I finally have come to terms with my misgivings about the memoir form. Those objections are of long standing, but I guess changing perspectives go along with changing age. The fact is that I no longer have difficulty with the skewness of the typical memoir–as long as all that skewing is kept somewhat in check.
The younger me was rather jaundiced on the form. An occasional, “Oh sure…,” has been heard to fall from my lips when reading them. The self-serving way many memoirists embellish and ignore facts in their own behalf was grating, but I have come to overlook even things such as that. Truth comes in the arid, austere, rigorous variety–the truths upon which we all can agree–but it also comes flavored with varying degrees of human experience and bias–less universally agreed upon, but perhaps more easily applied to everyday life.
In keeping with my new acceptance of the form, I am launching a series of short memoirs upon the world. These are remembrances from my youth, mostly, with some kind of twist that I hope will broaden their appeal. I have found that these memories are distinguished by the fact that they are still so remarkably clear in my mind, even after half a century or more. I therefore consider them “crystalline moments.”
Although I am digging back into bygone days, I am trying to use some 21st century tools to do so. For the places and things I mention, especially those that might prove unfamiliar or interesting in their own right, I have added digital images, Google Maps, and Wikipedia references for clarification. Fans of that kind of truth can have their merry fill of it. Go ahead and explore these external links, but see if you can make your way back to my little memories. You might find something there for which Wikipedia could find neither room nor license.