The Wide Range of the Memoir 3

Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell. This sad story of Luttrell beings when he becomes a Navy Seal and becomes part of Seal Team 5 and has to go on mission red wing. The original mission was to take down a man in Afghanistan that was part of the Taliban. They where told that they would only have to fight about 10 men between the four of them to take him down. There ended being 200 against 4 and some 20 others who flew choppers for backup. They all died expect for Luttrell. Luttrell really learns to deal with his grief throughout this book and the conflict and pressure that the media put on him and his dead comrades after the battle. It truly is a story of how to be brave in times of dark and how to stay true to yourself and beliefs even when the world has seem to have gone mad.

“Eternal Father, faithful friend, Be quick to answer those we send In brotherhood and urgent trust, On hidden missions dangerous, O hear us when we cry to Thee, For SEALs in air, on land, and sea.” 
― Marcus Luttrell, Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 (goodreads.com)

A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugrad. This book is truly frighting and quite hard to read by the sounds of those who have. At the age of 11, Jaycee was kidnapped by a sex offender one day while she was walking to her bus stop. This man and  his wife, held Jaycee captive for 18 years, telling her that she could tell her own true name and that even when they went out in public she had to hide her identity. Jaycee lived in horrible conditions and gave birth to two girls in her 18 years kidnapped. When the man that kidnapped her was arrested for drugs, she was finally found and had the chance to tell her true name for the first time in 18 years and be free. A true story of how to just deal with the idea of never being free again, how remain oneself when one is forced to change, and how to keep faith that better times will come and that we will all be found wherever we are. Dugrad wrote the book as a rebellion against the man that kept her.

“We live in a world where we rarely speak out and when someone does, often nobody is there to listen.” 
― Jaycee Dugard, A Stolen Life (goodreads.com)

The Other Side of Heaven by John H. Groberg. The story of a young Mormon missionary who is sent to teach his religion in Tonga on the tiny island of Niuatoputapu, Groberg learns much of the difference in life in such a small place that has seems to have nothing. Groberg struggles to go into a new culture. He has much trouble learning the language, learning how to live without first world comforts (even though he grew up in depression) and just how different the ways of thinking are on the small island. Even so Groberg learns much and this novel just rings true how we need to look through the eyes of other sometimes, even those we find below us, and how if we do we will see a new light. It is now a popular film.

“There is a connection between heaven and earth. Finding that connection gives meaning to everything, including death. Missing it makes everything meaningless, including life. 
” 
― John H. Groberg, The Other Side of Heaven (goodreads.com)

The Wide Range of the Memoir 2

Let's Pretend this Never Happened by Jenny Lawson. This memoir is a mixed and match group of stories from Lawson's life and stories that she much rather just forget ever happened. Lawson sufferers from multiple disorders , severer Anxiety begin one. This mix of of hilarious short, mostly true, stories is really Lawson reflecting her life and using the writing to just accept the life that she has been given and that if you are not laughing you will cry, something I try to carry with me everyday. I hope to read this novel in future for both its obvious humor and life lessons I think it would help to teach.

“I can finally see that all the terrible parts of my life, the embarrassing parts, the incidents I wanted to pretend never happened, and the things that make me "weird" and "different," were actually the most important parts of my life. They were the parts that made me ME.” 
― Jenny Lawson, Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir (www.goodreads.com)

Wave Sonali Deraniyagala is the heart breaking story of when Deraniyagala was on a vacation whit her mother, father, husband, and two sons in Sri Lanka when a huge tsunami hit the island in 2004 killing them all expect her. The novel is really about Deraniyagala struggle with all the stages of grief that come after such horrible incident. Deraniyagala actually wrote the memoir as part of her therapy after their deaths and never thought it would become a published book. The really big theme throughout the story was that of that love never dies and love will always endure even after death. It was the reality of her love for her family and the memories her family towards her that has kept her going. 

