In each Three to Read essay, the writer suggests three books that share a connective thread of interest. Barbara Eisenhart continues the series.

Ever since I was a young girl, I’ve loved reading books about strong women. Beginning in elementary school, I remember the library books on the shelf: Joan of Arc, Marie Curie, Amelia Earhart, Anne Frank, Eleanor Roosevelt, Pearl Buck, Helen Keller. These books were biographies, but in recent years, I’ve discovered the “memoir,” which is a collection of personal memories written by the women themselves. The memoir has become one of my favorite genres.

I have always been fascinated by Patti Smith (b. 1946) ever since she appeared at Second Chance in Ann Arbor, MI, in the 1970’s. We were at the University of Michigan at the time, and it was an exciting time for music. She had become popular in the latter 1960s and was known as a punk rocker but was also becoming known as a talented songwriter, author, and poet. Her memoir “Just Kids,” published in 2010, tells about her relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe, an upcoming photographer in the 1960s and 1970s in New York City. Patti and Robert lived together as struggling young artists at the Chelsea Hotel. This riveting account of their lives is a true love story. Before Robert died in 1989 from AIDS, he asked Patti to write their story. This memoir is that story. It is beautifully written, very poetic, and very moving. It won the National Book Award for Non-fiction in 2010.

Last year, my daughter Elizabeth and I were fortunate to see Michelle Obama (interviewed by Oprah Winfrey) at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. It was an incredible experience. I had read her book “Becoming” (2018) and loved it, especially the chapters describing her years growing up in South Side Chicago, where my husband Forry and I lived for two years in the 1970s. I could picture the neighborhoods she described, as well as her years working at the University of Chicago, where Forry attended graduate school. Her book “Becoming” is one of the best memoirs I have ever read. Michelle, who graduated from Princeton and Harvard Law School, served as First Lady of the United States and was the first African American to serve in that role (2009-2017). Her memoir is intimate, powerful, and inspiring.

Finally, the third memoir I have recently read is Joan Didion’s “The Year of Magical Thinking,” a portrait of a 40-year marriage in good times and bad. It won the National Book Award for Non-fiction in 2005. Didion, a journalist and writer, was born in CA and was married to John Gregory Dunne, also a writer. They spent every day together, writing and sharing their thoughts and ideas. His sudden death was devastating, and this book is Didion’s attempt to make sense of the weeks and months that followed. It is written with honesty and passion. I loved the references to their lives in the Los Angeles, CA neighborhoods of Malibu, Brentwood, and Santa Monica (1964-1988). They were married at San Ysidro Ranch in Montecito, CA, a beautiful place near Santa Barbara, where we once dined at the award-winning restaurant.

In conclusion, we note that while strong women have often been the topic of many biographies, they are now the writers themselves. This makes for exciting reading, knowing that their thoughts and feelings are truly their own and there can be no denying or misunderstanding their truth. The memoir has indeed become a popular genre in our world today, and I would venture to say that in addition to the satisfying aspect of reading a memoir, any one of us can write our own memoir to learn more about ourselves by finding clarity and meaning in our lives.

Just Kids, by Patti Smith
Becoming, by Michelle Obama
The Year of Magical Thinking, by Joan Didion

Barbara Eisenhart is a lover of books and strong women. She has been a community volunteer for over 40 years, serving many years on the Board of Governors of Guthrie Memorial Library - Hanover’s Public Library and the Board of Directors of the Hanover YWCA. She holds a B.S. degree in Secondary Education (French and English) from Shippensburg University (PA), studied her junior year abroad at Universite de Montpellier, Southern France, and completed her M.A. degree in French from Middlebury College (VT). Barbara has lived in Hanover, PA, since 1981 with her husband, Forry. They have three grown children and four adored grandchildren.

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Barbara Eisenhart, the Authors, Publishers, and/or Andrew T. Smith