We’ve identified some of the best books for memoir writing, editing, and oral histories. These books are all available from Amazon.com.<\/p>\n
Balzer, Paula.\u00a0Writing & Selling Your Memoir: How to Craft Your Life Story So That Somebody Else Will Actually Want to Read It<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0July 9, 2011.<\/p>\n Barrington, Judith.\u00a0Writing the Memoir: From Truth to Art, Second Edition<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em>Portland, Ore.: The Eighth Mountain Press\u00a0(February 1, 2002)<\/p>\n DeBartolo Carmack, Sharon, and Katherine Scott Sturdevant,\u00a0Bringing Your Family History to Life Through Social History<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em>Betterway Books; 1st edition (August 2000)<\/p>\n DeBartolo Carmack, Sharon,\u00a0You Can Write Your Family History<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em>March 20, 2009.<\/p>\n Goldberg, Natalie.\u00a0Old Friend from Far Away: The Practice of Writing Memoir<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0Free Press (March 10, 2009)<\/p>\n Goldberg, Natalie.\u00a0Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0Shambhala; 1 Expanded edition (March 30, 2010)<\/p>\n Kempthorne, Charley.\u00a0For All Time: A Complete Guide to Writing Your\u00a0Family History<\/a><\/em>. Portsmouth, N.H.: Boynton Cook Publishers, Heineman. 1996.<\/p>\n Kramer, Mark, and Wendy Call. Telling True Stories: A Nonfiction Writers’ Guide from the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University<\/a><\/em>. January 30, 2007.<\/p>\n Ledoux, Denis. The Photo Scribe: A Writing Guide: How to Write the Stories behind Your Photographs<\/a><\/em>. Lisbon Falls, Maine: Soleil Press, April 1, 2008.<\/p>\n Ledoux, Denis.\u00a0Turning Memories Into Memoirs, A Handbook for Writing Lifestories<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em>Lisbon Falls, Maine: Soleil Press, Sept. 20, 2005.<\/p>\n Myers, Linda.\u00a0The Power of Memoir: How to Write Your Healing Story<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0January 26, 2010.<\/p>\n Polking, Kirk.\u00a0Writing Family Histories and Memoirs<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>. Cincinnati: Betterway Books, 1995.<\/p>\n Rainer, Tristine.\u00a0Your Life as Story: Writing the New Autobiography<\/a><\/em>. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1997.<\/p>\n Roorbach, Bill.\u00a0Writing Life Stories: How to Make Memories into Memoirs, Ideas into Essays and Life into Literature<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em>Writer’s Digest Books; 2 edition. July 1, 2008.<\/p>\n Rosenbluth, Vera.\u00a0Keeping Family Stories Alive: Discovering & Recording the Stories & Reflections of A Lifetime\u00a0<\/a><\/em>(2nd ed). Vancouver, B.C.: Hartley & Marks Publishers, Inc., 1997.<\/p>\n Rosenbluth, Vera.\u00a0Classic Scrapbooking: The Art and Craft of Creating a Book of Memories.<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>Point Roberts, Washington: Hartley & Marks Publishers, Inc., 1998.<\/p>\n Silverman, Sue William. \u00a0Fearless Confessions: A Writer’s Guide to Memoir<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0University of Georgia Press (June 1, 2009).<\/p>\n Smith, Marion Roach.\u00a0The Memoir Project: A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text for Writing & Life<\/a>.\u00a0Grand Central Publishing; Original edition (June 9, 2011)<\/p>\n Zinsser, William, editor.\u00a0Inventing the Truth: The Art and Craft of Memoir<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em>New York:\u00a0Houghton Mifflin Co., Revised edition May 1998.<\/p>\n Associated Press,\u00a0The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em>Basic Books; Forty-fifth Edition edition (July 26, 2011)<\/p>\n Cappon, Rene J. \u00a0Associated Press Guide to Newswriting: The Resource for Professional Journalists<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0Peterson’s; 3 edition (1999)<\/p>\n Cappon, Rene Jack. The Associated Press Guide to Punctuation<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em>Basic Books (January 7, 2003).<\/p>\n The Chicago Manual of Style<\/a><\/em>,\u00a0University Of Chicago Press; 16 edition (August 1, 2010)<\/p>\n Clark, Roy Peter. \u00a0Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer<\/a>.\u00a0Little, Brown and Company (January 10, 2008)<\/p>\n Kessler, Lauren.\u00a0When Words Collide: A Media Writer’s Guide to Grammar and Style<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em>Wadsworth Pub Co; 6th edition (April 2003)<\/p>\n Lamott, Anne.