Testimonials

Feedback from former clients about working with us on their books, and from attendees at our workshops. See bottom of page for a comprehensive list of locales:

“Modern Memoirs made [our books] so elegant and priceless. It is wonderful to think that in our sunset years, we have created these unique gifts to our family and future generations.” —Elizabeth Tan Tsai, for Nien-Tszr Tsai, author of My Autobiography: Hiking the Mountain, Vol I and Start Your Engine! Vol II, Palo Alto, CA

“Thanks, thanks for a beautiful thing, if that is a fair way to characterize a book. For a moment I had the same rush of joy that I remember when I first held each of my children.”
 ––Harold C. Hirshman, Sketches from Memory, Chicago, IL

“You and your team have done a wonderful job and, to use a Jewish term, a real “mitzvah.” [The author] has gotten tremendous joy from the publication of the memoir and the beautiful book you produced. I am so grateful to you for making the book a priority and handling it with such loving care.”
—Gail R., for Making Sense of My Life in Science, Cambridge, MA

“I was so thrilled to see the finished copies of A Grand Heritage, a perfect complement to A Grand Adventure. Your [genealogy] research was impeccable and I was particularly impressed by your introduction to the book which highlights so many illustrious ancestors throughout our family tree. Thank you so much for bringing the history of our combined families to life.”
—Mercer Reynolds, 2-volume set: A Grand Adventure and A Grand Heritage, Cincinnati, OH

“My dad’s birthday was last night…and we all celebrated his birthday as well as the first night of Passover together on Zoom.  The book was a surprise and he opened the box last night and was very touched.  It was a great success.  My brothers and I read him the introduction and epilogue and he was a bit emotional.  Thank you again for all your help.”
—Jay Musoff, A Gentleman Doing His Duty: Wallace Musoff and His Life in the Law, New York, NY

“My parents distributed the book to our family members at Christmas, and it’s fantastic! I’m already learning so much about both my parents and their families, as are my children. They looked through the photos in particular, and one of my kids said, “I didn’t know Grandma worked for Jimmy Carter!” Mission accomplished—my parents’ very interesting lives are now documented for all of us. Plus the book is fun to read—very well-written! Thank you for all you did to craft this family treasure.”
—Seanna Walter, Stories from Middle Distance: The Memoirs of Susan Scholle and John T. Connor, Jr.

“Thank you so much for allowing this all to become a reality! I am most grateful for your encouragement, expertise, and sensitivity.  You made all the difference! My heart is overflowing.”
—Marian Leibold, Bridges: Visible and Invisible

“We opened the boxes yesterday and the books are beautiful! We are very happy and anxious to start sending them out to my siblings and other recipients. While I wasn’t sure that I wanted to do this in the beginning, I am very happy that I did. It was more enjoyable taking a walk down “memory lane” than it was hard work, and it reminded me of how I got to where I am and who helped me along the way. And I think a lot of that had to do with your “process” which makes it easy for your clients to remember, document, edit and then leave the rest to professionals. So thanks to both of you, Ali and Megan, as well as to Liz and Sean.”
—Kevin K. Albert, Work Hard, Get Lucky: A Memoir, Malden Bridge, NY

“This was a challenging book to write, mostly because it was the emotional journey of a cancer diagnosis. The team at Modern Memoirs made sure my voice was not lost among the jumble of emotions on the pages. This group of professionals is compassionate, caring, and more than competent in their follow through on a large project. I felt confident that I would love the final product from the very beginning! I never felt forgotten, and their communication skills are top-notch. Thank you to all who worked on my book.”
—Kate Navarra Thibodeau, A Lump in the Road: My Personal Journey with a Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS) Diagnosis, Sammamish, WA

“I've read every letter Scott Fitzgerald ever wrote to Max Perkins, and I've read three volumes (about 2,500 pages) of all of Jack London's letters to his publisher as well. And neither of them enjoyed the process of getting a book done nearly as much as I did. Working with you was always fun. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you for the magic with which you turned a pile of letters into a real book.”
—Joe Garrett, Eighteen Letters: from a father to his daughter, San Francisco, CA

“Madam just arrived and I am thrilled! Thank you and your staff for doing such a great job with this project, turning my scribbling into something beautiful, durable, and, hopefully, worth owning—and even reading.”

