Memoir writing seems to be 'in the air', particularly on the radio waves! The book I'm just starting for my book group, 'Elephant Bill', turns out to be a memoir, with a wonderfully engaging first paragraph.
On the radio waves, I was particularly moved by a memoir from a soldier, Barry Heard, with experience of PTSD from having been a soldier in the Vietnam war. It led me to reflect back on a friend, a primary school teacher whose PTSD was the eventual cause of a relatively early death. As Barry recounts, I can remember my friend eventually taking the huge step of speaking to primary school children about his experience on Anzac Day, how hard this still was for him to do. Listening to this memoir, I was glad that I had supported my friend in recognizing the severity of his PTSD and seeking treatment for it, but sad that I hadn't fully understood its impact on him and the difficulty of recovery. The story about speaking to the schoolchildren Barry read out towards the end of the interview particularly moved me.
Link: http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/verbatim/memories-of-vietnam---barry-heard/2972096
Another memoir,
Then just today I came across Phillip Adams interview with Kate Grenville on Late Night Live last week.... there's an edited version of the interview in the following Youtube video.
On the radio waves, I was particularly moved by a memoir from a soldier, Barry Heard, with experience of PTSD from having been a soldier in the Vietnam war. It led me to reflect back on a friend, a primary school teacher whose PTSD was the eventual cause of a relatively early death. As Barry recounts, I can remember my friend eventually taking the huge step of speaking to primary school children about his experience on Anzac Day, how hard this still was for him to do. Listening to this memoir, I was glad that I had supported my friend in recognizing the severity of his PTSD and seeking treatment for it, but sad that I hadn't fully understood its impact on him and the difficulty of recovery. The story about speaking to the schoolchildren Barry read out towards the end of the interview particularly moved me.
Link: http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/verbatim/memories-of-vietnam---barry-heard/2972096
Another memoir,
Then just today I came across Phillip Adams interview with Kate Grenville on Late Night Live last week.... there's an edited version of the interview in the following Youtube video.
