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"Supporting critical, ethical and global thinking."
The Oxford English Dictionary partially defines memoir as:
"Records of events or history written from the personal knowledge or experience of the writer"
Here's another way of defining memoir:
“Memoir” is from the French word mémoire, meaning memory or reminiscence. A written memoir is a collection of personal memories related to specific moments or experiences in the author’s life, connected to a person, event, place, or object. The writing is based on the author’s personal knowledge . . . For instance, it may be about the author’s experience of being held captive . . . fighting in a war. It might be about a recurring event, such as spending every childhood summer at a family cabin. - Definition taken from The Author Learning Center
A memoir is sometimes called an autobiography, except that oftentimes an autobiography chronicles the author's whole life, while a memoir will only tell the story of one part of the author's life.
Source Citations:
Author Learning Center. "The Differences between Memoir, Autobiography, and Biography." Author Learning Center, www.authorlearningcenter.com/writing/i-have-an-idea/w/choosing-your-topic/6397/the-differences-between-memoir-autobiography-and-biography---article. Accessed 25 Jan. 2019.
Oxford English Dictionary, editor. "Memoir." Oxford English Dictionary, www.oed.com/view/Entry/116334?redirectedFrom=memoir#eid. Accessed 25 Jan.
2019.
A memoir is a story told by the person who lived the experience, while a biography can be defined as:
...the story of events and circumstances of a person’s life, written by someone other than that person. It is usually written about a historical or public figure and can be written with or without the subject’s permission - Description adapted from The Author Learning Center
More about biographies from The Author Learning Center!
"A biographer researches and studies a person’s life to collect facts and create a historically accurate, multi-faceted picture of that individual’s experiences. The biography includes intricate details such as birthplace, educational background, work history, relationships, and death. Biographers analyze and interpret events in a person's life, looking for meaning in their actions, uncovering mistakes, solving mysteries, connecting details, and highlighting the significance of the person's accomplishments or life activities. They often write in chronological order, but sometimes organize writings by themes or specific accomplishments or topics."
Source Citation: Author Learning Center. "The Differences between Memoir, Autobiography, and Biography." Author Learning Center, www.authorlearningcenter.com/writing/i-have-an-idea/w/choosing-your-topic/6397/the-differences-between-memoir-autobiography-and-biography---article. Accessed 25 Jan. 2019.
More characteristics of memoirs:
- The author is the main character and the story is written from the author’s perspective using the first person singular voice (I, not we, one, or you).
- Unlike an autobiography that is written at the end of a life, a memoir can be written at any time because it is based on a specific time or experience.
- Memoirs are often less formal than an autobiography and focus on thoughts and feelings, reactions and reflections, seeking to connect with the emotion of an experience.
- Context, such as background information, is woven into the story but is not the focus of the story.
- Like a novel, it includes setting, character relationships, and dialogue
Source Citation: Author Learning Center. "The Differences between Memoir, Autobiography, and Biography." Author Learning Center, www.authorlearningcenter.com/writing/i-have-an-idea/w/choosing-your-topic/6397/the-differences-between-memoir-autobiography-and-biography---article. Accessed 25 Jan. 2019.
Simone Biles' entrance into the world of gymnastics may have started on a daycare field trip in her hometown of Spring, Texas, but her God-given talent, passion, and perseverance have made her one of the top gymnasts in the world, as well as a four-time winner of Olympic gold in Rio de Janeiro. But there is more to Simone than the nineteen medals--fourteen of them gold--and the Olympic successes. Simone shares the details of her inspiring personal story--one filled with the kinds of daily acts of courage that led her, and can lead you, to even the most unlikely of dreams.
Call No: B BILES
When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education. On Tuesday October 9, 2012, she almost paid the ultimate price.
Call No: B YOUSAFZAI ► Find eBook in Sora
Teen advocate and trailblazer Jazz Jennings--named one of "The 25 Most Influential Teens" of the year by Time--shares her very public transgender journey, as she inspires people to accept the differences in others while they embrace their own truths. In her remarkable memoir, Jazz reflects on these very public experiences and how they have helped shape the mainstream attitude toward the transgender community.
Call No: B JENNINGS ► Find eBook in Sora
In 1945, in a now-famous piece of World War II archival footage, four-year-old Michael Bornstein was filmed by Soviet soldiers as he was carried out of Auschwitz in his grandmother's arms. Survivors Club tells the unforgettable story of how a father's courageous wit, a mother's fierce love, and one perfectly timed illness saved his life, and how others in his family from Zarki, Poland, dodged death at the hands of the Nazis time and again with incredible deftness. Working from his own recollections as well as extensive interviews with relatives and survivors who knew the family, Michael relates his inspirational Holocaust survival story with the help of his daughter.
