# The Truth About Memoirs Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/getting-lit-with-linda-the-canadian-literature-podcast-381592/the-truth-about-memoirs Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/getting-lit-with-linda-the-canadian-literature-podcast-381592/the-truth-about-memoirs.md Podcast: [Getting Lit with Linda - The Canadian Literature Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/getting-lit-with-linda-the-canadian-literature-podcast-381592) Published: 2025-09-18T04:00:46+00:00 Episode link: https://shows.acast.com/getting-lit-with-linda-the-canadian-literature-podcast/episodes/the-truth-about-memoirs Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/6086d520cfb9e813fa7a63a9/e/68cb83edd589b82845d18799/media.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/getting-lit-with-linda-the-canadian-literature-podcast-381592/episodes/the-truth-about-memoirs Duration seconds: 1388 ## Resource In this episode, Linda examines the resurgence of the memoir, and what readers expect - and what she expects - when we pick one up. While the first part of the episode examines the features and history of the memoir, the last part is devoted to the wonderful new memoir by Susan Swan, Big Girls Don't Cry. Highlights of this episode include: Giller prize long list (.45 sec)\ Lucy Knight and The Salt Path Scanda l (1.11) James Fray A Million Little Pieces (3.35) Frederick Philip Grove, In Search of Myself  (3:30) The “truth” of memoir (5:44) Difference between memoir and autobiography (7:34) Julie Rak and her scholarly book, Boom! (6:12; 8:55) Guernica Press, Eva Krakow, Voice Lessons (11:52) ECW Press and a list of its published memoirs (13:00) Random House and their list of memoirs (12:03, reference to Minelle Mahtani, 12:08) Atwood and her new memoir, Book of Lives (13:35) Philippe Lejeune & the autobiographical pact (9:56)  Betty Friedan, The Problem that Has No Name (19:09) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/getting-lit-with-linda-the-canadian-literature-podcast-381592/episodes/the-truth-about-memoirs/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/getting-lit-with-linda-the-canadian-literature-podcast-381592/the-truth-about-memoirs.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.