Hey ghostwriter, are there different types of memoirs?

Yes, there are many types of memoirs.

The list of standard memoir types includes the business memoir, celebrity memoir, coming-of-age memoir, family memoir, inspirational memoir, literary memoir, military memoir, political memoir, religious/spiritual quest memoir, sports memoir, and travel memoir.

There are also introspective memoir types that cut across these standard categories, including the:

- “following my childhood dream” memoir
- “finding my peace” memoir
- “looking beyond oppression” memoir, and
- “choices” memoir.

Let’s take a look at these types of memoirs.

“Following my childhood dream” memoir

The first memoir I ghostwrote was for retired airline pilot Bill Childress. Bill began flying passenger planes across the country in the 1950s when pilots navigated using landmarks, such as railroad tracks, to guide their way.

His memoir is filled with fascinating stories, including one from the 1940s when he delivered newspapers to isolated dude ranches by flying a small plane just twenty feet above the ground and tossing out bundles aimed at ranch flagpoles.

His story begins with the moment he realized he wanted to be a pilot:

I was six years old in 1930, living in Oklahoma in a little town called Sharon when I looked up to see the most awe-inspiring sight of my young life. It was an airplane flying overhead, close enough to the ground that I could actually see the pilot’s head, practically hanging out of the cockpit. I could also see the passengers, all big-eyed and staring down at me and the ground, wondering where they were. Although I’d seen an airplane before, I’d never heard the noise or felt the sheer power and force of one flying just over my head… From that moment I knew what I wanted to do when I grew up: I wanted to fly airplanes.

The book follows Bill’s story in chronological order right through his retirement years, with plenty of charming details about what life was like in the 1920s, 30s, and 40s.

But the emphasis is always on his childhood dream of flying, with the book ending:

But no matter what happens, I know I’ll be a pilot at heart forever. Flying has been my life and always will be. And when it’s my time to “fly west,” you can bet I’ll go with immense gratitude for having had the opportunity to live my dreams.

following my childhood dream type of memoir, Take Off Power, Bill Childress, a memoir

“Finding my peace” memoir

I recently ghostwrote a family memoir for Kent Byron, the founder and CEO of Acadiana Plastic Molding.

Kent limped through a difficult childhood, dropped out of college to become a construction worker, stumbled into the molding business, and eventually built a very successful company that manufactures specialty closures for major firms.

His memoir revolves around his lifelong search for “the light”—a place where he feels connected to all the goodness life has to offer. Early in the first chapter, he reflects on this theme:

My life, well, I guess you could say it’s been about light and dark, about being surrounded by darkness and always trying to find the light. Now, this isn’t an “oh, poor Kent” kind of book. No, it’s not that. But as I look back, and I’m sixty-seven years old now, I think that’s what my life has been about, trying to move to the light.

We learn about Kent’s search for the light, as well as his adventures and misadventures in business, relationships, and more. He becomes a successful business owner, purchases a large plot of land, and finds contentment. The book wraps up with:

My farm is really a nice peaceful getaway for me. It’s really nice. Oh my God, I don’t even put music on. I just enjoy being out there. I work on my model planes, I work with the earth in the field, and hunt—or mostly observe—in the woods. I feel connected to the Earth, to God, when I’m there. I feel at peace. I feel like life is good. I’m living in the light.

finding my peace type of memoir, Into the Light, Barry Fox

“Looking beyond oppression” memoir

Jesmane Boggenpoel is a Colored woman born in South Africa during the horrible reign of apartheid.

Her memoir describes the ways in which White South Africans cut Coloreds off from their history and culture, from their family memories and ability to connect with others, in order to oppress them.

But she doesn’t dwell upon the abuse. Instead, she talks about her desire to look beyond oppression.

Her book begins:

I am a proud and complete, mixed-raced woman whose genes represent a panoply of colors; of hues and shades, pastels and psychedelics, blended together to produce the beautiful mosaic of humanity that is me. At least, that is how I see myself now. Growing up under apartheid I saw my heritage as “they” did; an impenetrable brownish-blackish smudge of little note or worth.

Her memoir concludes with a vision of hope:

I cannot say who the leaders history remembers and writes of will be, but I can say with absolute certainty that everyone can inspire others with their forgiveness, kindness, and authentic desire to connect. Each and every one of us can be an inspirational leader amongst our families and friends, in the workplace and place of worship. Each and every one of us can be a “mini King,” and from this many, a few will rise to inspire us to even greater heights.

Of this I am sure.

looking beyond oppression type of memoir, Barry Fox, ghostwriter

“Choices” memoir

I assisted Lindi Tardif with her memoir about growing up as a Black woman under South Africa’s apartheid system.

Instead of telling her entire life story, Lindi uses key episodes to illustrate her central theme: the power of choice.

She introduces this idea in the book’s introduction:

In essence, this is my message. I was born into a racist system designed to make me and those like me into economic slaves whose mere presence soiled the atmosphere and could only be tolerated in small doses. I was born and raised in what was, at the time, an impoverished and often dangerous Black residential area. I might have spent my life poor and uneducated, angry and bitter, feeling victimized in every way by “the man.” Instead, I chose to embrace faith, hard work, forgiveness, and openness to others…”

Lindi acknowledges that she was guided to these choices at an early age by her parents, but chose to hold them dear as she grew older. She looks at various choices she made in life, including the choices to forge her own identity in the midst of apartheid, and to risk physical violence rather than give into automatic hatred of whites.

She closes with:

And what stands in the way of our reaching out to others so that we might help them make the positive choices they need to make?

I believe that every positive choice—no matter who makes it, where, when, or why—rebounds to the benefit of us all. Each time we make a positive choice, and each time we help others do the same, we make the world a better place for us all—a world in which, in the spirit of ubuntu, we affirm our connection to and our interdependence on each other.

Daughter of Apartheid, Lindi Tardiff, Barry Fox

These types of memoirs that cut across standard categories—

following my childhood dream
finding my peace
looking beyond oppression, and
choices

—are just a few examples of ways to shape a life story.

These are not rigid categories but rather approaches to highlighting what truly matters in a memoir. And ultimately, that is the key to writing a great memoir: focusing on what truly matters to you, not just recounting the details of your life.

If You’d Like Help Writing Your Memoir or Life Story…

Barry Fox explains how to begin a business memoir or autobiography

Contact us!

We’re Barry Fox and Nadine Taylor, professional ghostwriters and authors with a long list of satisfied clients and editors at major publishing houses.

You can learn about our ghostwriting work and credentials on our Home Page.

For more information, call us at 818-917-5362 or use our contact form to send us a message. We’d love to talk to you about your exciting idea for writing a book!