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

Old and Happy Families ONLY

I bought this because I thought it'd be nice to have for my children and grandchildren someday. I thought I would fill in all my information and memories. Like my full name, best memory, childhood pets, saddest moment, biggest regret, etc. It's not like that at all. Each "Question" gives you a page to write an answer. A young person can not answer most of the questions. "When I was younger..." refers to their 20s. And it's not for people with broken families. "What I love most about my mother/father". "How I liked to entertain my friends/guests". "What I think my grandchildren will accomplish in life". If you've had a sad childhood and a broken home than this book is not for you. This is 100% disappointing to me.

15 out of 19 people found this review helpful.

This book is an amazing way to have a grandparent's life revealed to others.

I had my grandmother fill this book out for me, about 10 years ago. She recently passed away; the grandchildren gathered together (using the book) and we formatted her eulogy using her own words. We knew her happiest moments and saddest. We knew the things she loved. We were able to share my grandmother in a very deep way that touched everyone in a way I've never seen at a funeral. No one spoke for my grandmother; she spoke for herself. Her words (thanks to this book) was a true and endearing testiment to her life.

11 out of 12 people found this review helpful.

Get the new edition

I got the new edition of Book of Myself for my uncle. He has no kids and has always been a mentor to me. I asked him to use the book to write his life story and life lessons for our family history and personal benefit. The Book of Myself lays out clear and interesting questions and gives room to answer. He is finding it easy to do in bits and pieces, and it's filling up quickly.

9 out of 9 people found this review helpful.

I bought this for my mother

Last year my 83 year old mother wrote her "autobiography" which turned out to be a 15 page story mostly about people in her life, not so much about her. This book has a question at the top of every page (such as what happened to you in school that you were most proud of or what did you and your siblings fight about) to jog your memory about things that had happened throughout your life and things that were important to you/life lessons. When I saw this book, I thought any questions that she answered would give us more of a lasting memory of her and her life than her previous "autobiography that was a lot of listing of names of people she knew. As I am 56 years old and retiring in a month, this might be something I would like to buy for myself and write for my children (if it doesn't turn out to be too much like "homework".)

7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

Great book...great wasy to share your history with others

This is a great book. I gave one to my father as a way for him to pass along his great stories to his daughters...much as his parents did. I thing got one for my friend so whe could use it to share her experiences as a mother, a woman, a wife, and a friend. She loved it. I finally got one for myself and work on when I can...but know it will be a great tribute to my half-sisters and nephews when they are older. Worth the money and the time!!

7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

Can be very helpful - especially for less-than-perfect childhoods

I can't say I love the questions in this book, but I'm finding that they are helping me deal with emotional issues stemming from my childhood and helping me come to terms with the imperfections. It's not as much something I'm doing for my children as it is for myself. I'm trying to answer a question each day and while not always easy, it is helping remember things that were long forgotten - both good and bad. Not too many people want to remember a time when they got into trouble with their parents (one or both), but maybe it will give them some insight into their parents or themselves that they can use in their own life or see a parallel. For those people who are giving the book bad reviews, maybe they should look at it from a different perspective. It can be self-healing.

4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

A bit diffuclt ti use if your an abandoned as a child

This book is for really for happy normal families not the few who were left out. But if you change some of the questions to fit your life and dont get bitter or give in to self pity you can write a decent life story.Its important to remember not everyone always has a happy childhood or life

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Really gets your pen going!

I never could have written so much about my life without his journaling book. The prompts give just the right amount of direction, while still being flexible for different kinds and ages of people. It pulled out lots of memories: what I liked doing after school as a kid, what my parents' politics were, special friendships and mentors, movies and music at different times in my life, my first car, pet stories. And it made me think: what I am proud of doing, what I regret not exploring, wishes, traits I hope to be remembered for. These are just examples, the book covers a lot of ground. I promise you will find lots that will get your pen going! It's fun to do and satisfying to have it all down now.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

family history lovers take note!

I got this book and another Marshall book, Words to Live By, for my parents to fill out for their grandchildren. Both are excellent. The Book of Myself made it easy for them to recount their life stories. Words to Live By helped them write all those great bits of lessons-learned and sage advice that grandparents do so well. Now my kids have so much to remember their wonderful oma and opa by! (and me too!) Both books are warmly done, with encouraging and interesting questions on a range of topics.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Get the 2007 Edition

I got the new edition of Book of Myself for my uncle. He has no kids and has always been a mentor to me. I asked him to use this book to write his life story and life lessons for our family history and personal benefit. The Book of Myself lays out clear and interesting questions and gives room to answer. He is finding it easy to do in bits and pieces, and it's filling up quickly.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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