Writing Your Life: An Easy to Follow Guide to Writing an Autobiography

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Summary: A gentle, and precise, handbook for writing one's memoir.
Review: At last! I have a terrific guide to jog my 64-year-old memory bank. What a great time I'm having, weaving past experiences into a form that has brought laughter, closure, and healing. As Borg states, there are many reasons to write one's life story. Mine is not for my family, with whom I have no contact. It's for future Women's Studies students, who will be receiving scholarships from my estate left to the University of Minnesota. After I'm gone, they may want to know more about the woman who left them this gift. My recommendation is to get the book, if for no other reason than to read the sections at the end of each chapter titled,"In the Words of Real People." You'll be moved by the reflections of Borg's students. You may even be inspired to begin writing you own life story.

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Summary: An easy-to-use guide for TEACHING memoir writing
Review: For the past several months, I have been teaching a class based on this book at our local senior center. Even though I am young (my oldest student is 60 years older than I am) and not experienced in gerontology, this book helps me teach this class with ease. My students and I are astonished by activities like "Floor Plan" that enable students to remember things they have not thought about in 50 years. The appendix, which lists cultural history and historical events by decade, also really jogs their memories. The writing prompts throughout the book help my students to write wonderful stories. Their stories are not only interesting but well-written with the help of the writing tips that Borg gives. The best part of all is that these student writers are impressed with their own work and excited to share it with their families. I can't say enough about this book, but I think one of my students said it best. She told me, "Writing my life stories has changed my life. It has made me a better person and has improved my relationships with my daughters."

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Summary: I didn't think I could write, now I'm writing a book!
Review: Genealogy is only a very small part of your story. To have the whole story you must write your life. Didn't think I had anything to write but Mary Borg's book evokes so much memory jogging and motivation that before I knew it I had a very healthy start on my book and hadn't even realized it. Think you don't have anything to write about? Just think about the things you saw and did as a child that are now history and not an every day vision or activity to your grandchildren and great grandchildren. These are the kinds of motivating exercises contained in "Writing Your Life" that will assist you in your quest to answer the kind of questions about your own life that you wish you had asked your grandmother or mother. Can't recommend it enough.

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Summary: Terrific book!
Review: This book is so easy to use and interesting. I love the sample writing from real people! I gave the book to my mother and got her started writing. The results were so meaningful. She loved both the book and her family's response to her writing. What a great way to get families to communicate!

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Summary: A creative, warm and practical guide to an autobiography
Review: What a great book! I never thought my life was worth writing about; it was too normal. The real writing examples in the book showed me that everyone's life is special and that each of us has individual stories. I thought about the loss of my grandparents' and parents' stories as they pass away and wanted to leave something for my grandchildren. The writing suggestions are creative and memory provoking through all the phases of life. The book is a pleasure to use.