Jul 29 Watch 9:31 Journalist's memoir portrays Maria Schneider's life beyond 'Last Tango in Paris' By John Yang, Claire Mufson, Juliet Fuisz At 19, French actor Maria Schneider was launched into the spotlight for her role in the erotic drama “Last Tango in Paris.” The notorious film made her famous, but haunted the rest of her life. But she was more than… Continue watching
May 21 Watch 5:47 'Everyone has a story.' Growing industry makes memoir-writing more accessible By Jeffrey Brown, Lorna Baldwin, Andrew Corkery, Kaisha Young What is our legacy? What do we leave behind after we’re gone? During the pandemic, many of us pondered these questions. Now, more people are passing on their stories in the form of memoirs. As Jeffrey Brown reports, these books… Continue watching
Jan 24 How Terese Marie Mailhot came to terms with her father's life and death By Courtney Vinopal “The stories I wrote about him always had murky endings, where you could tell the protagonist had unfinished business with him, and that she had been hurt,” said the author of "Heart Berries."… Continue reading
Jan 06 Discussion questions for 'Heart Berries' By Courtney Vinopal Terese Marie Mailhot’s “Heart Berries,” a memoir that addresses the trauma experienced by indigenous people across generations, is our January 2020 book pick. Continue reading
May 31 Watch 6:13 'Educated' author Tara Westover answers your questions Tara Westover, author of our May pick for the NewsHour-New York Times book club Now Read This, joins Jeffrey Brown to answer questions from readers, plus Jeff announces June’s book. Continue watching
Nov 30 Watch 6:22 Marine and photojournalist reframe the war-wounded soul in a new memoir By PBS News Hour, Nick Schifrin Photographer Finbarr O'Reilly and former U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Thomas Brennan both went through the intensity of combat, and the loneliness and doubt that follows. Now they’ve written a dual memoir, "Shooting Ghosts," a story of two lives that came… Continue watching
Nov 14 Watch 7:01 How Amy Tan's family stories made her a storyteller By Jeffrey Brown Amy Tan was going to write a book about writing. But what came to her mind instead were memories of childhood, reflections on family treasures, photos, documents. In “Where The Past Begins: A Writer’s Memoir,” Tan explores revelations about her… Continue watching
Nov 10 5 memoirs about family you need to read, from Amy Tan By Elizabeth Flock Amy Tan often explores the fraught relationship between mothers and daughters in her writing, including in her new memoir. Here are 5 other memoirs about family that she recommends. Continue reading
May 19 Watch 3:35 To Richard Ford, writing a memoir is to utter what must not be erased By PBS News Hour Richard Ford's parents were ordinary people, "all but un-noticeable to the world's disinterested eye." But the acclaimed writer still decided to write a memoir of their lives because, to him, being their son felt like a privilege. And more simply,… Continue watching
Oct 02 Watch 6:55 Seeking her kitchen's comforts, food writer Ruth Reichl rediscovers the awe of cooking By PBS News Hour Ruth Reichl, one of the country's most prominent food writers, was editor of the nation's oldest food and wine magazine for a decade. Then in 2009, Gourmet was abruptly shut down by the publisher. Out of a job, what did… Continue watching