The Memoir Revolution

Tag: recovery

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 17, 2012

Memoir Interview: Shame, Addiction and Anonymity

Author Interview, Tim Elhajj

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

I don’t think every story I write needs to be about my recovery or my addiction, but evaluating one’s life openly and honestly, without shame or fear, is the right path for me. It’s like the advice Tobias Wolff wrote to Mary Karr as she set out to write the Liar’s Club. “Don’t be afraid…

Written by

Jerry Waxler
April 10, 2012

8 Lessons and Prompts from Tim Elhajj’s Recovery Memoir

Tim Elhajj, Writing Prompt

Addiction, Coming of age, memoir, recovery, Tim Elhajj, Twelve Steps

Dopefiend is about Elhajj’s journey to become a complete man, and his desire to be a good father is an important part of that journey. His own son forces him to grow, giving fresh meaning to Wordsworth’s famous line, “the child is father of the man.”

Written by

Jerry Waxler
April 3, 2012

Coming of Age Never Ends

Coming of age, Tim Elhajj

Addiction, Coming of age, memoir, recovery, Tim Elhajj, Twelve Steps

stories of childhood and adolescence, such as Jeanette Walls’ Glass Castle and Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes arguably launched the explosion of interest in the memoir genre. However, not all Coming of Age stories proceed from childhood in an orderly fashion.

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