Memoir

Title: Judged By 12: An Explanatory Account of the School to Prison Pipeline Author: Derrick Davis Genre: Memoir First Publication: 2020 Language: English Themes: Poverty, Substance abuse, Drug dealing, Prison life Narrator: First...

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt is a quintessential coming of age story viewed through the grimy, unyielding, and sometimes downright heartbreaking lens of poverty. It follows Frank McCourt as he comically explains the dire circumstances of his conception, birth, and life.

Educated by Tara Westover is an anguished story about growing up in the mountains of Idaho in a fundamentalist Mormon/survivalist family led by a father convinced that the socialist government in every respect was evil. As a family they prepared for “The Days of Abomination” and saw the opposition as The Illuminati.

Dipa Sanatani's The Merchant of Stories is in form of diary entries that brim over with life, with hunger, with a passion that cannot be contained, with the conflicted need to absorb it all; the lonely walks in Singapore, the visual and sonorous chaos of life in the city, of incessant travel

Losing the Atmosphere is the courageous account of Vivian Conan's experiences with Dissociative Identity Disorder and the understanding of how her experiences led to its development. In the book, she tells her story of how she endured an abusive, neglectful childhood, and created distinct dissociative identity as a coping mechanism to shield herself from the physical and mental pain she endured.

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah is remarkably wonderful memoir I've read. Not just because of the content--which is at times heartbreaking and mindblowing--but also because of the humor and warmth with which Trevor Noah’s managed to convey some very difficult life experiences.

Shrill by Lindy West is put together as a blend of memoir and opinion, as Lindy West recounts how she's spent her life being scorned for her weight/size, but nevertheless got over any shyness about public speaking, got involved with stand-up comedy, and developed a thick-enough skin to tolerate the absolutely appalling trolling she receives in her current job as an opinion columnist.

Becoming by Michelle Obama is one of the most powerful memoirs ever written. It is not an inspirational one nor a controversial one not even a political book of secrets - the book's strength lies in it's simple candid ring side view of a stellar life of a woman of great importance.

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb is a fascinating look into the world of a therapist and how therapy works. Sprinkled throughout the book are snippets of psychology, including explanations of defence mechanisms, stages of change, tasks of mourning, and brief glimpses of the contributions of Freud, Erikson, Rogers, Franklin, and others to the field of psychology.