When it comes to reading, there are millions of books to choose from. If you are struggling to decide what category of book you want to read, you should consider reading memoirs. Memoirs are historical accounts that are written based on someone's first-hand knowledge of the topic of the book. Both famous and ordinary people can write memoirs about their life.
Reason #1: Learn About Someone Else's Experiences
The truth is we cannot do everything that there is to be done in the world and experience everything that there is to experience.
There is not enough time within an individual life for one to experience everything there is to experience, and even if you were to experience the exact same thing as someone else, it could impact you in an entirely different way based upon your own personal experience.
A memoir allows you the opportunity to learn about someone else's experiences and thoughts. A memoir allows you an opportunity to step into someone else's experiences and perspective of the world and experience something outside of yourself.
Reason #2: Learn About a Different Period of Time
Memoirs are not something new; people have been writing memories for hundreds of years. Reading memoirs can allow you to step back in time and see what life for people during different time periods.
For example, you can learn about the experiences of someone who fought during World War II or learn about the adventures of a housewife who lived in Europe during WWI or you can read non-native Alaskan pioneer memoirs to learn more about their experiences braving the cold to discover something entirely new to them.
With a memoir, you can step back in time and get to learn about someone else's experiences that you could never go through. You can see what life was like for regular people during a different period of time.
Reason #3: Learn About Yourself
By reading about other people and seeing how other people handled different experiences, you can learn about yourself.
As you read what someone else went through, you can question and think about how you would have reacted to the same situation or you can think about how you have reacted to similar situations and why you reacted that way. Learning about someone else's life can be a great tool for learning about your own life.
This year, be sure to add a few memoirs to your reading list. Read some memoirs about current time periods, and read some historical memories, such as one about an Alaskan pioneer, in order to learn about other people, step into someone else's experience, and learn about yourself.