Hunting for Truth and Berries

By Jodi Lee Reifer

Writing memoir can be like scavenging for wineberries in the wild bushes of upstate New York. To get to the juiciest fruit, you need to keep pushing through the spiked vines that every summer birth this lesser-known cousin of raspberries.

You might try to protect yourself with long-sleeved shirts and pants. But they’re of little help; the cuts and scrapes are inevitable. As sweat drips down your spine and humidity inflicts havoc on your hair, you must be okay looking ...