Can you ever Forgive Me? Memoirs of a Literary Forger by Lee Israel. Simon and Schuster media tie-in, 2018. 144 pages.

Hillbilly Elegy: a memoir by J.D. Vance. Harper, 2016, 264 pages.

Fatty Legs: A True Story byChristy Jordan-Fenton & Margaret Pokiak-Fenton, Annick Press, 2010, 104 Pages.

DarkRoom: A Memoir In Black and White by Lila Quintero Weaver. University of Alabama Press, 2012. 264 pages.

I love a graphic memoir. Lila Quintero's family moved from Buenos Aires to Alabama in the 1950s when she was 5 years old. How do you live in the segregated south when you are not black or white? The poignant and moving personal memoir of a Latina  growing up  during major civil rights struggles in the segregated and newly desegregated southern united states during the 1950s and 60s.  This memoir started out as a senior project for Quintero who completed her bachelor's degree as an adult at a non traditional program for adults like herself at the University of Alabama.

Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty by G. Neri. Lee and Low Books, 2010. 85 Pages.

Fictionalized account of the true story of the short life and death of Robert "Yummy" Sandifer, a young gangbanger whose death at the age of 11 came to symbolize the crises of poverty and violence overtaking US cities in the 1990s. 11 year old Roger, the fictionalized narrator, tells a documented and factual story of Yummy. Roger is also dealing with the fact that his older brother is also deep into the street life. While this end badly for Yummy, the additon of the fictionalized Roger allows for a hopeful note -- important for middle school students-- the main audience for this book. Recommended.

Smile by Raina Telgemeier. (GRAPHIX) 2010, 224 pages.

I love a graphic memoir! Raina Telgemeier's (graphic artist of The Babysitter's Club fame) memoir of her middleschool years-- memories forever intertwined with braces and other dental issues-- that the dental stuff becomes a metaphor for the middle school period itself. Telgemeier clearly remembers what it is like to be in a teenager--family, acne, friends, hormones, boys, friends, teeth, appearance, friends, shyness, mean girls, friends-- add in lots of pain and surgery--and in the end, of couse, Raina overcomes it -- as we all do. A perfect choice of a positive "it gets better" coming of age story--and we always need more of these! SMILE was a pleasant surprise-- a quiet little graphic memoir about a girl i never heard of before but who i liked and felt for. the story pulled me in and will resonate with girls 11+-- and their mothers.
highly recommend

The Three Stooges scrapbook by Jeff Lenburg. Citadel press, NJ. (1982)

Written by Moe's daughter, Joan Howard Maurer, The Three Stooges ScrapBook is a personal and very loving memoir of the iconic comedy team. While there is nothing new in the bio and filmography sections-- done quite a bit and found in many places, actually, because The Three Stooges Scapbook is written by Moe's daughter (and Shemp and Curley's niece) it is filled with personal photos and family memories and stories not available elsewhere. It is full of stories and personal remembrances that read like what they are-- old timers reminiscing about the old days. On the face of it, the work is nothing special, but to stooge fans and old timers and folks who like this sort of thing--(that would be folks like me)--the Scrapbook is an enjoyable trip down memory lane. It is the only Early Reviewer's book I ever recieved from LT where EVERYONE who saw it at my house said "Three Stooges" and opened it up to look. I enjoyed it.

Strength in what remains Tracy Kidder New York : Random House, 2009.

Truly a great book. So well written that the lovely words flow and you are lulled into forgetting the truly horrific history of the events that took place in Burundi and Rwanda. Until Deo (through Kidder) reminds us. The narrative flips back and forth between Burundi and Rwanda and New York and while primarily documenting events in the 1990s, includes Deo's personal memories from the 1970s nad 80s, as well as some historical background to the genocide of the 90s. i had forgotten what a great writer Kidder is. A strong and powerful work-- a memoir, an urban tale, africana , world affairs and social justice all in one book. great literature-- i highly recommend it to eveyone who has an interest. A total stranger was thrilled to see me with it and then disappointed that it was not really out in soft cover yet-- Not to be missed

Hole In My Life by Jack Gantos. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2002. 200 pages

