Margaret Atwood on what finally made her agree to write a memoir

Best-selling author Margaret Atwood says she originally rejected the idea of writing a memoir. But she warmed up to the idea after she began to think of a memoir as a recollection of “stupid things you did, near-death events, catastrophes, and surprising highlights and jokes.” Now, at age 85, Atwood is out with Book of Lives . In today’s episode, she joins NPR’s Sacha Pfeiffer for a conversation that touches on the difference between memoir and biography, Canadian identity, and writing from the perspective of an “Inner Advice Columnist.” To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy