What’s in a memoir? I’d define a memoir as an inside look of steps taken and lessons learned from a long life lived, or an epiphany gleaned from one poignant moment — a recounting of love, loss and achievement — a life of memories condensed within the confines of two hard covers and placed on a shelf with other well-worn titles. It’s something the reader initially selected in order to learn something about someone he admires — a writer, artist, political leader or athlete.
Is a teenager capable of writing a memoir? Would I buy it? Could I conceivably learn something from a prepubescent account of life?
It’s becoming commonplace for young stars to release memoirs. They are infants in life, yet they have experienced more “worthy” moments than the average 80-year-old as they race into the media-driven limelight of today’s culture. They have been “discovered,” become household names before the drama of a first romance or menstrual cycle.
I have been out of the loop in the pop culture arena, but I was just made aware of Justin Bieber’s memoir. Don’t ask me how this came up.
The Canadian pop singing sensation who is driving recent tween mania has released “First Step 2 Forever,” documenting his rise to stardom. He was born in 1994. At 16 he began compiling all the memories of his life for publication — 16. Humans don’t even have the ability to remember things prior to age 3 as far as I know. I am lucky to remember what I ate yesterday for breakfast. Perhaps Bieber’s mind is a documented scientific marvel. Is he a savant able to share perspective from days spent in the crib and how those moments forged a foundation for stepping onto the stage?
I’m interested, but not enough to fork out the dough for my own copy. If your interest has been piqued more than my own, I ask that you fill me in on all the hype.
J’Lyn-
Thanks for a great 45 minutes I just “wasted” reading and remembering about Norbert Wiener. Despite the obvious rhyme, I doubt that anyone has ever mentioned him and Bieber in the same breath before.
I first heard about him because of his autobiography as a child prodigy, in which he reportedly remembers amazing things from his early days. But there’s so much more! Like this quote:”The best material model of a cat is another, or preferably the same, cat.”
OR THIS: Neither the artist nor the mathematician may be able to tell you what constitutes the difference between a significant piece of work and an inflated trifle; but if he is not able to recognise this in his own heart, he is no artist and no mathematician.
OR THIS: One of the chief duties of a mathematician in acting as an advisor to scientists is to discourage them from expecting too much of mathematicians.
OR THIS GREAT ANECDOTE: His office was a few doors down the hall from mine. He often visited my office to talk to me. When my office was moved after a few years, he came in to introduce himself. He didn’t realize I was the same person he had frequently visited; I was in a new office so he thought I was someone else.
Phyllis L. Block
THERE ARE BETTER STORIES ON WIKIQUOTE too long to post here. Go!
Scott
By: tallrev831 on January 30, 2012
at 9:07 pm