A memoir is a nonfiction narrative writing based on the authors personal memories. It is a literary nonfiction genre in which the author recounts their experiences during a significant period of their life. Memoirs are generally understood to be factual accounts, though they neednt be objective, merely a version of events as the author remembers them. Memoirs are more focused than an autobiography, describing a single event or a particular time phase in someones life or career. While a biography or autobiography tells the story "of a life," a memoir often tells the story of a particular career, event, or time, such as touchstone moments and turning points in the authors life. Memoirs are told completely through the authors point of view, and the authors feelings and assumptions are central to the narrative. Memoirs allow readers to get to know a stranger on an intimate level, and they appeal to our nosy side.