Memoirs and autobiographies

Memoirs reviewed in this blog

War memoirs:

Memoir of the Bobotes by Joyce Cary: a brilliantly written memoir of the author's time as a medical officer during the Balkan Wars (pre World War I): the writer became a novelist and his craft shows; full of humour and keen observation

A Moment of War by Laurie Lee: experiences in the Spanish Civil War including the harrowing account of when the author killed another young man

A Detail on the Burma Front by Winifred Beaumont: a nurse's story from one of the theatres of World War II: more compassion and humour: reasonably well-written

Memoirs and autobiographies of sex workers:

Cam boy by J Matt: the memoir of a young man who performs solo sex acts for his internet viewers

Street kid: a rent boy's tale by Ned Williams: after being sexually abused by his father, 'Steven' ('Carl' on the racks) became a rent boy at a young age.

Making beds in brothels by Adam Brock: Another rent-boy, although Adam is much more embittered by his experiences than Ned.

Meat rack boy by Michael Tarraga: a short memoir in which he describes being pimped out by his foster parents to Ted Heath (later British Prime Minister)

Law enforcement
Not for the faint-hearted by John Stevens: the autobiography of a senior police officer; probably best for those most interested in this sort of story

In the Office of Constable by Sir Robert Mark: Mark was head of the Metropolitan Police in the 1970s; this self-congratulatory memoir promotes a right-wing agenda

Forty Years Catching Smugglers by Malcolm Nelson: the memoirs of a senior customs officer; probably best for those most interested in this sort of story

Others:
My Family and Other Animals (and the sequels Birds Beasts and Relatives, and The Garden of the Gods) by Gerald Durrell: Beautiful descriptions and hilarious accounts of an eccentric family living on the Greek Island of Corfu between WWI and WWII. 

Whatever Happened to Margo: Margaret Durrell's account of running a boarding house in Bournemouth: sometimes muddled but often funny

A Pattern of Islands by Arthur Grimble: a well-written, frequently humorous account of Pacific paradise

Bus Stop Symi by William Travis: the account of three years spent on the remote and at the time unspoilt Greek island of Symi: well-written, charming and amusing

Surprised by Joy by C S Lewis: an account of the famous author's life, mostly from the perspective of his Christianity: beautifully written

Beautiful People by Simon Doonan: The story of a young gay man: well-written with moments of marvellous humour

Teacher Man by Frank McCourt: the third volume in the series that started with Angela's Ashes

The Politics of Washing: Real Life in Venice by Polly Coles: a reasonably well-written account of a year spent living in Venice

Rabbit Stew and a Penny or Two by Maggie Smith-Bendell: an interesting and reasonably well-written account of a Romani Gypsy childhood

Bad Blood by Lorna Sage: you might think that growing up in rural Wales with a grandfather who was the local vicar sounds idyllic but you'd be wrong: Laurie Lee with attitude.

Barnardo boy: the life story of a man who came from nothing

How I got into art school and out of prison by William McLellan: Life in a Spanish prison under Franco's regime

A Boy at the Hogarth Press by Richard Kennedy: a very funny memoir of a year mixing with Woolfs and the Bloomsbury set.