—David B. Dearinger, A Southern Madam and Her Man

“I have seen that as we age, we become fond readers of our own life stories. Naturally, reading and rereading them refresh our memories of the years of our lives gone by. We feel our youth return and our hearts rejoice.”
—Elizabeth Tan Tsai, The Story of an Asian American Immigrant: An Autobiography, Palo Alto, CA

“You truly delivered on Modern Memoirs, Inc.'s motto ‘Your memoir, the way you want it.' We appreciate your hard work. It was fun working with you.” 
—Elizabeth Tan Tsai, for Nien-Tszr Tsai, author of My Autobiography: Hiking the Mountain, Vol I and Start Your Engine! Vol II, Palo Alto, CA

“I wanted to capture my father’s personal story in his own words and at the same time to create a document involving a high level of research and scholarship…and to be sensitive to the innocence and poignancy of my father’s retelling of his childhood, given how tragically things turned out for his family. Modern Memoirs conducted extensive interviews with my father and his contemporaries on three continents in a variety of languages, researched historical archives in the U.S., Europe, and Israel, commissioned maps, added dozens of photographs, and created a book that is rich, deep, and accurate, drawing praise from well-known scholars such as Michael Berenbaum and Arthur Kurzweil. We were so pleased with the results that we decided to have our books mass printed, promoted, and distributed commercially in Israel and the U.S. We’ll see whether they sell!” 
––Ben Golub (excerpted from his book Kaddishel and in conversation), New York, NY

“I would like to thank Kitty Axelson-Berry for her invaluable help in collecting, assembling, and reviewing all of this material, and for her sensitive handling of all the emotions and challenges of this project. She and the team she put together at Modern Memoirs helped make this book both a deeply personal story and a reference source of three of the historical periods through which I have lived.” 
––Aharon Golub (excerpted from Kaddishel), Bethpage, NY

“Modern Memoirs did an incredible job for me in publishing two books: one, Migrations, a book of my poetry; and the second, The Bonus Years—A Reflection [essays and paintings]. This was an important project for me and I found both the people and the process at Modern Memoirs to be most helpful.  Ali de Groot was especially helpful in editing and in keeping the program on schedule.  I could not have been more pleased with the end product.”
—Albert Ernest, The Bonus Years: A Reflection, Charlottesville, VA

“Over the years, I had accumulated a collection of writings about my life, people I knew, some family genealogy, and the community where I was raised. The knowledgeable suggestions and help provided by Megan St. Marie and Ali de Groot brought the probability of a published book to fruition. When it came time to print my books, I wanted to be able to provide enough copies for my large extended family and for any friends who might like them. To make this possible, I crowdfunded the printing expenses, and I was delighted that the generosity and support of dozens of family members and friends offset half the cost to make that goal attainable. I imagine that everyone has similar material accumulated in their memories, or in photo albums, boxes of letters, and files. You can do the same as I did with the excellent assistance of the talented folks at Modern Memoirs.”
—Raymond Lambert, Highgate Gleanings, Highgate, VT

“Thanks for encouraging me to see this through. I damn near pulled the plug a few times! In the end, the example of my grandfather’s belief in himself kept me going—along with a little help from my friends, Ali and Vinsula!”
—Timothy B. McBride, The Memoirs of Frank A. McBride, McLean, VA

“I’m just so happy and excited—and moved—not only because the books are beautiful, but also because they represent these wonderful months when I’ve worked so happily with you. I want to thank you for everything you’ve done to help me publish my book. It was a wonderful experience in and of itself, but all the more so because of your guidance. You have been unfailingly attentive, wise, and kind, in addition to being impressively skilled and professional. … Such is the life-affirming nature of the creative process, I’ve learned, and the role you played in all of this is something that I will always remember with gratitude.”
—Margaret Marcus, Windows Aglow, and other stories from my mother’s life, Austin, TX

The arrival of my books has made me very happy. I’m pleased with everything about them. What pleasure I’ll have delivering others here in town! I love opening up covers and writing inscriptions. I appreciate all that you’ve done to see this endeavor to its completion. Nothing that you do is other than first class, and once again it has been a joy to work with you.
—Margaret Marcus, 2-time client, Suddenly Upside Down: Recollections from Pandemic Years 2020 and 2021, Austin, TX

“I knew the moment I met you that this would be the right match. I am thrilled that this has been such an exciting adventure. It is the culmination of harvesting my years of journals, culling out the chaff from the wheat, giving it over to your capable hands, and watching the galleys appear as the gestation progressed. Are there words that say ‘thank you’ in a visceral way? In any language, the thoughts are the same.”
—Edie Daly, Old Lesbian Memory Quilt, Gulfport, FL

