I Can't Keep My Own Secrets: Six-Word Memoirs by Teens Famous + Obscure

Bibliographic Information: SMITH Magazine (Editor). (2009). I can't keep my own secrets: Six-word memoirs by teens famous and obscure. New York: HerperTeen.

Plot Summary: I Can’t Keep My Own Secrets is a compilation of six-word memoirs, a concept made famous by Ernest Hemingway.  The six-word memoirs in this book are written by teens, and they share stories of love, error, happiness, self-discovery, anger, sadness, hope, imagination, and many other journeys and emotions experience during adolescence.  Each memoir contains a byline, and the three sub-sections at the end of the book contain six-word memoirs from teen stars, Teen Nick winners, and teen Web stars.  The book begins with an introduction of the six-word memoir concept, and explains that more than 600 memoirs from teens aged thirteen to nineteen are featured in this book.

Critical Evaluation: The six-word memoir has proven to be a powerful means of expression in I Can’t Keep My Own Secrets. The stories behind each memoir are dripping with emotion, and tell a tale much greater in meaning.  Simple six-word memoirs like “Daddy issues are all I know” paint a picture of a child battling abandonment.  Many memoirs are deep, and others are humorous, like “I never got my Hogwarts letter.”  Some shed light on the ubiquitous societal imperfections of the adolescent world: “Three high schools. Only uniforms change.”  Heartbreak, an emotion often experienced by teens can be felt in memoirs like “He said bye in YouTube links,” or “Don’t leave me; daddy already did.”  No matter their life story, teens will find something to relate to in this book, because it is written by their peers who see and experience the tough and joyous realities of life.

Reader’s Annotation: Everyone has a story to tell.  Now tell yours in six words.

Information about the author:  I Can’t Keep My Own Secrets is one of currently nine Six-Word Memoir books published by SMITH magazine.  The founders of SMITH magazine, Larry Smith and Tim Barkow, wanted to create a place for storytelling, and so on January 6, 2006 (which also happens to be National Smith Day), SMITH was born.

SMITH Mag, and it’s teen version, SMITH Teens are devoted to all forms of story telling.  Other story projects sponsored by SMITH are  “The Moment,” “My Life So Far,” “Freeze Frame,” “Brushes with Fame,” “My Ex,” and “Pregnancy.”  Larry Smith travels for many speaking engagements focused on story telling, and has spoken at companies like ESPN, Google, and Twitter, all of which utilize storytelling (SMITH, n.d.).

Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir

Curriculum Ties: English (writing)

Booktalking ideas (one or two):

1.    Read some samples six-word memoirs.

2.    Introduce six-word memoir concept, invite the group to brainstorm their own six-word memoir, and share with the group.

Reading level/Interest age: 15+

Challenge Issues: Book contains suggestions to drug use, sex, teen pregnancy, abortion, HIV, drinking, and family dysfunction.

To defend challenged material I would:

1.    Read/watch/listen to the material to become familiar with the content.

2.    Familiarize myself with the Arizona Common Core curriculum standards http://www.azed.gov/azcommoncore/teacher/ to defend how the material can support the learning of these standards.

3.    Refer to the Library Bill of Rights: http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill

4.    Refer to the collection policy of my library.

5.    Collect reviews from staff/students/patrons who have used the material

Why I chose this book: This book is a great addition to the non-fiction section of my collection.  the six-word memoir concept challenges writers of any age, and the story each memoir tells is deep and emotional.  This book can also serve as motivation for young adult patrons to write and submit their own six-word memoirs.  It can serve as a great unit in a writing class.  

References:

SMITH (n.d.) SMITH Mag. Website. Retrieved from

           http://www.smithmag.net/