Category Archives: Book review
Book Review: Deborah Wilbrink, “Time to Tell Your Personal & Family History”
Deborah Wilbrink of Perfect Memoirs knows how to get to the story, and shares that skill with readers in Time to Tell Your Personal & Family History, which she published in January 2016. The book is equally useful to the personal historian or … Continue reading
Book Review: “Om Namah…” by Kalyanii
Readers of True Stories Well Told who have read Kalyanii’s earlier essays will cheer, as I do, her accomplishment in publishing her novel Om Namah. Its straightforward categorization as “FICTION / Contemporary women” hides the deep and subtle interplay between … Continue reading
Book review: “Second Wind” by Dr. Bill Thomas
I mentioned thought-leader/geriatrician Bill Thomas’ book Second Wind: Navigating the Passage to a Slower, Deeper, and More Connected Life in a post earlier this month about “Bedside Books.” I’m ready to share a more complete review. Second Wind is fundamentally about … Continue reading
Bedside books
On this Thanksgiving morning, I am grateful for books–and the time to read them. Here are the books currently on my nightstand: Two have been there since last winter. One joined the stack after a conversation with a feminist last … Continue reading
Finding “The Once”–advice from Alan Gelb, author of Having the Last Say
As a writing coach, I have found myself focusing more and more on encouraging people to GO SMALL. Keep it concrete, specific, situated in one uninterrupted run of time. Give us one moment that stands for the larger whole, one afternoon in your mother’s … Continue reading
Book Review: Walking with Abel: Journeys with the Nomads of the African Savannah
There should be more “eye” than “I” in memoir, the saying goes. Walking with Abel by Anna Badkhen pleased me deeply, precisely because she is so good at getting this balance right. Walking with Abel is her memoir of a year … Continue reading
“Wild” vs. “Orange Is the New Black” Smackdown
I just finished reading Piper Kerman’s Orange Is the New Black, and recently saw the movie adaptation of Cheryl Strayed’s Wild, which I read a year ago and have been re-reading sporadically since. These two books are ready … Continue reading
Annie’s Ghosts: A Journey into a Family Secret, by Steve Luxenberg
It’s been a while since I posted a book review! Life hasn’t allowed me much time for reading. But at the recent Association of Personal Historians conference, Steve Luxenberg presented a keynote about Annie’s Ghosts: A Journey into a Family Secret, in which he described a … Continue reading
“Inspiring!” Fireflies at Twilight: Letters from Pat Adams
In early September I had the pleasure of welcoming a book I midwifed into the world. This is one of the great moments in the life of a personal historian. How often do any of us get to see the tangible … Continue reading
News from “Mountain Girl” Stephanie Kadel Taras
I received this email from my APH colleague Stephanie Kadel Taras, author of Mountain Girls, this morning. I posted an interview and excerpt from her book earlier this year. I’m pleased to share her news! -Sarah White Hello friends! I’m excited … Continue reading
True Stories Well Told 