Funny Memoir
If you are having a hard time writing your memoir, you should check out memoir examples that we've prepared for you. These wonderful samples will show you what a truly good memoir is and what it might look like. We've also explained what a memoir is, chose interesting tips, and provided a memoir essay structure for you.
I went into Open Book expecting a light, fun read from one of my favorite reality stars (remember Newlyweds?) of all time—instead, I was blown away by an honest, funny, and touching memoir. 'Fresh Off the Boat: A Memoir' is an uproariously funny autobiography written by American restaurateur, chef, food personality, writer, and attorney Eddie Huang. The memoir, that came out in 2013, is about his upbringing with immigrant parents in Asian American background, his life and journey as a food celeb in NY city and of course food. I went into Open Book expecting a light, fun read from one of my favorite reality stars (remember Newlyweds?) of all time—instead, I was blown away by an honest, funny, and touching memoir. In this moving, often funny memoir he reveals how he regained his sense of optimism, and reflects on age, family and living with a disability. Just Ignore Him by Alan Davies (Little, Brown).
📝 Memoir Definition
Funny Memoir Books
A memoir is an account of your experiences related to events from your personal life or history that you witnessed.
A memoir is sometimes also called an autobiography, as the two terms share the same meaning to some extent.
But here’s the deal:
There is a slight difference between writing a memoir and writing an autobiography, and it is important to truly understand it in order to benefit most from reading an example of memoir.
Let’s have a look at this difference!
Memoir Versus Autobiography
| Autobiography | Memoir |
| Focuses on the author’s entire life | Describes just a certain part of the author’s life |
| Tells about famous people's lives | Can tell anyone’s story |
| Is structured chronologically, covering the author’s life from birth to death | Can be focused on one or several periods and do not have a strict chronological order |
| Focus on pure fact | Carry the emotional side of life |
Writing your memoirs is an excellent exercise and a good start for a beginning author.
You can learn from it different approaches to captivating readers, develop a skill to express emotions in the right way, and train your writing style.
And what is more pleasant:
After practicing this assignment for some time, you can know how to write a memoir book.
If you want to read about other types of assignments, read Overnight Essay blog. We can also help you to write your paper of any complexity.
💡 Memoir Tips
A person who writes a memoir is a memoirist or… simply a student who has been assigned this task. No matter to which category you belong, the following memoir writing tips will help you write a killer memoir sample:
- choose an intriguing title (something like The Other Side of Me or A Day to Remember); it can help you a lot to interest the audience;
- express your personal opinions and impressions (use for instance: to my mind, in my opinion, it seems, it turned out that, etc.);
- add a lot of sensory details (for example, instead of simply stating that a girl had an angry look on her face, you can specify that her face reddened and her teeth were clenched – these are valuable observations, which can make your description more vivid);
- write about memories that are important for you – it's impossible to write a good memoir without feeling a deep connection between yourself and the situation which you describe;
- be yourself when writing a memoir – you can hide your point of view in many academic writings, but this type of work requires you to be honest and show your personal traits;
- choose a proper tone and try to maintain it throughout your memoir essay – it’s an excellent exercise to develop your writing style;
- do research, even if you remember the situation, try to collect as much information as you could, including your friends' commentaries, photos, blog posts – everything that can reveal more details;
- take care about your memoir idea – whether your writing is funny, well-structured, or creative and unusual, it means nothing if you don't put a message in it.
The most famous memoir books are based on the principles listed above. Keeping to them, you can create a masterpiece or, at least, get an A at your college.
But that isn’t all we can offer you:
You can find even more truly good ideas for your memoir in this list of informative speech topics for college students.
🖊️ Memoir Examples to Your Attention
Finally, you can observe these memoir writing examples to know how to write one yourself.
Of course, you can use these memoir ideas, but reading these samples can also give you enough inspiration to develop your own paper from the very beginning.
Let’s begin.
My Pursuit of Happiness
Actually, I started my pursuit of happiness as soon as I came into this world. My Mom says that I was an extremely capricious baby – I could cry out loud for a rather long period of time until all my demands were satisfied. A little terrorist, with large rainy eyes and a loud voice, I was! Later on, as I grew up, I preserved my willingness to do everything to get what I wanted, but I learned some new and more effective methods of achieving my goals.
I remember that, when I was 4 years old, I wanted to have a dog. Absolutely nothing, even my allergy to dogs, could prevent me from making my dream come true…
Comment: Thetitle is captivating – it sets the tone, but it does not reveal all the secrets. This example of a memoir contains some self-criticism. The author sounds truly sincere when s/he calls himself (herself) a terrorist.
A Revolution at School
The events of that sunny spring day turned out to change the course of history at our school. I am proud of being one of the revolutionaries who drove the change.
