The Book of Myself: A Do-It-Yourself Autobiography in 201 Questions (Hardcover)

by David Marshall (Author), Carl Marshall (Author) "ONE OF MOM'S TRAITS I ADMIRED WAS:..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Strong is the urge to write one's life story as a keepsake for oneself and one's family. The difficulty is knowing where to start, and then where to go from there. Carl and David Marshall, a grandfather-grandson team, have created a fine and fun do-it-yourself autobiography. The cover of the journal-sized Book of Myself is intended to resemble handmade paper; the inside pages have the yellowed hue of a keepsake found in a musty attic trunk. The book is not especially pretty. But the questions--one per page, divided into early, middle, and late years, and then again into sections concerning family, friends, education, work and responsibilities, and the world--are good enough that it hardly matters. Among the 201 jumping-off points included here are questions concerning childhood toys, crushes, and forbidden exploits; adult embarrassments, betrayals, and achievements; and how one's views change over the years. --Jane Steinberg

Product Description
A keepsake fill-in book contains more than two hundred prompts divided into three life phases--Early, Middle, and Later Years--and separates each phase into five subject categories--Family, Friends, Education, Work/Responsibilities, and The World.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; 1st edition (January 2, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786862505
• ISBN-13: 978-0786862504
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #380,599 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is monumental...it's a novel waiting to happen!, March 14, 1999

By A Customer

I gave this book to my grandmother with a note that said "I bought this book for you because I want the generations of our bloodline to come to know that you were a wonderful, generous woman, who knew how to live life to it's fullest." She loved both the book and the note so much she cried! She also went out and bought a few more to give to aother family members as gifts. She wrote in it and gave it to me, and I drank up every word she wrote. I learned about her trials and tribulations, I learned about family members I never had the pleasure of knowing...but got to know well throughout this book. It gave me an idea about where I came from, and I even noticed some similarities in personality and interests with my grandmother. This is a wonderful book for any occasion. Definitly 2 thumbs up!

86 of 90 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Its size is a problem, January 17, 2000

By A Customer

I bought this book for my grandmother after carefully reviewing several other autobiographical writing aides. I have to admit I was disappointed when I received the book. The questions are good, but the book itself is very small. If I'd noticed the dimensions of the book that are listed near its photo, I might not have purchased it. Each of the 201 questions gets one side of one page for answering, and the pages are roughly 5x8". It is almost impossible to imagine that the kind of rich, detail-laden anecdotes we hope for (and that we want to pass on for generations) when we give this as a gift could fit in the space provided. Though not ideal, I ended up buying a small notebook for my grandmother, along with the book, that she can continue her answers in.

54 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars In Desperate Need of an Update, November 30, 2002

By A Customer

Advantages: This autobiographic journal is affordable and omits uncouth, private questions that have dissuaded me from purchasing other journals. For example, one's sex life is not addressed in this book, but is included in another life journal, "All About Me." "The Book of Myself" makes a great gift for grandparents, parents, & older relatives or friends.

Disadvantages: Tailored more for older folks. For instance, the book solicits responses to "my memories of World War II, "inquires how Pearl Harbor shaped a person's life, your whereabouts during JFK's assassination & the 1st moon landing.