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kyliea32's review against another edition
5.0
A must read book for anyone contemplating writing their memoir. If you are stuck, don't know exactly how to start or in need of inspiration, this is the book for you. Full of ideas and thoughts about what memoir is- and isn't-, how to handle as the title states "telling the truth", and beginning the writing process. I thoroughly enjoyed reading through this book, and have "post-it" noted many pages full of inspiration. The author covers everything from the Prologue to the very end! Highly recommended for anyone looking for an inspiring and interesting book on the art of writing the tricky genre of memoir.
joyaanthony's review against another edition
5.0
Super helpful for me as I am working on a memoir. It gave me a lot to think about and I have a lot of work to do.
angelreadsthings's review against another edition
4.0
I really loved the first section of the book, gained a lot from the second section even when I didn't love the exercises, grew less enthusiastic about the book in the latter sections and was completely over it by the end of the appendix. I almost rated this 3.75 because of my progressive disinterest but the early sections especially are full of such rich material for folks writing memoir that I kept it at 4 stars.
Ultimately, I believe this book is especially good for people who are just starting the process of writing their memoir or thinking about writing their memoir and for folks who are writing memoirs about childhood versus about adulthood. The author certainly references adult-centric memoirs but a lot of the exercises are more targeted at childhood memoir work which was part of my frustration.
Ultimately, I believe this book is especially good for people who are just starting the process of writing their memoir or thinking about writing their memoir and for folks who are writing memoirs about childhood versus about adulthood. The author certainly references adult-centric memoirs but a lot of the exercises are more targeted at childhood memoir work which was part of my frustration.
ben_smitty's review against another edition
5.0
Brilliant! Pleasant to read. Thought provoking. Delivers what it promises. Kephart shows that she's not only a great teacher, but a wordsmith at heart.
lghammond's review against another edition
5.0
Kephart is especially good at using models from contemporary memoirs to convey her ideas about writing. A generous and beautiful book, with much to give writers in any genre.
katrinadreamer's review against another edition
4.0
I learned a great deal from Kephart's book on the ins and outs of writing memoir and I have a feeling it will make it into my permanent book collection at some point. I am now going to devour her list of recommended titles.
owloutstanding's review against another edition
3.0
I thought Kephart used beautiful language, gave great advice, and shared wonderful examples of memoir. And she has a great appendix/read list of memoirs. I haven't read all of them, but I hope to.
My only dislike of the book stems from my own disdain of classroom teaching and how tired I am of hearing when people just love the classroom and how there isn't anything else like it. Bleh! For all the talk of truth, that notion just doesn't ring true to me! (But I highly suspect this is my own issue!)
My only dislike of the book stems from my own disdain of classroom teaching and how tired I am of hearing when people just love the classroom and how there isn't anything else like it. Bleh! For all the talk of truth, that notion just doesn't ring true to me! (But I highly suspect this is my own issue!)
pranavmutatkar's review against another edition
4.0
3 1/2 stars. Had some good stuff especially at the beginning. But it didn't help me as much as I hoped.