memoir

Writer and humorist Lindy West has built a career blending sharp cultural criticism with deeply personal storytelling. A former columnist for ‘The New York Times’ and a longtime voice and feminist for pop culture commentary. West is the best-selling author of ‘Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman’ which she later adapted into a Hulu television series. Her new memoir ‘Adult Braces’ finds West at a turning point after the success of ‘Shrill’ she hit an emotional low and set out on a cross-country road trip to rethink her life, relationships, and sense of self. With the wit and candor that became her trademark the book traces that journey through roadside attractions and personal doubts and unexpected revelations as West searches for a new way forward.

For the past seven decades, Tim Matheson has been an on-screen favorite in Hollywood. In his new memoir, 'Damn Glad to Meet You: My Seven Decades in the Hollywood Trenches,' Matheson looks behind-the-scenes of his illustrious career and reveals what it was like to learn from and work alongside the greats, including Lucille Ball, Dick Van Dyke, Steven Spielberg, and Aaron Sorkin. Also 'Virgin River' has its 7th season out now on Netflix.

On Thursday, March 19, Melissa Auf der Maur, former bassist for Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins will celebrate the Hudson, New York launch of her new book 'Even the Good Girls Will Cry: A ‘90s Rock Memoir' (Da Capo Press) at Basilica Hudson. She joins us for a deep dive on the book and her life.

In the shadows of Madrid’s most notorious drug slum and American missionary family plants roots among heroin addicts and builds an unlikely church. The new book ‘Shooting Up’ is Jonathan Tepper’s memoir of his childhood spent in San Blas where syringes liter playgrounds and his closest friends are recovering junkies twice his age.

Gina Gerson’s new memoir is ‘AlphaPussy: How I Survived the Valley and Learned to Love My Boobs,’ it is a fascinating collection of true stories that explore the themes of experience, survival, and the art of figuring it out as you go.

Carol Lin is a former ABC News and CNN anchor whose voice helped guide the nation through some of the most defining moments of the 21st century - including her historic coverage on the morning of 9/11. She joins us to discuss her new memoir: When News Breaks: A Memoir of Love and War.

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.

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.