The Memoir Revolution

Category: Addiction

May 1, 2012

Tim Elhajj about Writing and Publishing His Memoir

Addiction, Author Interview, Tim Elhajj

Addiction, honesty, interview, memoir, Publishing, recovery, shame, Tim Elhajj

Most of the anecdotes in the book were ones that I tell in AA meetings or around the dinner table to entertain my kids. Telling a story doesn’t always work the same way as writing a story. You have to make certain adjustments for the page. The audience is potentially different and some things may…

Written by

Jerry Waxler
April 25, 2012

Memoir Interview: A Fresh, Personal Look at Twelve Steps

Addiction, Author Interview, Tim Elhajj

Addiction, honesty, interview, memoir, recovery, shame, Tim Elhajj, Twelve Steps

Dopefiend provides a fresh, authentic look at the influence of the Twelve Steps program, which has been written about in many other books. It’s a question that arises for many memoir writers: “How do I portray my own individual perspective on a topic that has already received wide coverage?”

Written by

Jerry Waxler
April 27, 2011

Recovering Self-concept after Addiction

Addiction, identity

Addiction, control, Fourth Step, healing, identity, memoir, pratfall, recover, self-concept

However, because of the shame associated with the loss of control, they continue to shield themselves from the public. Perhaps that is changing. In the memoir age, such walls of secrecy and shame are breaking down. Memoirs give addicted individuals a voice, turning the sorrow of their fall into a more complete story which celebrates…

Written by

Jerry Waxler
November 4, 2008

Matched pair of memoirs show both sides of addiction

60’s, Addiction

Addiction, buzzed, crystal meth, Family Memoirs, marijuana, memoir, recovery, rehab, relapse, sixties, Twelve Steps

It takes time for the harm to emerge from behind its glittering mask, by which time the damage is done. Broken relationships. Lost opportunities. And the risks intensify. Car crashes, loss of mental functioning, the quick death of overdosing or the slow death of disease. Nic’s dad pleaded and threatened his son. Nic retorted, “You…

Written by

Jerry Waxler
October 28, 2008

Let Your Memoir Take You to the Fourth Step

Addiction, Cultural community

Addiction, alcoholism, Cultural community, essay, Fourth Step, memoir, shame, Twelve Steps

Now, as I study memoir writing, I believe I have stumbled upon another connection with the Twelve Steps. The Fourth Step says, “We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.” The goal of taking this inventory is to replace vague sorrows of “having messed up,” with more detailed information. It’s an important exercise…

Written by

Jerry Waxler
August 4, 2008

Memoirs as a journey from blindness to sight

Addiction, Family, Introspection, Memoirs, Storytelling

Addiction, Coming of age, divorce, Family Therapy, Introspection, Journalism, separated parents

I felt a little cheated that it took the author so long to start looking within himself. Then I look at my pile of memoirs and realize that most of the authors continue through the darkness for a really long time. Dani Shapiro in “Slow Motion” took forever to realize she was destroying herself. Jeanette…

Written by

Jerry Waxler
June 25, 2008

What does Dani Shapiro, or any of us, really want?

Addiction, Book Review, Writing Prompt

Addiction, creativity, Maslow’s Hierarchy, Memoirs, Psychology

Dani Shapiro’s memoir “Slow Motion” is a study in desire. When she enters Sarah Lawrence, one of the top liberal arts schools in the U.S., she is young, beautiful, and rich. Then, a man 20 years older swoops into her life, picks her up in his limousine and showers her with flowers. At first she…

Written by

Jerry Waxler