I read a lot of memoirs.
As a storyteller, I am drawn to the true-life tales of other human beings.
The problem:
So many memoirs are filled with self-praise and the recounting of significant accomplishments, absent the failures, embarrassments, and shame that fill our lives, but these less-than-moments are the stories people want to hear.
These are the stories people need to hear.
Even worse:
The more successful the person, the more likely the memoir is filled with personal accolades. I’ve read memoirs of musicians, politicians, comedians, and other public figures I liked a lot before I began reading, who I did not enjoy nearly as much when I finished.
I recently read the memoir of a television personality that included letters of praise from other people about their performance.
I cringed and groaned every time one of these letters appeared,
But last week, I read Andrew Wilkinson’s “Never Enough: From Barista to Billionaire.”
I know Andrew, have worked with him, and like him a lot, so I expected to like the book, too. Then again, Andrew is exceptionally successful — a literal billionaire — so I wondered if I would be faced with another book highlighting achievement and minimizing failure.
Instead, I was thrilled to discover an honest, unflinching, personally revealing memoir about Andrew’s bumpy, uneven rise to the top. The book is filled with stories of missteps, miscalculations, and abject failures. Andrew takes a clear and sharp look at his life and reveals things most would not. And along the way, he credits the many people who helped him succeed, making it clear his journey to success was not solely his own.
Andrew laid himself bare to his readers, and they will love him so much more for it.
It’s easy to say good things about yourself. It requires nothing except a lack of awareness of what others appreciate and want most.
It takes courage to speak the truth about your life, no matter how difficult, awkward, or embarrassing it may be.
I recommend Andrew’s book to anyone looking for a genuinely human rags-to-riches story. And if you’re looking to write a memoir or even tell a great story, take a page from Andrew and tell the story people want to hear.
