Memoir writing
Layan
MemoirPreparationQuestions.docxMemoir Preparation Questions
Directions: Please address the following questions to help you get started. More about how to do your review will come later.
· Start off today by thinking about the big picture. What have you learned from your memoir? For you, what was the purpose of reading it? How does this memoir about disability compare to other memoirs, autobiographies, or even novels that you have read/seen?
· What do you view as the best aspects of this book? What did you struggle with? In the end, would you recommend this book to others? Why or why not? (Again, this will factor in your review, so be thorough!)
· Make a list of people/characters you have been introduced to so far. Who is each character? What does each one bring to this book? What is your initial opinion of these characters?
· Briefly summarize the plot of the book. A brief and concise summary will eventually be a part of your book review (4-5 sentences maximum).
· You might pay special attention to certain passages and what they mean in terms of disability issues, themes, and theoretical concepts. Make sure you note their page numbers in your notes, as they might be passages you turn to for evidence/specifics when you write your book review.
· If you have extra time, use it to start outlining a plan for your book review.
Memoir review
Instructions:
There are nine memoirs listed at the bottom of your syllabus. You should have read one prior to this week. You will submit the report as a double-spaced, 12-pt font, document with the following sections:
1. TITLE: create a title for your collective review.
2. REVIEWER INFO: Your name, year, and academic affiliation, (e.g., Aram Hernandez, Sophomore, Disability Studies Major.) Optional: 1-2 sentence bio of yourself.
3. BIBLIOGRAPHIC ENTRY: Complete citation (reference) for book
4. SUMMARY: 5-6 sentences summarizing what the book is about, generally.
5. REVIEW: A review of the book from a Disability Studies perspective (2-3 pages in length).
Answer the following questions:
1. What is the author’s positionality?
2. How does this positionality impact, influence, or shape the author’s subject matter? Provide evidence for your reasoning.
3. Who is the target audience? Provide evidence for your reasoning.
4. In what ways (if at all) does this book inform nondisabled people about disability?
5. In what ways does this book reinforce or promote the diversity framework of disability? Provide evidence (e.g., examples from the book) that supports your claim.
6. In what ways does this book change your thinking about disability? Provide evidence (e.g., examples from the book) that supports your claim. Go beyond in your thinking; I don’t want “I really liked or did not like the book, because…”. I want to know how it changed your thinking about disability in terms of learning something that you did not know before.)
7. Based on your answers to Questions 5 and 6, would this be a book you would assign in a disability studies course? Explain your reasoning.
8. More generally, would you recommend this book to others? Why or why not?
