Episode · How I Write · 2024-08-14
Books mentioned on How to Tell Your Life Story | Rob Henderson
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Dreams from My Father
Dreams from My Father is a powerful memoir by Barack Obama that recounts his early life, family roots, and journey toward self-discovery.
Discussed“Barack Obama wrote Jes for my father I think he was in his early 30s”
Where to get it
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Hillbilly Elegy
Hillbilly Elegy by J.D.
Discussed“so he told me that he wanted hillbilly LGA to be mostly sociological like this kind of detached almost academic work where he's describing the patterns and pathologies of Appalachia the white working class and so on”
Where to get it
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Educated
Educated by Tara Westover is a gripping memoir detailing a young woman's struggle to break free from her survivalist, isolated family in rural Idaho to pursue formal education and academic self-discovery.
Recommended“yeah i mean educated was a fantastic book um i mean it was better than my book uh in terms of its quality and its style i'm just like that's maybe one of the best memoirs i've ever read”
Where to get it
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East of Eden
East of Eden by John Steinbeck is a sweeping, multi-generational epic novel set in the Salinas Valley that deeply explores profound themes of good and evil, free will, guilt, and human redemption through the parallel histories of the Trask and Hamilton families.
Discussed“and for an example i want to look at john steinbeck and his book his masterpiece east of eden”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (1) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
Passing Troubled
“this is something I've only recently realized was Rob Henderson is the author of troubled which is a memoir about what is like to grow up in the foster care system and what his life was like how we got from that to then going to Yale and Cambridge and enrolling in the military”