Memoir & Essay

"The older one grows, the more one likes indecency." — Virginia Woolf

Pay Attention: On Carolyn Forché’s “What You Have Heard Is True”
Helen Mackreath considers “What You Have Heard Is True: A Memoir of Witness and Resistance” by Carolyn Forché.
Helen MackreathJun 7, 2019
A Life in Airplane Mode: Pico Iyer’s “Autumn Light”
Madhav Khosla reviews an exquisite memoir of transience and loss.
Madhav KhoslaJun 6, 2019
- Around the World
- Memoir & Essay
Just a Girl and Her Sad Songs: Ani DiFranco’s Memoir
A feminism rock icon muses about her past and her music.
Sarah HaasMay 31, 2019
- Memoir & Essay
- Music
It Mattered That He Showed Up: On Pete Buttigieg’s “Shortest Way Home”
Harrison Hill looks at Pete Buttigieg’s memoir, “Shortest Way Home,” to explore how Buttigieg’s campaign depends on his squeaky clean image.
Harrison HillMay 28, 2019
Mayor Pete and the Millennial Paradox
Pete Buttigieg was a millennial who went home, but not because he needed to.
Peggy O’DonnellMay 28, 2019
A Family Habitat: On “The Deer Camp”
A memoir about restoring the land around the worn-out cabin of a restive family.
Douglas TrevorMay 24, 2019
- Memoir & Essay
The Perils and Pitfalls of the Lyrical Essay
On the aesthetic sophistry and philosophical banality of the lyrical essay.
GD DessMay 22, 2019
- Memoir & Essay
The Mind Has a Mind of Its Own: On Maria Popova’s “Figuring”
Janet Sternburg sweeps through the innovative “Figuring” by Maria Popova.
Janet SternburgMay 22, 2019
- Biography & Autobiography
- Memoir & Essay
Time Regained: Reading Józef Czapski in Billings, Montana
Louise Steinman finds solace and inspiration by reading Józef Czapski on Marcel Proust in Billings, Montana.
Louise SteinmanMay 21, 2019
- Memoir & Essay
- Nonfiction
Life in Stasis: Behrouz Boochani’s Manus Prison Literature
A harrowing book about refugees in Australian detention reveals much about the national character.
Eleanor DaveyMay 18, 2019
The Book as Devotional Object: Kate Zambreno’s “Appendix Project”
Ruby Brunton reviews Kate Zambreno's latest book, "Appendix Project," released by Semiotext(e).
Ruby BruntonMay 17, 2019
- Memoir & Essay
“Working”: A Brief History of History
Robert Caro is still asking questions, and asking his readers to do the same.
John SchneiderMay 13, 2019