Truth Be Told - by Kerry Cohen (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Memoir has the power to change not just a writer's life, but the world we all share.

Too often dismissed as self-indulgent or merely therapeutic, memoir is in fact one of the most radical literary forms of our time--an act of truth-telling that dismantles cultural myths and creates new ways of seeing. In Truth Be Told, acclaimed memoirist and psychologist Kerry Cohen, author of the beloved bestseller Loose Girl, shows readers how personal storytelling can subvert dominant narratives, generate empathy, and reveal the deeper truths that connect us all.

Blending literary guidance with psychological insight, Cohen explores the art and intention behind today's most powerful memoirs--those that move beyond confession to create meaning. With warmth, humor, and deep respect for the craft, she offers writers a clear methodology, illuminating examples, and structured exercises to help them find their story, shape it authentically, and write it in a way that truly matters.

Whether you're a first-time writer or a practiced storyteller, Truth Be Told will teach you not only how to write a memoir worth reading--but how to uncover the deeper truths of being hum

About the Author

Kerry Cohen is the author of four memoirs, including the bestselling and much beloved Loose Girl: A Memoir of Promiscuity, as well as five other books of creative nonfiction and three young adult novels. She has been featured twice on Dr. Phil, and has appeared on Today, Good Morning America, BBC Saturday Live, and numerous other national and local television talk shows, podcasts, and radio shows. Her bylines have been seen in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Salon.com, The Rumpus, and Psychology Today, among others. Kerry has long taught memoir at the university level, including at the University of Oklahoma City, where she is the Director of the Red Earth MFA program. A PsyD with many years of private practice, she is also a staff counselor at Reed College in Portland, Oregon.