“Mostly Paris was a big part of me…. You presented that work with great care to all the details and made it shine. Similarly, the history book you did for me [Division of Nephrology, U. of Alabama at Birmingham, 1958–2008: Fifty Years of Excellence] was very much a personal story. So, in a way, I trusted you with my life, and that creates a bond. I know that for many, getting a book done is just a transaction and little more, but for me, it's a matter of trust, respect for the person and the work.”
—Stephen Rostand, author of Mostly Paris and
Division of Nephrology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1958–2008: Fifty Years of Excellence, Birmingham, AL

“The books are beautiful and just what I had anticipated. You once again exceeded my expectations, which were already quite high. I am thrilled that this project went well from start to finish. Brava!”
—Stephen Rostand, 3-time client, Memories & Photographs: Our Family History, Birmingham, AL

“The books are beautiful, even better than I expected. The paper has the right feel and texture, the photos are crisp, sharp and appear much better on paper than on the computer screen. In all, the real book is a work of art and everyone is to be congratulated for their contributions to what is so outstanding and masterfully done. You all have added sharpness, focus, and, as we photographers like to say, ‘snap’ to my ideas. You did a great job. I am overwhelmed.”
—Stephen Rostand, 4-time client, It’s Okay to Play [photography by Stephen Rostand], Birmingham, AL

“I've been researching my family history for decades, and this extensive genealogy of the Winburns/Wenbournes necessitated a great deal of editorial assistance for consistency and accuracy in the text, footnotes, and bibliography. I enlisted the staff at Modern Memoirs to assist me professionally both in the editing and in making decisions about the book’s layout, dimensions, paper, and cover materials. Inclusion of a frontispiece with a beautifully reproduced Colonial American document that shows my ancestor’s signature truly sets the tone of the story, and the gold foil cover stamp was artistically rendered from this signature as an added embellishment. I am thankful to have found Modern Memoirs to make my book a reality.”
—D. Patrick Winburn, William Wenbourne: Puritan Ancestor of Wenbourne, Winborne and Winburn in America, Bennington, VT

“The books arrived safely…they look terrific. You definitely made the best decision on the printers. The dustcover is wonderful, the book and spine are great, and I especially appreciate the quality of the archival paper. The red is perfect! Thank you. I am thrilled.”
—Sue H. Fuller, Sue’s Story, Del Mar, CA

“Historical blueprint for the family. Worth the cost and effort. Enjoyed working with Kitty, Ali, and Vinsula, knowing that all were ‘snowflakes’!”
—Brooks Bradford, Sr., I Said I’d Retire…, Houston, TX

"It has been an absolute pleasure to work with the wonderful people at White Poppy Press/Modern Memoirs. They were supportive, helpful and professional every step of the way through the publishing of my book. When I had a question, it was answered promptly and constructively. When I wanted to propose an idea or make a change, they were accommodating at every turn. The process was very smooth and the finished product is marvelous! My book looks professional from cover to cover. The design of the cover is aesthetically outstanding and the text looks just as I wanted it to—the book simply turned out fabulously. I would definitely work with the White Poppy Press/Modern Memoirs team again in the future, and at this point you could even say I intend to."
—James A. Heffernan, The Reality of Hunter-Gatherers (2016), Sandy, UT

“Books just arrived, and they look fantastic. What a great job!”
—James A. Heffernan, Many Worlds: A Collection of Poems (2019), Sandy, UT

“I want you to know how much fun it was working with you and how amazed I am at how well the book came out. I really loved working with you all. Thanks for being such good midwives!”
—Eliza Gouverneur, Kiddushin, or Toaster Oven Fire, Amherst, MA

“Seeing the book for the first time was a real thrill.  As I told you, I am extremely pleased with the outcome.  I find myself picking it up and thumbing through it repetitively—as though I had never seen the material before! I also want to be sure you know how pleased I have been with your expert staff.  Both Vinsula and Ali have been wonderful.  They were professional every step of the way, and their work product is impeccable.  I also appreciated the definitiveness with which they approached their work, how clear they were in their communications and how they adhered to promised schedules—traits often lost in the business world today.  You are very fortunate to have these talented women in your midst.  I've said ‘you're the best,’ of course, but so are they.  You've got a terrific team.  Hang on to them!”
—Keith Cobb, Out of the Red Clay Hills, Fort Lauderdale, FL

