noun
memoir
MEM-wahr/ˈmemwɑːr/
A written account of experiences or events based on firsthand knowledge.
The writer drafts her memoir beside photographs of her younger self.
Etymology
The connection with memory first described a written record—something put into words to be kept in mind. The meaning narrowed to an account drawn from the writer’s own knowledge and experiences.
In context
on survival or flight as the only two reasonable responses to the trauma of the Jim Crow cell. What is opposed is the decision to either stay or flee. The memoir is depicting childhood during Jim Crow,
More examples
- Her memoir describes her first year working as a nurse.
- The mayor's memoir offers a firsthand account of the crisis.
- I enjoy memoirs about growing up in unfamiliar places.
Forms
memoir · memoirs
memoirist noun — A person who writes memoirs.
Similar words
- autobiography
- Usually covers a whole life rather than selected experiences.
- recollection
- Can be spoken or unwritten, unlike a written memoir.