Memoirists tell the truth and expose their beating black hearts in "Why WeWrite About Ourselves. Vanity Fair" A terrific compendium of insight into the practical craft and philosophical dimensions of how and why the magnetism of memoir works over us and works us over, featuring contributions from masters of the genre [pair it with]Maran s previous anthology, the marvelous"Why We Write" a compendium of twenty celebrated writers reflections on why they do what they do and an excellent addition to thisevolving archive of timeless advice on the craft. "BrainPickings" "This is a book designed to be dipped into. Because there is so much wisdom in these pages. So much is distilled. The very act of creating a memoir requires so much writing, sifting, considering, and more analysis Bravissima." "East Hampton Star" Memoirists have long faced the same set of questions: How much truth should you tell? How many secrets can be exposed? What if the truth isnot as you remember it? They're all valid questions without easy answers, because it all depends on who you ask and Maran (Why We Write)asked some heavy hitters. "Library Journal" Reading memoirs, I have often wondered what leads someone to write something so intensely personal about not only themselves butthose around them. I have often wondered what impact a public memoir has on an author's personal life and relationships...These essays, to varying degrees, answer these questions. "Memories from Books" The book features twenty well-known authors candidly disclosing the origins of their memoirs. In response to Editor Maran s probing questions, achorus of diverse voices and varied motivations emerge from writers including Cheryl Strayed, Anne Lamott, Nick Flynn and James McBride. "AuthorLink" I m not exactly sure what I was expecting from this book, but, wow, it blew me away. In "Why We Write about Ourselves," twenty popular authorsshare their experiences of writing their own memoirs. They speak about revealing themselves, of being painfully honest, of protecting (or not) theones they love (or don t) After reading this book, oh man, my to-be-read list justgrew, like, exponentially. "Bug Bug Book Reviews" Read this book if you have any designs on writing a memoir. It's a quick read (lessthan a week), it's entertaining, and it should help put you in the right frame of mind to accomplish your task. "Flying Houses" You shouldn t have affairs. But definitely don t have one with a memoirist.That s one of the few real conclusions I can draw from Why We Write About Ourselves, a collection ofreflections and justifications from 20 practitioners of the memoir art. You know they re going to tell everyoneabout it. It s what they do. It s all they do Aren t those deepest intimacies precisely what we re after when we pick up amemoir? "Washington Post""

Meredith Maran, a passionate reader and writer of memoirs, is the author of thirteen nonfiction books and the acclaimed 2012 novel, "A Theory Of Small Earthquakes." Meredith also writes book reviews, essays, and features for newspapers and magazines including "People, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, The Chicago Tribune, Salon.com, "and "More." A member of the National Book Critics Circle, Meredith lives in a restored historic bungalow in Los Angeles, and on Twitter at @meredithmaran. Her next memoir, about starting over in Los Angeles, will be out from Blue Rider Press in 2017.