“I am in the unthinkable situation that people cannot bear to contemplate.” 
― Sonali Deraniyagala, Wave (goodreads.com)

Code Talker by Chester Nez. This memoir is rare one for it is the one and only one about the code talkers of the Navajo Code developed in World War Two as a code for the U.S that the Japanese could not crack. It is to this day still has yet to cracked. Nez grew up on a Indian reservation in New Mexico and lives a

very hard life. When he got to the chance to join the army and fight for his country he lept for the opportunity. He was then stationed in Guadalcanal and became part of the code talkers shortly after that. The major themes of conflict throughout the story was Nez's personal internal conflict about his regional and beliefs. His religion of the Navajo people has something called "The Right Way" and if do things in the world in the right beautiful way you will be awarded. Many parts of war conflicted with this and forced to have to accept his killing and all personal guilt after war.

The Wide Range of the Memoir

The past week have listened to about  8 presentations on memoir's that my fellow peers had read in my L.A class. I gave herd a wide range of memoirs from navy seals to single dads and the women who where consider to crazy in the 1960's when little was understood about mental illness's, all the way tot the story's of starts from hit TV shows.

The first memoir that was presented to me was Girl Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen. This uplifting story on friendship and believing in ones self is about a girl who lived in the 60s is sent to a mental institute after high school after she tried to committee suicide. She doesn't believe she belongs at such an institute which she is very correct about. While she there she begins to make friends with a few of the girls at the institute and they go and live hidden lives from the nurses,  haveing fun and act freely something they are rarely allowed to do.  This novel is really about finding ones self, staying true to oneself, and trying to remain sane in world full of the insane.

"Crazy isn't being broken or swallowing a dark secret. It's you or me amplified. I f you ever told a lie and enjoyed it. If you ever wished you could be child forever." (www.goodreads.com)


Next is Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. This story about a girl who grew up with two other siblings in extreme poverty with their alcoholic father and unemployed mother. This memoir is really about love and even though we may hate our family and other people for the things they do, we must learn to forgive and accept them for who they are, it is the only we can make it thorough this life without falling apart. The title comes from Walls's father who always told them as children that all the moving they where doing was not permanent, that someday he would build them a glass castle. The glass castle stands for a prefect, clear skied world throughout the novel.

“Things usually work out in the end."
"What if they don't?"
"That just means you haven't come to the end yet.” 
― Jeannette Walls, The Glass Castle (www.goodreads.com)

The Last Lecture, Randy Pausch. When Paush is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given three to six months to live.  The novel is actually about a lecture he gave called  Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams and all the places and people he inspired with his lecture, along with his own personal stories of living his last few months of his life. He moved many people and he was an amazing person. He did complete almost all of his childhood dreams before his death on July 25 2008.

The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people.” 
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture (www.goodreads.com)

Two Kisses for Maddy by Matthew Logelin is the heart breaking story of how Logelin's beautiful wife, his high school sweet heart and one love, Liz, dies shortly after giving birth to their first child, Madeline, due to a blood  colt in the brain. The novel is about Matthew's struggle of dealing with Liz's death and trying to be a single dad. He takes Maddy to all the places that him and Liz used to go, learning to let her go and yet to keep her in both of their hearts.  Matthew wrote this book as his Taj Mahal to Liz who loved the beautiful building. 

"Together during the worst of times is better being alone at best of times. "(http://mentalfoodie.blogspot.com/)

5th,  American Sniper:  The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper by Chris Kyle.  The story of Chris's of becoming a navy seal and becoming one of the most impressive snipers of our time. He went to the army and wanted to join the Navy Seals but he broke his arm badly causing him to get pins therefore he was not accepted for Navy Seal training. He was later called and the asked him to join. He then was stationed in both Iraq and Poland. He killed about 106 people out 255 he ever shot at. He retired and began working at a shooting range meant for solders with PTS.  He was shot and died at the shooting range by a 25 year old marine on February 12 2013. 

“Great way to fight a war - be prepared to defend yourself for winning.” (www.goodreads.com)

Lastly, Happy ,Happy, Happy, Phil Roberston. This is the story of a famous man named Phil Robertson from the famous show Duck Dynasty. It is his story of how he found happiness and how he created a family of which he could be proud of. 

“Our founding fathers started this country and built it on God and His Word, and this country sure would be a better place to live and raise our children if we still followed their ideals and beliefs.”  Phil Robertson, Happy, Happy, Happy (www.goodreads.com)