EHE Autobiographies Record Type: Review   ID: 95
Your Life as Story: Writing the New Autobiography Rainer, Tristine
The aim of this book is to enable people (especially women) to see their lives as a story by writing their autobiography. In a sense, doing so encourages the individuation/enlightenment process in which a person finds the universal in his or her unique self. Rainer suggests that as our culture brings myth and story to autobiography, it appears that by revealing each of our individual life stories, we add our piece to the collective puzzle of life: "our tribe needs the wisdom of us all for truth to emerge" (p. 36). (There is a step even beyond myth and that is to weave our own exceptional experiences into our life story, thus adding what we have glimpsed to the growing vision of the Experiential Paradigm.) There is a chapter on the history of autobiography, and one on the nature of story that includes nine essential elements. One chapter is on "Genres of the Self." Rainer offers suggestions on remembering life happenings and on finding your own voice. Several chapters are about how to deal with key subjects, such as "what you dare not say," "the body," the "dark side," "emotional, legal, and ethical concerns." In essence, the book deals with both the why and the how of writing one’s life as story. There are appendices on forming a memoir group and on selling your story. It is meaningful as well as highly practical.
Publisher Information:	New York: Tarcher/Putnam, 1977. xii + 353p. Appendix A: Forming or finding a memoir group 327-328; Appendix B: Selling your story for fame and fortune and other good alternatives 329-335; Bibl: 337-344; Ind: 345-353; 2 photos

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