What Memoirs Know

By Amanda Silbernagel
Contributing Writer

“Madness: A Bipolar Life”: Buddha did not write this book. Nor did your stereotypical soccer mom who wants desperately to tell someone how yoga has changed her life…

Creative nonfiction is a finicky genre that demands much from its creator. To write a memoir is to adopt a child. I don’t care if you’re tired; feed me. At age 10: I don’t know how to cook. Who is older than you, and smarter, and possibly a good deal crazier: Then I’ll throw beer cans at your head until you learn. This may or may not be an exaggerated description of Marya Hornbacher’s relationship with “Madness.”