Books for Adults on National Child Day
National Child Day has been observed in Canada on November 20 since 1993. It commemorates the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child and United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The memoirs on this list each tell the story of an unusual childhood:
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Abode of Love: Growing Up in a Messianic Cult by Kate Barlow
Barlow relates her experiences growing up within the Church of Agapemon, a religious cult.
Coming Clean: a Memoir by Kimberly Rae Miller
Miller describes her childhood living with her father, a compulsive hoarder.
A Daughter's Tale: the Memoir of Winston Churchill's Youngest Child by Mary Soames
• eBook
Soames is the youngest child of Clementine and Winston Churchill; she shares her memories of growing up in an extraordinary family during a chaotic time in history.
Siberian Education: Family, Honour, and Tattoos: an Extraordinary Underworld Life by Nicolai Lilin
Lilin spent his childhood in Transnistria, a lawless region between Moldova and Ukraine that was settled by criminals. His memoir about living among the criminal element combines fact and fiction.
The Sisters Antipodes by Jane Alison
Two couples each with daughters around the same age meet and become friends. Jane Alison's life is thrown into turmoil when her paren'ts divorce and switch partners with the other couple, forever damaging her relationship with her stepsister Jenny.
Graphic Memoirs
For something a little different, try an autobiography that combines text and images:
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Epileptic by David B.
David B.'s family struggles with his older brother's epilepsy, desperately trying any treatment in hope of a miracle cure.
Fun Home: a Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
Bechdel's memoir of a childhood growing up in a funeral home with a dysfunctional family–a childhood that was complicated by her relationship with her closeted gay father and her struggle with her own sexual identity.
Marzi: a Memoir by Marzena Sowa with art by Sylvain Savoia
Born in Poland in 1979, Sowa gives her perspective on growing up behind the Iron Curtain as Communism begins to crumble.
Persepolis: the Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrape
With simple black and white drawings, Satrape describes her childhood during Iran's Islamic Revolution.
Stitches: a Memoir by David Small
Small's childhood was complicated by dysfunctional paren'ts and a bout with cancer–an illness caused by his doctor father's medical care and worsened by neglect.
If you'd like other suggestions, consult with staff at your local branch.
2 thoughts on “Books for Adults on National Child Day”
It is somewhat disingenuous not to call Alison Bechdel’s memoir what it truly is, and that is a memoir of her growing up with a closeted gay father, whole she herself was coming to terms with her lesbianism. You would do well to revise your description to allude to what’s exactly going on in the book. That you do not do so suggests that there is something to hide, and in that sense you suggest that homosexuality is shameful. Sort of like, Better not be open about it, might frighten the children.
Thank you for your comment, frank bc. It was certainly not my intention to imply that there is something untoward about Bechdel’s book–I did include it on a list of recommended reading, after all.
Sometimes in an effort to be brief in my descriptions I fail to mention important aspects of the book at hand and in this case I should have done a better job.