Tag Archives: Journalists

Did Ye Hear Mammy Died? : a Memoir by Séamas O’Reilly 

19 Friday Aug 2022

Posted by in 20th century, Biography, memoir

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This memoir is narrated by Séamas O’Reilly, who was five when his mother died and left behind a husband and eleven children. While this tragic event is the focus of the book, it is also a really funny, uplifting story about how the siblings and their dad carried on, living in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. 

“I laughed out loud reading Did Ye Hear Mammy Died, especially at the bits that recalled for me the way my own family laughs to keep from crying…It’s rare to read about good fathers in memoirs, and O’Reilly’s portrait…is hilarious and moving….It is this thread of refusal to be pitied, to have what happened to his family reduced to ‘a tawdry bit of sentimental fluff for people to tut along to and say how sad,’ that makes Did Ye Hear Mammy Died? so rousing. That it is also deadly funny is an extra treat.”―NPR

“Northern Ireland in the time of the Troubles is often cast into a narrative that doesn’t allow room for joy or delight…O’Reilly’s recollection is a splendid paradox, both cheery and heartbreaking.”―Booklist, Starred

“In this joyous, wildly unconventional memoir, Séamas O’Reilly tells the story of losing his mother as a child and growing up with ten siblings in Northern Ireland during the final years of the Troubles as a raucous comedy, a grand caper that is absolutely bursting with life.”―Patrick Radden Keefe, NYT bestselling author of Say Nothing and Empire of Pain

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Working: Research, Interviewing, Writing by Robert A. Caro

11 Monday May 2020

Posted by in 20th century, Biography

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From the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Power Broker and the Years of Lyndon Johnson series: an unprecedented gathering of vivid, candid, deeply revealing recollections about his experiences researching and writing his acclaimed books.  Inside this short book and, with his self deprecating humor, the reader gains insight into Caro’s work habits, career research highlights, and his passion and integrity for superior storytelling.

 A short book that packs a big wallop . . . Stunningly incisive . . .  James Boswell’s Life of Samuel Johnson is generally considered to be the finest biography in the English language . . . Robert Caro’s monumental works . . . are every bit as impressive as what Boswell achieved. Even more so, actually. . . Caro’s unrelenting pursuit of facts and his insights will leave you in awe . . . After reading this brief, brilliant book, one can only say, ‘Wow!’” —Steve Forbes, Forbes Magazine

 “America’s most honored biographer . . . has paused in the work of the final volume [of The Years of Lyndon Johnson] to publish a conversational, behind-the-scenes compendium addressing the questions he hears most often, starting with, Why do your books take so long to write?” —Karl Vick, Time

 “Robert Caro is one of the most respected historians of our time. His memoir is a masterclass in how great books are built, and is peppered with great anecdotes about people of power.”  —Town & Country

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A House in the Sky: a Memoir by Amanda Lindhout and Sara Corbett

29 Wednesday Oct 2014

Posted by in Biography, Non-fiction, Travel

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Be forewarned – this book can cause disrupted sleep.  An avid traveler/cocktail waitress/intrepid spirit/naive backpacker focused on accumulating countries that she’d only read about as a child in the National Geographic makes the decision to enter Somalia in 2008.  A must read memoir.  Harrowing content, guaranteed page-turner, a book you will not forget.

“A vivid, gut-wrenching, beautifully written, memorable book…” (Kirkus Reviews (starred review))

“A well-honed, harrowing account…” (Publishers Weekly (starred review))

“Exquisitely told…[A House in the Sky] is much more than a gonzo adventure tale gone awry—it’s a young woman’s harrowing coming-of-age story and an extraordinary narrative of forgiveness and spiritual triumph….There’s no self-pity or grandiosity in these pages. In the cleanest prose, she and Corbett allow events both horrific and absurd…to unfold on their own. Lindhout’s resilience transforms the story from a litany of horrors into a humbling encounter with the human spirit.” (Eliza Griswold The New York Times Book Review)

“This is one of the most powerfully-written books I have ever read. Harrowing, hopeful, graceful, redeeming and true, it tells a story of inhumanity and humanity that somehow feels deeply ancient and completely modern. It is beautiful, devastating and heroic—both a shout of defiance and a humbling call to prayer.” (Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love and The Signature of All Things)

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