In the exploration of self, the memoir is crafted, both as a form of artistic expression and as a release of authentic voice. Criteria for success in a memoir stems from the general notion that a reader will gain as much self-realization and insight as the writer portrays, through a related sense of growth and experience. With consideration of the parameters of a good memoir, as detailed in differing, yet not contrasting, ways throughout William Zinsser’s “Introduction to Inventing the Truth” and Henry Louis Gates, Jr.’s “Lifting the Veil”, Mark Salzman’s memoir Lost in Place successfully fulfills the requirements laid forth in Zinsser’s work, as bell hook’s memoir Bone Black finds success in meeting the stipulations presented by Gates, Jr.. These drastically different memoirs each find accomplishment in their individual approach, and are supported by the comparative criteria of Gates, Jr. and Zinsser.

When a writer seeks to bring his or her life to story, there are foundations of truth and history that must be strategically developed in a way that allows for proper craftsmanship of the memoir. This task is easily accomplished in Mark Salzman’s crafting of his memoir, Lost in Place. From the opening words, a heartfelt and honest dedication to the father who so intrinsically shaped his life, to the emancipated, adult response to his father at the end of his memoir when he stated that “…not everything works out the way you want it to. You learn to live with it though”, Salzman flawlessly builds his memoir on solid foundations of self-actualization blended with a developing sense of reality (Salzman, M. pg. 268-269).

As with all writing, crafting a memoir involves a release of emotive thought. Yet unlike other forms of prose, it demands introspective research that ultimately influences the resulting work in a personal, and oftentimes private, way. William Zinsser wrote that “Memoir is the best search mechanism that writers are given”, a concept that is realized throughout Salzman’s memoir (Zinsser, W. pg. 6). From his early, and incredibly astute, understanding that his father’s “angst created an opening for {him}”, an opportunity to carve out an identity of my own…all I had to do was become happy”, to his eventual realization that, regardless of his ability to successfully extract his own identity from that of his father’s, he had inherited many of the traits and pessimistic patterns that he tried to escape, Salzman effectively explores his sense of self through a myriad of personal quests (Salzman, pg. 20). Yet despite his ever-changing pursuit of happiness, and the various avenues he utilized in his search for enlightenment, it was his heritage, his pre-determined destiny, to become a man shaped by the values and ideals set forth by his father.

The more effortlessly a personal story flows, the less distracted a reader becomes by minute details that support the memory, but not the memoir. This intentional structuring of pertinent information is what makes a good memoir easy and pleasant to read. Through proper development of story, engagement and interest are easily maintained, leaving the reader free to insert their own experiences into their understanding of the work, and allowing nostalgia to draw them in. In addition to the crafting of the memoir, this expression of art is vital to its success, as described by Zinsser in his statement that “Memoir is how we try to make sense of who we are, who we once were, and what values and heritage shaped us” (Zinsser, W. pg. 6). Lost in Place quickly, and easily, establishes a solid structure that is rounded by the relatable and entertaining memories of Salzman’s quest for self-realization.

In a comparative, yet paradoxically parallel, exploration of success in the memoir, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. also calls for use of heritage, to give an authentic voice to those who share in a writer’s plight, yet don’t have the means or ability to express themselves.  This use of heritage is brilliantly illustrated in bell hooks’ memoir Bone Black. hooks constructs her memoir in chronological order, carrying the reader through each experience that has ultimately created her “struggle to create self and identity distinct from and yet inclusive of the world around me” (hooks, b., pg. xi). From exquisitely detailed portraits of the various women who have influenced and shaped her worldly vision, through which hooks beautifully illuminates the defining cultural accents discovered in each, to the earnest use of “irony and wit and self-deprecation, and also by being honest, or revelatory, about pain and fear”, hooks weaves her experiences into the fabric of her heritage, creating a work of art that transcends prose and portrait (Louis Gates Jr., pg. 109).

As hooks carries a reader through the life of a southern, black girl, she inundates her memories with her realized adult understanding of the societal oppression that shaped her experiences. Throughout her youth, hooks experienced life from the inside of a glass bottle, able to see the other side through the muddled and distorted lens well enough to know that she was trapped, walled in by her ethnicity. What begins as a youthful reflection of heritage through traditional cultural references, evolves into an exceedingly adult understanding of graver issues, such as segregation and racial discord. This darkness, that hooks comes to own in her unabashedly raw portrayal of self, perfectly executes the “unfolding of ego” that Louis Gates Jr. calls for in a memoir, and fulfils the requirement that the writer “deflect your presence…to move yourself to the periphery” (Louis Gates, Jr., pg. 109). Through intricate connections between hooks’ personal experiences and those of her larger community, past and present, she fashions a network of memories that follow her ascent from youth to adulthood, while demonstrating the internal descent she experienced as a result of the suppressive influences that altered her existence.

If inclusion of heritage and well-developed craftsmanship quantify a good memoir, as suggested by Zinsser in “Introduction…”, then Bone Black exceeds the requirements. Yet it is not in this realization that her memoir finds success, rather it is in the vulnerability of hooks’ writing, and the telling of a “new collective history” by giving voice to a “historically oppressed or narratively excluded group”, that Bone Black revels in artistic glory (Louis Gates Jr., pg. 111). As she recalls the many protections she had to take to guard herself against prejudice and hate, hooks garners empathy from readers who have established a deep connection with her over the course of the memoir, and a sense of comradery from those who have lived through the same hardships and have shared in the injustice. Louis Gates Jr. speaks of the need for this connection in his piece, “Lifting the Veil”, stating, “I think it’s very important for people in marginalized groups to tell multi-layered stories that address the problems of their oppression…their story has to be something that works like art. It has to work on several narrative levels” (Louis Gates, Jr., pg. 112). Bone Black accomplishes just that, in a deeply powerful and evocative way. hooks’ summation of story gives light to her bone black darkness in the release of her authentic voice, and the representation it provides any reader who has experienced oppression, whether that be of spirit, ability, freedoms, and rights, or all these and more.

The true art of a well-crafted memoir is found in the connection between reader and writer. The ability to construct a narrative based on real-life experiences and memories is difficult to achieve. Yet even upon accomplishment of this arduous task, success has not been established until some link is made between the storyteller and the audience. As defined by both Zinsser and Gates, Jr., success in a memoir constitutes a combination of healthy self-deprecation, a collective sense of heritage and past, and an authentic voice, one that entices relatability, while maintaining true originality. Bone Black and Lost in Place accomplish these, and many other, requirements in their search for acceptance, each finding success in the crafting of their memories.

 

   Works Cited

 

hooks, bell. Bone Black: Memories of Girlhood. New York: Henry Holt, 1996.

Salzman, Mark. Lost in Place: Growing Up Absurd in Suburbia. New York: Random House, 1995.

Zinsser, William. Inventing the Truth: The Art and Craft of Memoir. “Introduction to Inventing the Truth”. Boston & New York: Mariner Books, Houghton Mifflin, 1998.

Zinsser, William. Inventing the Truth: The Art and Craft of Memoir. Excerpt: Gates, Jr., Henry Louis. “Lifting the Veil”. Boston & New York: Mariner Books, Houghton Mifflin, 1998.