Episode 126 Memoir-Palooza with Denise Massar Today, I’m so happy to welcome back the very first guest of the show, an amazing writer and reader, and, not to brag, but my best friend and soul sister, Denise Massar. Denise is a memoir junkie, and it occurred to me that mid-December is a perfect time to host a Memoir-Palooza, since so many of us like to give them as gifts over the holiday season, and I thought it would be interesting to hear which ones she liked best over the last year. A lot of the ones we talk about today deal with grief and loss, which also makes a lot of sense to address right now, as the holidays can be rough for a lot of people. Denise is my all-time most trusted memoir resource, and I know you’re going to love hearing her tell me why she thinks Memoirs are the Best Books Ever. Denise Massar is an author, a mom via birth and adoption, and an adoptee. She writes about parenting, caregiving, racism, and anything else she can’t stop thinking about. As a reader, she’s most interested in stories about women’s day-to-day lives—in the 80s when grade-school classmates were reading Judy Blume, Denise was into Erma Bombeck. Her essays have been published in RAISE Magazine, TODAY Parenting, An Injustice!, MUTHA Magazine, and Jane Friedman’s blog. Denise’s memoir, SEARCH HISTORY: A Memoir of Loss, Obsession, and Meeting My Mom at 40, is currently on submission. She is represented by Jacquie Flynn at Joelle Delbourgo Associates. Follow the Best Book Ever Podcast on Instagram or on the Best Book Ever Website Host: Julie Strauss Website/Instagram Denise Massar Website/Instagram/Twitter/Facebook Discussed in this episode: Denise Massar on Best Book Ever Episode 002 Mothers of Sparta by Dawn Davies I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy A Three Dog Life by Abigail Thomas What Comes Next and How to Like it by Abigail Thomas Episode 097 – Lizbeth Meredith on “What Comes Next and How to Like It” by Abigail Thomas In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss by Amy Bloom How We Fight For Our Lives: A Memoir by Saeed Jones Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon The Liar’s Club by Mary Karr The Salt Path by Raynor Winn Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed A Heart That Works by Rob Delaney Catastrophe Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi Spare by Prince Harry J.R. Moehringer (Note: Some of the above links are affiliate links. If you shop using my affiliate link on Bookshop, a portion of your purchase will go to me, at no extra expense to you. Thank you for supporting indie bookstores and for helping to keep the Best Book Ever Podcast in business!) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bestbookeverpodcast.substack.com

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