The problem was our school uniform, which was more or less bearable in winter but became a cause of students' torture in spring because it was too hot.
This is why the girls from our class agreed to wear jeans instead of the uniform one day, to show our protest against the silly school rule of wearing the uniform even when it was too hot for it. We felt a bit scared before the beginning of the first lesson. Mrs. Stone, our Geography teacher, had to be the first to see our silent protest…
Comment: The authorexpresses his/her feelings and emotions about an important event at school. Note that this sample memoir focuses more on the event than on the author's personality.
📎 Memoir about Yourself
A memoir about yourself or a personal memoir differs from just a personal essay. A memoir about yourself is a piece of writing in which a person reflects on important personal events. It is a place where the author analyzes and describes why certain events were so crucial.
But you might fairly ask: “What is the difference between a personal memoir and a personal essay?” Here is the answer!
To some extent, the personal memoir and the personal essay are pretty similar. However, there is one important difference! The essay can be a reflection on any events or just a description of anything personal. The memoir focuses on past and life-changing experiences.
In short, the personal memoir aims at answering the three questions:
- What event or events were important in the author’s life?
- Why were they so crucial?
- How they affected the author’s life?
📜 Example of Memoir About Yourself
We’ve created a great example of a personal memoir for you. Here you can see how you can structure your story and what it can be about. Let’s dive in!
The Life-Changing Morning
That morning the sky was especially grey, and the whole atmosphere did not dispose of something good. I woke up alone in my tiny flat in the middle of nowhere. It did not felt like something bad is happening or even is going to happen shortly. However, the way I felt was hard to describe. I took my morning coffee and then heard a knock on the door. It was a postman with an envelope in his hand. I opened the letter and read it out loud. It said that I was invited to the University of Oxford to study journalism. My dream came true! I was filled with happiness, motivation, and thirst to start my studies as soon as possible. I can still remember this special and life-changing moment.
Comment: First of all, the author chose the right, captivating title, which invites a reader to discover what had happened that morning. Secondly, the personal memoir focuses on the important event that had changed a young person's life. Thirdly, he reflects on how he felt when it happened.
📋 One-Page Memoir: What Is It About?
A memoir doesn’t have to be a thick book. It can be of any length and cover any important life events. Making your memoir relatively short means that you should focus on one particular event.
Besides, this event should be captivating and life-changing. It would be best to tell about the emotions you experienced and what they brought to your life. The text can be concise, for instance, only 1 page. However, it should be interesting enough to evoke a reader's emotions in such a short time.
So, here is a few recommendations for your one-page memoir:
- Cover one event only.
- Choose the most captivating and life-changing event.
- Don't forget to express your emotions.
- Mention why this event was crucial for your future life.
📚 Memoir Essay Structure
If your task is to create a memoir essay, you may be surprised because itdoesn’t have any typical structure.
You see:
The way you do your memoir writing depends only on your style and preferences.
If you want to combine two different stories into one and underline the message by inferring it from both of them – do it.
If you want to tell a situation when you feel fear or anxiety, there is a nice place to put a flashback to make readers understand you better – then, do it as well.
Memoir writing structure is a field where you can apply creativity and originality.
What you must include are:
- the details of your memoir
- the message
- why this story matters to you
Other elements are free for you to add to your paper. Let your inner writer choose which of them do you need to make a memoir writing breath-taking.
So, after looking through these examples of memoirs, you have a pretty good idea of how to write your own papers in this genre. Good luck with your memoirs! We are certain that you will make them unforgettable!
🔗 References
Back in my art school days, I enjoyed a brief but tragic flirtation with life as a Playboy bunny — yup, I was once a dedicated fan of The Girls Next Door. As as lifelong feminist (and a brunette... for what that's worth), I was conflicted about my viewing habits, to say the least. Although I spent countless hours trying to pin down the conceptual and aesthetic value of the experience (give me a break, I was in art school), I think what I really enjoyed about the show was how well all the girls seemed to get along. On the surface, life at the Playboy mansion was like a cross between Disneyland, boarding school, and soft core porn — comforting, magical, and delicately enticing.
So, imagine my shock when the one and only Ms. Holly Madison released a memoir alluding to dirty tricks, dirty old men, and dirty lies during her time on the show and in the mansion? The salacious details dished out by the former bunny in her memoir Down the Rabbit Hole. With each revelation leaked to the press, I began to wonder what other secrets abound in the realm of the celebrity memoir? In the spirit of a steaming hot cup of OMG and a worthwhile guilty pleasure, I decided to read up on the topic and collect the most salacious stories out there for your reading pleasure. So, throw on your robe, toss your hair back, and prepare to be titillated — gossip just doesn't get any better than this.
