Machado’s book In the Dream House is my starting point, but all the books on this list take the genre in some new direction. Sometimes writers do something unusual on the page such as incorporating images, charts, translations, or footnotes. Sometimes writers combine genres, mixing memoir with poetry, essay, diary, folklore, philosophy, or nature writing. Sometimes they do playful things with time and reject traditional chronology. Each book on this list has elements that are recognizably memoir, and each one also breaks down the genre in some way. They both inhabit and defy the form. To me, these books are some of the most exciting writing happening today. Memoir is flourishing! If you haven’t read In the Dream House, I would start there. If you have, take a look at the rest of the list and find more books that will broaden your understanding of what a memoir can do. Are you looking for more great memoirs? Check out this list of 50 Must-Read Memoirs to Make You Feel and this list of 100 Must-Read Memoirs.
