OUR DIARIES, OURSELVES
How Diarists Chronicle Their Lives and Document Our World
A spirited exploration of the diary, from pen-and-paper to TikTok, for the people who write—and read—them
Featuring iconic diary keepers like Audre Lorde, Virginia Woolf, Alison Bechdel, and Taylor Swift
We know what it was like to be an out lesbian in 19th-century England, what the inner world of a young girl in hiding looks like, and what the earliest internet users’ favorite websites were, in part, because of diaries. Our Diaries, Ourselves is a joyful deep dive into this time-honored tradition of preserving who we are.
From Marie Curie to Taylor Swift,
A spirited exploration of the diary, from pen-and-paper to TikTok, for the people who write—and read—them
Featuring iconic diary keepers like Audre Lorde, Virginia Woolf, Alison Bechdel, and Taylor Swift
We know what it was like to be an out lesbian in 19th-century England, what the inner world of a young girl in hiding looks like, and what the earliest internet users’ favorite websites were, in part, because of diaries. Our Diaries, Ourselves is a joyful deep dive into this time-honored tradition of preserving who we are.
From Marie Curie to Taylor Swift, this book illustrates how keeping a diary helps us to understand ourselves and our world. Tour Italy’s “City of the Diary,” Pieve Santo Stefano, which boasts a diary archive, museum, and annual festival. Discover how women have used diaries for centuries as canvases for self-expression and self-care and as tools of resistance in a patriarchal society. Travel through time and across cultures, from renowned figures to ordinary people, for glimpses of their lives—different yet comfortingly familiar.
Our Diaries, Ourselves is a treasure trove of social history, feminist rebellion, and personal reflection. This book celebrates the vibrant and varied ways we live our lives and the stories we choose to tell about them. And it reminds us of a uniquely human need that transcends time, language, and technology: to see and be seen, remember and be remembered.
- Beacon Press
- Hardcover
- February 2026
- 272 Pages
- 9780807014929
Buy the Book
$28.95
About Betsy Rubiner
Betsy Rubiner is a Chicago-based author, a journalist, and a life-long diarist. Her reporting and essays have appeared in publications including the New York Times, The Guardian, the Washington Post, TIME, and the Des Moines Register, among several media outlets where she has worked. Readers can learn more about her first book, Fun with the Family in Iowa, and connect with Betsy at www.betsyrubiner.com.
Discussion Questions
1. Did this book change the way you think about diaries—writing, reading, or keeping one—or the diary’s role in our lives and culture? Why or why not?
2. Did you relate to any of the featured diarists’ entries, views, or experiences? Who and why, or why not?
3. Rubiner explores the idea that social media, blogs, even Fitbit logs or entries written with help from artificial intelligence can qualify as a diary – if the writer intends the entries to be a diary. Do you agree? Do you view your social media posts as born-digital diary entries?
4. The author considers whether the paper diary will survive in the digital age and shares diarists’ experiences keeping a digital diary vs. a paper diary. What are the benefits and drawbacks of each approach? Do you have a preference? If you have used a journaling app or written on your phone, tablet, or computer, did it change how you write?
5. People use diaries in many ways: for family genealogy, as a historical document or creative inspiration for a novel or film, for insights into the human body and behavior, as an object to sell, or even to entertain YouTube subscribers. Which uses surprised you? Are there any you have tried (or want to try)?