Do You Rate Memoirs? Here’s My Take
There’s this ongoing debate in book-tok and bookstagram circles: should you rate memoirs? Some people say no, because who are we to “judge” someone’s actual life story. And honestly, I totally respect that view. I went back and forth on it myself.
But here’s where I landed: yes, I do rate memoirs. I just don’t rate them the same way I rate fiction.
How I Rate Memoirs
When I read (or usually, listen to) a memoir, I’m not thinking about plot structure or character arcs. Real life doesn’t follow tidy story beats. What I am paying attention to is the writing style, the way the author’s voice carries, and most importantly… how it made me feel.
If I loved it → 5 stars
If I really liked it → 4.5 stars
If it was more “just okay” for me → 4 stars
If I didn’t connect with it at all → maybe 3ish stars (though honestly, that hasn’t happened yet)
And I can’t overstate how much I love listening to memoirs read by the author. There’s something about hearing someone tell their own story in their own voice.
Why I Rate Them
For me, it comes down to this: rating memoirs helps authors!
Every rating and review gives a book more visibility. It makes it more likely to pop up in searches, show up in recommendations, and reach new readers who might not have found it otherwise. It’s like giving the author a little boost, a small signal that says: this story mattered.
And memoir writers deserve that. They’ve put pieces of themselves out in the open—vulnerabilities, memories, mistakes, joys. That’s brave. So when I click those stars, it’s not me saying “your life is a 4.5.” It’s me saying: your storytelling reached me, your voice mattered, thank you for sharing it.
Memoirs aren’t fiction, but they’re still art. They’re still crafted, shaped, and offered up with courage. Rating them is my way of showing appreciation, and of helping other readers discover voices they might need to hear.
So yes, I rate memoirs. Not as a judgment, but as an act of gratitude.
“Memoir is the art of shaping memory into meaning.”
