What Is a Memoir, and Should You Write One? (Part Two)

Before we get into the nuts and bolts of memoir creation, let’s talk about the benefits of getting your personal stories down on paper.

Marcus Garvey, a Jamaican political activist from the early 1900’s has said:

“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.”

And who has the responsibility to preserve their past history? You do.

Here’s another way of looking at personal or family histories:

“Knowing, recording, preserving, and sharing our family histories can provide countless benefits to individuals, families, and entire societies. Family history is more than pedigree charts, censuses, and birthdates — it can be a powerful antidote against adverse life experiences that we face today, giving us a stronger understanding of who we are and motivating us to deepen our roots for generations to come.” (Why We Need Family History Now More Than Ever: https://www.familysearch.org/)

And though the above quote is focused on family history, the same principles apply to personal history and its more refined cousin, the memoir.

The family history article quoted above discusses six benefits of learning about, and recording, personal history:

Core Identity

You can develop a strong sense of who you really are by knowing about your cultural background.

Connection

The desire to be connected and belong is fulfilled through the connections we form, not only with the living, but also with our ancestors. But in order to make these connections, we need to discover all we can about those who came before us.

Compassion

Knowing about the challenges your ancestors faced can help you understand and sympathize with them (and in some cases forgive them, and yourself, as well). This knowledge brings with it a better understanding of ourselves and how we can relate with, and to, those around us.

Resilience

Seeing how those who came before learned to cope with life’s challenges can inspire us to emulate those traits in our own lives.

Selflessness

Amy Harris, a Family History professor at BYU, put it this way:

“The act of being aware of and having a sense of responsibility to our ancestors, progenitors, and all of future humankind is an act of altruistic selflessness.”

Self-Worth

Again, from the Family History article:

“Our family history goes beyond the names and dates we find in our tree. It’s about what makes us who we are. It’s about people with whom we can form deep connections. It’s about people who lived and breathed and suffered and triumphed. It’s about roots and branches and leaves and entire forests. It’s about all of us” (Ibid).

Comments and questions are required welcomed. Ask me anything about memoirs, journaling or personal histories.