\u00a0Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life<\/a>.\u00a0Anchor; 1 edition (September 1, 1995)<\/p>\n Strunk, William, Jr. and E.B. White.\u00a0The Elements of Style<\/a><\/em>. 4th edition. Longman. January 15, 2000. Free online at Bartleby.com<\/a><\/p>\n Zinsser, William.\u00a0On Writing Well, 30th \u00a0Anniversary: The Classic Guide to Writing Non-Fiction<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em>New York: Harper Perennial; 30 Anv edition (May 9, 2006)<\/p>\n Brady, John.\u00a0The Craft of Interviewing<\/a><\/em>. New York: Vintage Books, 1977.<\/p>\n Grobel, Lawrence.\u00a0The Art of the Interview: Lessons from a Master of the Craft.\u00a0<\/a><\/em>Three Rivers Press; 1 edition (August 31, 2004)<\/p>\n Metzler, Ken.\u00a0Creative Interviewing: The Writer’s Guide to Gathering Information by Asking Questions\u00a0<\/a><\/em>(3rd Edition). Hard to find but a great book on interviewing.<\/p>\n Sedorkin, Gail.\u00a0Interviewing: A Guide for Journalists and Writers<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0Allen & Unwin; Second Edition, Second edition edition (September 1, 2011)<\/p>\n Borg, Mary and Joyce Turley.\u00a0<\/a>Writing Your Life: An Easy to Follow Guide to Writing an Autobiography<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em>Fort Collins, Colo.: Cottonwood Press, 1989.<\/p>\n Campbell, Jennifer. \u00a0Start & Run a Personal History Business: Get Paid to Research Family Ancestry and Write Memoirs<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0Self-Counsel Press; Pap\/Cdr edition (February 24, 2012)<\/p>\n Carl, David, and Marshal Marshall,\u00a0Book of Myself: A Do-It- Yourself Autobiography in 201 Questions<\/a>.\u00a0Hyperion; Revised edition (January 9, 2007)<\/em><\/p>\n Daniel, Lois.\u00a0How to Write Your Own Life Story: The Classic Guide for the Nonprofessional Writer<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0Chicago Review Press; Fourth Edition, Fourth edition edition (August 1, 1997)<\/p>\n Foltz, Sharon.\u00a0Passing Your Heritage On: A Guide to Writing Your Family Stories<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em>Rainbow Ridge Publications (May 28, 1998). Updated 2008.<\/p>\n Greene, Bob, and D.G. Fulford.\u00a0To Our Children’s Children:\u00a0Preserving Family Histories for Generations to Come<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0Doubleday (February 1, 1993)<\/p>\n Greene, Bob.\u00a0To Our Children’s Children Journal of Family Memories<\/a>. \u00a0Doubleday (October 20, 1998)<\/em><\/p>\n Spence, Linda. Legacy: A Step-By-Step Guide to Writing Personal History<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0Swallow Press; 1 edition (November 1, 1997)<\/p>\n Boyer, Paul S.\u00a0The Oxford History of the United States<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0Oxford University Press, USA (July 4, 2001).<\/p>\n Commager, Henry Steele.\u00a0Pocket History of the United States<\/a>.\u00a0P<\/em>ocket Books; 9th Revised edition (August 1, 1992). An old one but good one.<\/p>\n Joyce, Robert D.\u00a0Astonishing Century<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em>Santa Ana, Calif.: Hawthorne House, 1999.<\/p>\n Kirk, Ruth, and Carmela Alexander.\u00a0Exploring Washington’s Past: A Road Guide to History<\/a>.<\/em>\u00a0Univ of Washington Pr; Revised edition (October 1995)<\/p>\n Schweikart, Larry, and Michael Allen. A Patriot’s History of the United States: From Columbus’s Great Discovery to the War on Terror<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0Sentinel Trade; Reprint edition (February 27, 2007) History from the conservative persective.<\/p>\n Zinn, Howard.\u00a0A People’s History of the United States: 1492 to Present<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0Harper Perennial Modern Classics (August 2, 2005). History from a socialist’s perspective.<\/p>\n Zinn, Howard.\u00a0A People’s History of the United States (P.S.)<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0Harper Perennial Modern Classics; Dlx Rep edition (November 2, 2010)<\/p>\n Riemer, Jack and Nathaniel Stampfer.\u00a0So That Your Values Live On\u2014Ethical Wills and How to Prepare Them<\/a><\/em>. LongHill Partners, Inc. (March 2, 2009)<\/p>\n Baines, Barry K.\u00a0Ethical Wills: Putting Your Values on Paper<\/a><\/em>. Second Edition. Da Capo Press; 2nd edition (April 4, 2006)<\/p>\n Baines, Barry K.