Call No: B BORNSTEIN
When a terrible drought struck William Kamkwamba's tiny village in Malawi, his family lost all of the season's crops, leaving them with nothing to eat and nothing to sell. William began to explore science books in his village library, looking for a solution. There, he came up with the idea that would change his family's life forever: he could build a windmill. Made out of scrap metal and old bicycle parts, William's windmill brought electricity to his home and helped his family pump the water they needed to farm the land. Retold for a younger audience, this exciting memoir shows how, even in a desperate situation, one boy's brilliant idea can light up the world.
Call No: B KAMKWAMBA ► Find eBook in Sora
In this heartbreaking and ultimately uplifting memoir, Aaron Philip, a fourteen-year-old with cerebral palsy, journeys from happy baby in Antigua to confident teen artist in New York City. These honest, often funny stories of triumph despite physical difficulties, poverty, and other challenges are as inspiring as they are eye-opening.
Call No: B PHILIP ► Find eBook in Sora
Find out where the bestselling author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The BFG got all his wonderful story ideas in this autobiographical account of his childhood! From his own life, of course! As full of excitement and the unexpected as his world-famous, best-selling books, Roald Dahl's tales of his own childhood are completely fascinating and fiendishly funny. Did you know that Roald Dahl nearly lost his nose in a car accident? Or that he was once a chocolate candy tester for Cadbury's? Have you heard about his involvement in the Great Mouse Plot of 1924?
Call Number: B DAHL ► Find eBook in Sora
In this inspiring memoir, adapted from the simultaneous version for adults, young readers will get to learn about Leland Melvin's remarkable life story, from being drafted by the Detroit Lions to bravely orbiting our planet in the International Space Station to writing songs with will.i.am, working with Serena Williams, and starring in top-rated television shows like The Dog Whisperer, Top Chef, and Child Genius. When the former Detroit Lion's football career was cut short by an injury, Leland didn't waste time mourning his broken dream. Instead, he found a new one--something that was completely out of this world. He joined NASA, braved an injury that nearly left him permanently deaf, and still managed to muster the courage and resolve to travel to space on the shuttle Atlantis to help build the International Space Station. Leland's problem-solving methods and can-do attitude turned his impossible-seeming dream into reality.
Call Number: B MELVIN
Born a Crime is the story of a mischievous young boy who grows into a restless young man as he struggles to find himself in a world where he was never supposed to exist. It is also the story of that young man's relationship with his fearless, rebellious, and fervently religious mother--his teammate, a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence, and abuse that would ultimately threaten her own life. The stories collected here are by turns hilarious, dramatic, and deeply affecting. Whether subsisting on caterpillars for dinner during hard times, being thrown from a moving car during an attempted kidnapping, or just trying to survive the life-and-death pitfalls of dating in high school, Trevor illuminates his curious world with an incisive wit and unflinching honesty.
Call Number: B NOAH ► Find eBook in Sora
In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. As First Lady of the United States of America - the first African-American to serve in that role - she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world, dramatically changing the ways that families pursue healthier and more active lives, and standing with her husband as he led America through some of its most harrowing moments.
Call Number: B OBAMA ► Find eBook in Sora
In 1956, one year before federal troops escorted the Little Rock 9 into Central High School, fourteen year old Jo Ann Allen was one of twelve African-American students who broke the color barrier and integrated Clinton High School in Tennessee. At first things went smoothly for the Clinton 12, but then outside agitators interfered, pitting the townspeople against one another. Uneasiness turned into anger, and even the Clinton Twelve themselves wondered if the easier thing to do would be to go back to their old school. Jo Ann--clear-eyed, practical, tolerant, and popular among both black and white students---found herself called on as the spokesperson of the group. But what about just being a regular teen? This is the heartbreaking and relatable story of her four months thrust into the national spotlight and as a trailblazer in history. Based on original research and interviews and featuring backmatter with archival materials and notes from the authors on the co-writing process.
Call Number: B BOYCE ► Find eBook in Sora
Combining family stories of the everyday and the extraordinary as seen through the eyes of her twelve-year-old self, Willie Mae Brown gives readers an unforgettable portrayal of her coming of age in a town at the crossroads of history. As the civil rights movement and the fight for voter rights unfold in Selma, Alabama, many things happen inside and outside the Brown family's home that do not have anything to do with the landmark 1965 march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Yet the famous outrages which unfold on that span form an inescapable backdrop in this collection of stories. In one, Willie Mae takes it upon herself to offer summer babysitting services to a glamorous single white mother--a secret she keeps from her parents that unravels with shocking results. In another, Willie Mae reluctantly joins her mother at a church rally, and is forever changed after hearing Martin Luther King Jr. deliver a defiant speech in spite of a court injunction. Infused with the vernacular of her Southern upbringing, My Selma captures the voice and vision of a fascinating young person--perspicacious, impetuous, resourceful, and even mystical in her ways of seeing the world around her--who gifts us with a loving portrayal of her hometown while also delivering a no-holds-barred indictment of the time and place.
