Book Reviews John K. Cox Jurij Koch / Courtesy of Domowina-Verlag In the 1950s, a girl whom Jurij Koch knew in high school moved away from their hometown of Cottbus in East Germany. It was a case, he says in his recent memoir, of “Weg von Ulbricht, hin zu Adenauer” (Away from Ulbricht, over to Adenauer). Her mother took the girl to the West, before the building of the Berlin Wall in 1961. This is a familiar enough arc of events, but, as it turns out, the motivation behind the move is probably not something that most people outside of Germany would have considered. The reason was ethnic. Little Greta was growing up surrounded by Sorbs in the southeastern part of the country. The Sorbian language reminded her mother of Polish, and she had had quite enough of the Poles in her pre-1945 home farther east. In addition, Greta’s family was Protestant and they felt awash in a “Catholic sea.” So off they went, leaving the author of this autobiography—who, well, yes, had a crush on Greta—scratching his head. Like so many other scenes in this engaging book, this story blends the customary with the unexpected to stretch our understanding of what is “German.” Like so many other scenes in this engaging book, Koch’s memoir blends the customary with the unexpected to stretch our understanding of what is “German.” Windrad auf dem Dach (Domowina-Verlag, 2016) is the second volume of Koch’s memoirs to be published in German. Currently in his... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'
[ World Literature Today | 2020-01-27 20:47:13 UTC ]
From André Breton to Alison Bechdel, memoir writers have turned the genre upside down. Now a photographer recreates her troubled suburban childhood in a book, casting a movie star — Laura Dern — as her mother. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-10-26 17:41:25 UTC ]
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“My hope was that by embracing openness and vulnerability, my readers would understand and empathize with the situation I had found myself in.” Allison Wood talks to Luna Adler about what a memoir can do. | Lit Hub Memoir “There is enough evidence in the public record to support a complaint that... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-10-26 10:30:04 UTC ]
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Bookable features established authors and emerging talent in conversation with host and author Amanda Stern, perhaps best known for creating the Happy Ending Music & Reading Series at New York’s famous Joe’s Pub and Symphony Space. With an immersive sound experience designed around each... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-10-23 08:48:34 UTC ]
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Guardian Weekend magazine and gal-dem are launching a memoir writing competition for UK-resident black women and black non-binary people aged 16-21 on the theme of ‘conversations’Calling all young black women and black non-binary writers aged 16-21. The Guardian is once again collaborating on a... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-10-22 11:23:42 UTC ]
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Lee Brackstone, publisher at White Rabbit, has acquired world all-language rights for Medical Grade Music directly from authors Steve Davis and Kavus Torabi. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-22 10:33:59 UTC ]
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Thank you, universe: We’re getting a queer Canadian grunge-era comedy series about Tegan and Sara Quin directed by Clea DuVall, and there’s literally nothing I can do to make that sentence better. The show will be based on High School, the sisters’ memoir of their adolescence in Calgary,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-10-21 18:12:12 UTC ]
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To close out October’s theme of beauty privilege, Kendra and Sumaiyya discuss Say Hello by Carly Findlay and If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha. From the episode: Sumaiyya: My discussion pick is If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha, which is set in Seoul, South Korea. This looks at four young women... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-10-21 08:47:55 UTC ]
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McConaughey’s memoir “Greenlights” is full of can-do thoughts about this thing he calls “livin.” Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-10-20 12:00:00 UTC ]
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In his long-awaited answer to the government's civil complaint, former national security adviser John Bolton denied that he broke any laws in publishing his bestselling memoir 'The Room Where It Happened.' But with a DoJ motion for Summary Judgment now pending before the court, it's unclear... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-10-20 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Headline will publish Two Hitlers and a Marilyn by Adam Andrusier in July 2021. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-19 12:19:03 UTC ]
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AMERICAN RELIGION WAS a shock to Frances Trollope. The reform-minded English writer came to the United States in 1827 with hopes of revitalizing her family finances. But she left disappointed after four years. In her memoir of her American travels, Trollope commented on the dynamic but... Continue reading at Los Angeles Review of Books
[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2020-10-18 12:30:49 UTC ]
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THE SOBER LUSH is not an essay collection about addiction and recovery; at its core, it’s a guide to a new perspective on what life can be without alcohol. Co-authors Amanda Ward and Jardine Libaire introduce their sobriety story by stating unequivocally that this memoir isn’t a “step program,”... Continue reading at Los Angeles Review of Books
[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2020-10-16 19:00:23 UTC ]
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In his memoir Cuomo recounts how daunting it was — and is — to deal with the day-to-day crises of the pandemic. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-10-16 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Géraldine Schwarz argues that historical reckoning is necessary to prevent repetitions of intolerance and targeted violence. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-10-16 12:00:00 UTC ]
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The Penguin Random House Ireland imprint buys medievalist Elizabeth Boyle's memoir hybrid. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-15 13:39:11 UTC ]
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This week in films that I just…I just can’t: the first trailer for Ron Howard’s adaptation of J. D. Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy is now live. Based on Vance’s bestselling memoir about growing up in, and then escaping from, an abandoned Rust Belt town ravaged by poverty and drug addiction, the film... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-10-14 15:41:25 UTC ]
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Mrs Hinch's memoir This is Me (Michael Joseph) has dusted off a second week in the UK Official Top 50 number one spot, selling 25,983 copies in its first full week on sale. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-12 18:35:40 UTC ]
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His memoir recounts his suspicions on Russia and has intriguing comments on Joe Biden. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-10-09 12:00:00 UTC ]
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“The road was a community in which we all pursued our destination at our own pace.” Lynne Sharon Schwartz on a lifetime in cars. | Lit Hub Memoir “People say I arrived in Trump’s America, but is it really Trump’s?” Ajibola Tolase making the move from Nigeria to the USA. | Lit Hub Politics “I’ve... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-10-09 10:30:37 UTC ]
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On this episode of Personal Space: The Memoir Show, Sari Botton interviews Maggie Smith, whose inspirational memoir, Keep Moving: Notes on Loss, Creativity, and Change, is published by Atria/One Signal Publishers. In the book, Smith intersperses bits of memoir — about moving forward after... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-10-09 08:48:58 UTC ]
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