If someone were to ask me what my favorite nonfiction genre was, I’d have to say memoir. There’s just something special about the way that writers craft this simplified version of their lives that enthralls me. Their writing, scene work, dialogue — it all helps build the writer’s story. And since it’s Women’s History Month, I thought we’d take a look at different women’s memoirs and celebrate these women telling their own stories.
Want to make your book club the best club? Sign up for our In the Club newsletter. In the Club will deliver recommendations for the best books to discuss in your book clubs. From buzzy new releases to brilliant throwbacks, the books highlighted in this newsletter will drive your book club discussions. We’ll also share some book club-friendly recipes and interesting bookish updates from all over. If you become a paid subscriber, you get even more recommendations, plus community features. In other words, we’ll keep you well-met, well-read, and well-fed. Sign up today!
Bookish Goods
Vinyl Sticker | Virginia Woolf | Anonymous by Small Deeds
I saw this and knew that I had to share it with y’all. This cute sticker features one of Virginia Woolf’s most famous quotes. Plus, the illustration style is pretty eye-catching, too. $4
New Releases
Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir by Tessa Hulls
Feeding Ghosts is one of the most stunning graphic memoirs I’ve seen in the last couple of years. Tessa Hulls shares the story of three generations of women in her family as they flee communist China and eventually move to the United States.
Here After: A Memoir by Amy Lin
Amy Lin’s new memoir follows her life following the death of her husband, which happened shortly after their wedding. Here After is a portrait of their relationship and the long-term impact loving him made on Lin’s life.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter!
Riot Recommendations
Splinters by Leslie Jamison
Leslie Jamison has a way of writing a sentence that reads like magic. And this time, she’s writing about the birth of her daughter and her divorce from her daughter’s father. Splinters looks at Jamison’s splintered identity — as a daughter, mother, wife, girlfriend, artist, academic, writer — and how these many facets of who she is have informed her art. The memoir is divided up into different sections, each examining a state of mind or a phase in Jamison’s life. They build on one another, giving us a more complete picture of Jamison’s lived experience.
Somebody’s Daughter by Ashley C. Ford
I love Ashley C. Ford’s writing, and back in 2021, I couldn’t get my hands on her memoir fast enough. Ford grows up feeling isolated and misunderstood. Her family says she’s overly sensitive, but her dad gets her. Except, her dad is in prison, and she’s not sure how he got there. This beautiful memoir of working through one’s trauma, learning to let go, and making a new, better life for oneself is incredible. Ford’s insights and observations invite readers to view the world and their own lives in a whole new way.
That’s it for this week! You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave, over on Instagram @kdwinchester, on TikTok @kendrawinchester, or on my podcast Read Appalachia. As always, feel free to drop me a line at kendra.d.winchester@gmail.com. For even MORE bookish content, you can find my articles over on Book Riot.
Happy reading, Friends!
~ Kendra