I respect memoir writers. I think that it's truly awe-inspiring to just lay everything out there--personal thoughts, dreams, insecurities...but besides the personal aspect of memoirs, what really shocks me is how your judgements about everyone in your life are just laid open on the page. Even if you change names, situations, whatever (which then begs the question is it really a memoir--hello, Million Little Pieces?) people can obviously see through your thinly veiled descriptions.
Anyway, onto the story. Moehringer's life is filled with absolutely intriguing characters, which obviously helps make his story coming alive. His crazy uncle with a perpetual stage to perform on at his bartending gig, all the bar regulars, even his manipulative girlfriend who we never really get a good sense of but can gather that she fell for him because he was the troubled smart guy (exactly why I love Good Will Hunting).
But I think that what makes this story a must-read is just the excellent insight into the human condition and the bad decisions that can destroy us--drinking too much, being in relationships with people that aren't good for us, and probably the two worst of all, doubting ourselves and having a lack of drive. J.R. does all of these and more, but ultimately, he is able to utilize his intelligence to create a truly great works.
I think what I took away from this memoir the most effective is that your own story is best told through the interactions you have with other people. The conversations that Moehringer shares, his opinions about others, and the way he allows others to treat him tells us so much more than if he just said, "I did this, I thought that."
Anyone that wants to write a memoir, read this one first. He tells a collection of stories that defined him, not just an "I did this, I thought that" kind of memoir. And some of his lines were so touching, I tweeted throughout my reading of the book to share his brilliant lines. Excellent.
