The Power of Memoir: How to Write Your Healing Story

THE POWER OF MEMOIR: How to Write Your Healing Story (Jossey-Bass, a Wiley imprint; February 2010; $16.95; Paperback; ISBN: 978-0-470-50836-7) by Linda Joy Myers, Ph.D. is a pioneering, how-to book for memoir writing as a therapeutic process. By going through a unique step-by-step process, readers will learn how to choose their significant milestones and turning points while weeding out their lies and family myths. They’ll even explore their motivation to write a memoir. Is it about preserving memories, arguing about controversial conflicts of the past, or promulgating a religious or political point of view?

According to Dr. Myers, it's important not to sugar-coat or avoid obstacles, failures, losses, or dark nights in memoir writing, but rather to let the writer’s emerging truth define the trajectory of his or her life. Using numerous examples from her students and clients, she shows how carefully researched memoir writing can provide greater physical health and emotional healing. THE POWER OF MEMOIR also includes self-tests, checklists, and suggested tips and techniques for memoir writing that can be used by individuals ready to take stock of their lives or by counselors in a group setting.