Memoir Reflections

Through all of the memoirs that were reviewed so far, three of them really stood out. My Brief History was the first striking memoir. It's written by Stephan Hawking about his life and living with Motor Neuron Disease. This disease slowly shuts down your muscles over time until your body is basically no longer functioning. Stephan Hawking is currently unable to move well and communicates through a sensor in his mouth where only one muscle can move. The sensor then sends the movement to a computer that speaks for him. This process works incredibly well. Other than his disability, Stephan Hawking teaches at Cambridge in England and has written ten novels and numerous scientific papers. His disability hasn't stopped him from doing what he loves and he continues to impress the world with his knowledge.

The second impressive memoir was Two Kisses for Maddy. The author, Matt, was living his dream life while married to his high school sweetheart, Liz. Everything was going perfectly and they finally had their first child on the way. It wasn't until Maddy was born that life took an unexpected turn. "There are two things guaranteed in life: birth and death." Hours after Maddy was born, Liz died from a pulmonary blood clot in her lung that was probably a result from her having to be bed rest for the last trimester of her pregnancy. Matt was devastated, yet, he wouldn't allow his pitiful sorrow to stop him from being the best Dad around. He loved Maddy unconditionally and as a tribute to his wife, he took Maddy to all of the vacation spots that himself and Liz went to. Loosing Liz was undeniably difficult but through writing this memoir, Matt found his peace.

The last impacting memoir was A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah. He tells his story of living in Sierra Leone as a kid soldier fighting for 'blood' diamonds. He recalls being sent to battle on drugs in attempt to boost courage. He even recalls watching one of his best friends being killed in front him. Now that he has grown up and made it out of the country, he is determined to spread his story and raise awareness of this war. Another point that can be taken from this memoir is to watch what diamonds you buy, you never know where they could come from.