Putting together a memoir can be a daunting undertaking – but what about a micro version? Six words to be exact.

It all Changed in an Instant

It all Changed in an Instant

“It All Changed in an Instant: More Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous & Obscure” features 1,000 Six-Word Memoirs by Sarah Silverman, Malcolm Gladwell, Frank McCourt, Art Spiegelman, Junot Diaz, Gay Talese, Amy Tan—and hundreds of never-before published writers.

Alzheimer’s: meeting new people every day.
Phil Skversky

Met wife at her bachelorette party.
Eddie Matz

Family portrait: everyone smiles but me.
Ian Baaske

Maybe it’s the East Coaster in me, I’ve always been a fan of quick, concise, non-fiction reading material. You’ll laugh, cry, squirm, and then rack your brain trying to summarize your own life story using 6 words.

This book reminds me of personal favorite by Po Bronson, titled “What Should I Do with My Life“. Pay no mind to the cover screaming Self-Help and put your ego aside – it contains phenomenally inspiring stories of people having underwent major shifts in their career – and life. NPR features a 9-minute segment of such stories, which Bronson describes as the best introduction he can give to the book – so check it out.