Memoir Short Takes: David Finch's Asperger's Self-Help for Husbands & Julie Klam's Transcendent "Dog-Oir"

What's the point of memoir? It's an old question, but one this month's memoirists answer through their stories: to deal with one life's darkness can illuminate another's. September's memoirs shed light on some bleak situations and make light of others. While we could almost certainly find our way without reading these titles, why stumble around in the shadows?

Finch, David. The Journal of Best Practices: A Memoir of Marriage, Asperger Syndrome, and One Man's Quest To Be a Better Husband. Scribner. Jan. 2012. c256p. ISBN 9781439189719. $25. MEMOIR
A wry self-awareness permeates Finch's methodical recounting of the steps he took to address the behaviors that sprang from his Asperger's syndrome and their effect on his marriage to a "neurotypical" woman. Attacking the issue with the zeal usually reserved for video games and music-geek minutiae, Finch absorbs lessons about life and personal organization skills that could benefit even the most typically wired among us. Finch's repetition of common self-help themes will appeal to seekers of both happy endings and practical memoirs.
What I'm Telling My Friends Overcome the temptation to ascribe Finch's Asperger's-related carelessness to all men; read this as a candid account of his hard work to overcome the deeply engrained habits that threatened the happiness of his wife and kids. For some, figuring out how to do the laundry can be as hard as climbing a mountain.

Hill, Whit. Not About Madonna: My Little Pre-Icon Roommate and Other Memoirs. Heliotrope. 2011. c282p. ISBN 9780983294009. pap. $17.95. MEMOIR
Madonna looms over dancer/choreographer Hill's coming-of-age story. Though her nine months as Madonna Ciccone's college roommate in the late 1970s will surely pique readers' curiosity, the story of Hill's transformation from New York City schoolgirl and struggling performer to confident mother and artist is the real attraction here. Artists in search of their own voice may find this glimpse at the early development (with its associated jealousies and insecurities) of two different talents instructive.
What I'm Telling My Friends While I wouldn't relish having my college-era correspondence published by a long out-of-touch acquaintance, I suspect it won't trouble Madonna too much. Hill's own story is enough to construct a satisfying memoir, and her roommate-turned-pop-star's titular inclusion reads like a publicity ploy.

Klam, Julie. Love at First Bark: How Saving a Dog Can Sometimes Help You Save Yourself. Riverhead: Penguin Group (USA). Oct. 2011. c192p. ISBN 9781594488283. $21.95. MEMOIR
Klam follows her first dog-oir (You Had Me at Woof) with whimsical reflections on some of the dog rescues in which she's participated. In a nutshell: Klam benefits as much as the rescued dogs but at the cost of a muddier, sweatier self and an apartment that smells nothing like expensive candles. She finds the more she works with these dogs, the kinder she is to the two-legged creatures around her. Klam's talent at portraying the rescued dogs as individuals and not as caricatured wayward mutts will keep even non-dog-lovers reading.
What I'm Telling My Friends A few lucky people are natural storytellers, and Klam is one of them. Not only am I sure she could make a visit to the dentist sound funnier than most jokes, but she's also nearly convinced me that dogs can make you a better person.

Morrison, Barbara. Innocent: Confessions of a Welfare Mother. Apprentice House. 2011. c342p. ISBN 9781934074657. pap. $18.95. MEMOIR
The incline from comfortable suburban childhood to welfare-dependent single motherhood is slippery and steep. Poet Morrison details every sickening bump along the way down before she begins her long struggle upward to regain self-sufficiency. The facts of Morrison's drab existence in Worcester, MA, are disheartening enough. Even more depressing is that Morrison was relatively fortunate, caught by an albeit fragile social safety net while many others were left in free fall. Her matter-of-fact tone should convince even the most unsympathetic that life really is what happens when you're making other plans.
What I'm Telling My Friends The most disturbing aspects of Morrison's years in poverty were the near-constant scrutiny by government case workers and the agonizing choices she had to make between helping either her family or others in need. Painful to read.

Whitaker, Mark. My Long Trip Home: A Family Memoir. S & S. Oct. 2011. c352p. ISBN 9781451627541. $25.99. MEMOIR
Whitaker's childhood was not the stuff of storybooks. The journalist (vice president, CNN International; former editor, Newsweek) packs plenty of material in this detailed chronicle of his interracial family's life. The slow, alcohol-driven deterioration of his black American father's life and academic career is matched by his white French mother's depression; both leave a young Whitaker to his own devices. Told straightforwardly, Whitaker's stories of life and work in proximity to power will appeal to government and media junkies.
What I'm Telling My Friends The parallels to another high-achieving, mixed-race public figure are hard to ignore. Whitaker's retelling of his journalistic triumphs and missteps will remind readers that the face of America's elite is changing.

Whyman, Matt. Oink: My Life with Mini-Pigs. S. & S. Sept. 2011. c352p. illus. ISBN 9781451618280. $24. MEMOIR
Succumbing to the pleas of his wife and kids, Whyman-a suburban British househusband and YA novelist-embarks on the animal adventure of a lifetime and acquires two (purportedly) miniature pigs. Havoc ensues: furniture and lawns are ruined, and unspeakable veterinary procedures are performed. Still, Whyman perseveres and reports on it all. This lighthearted but affecting account from the porcine frontlines has appeal for animal lovers and readers of contemporary family memoir alike. No sturm und drang here-just oinks and squeals.
What I'm Telling My Friends My prior interest in pigs of any sort was confined to bacon, but this hilarious romp was an enjoyable escape from reality. Made up of enough material about the nature of families and happiness to make it more than just a pig tale, it should make readers laugh.

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