Down the Rabbit Holeby Holly Madison
If you're going to go scandalous, start with the memoir that has set the Internet on fire these past few weeks with allegations of rampant drug abuse, catfights, and calculated press appeals at the Playboy mansion. Although it's not exactly The Brady Bunch turning on one another, Madison's memoir still has the power to turn the known world upside down, and that's rabbit hole enough for any true gossip hound.
No Lifeguard on Duty: The Accidental Life of the World's First Supermodelby Janice Dickinson
Although she's recently become a star witness in the case against Cosby — a genuinely horrifying and truly barbaric horror story worthy of general popular awareness — Dickinson was baring her sole long before the world started paying attention. So, if you're interested in peeling back the curtain and shining the light of truth on the worlds of fashion and beauty, you absolutely can't do better than Dickinson's passionate, no-hold's barred account of a misspent modeling youth.
Audition: A Memoirby Barbara Walters
A tawdry love affair with a married senator isn't exactly what you'd expect from the memoirs of a respected television journalist. And yet, with the publication of Audition, Barbara Walters was wise enough to let it all hang out, reminding us that just because you're conducting the interview, that doesn't necessarily mean you have all the answers.
I Make My Own Rules by LL Cool J
Over the years, LL Cool J has transformed himself from an early hip-hop icon to a pedagogical paragon of musical virtue, however life hasn't always been so sweet to the courageous crooner. With I Make My Own Rules, LL Cool J lays bare the true story of early childhood trauma and relentless rejection with honesty, rigor, and soul-shaking stoicism.
I, Tina by Tina Turner with Kurt Loder
There's nothing like a comeback story with its own soundtrack and all the death defying details laid out in black and white. Turner's extraordinary bravery and relentless pursuit of her own dreams in the face of an abusive husband and outsized odds make for a comeback story that just won't quit. Whether it's in the studio or at the villa, when it comes to underdog victories, I, Tina is as good as it gets.
Keep The Faithby Faith Evans
You haven't quite lived until you've read an account of Faith Evans walking in on Lil' Kim curled up with Biggie. Even years after the fact, Evans manages to bring the raw pain and pure passion of a life well and truly lived to a stinging climax with every passing chapter.
Funny Memoir Topics
Whatever... Love is Love by Maria Bello
Maria Bello's unexpected love affair with her very best friend caught everyone — including the two lovebirds — truly off guard. Only the boundless insight of an introvert and the willing exploration of an open and unbounded soul could bring a memoir of love across boarders both implicit and imposed to life with such astonishing fragility and enormous power. For a breathtaking account of love in the modern era, Whatever... Love is Love has you covered.
My Storyby Marilyn Monroe
If there ever were a star more enigmatic and alluring than Marilyn Monroe, I certainly can't think of her. From the pout to the sway, from the sparkles to the singing, there's nothing about the elusive seductress that doesn't capture the imagination, even decades after an untimely death. So imagine the true-life tale of Ms. Marilyn Monroe — a no-holds barred account of her life and times straight from the lips of the ingenue and ask yourself — how have you not read this yet?
I am Ozzyby Ozzy Osbourne
When a man bites the head off a living creature, people are prone to ask... why? For the answer to this and so many other questions, there is only I am Ozzy. Like the Nietzsche of a new generation, Ozzy answers questions of life, death, and heavy metal that challenge the very questions themselves and utterly transform the way you think about men in makeup.
Tab Hunter Confidentialby Tab Hunter
We don't often think about men in the studio system as Hollywood commodities, but with Tab Hunter's revealing memoir a whole new world of corporate greed, sexual manipulation, and cultural control opens up. For an old Hollywood taste of an oh-so familiar story, dig into Tab Hunter's memoir and you're sure to walk away satisfied.
Openby Andre Agassi
With attendance at Wimbeldon marked by the likes of the Duchess of Cambridge and my most recent Instagram obsession, the one and only Chrissy Tiegen, tennis is experiencing something of a resurgence. But, before there was Roger Federer and the tireless Williams sisters, there was Andre Agassi and a legacy of drug abuse and personal failure that would spawn a transformation. If you like your gossip with a healthy dose of testosterone and just a dash of humility, Open should be right up your alley.
Elvis & Meby Priscilla Presley
There are rock and roll legends and then there is the King. If you're looking to wine, dine, and wind down with rock music's original bad boy, Priscilla Prseley's memoir is the only place you'll find the true life details of the King's own private life... so what are you waiting for?'
Funny Memoir Books
The Way I Am by Eminem
Funny Memoir Titles
Sure, you've seen 8 Mile, and you've taken your time with the classics on karaoke night (haven't we all), but if you really want to get close to the boy genius you've got to go literary. The lyrics may be explicit, but the autobiography is downright dirty... and don't you deserve a little dirt after the day you've had?