"Your story of Robert Frost's visit to the Wesleyan campus in 1953 is heartwarming and memorable, and it must become part of the Wesleyan Archives."
-Suzy Taraba, Wesleyan University Archivist

"Love your songs, but it was the memoir of your 1992 Rotary visit to New Zealand that I enjoyed the most."
-Glenn Estess Sr., Past Rotary International President

"Getting Hooked on Memoirs" presents both a guide and a collection of memoirs designed to provide examples of this personal type of writing. In this helpful handbook, Dr. H. Kenneth Shook offers practical advice to aid in writing effective personal memoirs. Dr. Shook draws on his experiences in conducting sessions on writing and sharing memoirs to shares his knowledge and provide answers to these vital questions:

What is a memoir? Is there a desired length for a memoir? Could the author of the memoir be sharing the experiences of others rather than his own experiences? How does a memoir differ from a research paper or a complete life history? Can memoirs include events of recent weeks or months, rather than focusing solely on events of the distant past?

This practical guide will inspire everyone who reads it to delve into their own life experiences to share their story or experience in their very own memoir.

In 1963, Dr. H. Kenneth Shook attended an auction just four doors down from his apartment in Westminster, Maryland, to buy a typewriter-and instead returned as the home's new owner. As a photograph is snapped of his wife and son sitting on the tailgate of the station wagon that would be used to transport their belongings just a short way down the street, Shook has no idea that one day, that simple photograph will trigger him to write compilation of memories.

In his second volume of memoirs, Shook shares true accounts of his life inspired by his many memories of family cars. Beginning with his first recollections at age four, Shook provides a glimpse back into a time when mothers stayed home with their children, televisions did not have a place in the home, and fathers parked the family car on Main Street on a Saturday night to watch the world go by. As he details his coming-of-age journey through childhood, college, military service, and adulthood, Shook chronicles not only his life experiences, but also the purchases of vehicles that accompanied him on his journey through life that included retired police cars, a Dodge Dart, and a beloved station wagon.

Family Cars Trigger Memoirs offers entertaining anecdotes that illustrate the important role that family cars take in one man's journey through life.

The final portions of this book include memoirs triggered by distant travels and memoirs triggered by other people's memoirs. The author also allows two memoirs from his first book to return for an encore performance.

In 1963, Dr. H. Kenneth Shook attended an auction just four doors down from his apartment in Westminster, Maryland, to buy a typewriter-and instead returned as the home's new owner. As a photograph is snapped of his wife and son sitting on the tailgate of the station wagon that would be used to transport their belongings just a short way down the street, Shook has no idea that one day, that simple photograph will trigger him to write compilation of memories.

In his second volume of memoirs, Shook shares true accounts of his life inspired by his many memories of family cars. Beginning with his first recollections at age four, Shook provides a glimpse back into a time when mothers stayed home with their children, televisions did not have a place in the home, and fathers parked the family car on Main Street on a Saturday night to watch the world go by. As he details his coming-of-age journey through childhood, college, military service, and adulthood, Shook chronicles not only his life experiences, but also the purchases of vehicles that accompanied him on his journey through life that included retired police cars, a Dodge Dart, and a beloved station wagon.

Family Cars Trigger Memoirs offers entertaining anecdotes that illustrate the important role that family cars take in one man's journey through life.

The final portions of this book include memoirs triggered by distant travels and memoirs triggered by other people's memoirs. The author also allows two memoirs from his first book to return for an encore performance.

"Your story of Robert Frost's visit to the Wesleyan campus in 1953 is heartwarming and memorable, and it must become part of the Wesleyan Archives."
-Suzy Taraba, Wesleyan University Archivist

"Love your songs, but it was the memoir of your 1992 Rotary visit to New Zealand that I enjoyed the most."
-Glenn Estess Sr., Past Rotary International President

"Getting Hooked on Memoirs" presents both a guide and a collection of memoirs designed to provide examples of this personal type of writing. In this helpful handbook, Dr. H. Kenneth Shook offers practical advice to aid in writing effective personal memoirs. Dr. Shook draws on his experiences in conducting sessions on writing and sharing memoirs to shares his knowledge and provide answers to these vital questions:

What is a memoir? Is there a desired length for a memoir? Could the author of the memoir be sharing the experiences of others rather than his own experiences? How does a memoir differ from a research paper or a complete life history? Can memoirs include events of recent weeks or months, rather than focusing solely on events of the distant past?

This practical guide will inspire everyone who reads it to delve into their own life experiences to share their story or experience in their very own memoir.