How many children's book authors would write a memoir about serving time in federal prison for drug running during their young adult years? Jack Gantos would-- and did so brilliantly with this Prinze and Siebert award winning book. Written in a style that is very reminiscent of the Joey Pigza series, Gantos gives an honest and frank account of his late teen life and the actions and choices he made that led to his being convicted of drug running at age 19 and sentenced to federal prison for several years. The story is well told and compelling; funny and horrifying and sad and uplifting. We like Gantos and we care what happens to him, even as we cringe for him as he makes what we all know are terrible decisions that will have terrible consequences. And prison is tough-- Gantos is quite skillful in his ability to portray prison as a very violent and scary place-- full of sex and drugs-- and he does so honestly (important for all of us, yes, but especially so for young adults) but without sensationalizing it. No easy feat. And it was the constant violence and fear and hopelessness of prison life that forced Gantos to soul search and, finally, to make a decision to get serious about what he had always wanted to do--to write, to become a writer...a decision that not only carried him through the rest of his sentance, but one that Gantos credits with carrying him through the rest of his life. YES, YES, YES

Pitch Black by Youme Landowne and Anthony Horton. Cinco Punto Press, 2008.

Stunning vignette/memoir of Landowne's chance encounter with a homeless artist on the NYC subway that led to her learning his story and publishing it. Details the story of how his troubled youth led him through the system-- social services to shelters to living in the subway tunnels under NYC. Powerful, raw, frightening, moving and even hopeful--the work is full of detail and simplicity. The artist is also the subject. The black and white illustrations really complement the story, while the endpapers leading us into the dark tunnels are stunning. The 11 by 6 size of the work is reminiscent of a subway car. A dark, true tale, Pitch Black is sure to spark classroom and book club conversations. Well, well done and highly recommended.

Teacher Man: A Memoir, by Frank McCourt. Scribner, 2005. 272 pages

Be More Chill by Ned Vizzini. Miramax, 2005, 304 pages.

Jeremy Heere, at the bottom of the high school social hierarchy, spends his days being bullied by his social betters and keeping “humiliation sheets” that document his dork and loser status. Jeremy hangs out with his one dork friend, lusts after the beautiful Christine and spends his nights masturbating to internet porn and firmly believes that ”being Cool is obviously the most important thing on earth…”. Jeremy wants to get laid but doesn’t know how and life as a loser looks settled for Jeremy until he finds out about the squib, a microcomputer you swallow that tells you how to talk, and dress and how to be cool. Suddenly, Jeremy is the coolest kid in high school and he finds out that things don’t always turn out as you expect them to.

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi. Pantheon (2004), Paperback, 160 pages

Graphic novel memoir told in the voice of the young teen Satrapi, Persepolis shows us what life was like under the Iranian Islamic revolution for a 10 to 14 yr old and her family. We see the uncertainty, the terror, the bad behavior and lack of charity, the very real fear of the secret police, the political repression, school days, censorship, family life, and war with Iraq. All seen through the eyes of a young Satrapi , the memoir ends with her hasty trip out of Iran to Austria because the family thought it was too unsafe for her in Teheran. She was forced to leave Iran alone. The story is told in dialogue and is thought provoking. Persepolis (an ancient city in Persia) is autobiographical, and while it deals with her growing into a young adult, it all occurs in Iran during the Iranian revolution. We get a rare glimpse of family life under a repressive regime right as events unfold. It is well written, well drawn and powerful.

Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return by Marjane Satrapi. Pantheon (2004), Hardcover, 192 pages

Marjane Satrapi's honest and compelling memoir of her young adult (15-22)years--continues the story where Persepolis left off. A 15 year old Setrapi arrives alone in Austria only to find herself a virtual refugee in a country she has never visited and does not speak the language. Lonely and frightened, and later depressed, Satrapi uses various coping mechanisms--lying, drugs, cynicism--that leave her feeling unhappy and further isolated. At 19, she flees Austria to return to Teheran, only to find herself a refugee (of sorts) in her own country. And things have changed in Iran; politcal repression and war have taken their toll; Even her parents seen to be cynical and have lost much hope. Where in the West she was defined entirely as an Iranian, in Iran she was defined almost entirely as a Westerner and her angst continues. A coming of age story filled with angst; a young woman trying to find her way under a repressive Islamic fundamentalist regime. Painfully honest and thought provoking, we hurt for Satrapi as she tries to discover what is important and who she wants to be. **must be paired with Persepolis I for full impact. I loved it.