memoir

  • Nonfiction for Women’s History Month

    Nonfiction for Women’s History Month

    Celebrate Women’s History Month with this selection of recently published memoirs and history highlighting women in the United States, and find more in our booklist Women’s History Month 2025. The Movement: How Women’s Liberation Transformed America, 1963-1973 by Clara Bingham Weaving together over 100 oral histories, Bingham brings to life the first ten years of… Continue reading

  • Write On!: Writers Writing Life

    You’ve read their work, admire their writing and anticipate reading their next book. Have you ever wondered, from whence did those words spring forth? Some readers are curious about the forces that give shape to a writer’s identity. They are intrigued about the circumstances that were foundational to the development of an author’s work. Continue reading

  • Write On!: A Story Only You Can Tell, Writing a Memoir

    Your Life is a Book. The very act of writing the story of your life whether for yourself, your family and friends or for any reading eye, is significant. Where to begin? How will you capture those Shimmering Images in words that evoke the feelings, the meaning and importance of long ago moments? How do… Continue reading

  • Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves: Women in the Kitchen

    There’s that old patriarchal saying that “a woman’s place is in the kitchen,” but in an industry dominated by men, it’s actually a lot harder to “get in the kitchen.” Just last year the Department for Labor Statistics showed that only 19.7 percent of restaurant kitchens are run by women. Things are changing, but it’s… Continue reading

  • Library Reads: New books for February 2018

    This month’s Library Reads includes a book by a Washington author (The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah), a novel set in a library (Summer Hours at the Robbers Library by Sue Halpern), and a memoir reviewed by one of our librarians (Educated by Tara Westover). Time to place some holds! The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah Leni and… Continue reading

  • The Vietnam War: Essential Accounts

    There is no single story of the Vietnam War. In our second of four lists commemorating the premiere of Ken Burns’ and Lynn Novick’s ten part documentary series on the Vietnam War, we feature twenty-five memoirs and personal accounts of the War and its aftermath, representing a wide array of experiences and voices. Here are some highlights. Continue reading

  • Inside the Story: Immersive and Personal Journalism

    Memoir tends to be subjective, while journalistic writing aims at objective treatment of a topic. Then there are those books that combine these strengths, exploring a topic of interest from within, either through the eyes of someone whose experience gives them a revealing perspective, or a journalist who immerses themselves in the world they’re writing about. In both cases, the… Continue reading

  • Sexual Assault Awareness Month

    April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. While a difficult and uncomfortable topic for many to discuss, rape is a deep-seated and prevalent issue that has the ability to harm society just as much as any individual victim. Sexual assault affects everyone; no gender, class, ethnicity, or education can ensure absolute safety. Trauma narratives are as… Continue reading

  • Other kids

    So it’s pretty much a given that everyone in Seattle is on the hold’s list for Just Kids, Patti Smith’s new memoir about her friendship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. And while that book is all sorts of amazing, there are several other musician memoirs that don’t have a huge holds ratio and just might tide… Continue reading