In the end, my attempts to narrow the term "memoir" results in my understanding of the genre being more, not less, uncertain. The only strong conclusion I can come to is that when I say I have been ...

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. According to the old adage, truth is stranger than fiction. The twists and turns of real life often manage to defy the surprises of our ...

This is an edition of the Books Briefing, our editors’ weekly guide to the best in books. Sign up for it here. The goal of writing a memoir is to excavate one’s essential humanity, then share it with ...

Do only narcissists write memoirs? And how much does it matter when memoirs are embroidered? These are the questions Daniel Mendelsohn explores in the January issue of The New Yorker. Mendelsohn ...