“I wanted to send my utmost thanks to everyone at Modern Memoirs for their expertise and assistance during the publishing process. Being a first-time writer and clueless to what is really involved in publishing a book, I am grateful for your expertise, ready support, and reassurance when issues arose. No matter how good a person may think their writing skills, a good book is simply not possible without partners that can provide the necessary editing, proofreading, and formatting. But most of all, you provided those critical services without changing my individual style, voice, and message. Grazie mille.”
—Tony La Bella, La Famiglia La Bella: I Mugnai, Branford, CT

“…the book arrived yesterday.  I am happy with the high quality of the printing.  The cover and page quality are very good.  Thanks for the great job of bringing together my little story!  Enjoyed working with y’all and having a new experience.”
—Grant Craven, Wearing Out Pickups, Crow's Landing, CA

“This was a delightful experience…simply full of good taste, sense, and style. Writing this book prolonged the agony of Jay's death and, now, finishing it and giving it over to you… there is a broad sense of peace within this old guy. White Poppy [Press] has a not insignificant role in peace-making, not just symbolically for a reading audience but also actually for this author. Thank you.”
—Rud Turnbull, The Exceptional Life of Jay Turnbull: Disability and Dignity in America, 1967–2009, Lawrence, KS

"Thank you, thank you, for all your work on this project. You have been so patient with me…waiting for me to finish the writing. It really has been such a pleasure working with you over the last two years. Thanks for all your help, assistance on all the technical aspects, and very enjoyable phone conversations. Your attention to detail and keeping me informed of each step has been amazing!" 
—Joyce Phillips, The Tree Shall Grow: The History of the Phillips–McSpadden Families, El Cajon, CA

“The books are gorgeous! The paper that you chose for the printing and to make the photos look great—oh, my gosh—I can’t believe how good they look. It looks fantastic! I’m just so, so very pleased. I’m absolutely thrilled and so glad that I had you do these books for us. A huge thank you!"
—Joyce Phillips, editor of On Watch at Sea: Aboard the USS Charleston; The WWI Diaries of Arthur M. Best, El Cajon, CA

“I've received endless attention from this adventure! I didn't expect that many different people to love the book quite as intensely as they did. I was able to enlighten a lot of people about what happened with the Nazis.”
—Hilde Adler, The Way It Was: Not So Long Ago in a Country Not So Far Away, Madison, WI

"One of my most cherished accomplishments was to have a book written about my father’s life. He had so many interesting stories that would have been lost if not for his book. Imagine picking up a book on your great-grandfather’s life, his interests, successes, failures, dreams! How much can we really say about our long-gone loved ones?”
––Brian Dunsirn, I Dunno, Appleton, WI

“Thank you for your super job on Bea’s Journey. The book was received with rave reviews in Chicago! You were entirely professional to work with and I would recommend you without reservation.” 
––Alan Schriesheim, director of Argonne National Laboratory (retired), Chicago, IL

“Thank you for the wonderful job you did interviewing me, writing, and publishing my memoir, Journey Through the Twentieth Century. This book would never have been written and published so beautifully without your dedication, skill, and perseverance, all of which were quite useful in my case.” 
––Professor John M. Maki, Amherst, MA

“I thoroughly enjoyed the process of working with you and found that you were respectful of my wishes and vision even when it was not entirely in accord with your professional knowledge. You were excellent in using your professional skills in guiding choices and providing me with the knowledge to make choices that affected the final outcome of the project. I thank you for making me part of the process all along the way even though Modern Memoirs was doing all the heavy lifting. I am very pleased with how the finished book looks. So far, family who have seen the book are also pleased....”
––Claire Bateman, Vignettes: Bertha C. Coors & Harold S. "Jack" Munroe, Northampton, MA

“I can’t get through a page without crying, so I’ve only read about 10 pages! This is so wonderful! I knew there was going to be a book––it wasn’t a complete surprise––but I had absolutely no idea that it would be so amazing. This book has made a big difference in our family––the process of creating it and, even more so, seeing the results and learning about each other. The children read each others’ letters and were very, very moved. And they were moved by the product itself, the fact that it had been created and is so beautiful, really wonderful. … I’m overwhelmed! The design is beautiful––the use of white space, the fonts you chose, the presentation of the photographs and cartoons, the use of separate pages for the letters, the size and shape––and the paper selection––the speckling on the outside edges…! Thank you!”
––Martha Joukowsky, Dearest Martha, Providence, RI

“When I received the books I cried and soon afterwards began (till this day) to feel relieved, less tense and increasingly patient. Working with you, Kitty and Ali, was a terrific learning experience.”
—Naftali Glasman, To Die an Israeli–American?, Santa Barbara, CA

"Sometimes I’d dawdle, sometimes I’d mope
While writing The Other Side of Hope.
How could my words turn into a book?
I often wondered how it would look.

