What Genre/category book is this?

by Monica
(Little Rock, AR)

Question: I am writing my first book about the 17 year journey of my mother,who was the perfect mom growing up,and after a couple a tragedies became addicted to prescription drugs and alcohol. Now that I have completed 3 successful interventions and flown her out of state, she is 48 days sober. But this book will touch the heart of many because addiction is a huge problem. Especially since my mother, an upper middle class, educated beautiful woman did not think she could become an ADDICT if her 500 pills a month were prescribed by her doctor. This book is my journey of having the perfect mom hit rock bottom and miss life with my 3 daughters, and how I dealt with it and never gave up. It could be considered self-help to a certain degree. But more importantly it will make you laugh, cry, and see that giving up is not an option. Everyone has someone in their family who has an addiction. You feel ashamed. This book will also show my passion in meeting with state medical boards to see that doctors will not to this to another family. But this book can be enjoyed by someone who does not have a loved one that is an addict. Because my book is also a love story about a mother and daughter and the lengths they will go to salvage their relationship.


So would this be non fiction biography? Self help? (Not really)
But it's a emotional novel/story......
What do you call this type of book?

Thanks for your help.

Answer: Sounds like a memoir to me.

The reason I don't say "biography" (of your mother) or "auto-biography" (of you) is that I expect it is less of an objective look at your entire lives and more a subjective look at a particular period in your lives. Ergo memoir.

Best of luck with this project. It sounds as though you may find the writing of this book quite therapeutic, apart from the insight your readers may obtain from it.

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