The Way of StoryFavorite Memoirs
The books I picked & why
Hope Against Hope: A Memoir Why am I passionate about this?
After decades of teaching in graduate school as well as a career in acting, and writing 11 produced plays in NYC, then writing films & television in Hollywood, and later becoming the author of 8 published books—both fiction and non-fiction, and marriage and motherhood—I began to reflect on a long and adventurous life, which led to writing a memoir.
By Nadezhda Mandelstam, Max Hayward
Why I love this book
I first read this book decades ago and never forgot it.
- When the Russian poets under Stalin, not allowed to write or publish their own poems, once met secretly in Mandelstam’s kitchen to recite their poems. The only food was one boiled egg which sat on the table between the few poets. And no one ate the egg! Integrity above poverty and famine. Stalin was responsible for sending creatives to Siberia, where so many died- including Osip Mandelstam.
The widow of the great Russian poet and martyr, Osip Mandelstam, gives us the most luminous record of the purges in Russia in the 1930s under Stalin. A wife who kept her husband’s legacy alive by memorizing his entire body of work yet tells the story of these hellish times with humor and heart.
Memories, Dreams, Reflections
By C.G. Jung, Aniela Jaffe (editor)
Why I love this book
As an undergraduate, I loved this memoir of C. G. Jung, which led me years later to obtain a graduate degree in Jungian Psychology.
The most accessible of Jung’s writings are recorded and edited by Aniela Jaffe, who was trained by Jung. This unique memoir reveals not only the origin of Jung’s psychological discoveries but the man behind the genius. With humor and heart, Jung, in his 80’s, looks back on a remarkable life and work.
Ahead of his time, Jung leaves a valuable and timeless legacy for today.
Turn: The Journal of an Artist
By Anne Truitt
Why I love this book
I first met Anne Truitt when we were both guest artists at the Yaddo Colony in upstate NY. Later, we became good friends.
I admired not only her sculptures and paintings but also the three elegant and poignant published journals of an artist’s life. My favorite is the third published Journal, TURN.
Known as a superb artist and sculptor, Turn is Truitt’s third journal revealing the woman and journey of a true artist and unique individual. A husband’s suicide leaving the author and artist to raise three children and pursue her art, creates a unique memoir timeless in the chronicles of the resilience of single women artists.
The Measure of My Days: One Woman’s Vivid, Enduring Celebration of Life and Aging
By Florida Scott-Maxwell
Why I love this book
Maxwell, an American actress who later studied with C. G. Jung and became a Jungian psychologist, reflects on her life from America to marriage and a life in Scotland, and her perspective on life and the world.
I return to this unsentimental wisdom of an intelligent and remarkable woman facing the later years of a life well lived.
By Ray Bradbury 
Why I love this book
Some years ago in Hollywood, Bradbury introduced my first film premiere as a Hollywood screenwriter, The Christmas Wife. Ten years later, I met again with Ray Bradbury at a Film Festival and was amazed that this elder author remembered both me and my first film.
One of America’s best authors of science fiction leaves this memoir of his life and work. It is not only an entertaining read, but a tool for writers in any genre desiring to fulfill their potential.
Explore my book 😀
Buddha and the Dancing Girl: A Creative Life
By Catherine Ann Jones
Why am I passionate about this?
After decades of teaching in graduate school as well as a career in acting, and writing 11 produced plays in NYC, then writing films & television in Hollywood, and later becoming the author of 8 published books—both fiction and non-fiction, and marriage and motherhood—I began to reflect on a long and adventurous life, which led to writing a memoir.
I wrote…
Buddha and the Dancing Girl: A Creative Life
By Catherine Ann Jones
Why am I Why am I passionate about this?
After decades of teaching in graduate school as well as a career in acting, and writing 11 produced plays in NYC, then writing films & television in Hollywood, and later becoming the author of 8 published books—both fiction and non-fiction, and marriage and motherhood—I began to reflect on a long and adventurous life, which led to writing a memoir.
What is my book about?
“Buddha and the Dancing Girl is a story of inner and outer adventures, from acting in New York to writing in Hollywood, and from a girlhood in Texas to a spiritual search in India as well as marriage and motherhood—a life fully lived, offering us remarkable experiences, memorable people, and deep wisdom.” – Betty Sue Flowers, Ph.D. editor of Joseph Campbell’s The Power of Myth.