"Though I knew how to write and know how to read
I hadn’t a clue as to how to proceed.
But then I discovered a place with class
Called “Modern Memoirs” in Amherst, Mass.

"So thanks to Ali and Kitty
For being wise and witty.
You showed me how to get it done
And all the while you made it fun!"
—Connie Markoff, The Other Side of Hope, New Hampshire

“I loved the book! It really made my birthday so special to have the words of dear family and good friends mark this occasion. Beyond that, the book was so beautiful, well designed, and beautifully edited! It was truly a joy to behold. I must say, what you did far surpassed my expectations of what the book would—or could—look like and be. Thank you for all you did. It was a memorable job (forgive the pun)."
––Jan Goldman, Spinning and Tossing the White Ribbons…, Philadelphia, PA

“Dad so enjoyed working with you.... Many thanks for all you did to make his final masterpiece just that."
––Sandy Irwin, daughter of author Mack F. Wallace,  Call Me Mack, Longmeadow, MA

“I wish to thank you for the great yellow book [Happy Birthday, Stanley!] that somehow keeps Stanley within us. I have it near my bed and I read a bit almost every night. Stanley is at his best on page 89: "Things I´ve loved in a lifetime/Things I´ve hated in a lifetime". You should be very proud of your work, of the fact that this book exists. Just before I left, I visited Stanley and I read him my letter from the book. We both cried some tears, some good and felt tears. I am very glad I went to New York to Stanley´s birthday.”
––Nuno Mateus, recipient of Happy Birthday, Stanley! celebration book (of the late Stanley Prowler), Lisbon, Portugal

“We want to thank you for your enthusiasm, intelligence, insight and wonderful suggestions in making All the Things You Are. Your patience and excitement made it easy and joyous. Your understanding and the love you developed for us during this process were treasured throughout and helped us create this treasure for my father and all who love him. Modern Memoirs offers such a priceless service. It was the best gift, and he loved it so.” 
––Judith Sanders, Amherst, MA

“It is very important to me to let the world know what a good, kind man Henry was. Thank you for all of your help."
––Liesel Margenau, wife of author H. Margenau, This Is My Life, New Haven, CT

“I want to thank...Kitty Axelson-Berry and Alison de Groot, who put the final touches on my manuscript and brought it all to fruition.”
—June Judson, Tales From the Doctor's Daughter, Canton, MA

“Thank you for editing and publishing Master of All Trades, A Tribute to Larry and then Where or When! A Happy, Long Life. I enjoy working with you very much!”
––Margaret Williams, VA

Workshop attendee praise:

“We all loved your presentation. You are such a great presenter.   Thank you for giving so graciously to the Amherst Woman's Club.  Such buzz and chatter during the presentation in response to your prompts.  Everyone seemed to really enjoy all the possibilities. Will definitely spread the word.” –– Charlene Moran, Amherst Woman’s Club, Amherst, MA

“Thank you for such an amazing presentation on Zoom last week! You are a masterful teacher, and it was inspiring to hear your thoughts (and prompts) and to feel the enthusiasm of the people in attendance.” ––Craig Hall, Lexington Community Education, Lexington, MA

And from the earliest days of the business:

“Kitty published and designed my small book of poetry. She did a beautiful job and was fun to work with. She has creative flair.”
––Nina D. Wood, Vermont

“One of those rare editors who respects a writer’s desire for truly free speech.” 
––Al Giordano, investigative journalist, Chalapa, Mexico

“…an extraordinary editor and writer with remarkable talent for getting to the heart of an issue and a story…and easy to work with, too.”
––Harvey Wasserman, author, Columbus, OH

“She brings great skill to the craft of writing. I have a great deal of respect for her careful eye . . . and she follows through on any commitment with vision and persistence.” 
––Rabbi Louis A. Rieser, Walpole, NH

Locales

We have produced books for clients who are available
as references in the following locations:

Colombia
England
France
Ghana
India
Israel
Italy
Kuwait
Spain
and, in the United States:
Alabama
Arizona
California
Connecticut
Colorado
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
Washington, D.C.
Wisconsin