memoir – Page 3 – Scott J. Pearson’s Book Review

In the Shadow of the Valley: A Memoir

By Scott J. Pearson | May 10, 2020 by Scott J. Pearson

Appalachia has long been an economically depressed region, and its social conditions are just as harsh. Bobi Conn’s story fully evokes these sentiments in readers’ hearts. She was raised in extremely oppressive circumstances (drugs; physical, sexual, and verbal abuse; limited opportunities). However, she learned to pour herself into reading and writing, and these activities allowed her to build a semblance of a good life. Nonetheless, she still grieves over the people – family, relationships, and…

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

By Scott J. Pearson | May 4, 2020 by Scott J. Pearson

Anne Lamott is a brilliant mentor to writers and to creative people in general. She spins her yarn with a conversational, west-coast style. In this book, she writes about redeeming our experiences to produce literature. She has learned many lessons in her life, and she shares their fruit in vivid detail here. She is most brilliant, in my opinion, not in her quality novels but when she functions as a memoir-writer-turned-spiritual-advisor. What she says is…

Biography-Memoir Healthcare

An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness

By Scott J. Pearson | January 31, 2020January 31, 2020 by Scott J. Pearson

Dr. Jamison is a clinical psychologist and professor at Johns Hopkins University. She also has struggled with bipolar disorder (otherwise known as manic-depression) for her entire life. Her topic of research and clinical expertise is bipolar disorder as well. Due to this rare combination of deep suffering and erudition, Dr. Jamison’s autobiography is of intense interest. She is able to view herself and her disease in an extraordinarily objective light. Thus, she can present her…

Biography-Memoir

Colored People

By Scott J. Pearson | November 24, 2019November 23, 2019 by Scott J. Pearson

Professor Gates is perhaps best known to the American people for being invited by President Obama to the “beer summit” on the White House lawn. More notably, he is an esteemed professor at Harvard and author of many works of literature. This work is his most accessible and, perhaps, his most entertaining. Simply, this work memorializes his childhood in West Virginia as his small hometown overcame segregation. Gates’ telling is memorable for its wittiness and…

Writing-Communication

Inventing the Truth: The Art and Craft of Memoir

By Scott J. Pearson | November 21, 2019November 24, 2019 by Scott J. Pearson

Writing a memoir, a very personal task, involves an individualized process that is specific to each author. This book contains insights from ten authors of meaningful memoirs. Some of their advice conflicts; at other times, their process is so grounded in history that it can never be replicated. As such, this work is less of a how-to book and more of an inspirational book to aid a budding writer’s self-confidence. I have taken from this…

Biography-Memoir Writing-Communication

Writing About Your Life: A Journey into the Past

By Scott J. Pearson | November 2, 2019April 1, 2020 by Scott J. Pearson

William Zinsser is famous for being an excellent coach for writers. He has mastered the art of communicating through words. He has followed an alternative career path that has brought him success and fulfillment. He shares his insights in this memoir of his life while coaching the reader how to write about her/his own life. Zinsser’s style is humble and consistently strikes the right tone for sharing the memory. That skill – sharing memories –…

Biography-Memoir Healthcare Science

The Youngest Science: Notes of a Medicine-Watcher

By Scott J. Pearson | August 28, 2019April 1, 2020 by Scott J. Pearson

Lewis Thomas spent his life revolving around various aspects of medicine – apprenticeship, patients, research, administration, being a patient, and writing. In this memoir, he shares tales and insights from all of these experiences in an easy-to-digest and relatable format. I especially enjoyed his notes from his time as Dean of Yale’s medical school. Perhaps it’s because I work for an associate dean of medicine now. I appreciate his admonishments not to intervene too much…