“We don’t choose our stories. Our stories choose us, and if we don’t write them, if we ignore them, we are somehow diminished.

But at the same time, I don’t feel that being a writer gives any of us the right to just let it rip. To disregard the feelings of the people surrounding us. So I take care. Perhaps not as much as some people would like, but as much as I can and still not be diminished. And there you have it: the terrible, impossible, fundamental calculus that is at the heart of every memoirist’s life. To find your voice is to tell your truth. And there will be a different version of that truth for each and every one of us.”