Call Number: B BROWN ► Find eBook in Sora
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * Kids will be inspired to embrace their inner weirdness and persevere through obstacles after reading this empowering collection of true stories from teenage Scripps National Spelling Bee champ and Guinness World Record holder Zaila Avant-garde! Includes 8 pages of never-before-seen photos. After Zaila Avant-garde became the first African American student to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee in 2021, she turned into an overnight sensation. People wanted to know who she was and how she'd achieved so much while so young. In this nonfiction book, Zaila shares the personal anecdotes that have shaped her life and extends advice to readers on living authentically. While Zaila is an exceptional and inspiring young woman, she has fears and anxieties just like everyone else; what makes her remarkable is the way she chooses to move through the obstacles in front of her. Zaila shares about her family, her accomplishments, her experience of being homeschooled, and so much more in order to motivate and uplift other kids who have small-, medium-, and even big-sized dreams.
Call Number: B AVA
From the New York Times bestselling author and National Book Award finalist, a biography in verse and prose of science fiction visionary Octavia Butler, author of Parable of the Sower and Kindred. Acclaimed novelist Ibi Zoboi illuminates the young life of the visionary storyteller Octavia E. Butler in poems and prose. Born into the Space Race, the Red Scare, and the dawning Civil Rights Movement, Butler experienced an American childhood that shaped her into the groundbreaking science-fiction storyteller whose novels continue to challenge and delight readers fifteen years after her death.
Call Number: B BUTLER ► Find eBook in Sora
WINNER OF THE MILDRED L. BATCHELDER AWARD! In this award-winning memoir translated from Italian to English, a Jewish girl grows up during a difficult time of racial discrimination and war, and discovers light in unexpected places. This classic, powerful story from Lia Levi is adapted for young readers, with beautiful black-and-white illustrations, a family photo album, and a powerful author's note to readers. 1938, Italy. Six-year-old Lia loves to build sandcastles at the beach and her biggest problem is her shyness and quiet, birdlike voice--until prime minister Mussolini joins forces with Hitler in World War II, and everything changes. Now there are laws saying Jewish children can't go to school, Jews can't work, or go on vacation. It's difficult for Lia to understand why this is happening to her family. When her father loses his job, they must give up their home and move from city to city. As war comes closer, it becomes too dangerous to stay together, and Lia and her sisters are sent to hide at a convent. Will she ever be "just a girl" again? The memoir is full of poignant moments of friendship and loss, dreaded tests at school, told in Lia's captivating voice, as she grows into a young teen. Just a Girl is an important addition to the WWII Jewish canon.
Call Number: B LEV
Born to a Jewish family in a small Polish village, Estelle Nadel―then known as Enia Feld―was just seven years old when the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939. Once a vibrant child with a song for every occasion, Estelle would eventually lose her voice as, over the next five years, she would survive the deaths of their mother, father, their eldest brother and sister, and countless others.
A child at the mercy of her neighbors during a terrifying time in history, The Girl Who Sang is an enthralling first-hand account of Estelle's fight for survival during World War II. She would weather loss, betrayal, near-execution, and spend two years away from the warmth of the sun―all before the age of eleven. And once the war was over, Estelle would walk barefoot across European borders and find remnants of home in an Austrian displaced persons camp before finally crossing the Atlantic to arrive in New York City―a young woman carrying the unseen scars of war.
Call Number: B NAD ► Find eBook in Sora
Muzoon was fourteen years old when her family made the wrenching decision to leave their home in Syria. War had begun. Peaceful protests were met with shootings. Next, bombs were flying overhead. Even still, Muzoon wanted to stay. What would become of her in a refugee camp? Would there be a school there? Would she ever be able to go home again? In this inspiring memoir, Muzoon shares how she grew up as a refugee. And how she spoke up for what she needed: A chance to learn. A chance to make a difference. Muzoon wasn't just fighting for herself--she wanted to help other refugee kids, too. And she shows how one stubborn, determined girl can change the world.
Call Number: B ALMELLEHAN ► Find eBook in Sora
Instead of giving him lunch money, Rex’s mom has signed him up for free meals. As a poor kid in a wealthy school district, better-off kids crowd impatiently behind him as he tries to explain to the cashier that he’s on the free meal program. The lunch lady is hard of hearing, so Rex has to shout.
Free Lunch is the story of Rex’s efforts to navigate his first semester of sixth grade―who to sit with, not being able to join the football team, Halloween in a handmade costume, classmates and a teacher who take one look at him and decide he’s trouble―all while wearing secondhand clothes and being hungry. His mom and her boyfriend are out of work, and life at home is punctuated by outbursts of violence. Halfway through the semester, his family is evicted and ends up in government-subsidized housing in view of the school. Rex lingers at the end of last period every day until the buses have left, so no one will see where he lives.
Call Number: B OGLE ► Find eBook in Sora