memoir

Nicholas Thompson has long been known for his sharp and inquisitive mind as the former editor and chief of “Wired,” CEO of “The Atlantic,” and a writer who moves fluently between technology, culture, and the human stories that animate both. In his new memoir “The Running Ground: A Father, a Son, and the Simplest of Sports” Thompson turns inward exploring the most enduring relationship of all, the one between a parent and a child. The book traces his deepening bond with his son through running, the sport that Thompson has loved his entire life and the way the miles on the road become a space for connection, conversation, and growth.

From Susan Orlean, the beloved New Yorker writer and bestselling author of “The Orchid Thief” and “The Library Book,” comes “Joyride” - a masterful memoir of finding her creative calling and purpose.This episode of The Book Show was recorded at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY in an event co-presented by Northshire Bookstore and WAMC on the Road.

Greg Cope White’s memoir “The Pink Marine” is the inspiration for Netflix breakout hit “Boots.” “Boots” tells the story of an 18-year-old closeted gay teenager who enlists in the Marines with his straight best friend. Greg is not only the real-life inspiration he’s also one of the show’s writers and co-executive producer.

Susan Orlean's latest, “Joyride,” is a memoir of finding her creative calling and purpose that invites to approach life with wonder, curiosity, and an irrepressible sense of delight. She will be in conversation with Joe Donahue at Skidmore College on 11/17 in an event presented by Northshire Bookstore and WAMC on the Road.

On October 11, The Eleanor Roosevelt Center in partnership with PEN America presented the 2025 Banned Book Awards at The Bardavon in Poughkeepsie, New York. This year’s Eleanor Roosevelt Lifetime Achievement honoree was best-selling author Margaret Atwood and Joe Donahue had the great honor of speaking with her at the event.In her latest work, "Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts," Atwood explores her past and reveals connections between real life and art.

Berkshire-based actor, voice over artist, comedian, and audiobook narrator and producer, Alison Larkin joins us again with the next chapter in her tumultuous, marvelous journey finding her way to live - before she meets her soulmate, Bhima, and after she loses him.Her book, “Grief … A Comedy” is available now.

How does the son of a Presbyterian minister end up winning a Pulitzer Prize for a distorted newspaper column that is read by many? Well, in Dave Berry’s new book “Class Clown: The Memoirs of a Professional Wiseass: How I Went 77 Years Without Growing Up” he provides the details.“Class Clown” isn’t your regular memoir; it is a celebration of life rich with humor, joy, absurdity, and sadness.

Content warning: this conversation deals with sexual assault and rape.E. Jean Carroll’s “Not My Type: One Woman vs. a President” is an unfiltered memoir chronicling her two high-stakes civil trials against Donald Trump, first for sexual abuse in 2023 and then defamation in 2024, culminating in over $100 million awarded against him.Carroll shares everything from trial strategy and wardrobe choices to psychiatric evaluations and courtroom drama. She riffs on Trump’s infamous “she’s not my type” line, turning it into the narrative spine of her story while skewering his legal team’s theatrics.

Over the last 40 years few comedians have been a part of so many iconic beloved projects than Larry Charles. Larry was one of the original writers and producers of the first five seasons of “Seinfeld,” he executive produced both “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Entourage” while directing 18 episodes of “Curb,” and served as the showrunner for “Mad About You.” His film directing credits include “Borat,” “Bruno,” and “The Dictator,” as well as the documentary “Religulous” with Bill Marr, and “Masked and Anonymous” with Bob Dylan.Larry Charles writes about these 40 years of blood, guts, and laughter in his new memoir “Comedy Samurai: Forty Years of Blood, Guts, and Laughter.”

Jill Bialosky’s new book, "The End is the Beginning," is a moving elegy, starting with her mother’s end and the physical/cognitive decline that led her to a care home.Compounding her challenges of raising four daughters without a livelihood or partner, Iris’s life coincided with an age of unstoppable social change and reinvention, when the roles of wife and mother she was raised to inhabit ceased to be the guarantors of stability and happiness.