\u00a0The Ethical Will Resource Kit<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em>Josaba Ltd (April 22, 1998)<\/p>\n Baines, Barry K.\u00a0The Ethical Will Writing Guide Workbook<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em>Josaba Ltd. (February 7, 2001)<\/p>\n Freed, Rachael,\u00a0Women’s Lives, Women’s Legacies: Passing Your Beliefs and Blessings to Future Generations: Creating Your Own Spiritual-Ethical Will<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em>Fairview Press (August 27, 2003)<\/p>\n Angrosino, Michael V.\u00a0Exploring Oral History: A Window on the Past<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0Waveland Pr Inc; 1st edition (April 25, 2008)<\/p>\n Baum, Willa K.\u00a0Transcribing and Editing Oral History<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em>American Association for State and Local History, 1400 8th Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37203, 1977 – Revised 1991.<\/p>\n Dunaway, David K. And Willa K. Baum, eds.\u00a0Oral History: An Interdisciplinary Anthology<\/a><\/em>, 2nd ed.\u00a0Altamira Press; Second Edition edition (September 18, 1996)<\/p>\n Hart, Cynthia, and Lisa Samson.\u00a0The Oral History Workshop: Collect and Celebrate the Life Stories of Your Family and Friends.\u00a0<\/a><\/em>Workman Publishing Company; Original edition (November 26, 2009)<\/p>\n Hoopes, James.\u00a0Oral History: An Introduction for Students<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina\u00a0Press, 1979.<\/p>\n Nuenschwander, John N., Ph.D., J.D.\u00a0A Guide to\u00a0Oral History and the Law<\/a>.\u00a0Oxford University Press, USA (September 28, 2009)<\/em><\/p>\n Perks, Robert, and Alistair Thomson.\u00a0The Oral History Reader.\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>Routledge; 2 edition (May 30, 2006)<\/p>\n Portelli, Alessandro.\u00a0The Death of Luigi Trastulli and Other Stories: Form and Meaning in Oral History<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0Albany: SUNY Press, 1991.<\/p>\n Ritchie, Donald A.\u00a0Doing Oral History<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em>New York:\u00a0Oxford University Press, USA; 2 edition (August 7, 2003)<\/p>\n Schneider, William.\u00a0So They Understand: Cultural Issues in Oral History<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0Utah State University Press; 1 edition (November 8, 2002)<\/p>\n Schorzman, Terri A.\u00a0A Practical Introduction to Videohistory: The Smithsonian Institution and Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Experiment<\/a><\/em>. Melbourne, Fla.: Krieger Publishing Co., 1993.<\/p>\n Thompson, Paul.\u00a0The Voice of the Past: Oral History<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em>2nd ed. (May 2000) NewYork: Oxford University Press.<\/p>\n Yow, Valerie Raleigh.\u00a0Recording Oral History: A Guide for the Humanities and Social S<\/a>ciences<\/em>.\u00a0Altamira Press; 2nd edition edition (April 7, 2005)<\/p>\n Albom, Mitch.\u00a0Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life’s Greatest Lesson<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em>Broadway (October 8, 2002)<\/p>\n Burch, Jennings Michael.\u00a0They Cage the Animals at Night<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0Signet; Reprint edition (October 1, 1985)<\/p>\n DeMuth, Mary E.\u00a0Thin Places: A Memoir<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0Zondervan (January 5, 2010)<\/p>\n Flynn, Laura M.\u00a0Swallow the Ocean: A Memoir<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0Counterpoint; First Trade Paper Edition edition (February 1, 2009)<\/p>\n Kimmel, Haven. A Girl.\u00a0A Girl Named Zippy: Growing Up Small in Mooreland, Indiana<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0Broadway; Today Show Book Club edition (September 3, 2002)<\/p>\n McCourt, Frank.\u00a0Angela’s Ashes: A Memoir<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em>New York:\u00a0Scribner; 1St Edition edition (May 25, 1999)<\/p>\n Walls, Jeannette.\u00a0The Glass Castle: A Memoir<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0Scribner; 1 edition (January 9, 2006)<\/p>\n Walls, Jeannette.\u00a0Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0Scribner; Reprint edition (September 7, 2010)<\/p>\n Westover, Tara. Educated<\/em><\/a>. Random House. 2018.<\/p>\nWriting and Editing<\/strong><\/h1>\n
Interviewing<\/h1>\n
Do-It-Yourself Books<\/h1>\n
History<\/h1>\n
Ethical Wills<\/strong><\/h1>\n
Oral History<\/h1>\n
Great Memoirs<\/h1>\n