides facts and explanations and stories that provide information and explanations of what life is like for him in school and beyond. I came across this book in the YA section of a book store, The first half of the book entitled “My Eyes” describes Robinson’s world and indeed provides inspiration for readers, ages 12+. Part Two “Your Eyes” is somewhat more philosophical, technical and somewhat sophisticated approach to explain how what it means to be seen and help readers be more thoughtful and caring ‘see-ers’. Such components as ‘Out-Trigue’, ‘Tension’, ‘Machinations’, and ‘Opti-cism’ may not have as strong appeal to young adolescents as adults who read this book. The book is brilliantly illustrated with images (often comical) that interpret, extend and enrich the author’s story. by artist, Brian Ray. High praise for the graphic images and layout that help to make Whale Eyes an exceptional publication.
NOTE; James Robinson is an award-winning documentary filmmaker. His twelve-minute video for the New York Times (July 14, 2021) watch is essential viewing. Whaeyes.org/ watch
THE YEARS by Annie Ernaux / 2008 / English Translation by Alison L. Strayer / 2017
Seven Stories Press claimed that this autobiography that is ‘at once subjective and impersonal, private and collective.”
This hybrid memoir spans the years 1941-2006. by Nobel literature prize-winning author (2022), Anne Ernaux. She uses the pronoun ‘we’ instead of the expected ‘I’ of autobiography and when writings about her personal history from childhood, youth, and adulthood, she uses the third person voice (i.e., she). Drawing on notes from six decades of diaries, the author takes a close-up look at French society just after the Second World War into the early 21st century by giving reference to personal photos, books, song titles, radio and television and movies. The author digs into such issues as consumerism, illegal abortion, a troubled marriage, her mother’s Alzheimer and experiences with cancer in rather short passages. The writing is fearless, critical and both personal and universal.
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Some favourite memoir titles from previous postings
BORN A CRIME by Tevor Noah / 2016
EDUCATED by Tara Westover / 2018
I. M.: by Isaac Mizrahi / 2019
I WAS BETTER LAST NIGHT by Harvey Fierstein / 2022
PERMANENT ASTONISHMENT by Thomson Highway / 2021
RUN TOWARDS THE DANGER: Confrontations with a body of memory by Sarah Polley / 2022
SMILE: A memoir by Sarah Rulen / 2021
SPARE by Prince Harry / 2023
TOO MUCH IS NOT ENOUGH: A memoir fumbling toward adulthood by Andrew Rannells / 2019
Some favourite Graphic Memoirs
CAN’T WE TALK ABOUT SOMETHING MORE PLEASANT? by Roz Chast / 2016
DUCKS: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton /2022
FEEDING GHOSTS by Tessa Hulls / 2024 (winner of the Pulitzer Prize)
FUN HOME A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechtel / 2006
GENDER QUEER byMaia Kobabe / 2019
PERSEPOLIS: The Story of a Childhood by Mariane Satrapi (Also: PERSEPOLIS 2) / 2000/2003
STITCHES by David Small /2009