Melba

The Life of an Incredible Woman DIY Biography Book

$39.95 CAD

A guided question-and-answer keepsake book for women 50+ to capture and share their life story, from childhood to retirement.

Recommended for:

Early Stage

Mid-Stage

Late Stage

Size
This item is final sale and cannot be returned.

Product Details

The Life of an Incredible Woman: A Story Worth Telling is a guided life story book designed for women aged 50 and over. Written in a question-and-answer format, it walks the reader through every major chapter of life — childhood, family, love, education, career, travel, and significant historical moments.

The book is structured to make storytelling accessible, with no writing experience required. It can be completed independently or alongside a family member, and the finished pages become a lasting personal record to share with loved ones or keep privately.

  • The Life of an Incredible Woman is suitable for women aged 50 and over who want a structured way to capture and preserve their life story.
  • The Life of an Incredible Woman is suitable for family caregivers looking for a meaningful activity to share with an aging parent or grandparent.
  • The Life of an Incredible Woman is suitable for anyone looking for a thoughtful, personal gift for a mother, grandmother, aunt, or godmother.

For many older adults, memories and personal stories carry enormous value — both for themselves and for the people who will come after them. Yet without a structured prompt, the act of recording those stories can feel daunting or easy to put off indefinitely.

A guided life story book removes that barrier. By asking specific, varied questions across every phase of life, it gives the reader a clear starting point and a sense of progression. For families supporting an aging loved one, it also creates an opportunity for meaningful shared time — reading through questions together, listening, and learning. Nancy Mbatika developed this book out of her personal experience with the power of oral tradition and storytelling, and that intention comes through in the breadth and warmth of the questions she chose to include.

  • Free shipping on orders over 200 CAD, 75 USD
  • This product is Final Sale.

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  • Written by Nancy Mbatika, author and linguist
  • Published 2015
  • ISBN: 9782981558206
  • 241 pages with space to write personal responses
  • Question-and-answer format covering childhood to retirement
  • Covers family, love, education, career, travel, and historical events
  • Album format — easy to use with no writing experience needed
  • Makes a thoughtful gift for women 50+

FAQs

The book works best for women in the early stages of cognitive change who can still write or dictate responses independently. For more advanced stages, a caregiver or family member can read the questions aloud and record the answers together, making it a shared activity.

There is no set timeline. The book can be filled out over weeks, months, or years at whatever pace feels comfortable.

Yes. The album format and broad range of questions make it a personal and lasting gift for any significant occasion — a birthday, Mother's Day, or simply as a way to honor someone's story.

  • 5 stars: 27 (75%)
  • 4 stars: 6 (17%)
  • 3 stars: 1 (3%)
  • 2 stars: 2 (6%)
  • 1 star: 0 (0%)
L
Line Cantin

Ma mère n’arrive plus à écrire ses idées, mais ce livre nous permet de trouver des sujets de discussion, de replonger dans son passé.

M
Mamylou

Ce livre est magnifique et a été très apprécié en cadeau. C'est une belle façon de laisser un souvenir de nous et de nous raconter à nos enfants et petits-enfants. Merci !

A
Anonyme

Every time we complete a column section, Mother's eyes light up as she recalls her memories. Her happiness at sharing this with me is as nourishing for her as it is for me. It's her story, her life, her words that will remain on paper.

A
Annie

Great tool! WOW, it creates great exchanges!

M
Marie-José

I bought this book for a friend, who has always loved to write and writes very well. She was also a woman who loved to read. She has Alzheimer's disease. I had informed her husband of my intention to give it to her, and he thought it was a good idea. He told me that my friend no longer had the perseverance for intellectual effort that she used to have (she's in stage 3). After starting to write the first few pages, she never touched it again... I went to visit her twice afterwards and she confirmed that she hadn't continued and would do so after I'd left... I had the impression she was telling me this to please me... Her partner tells me he'll try to remind her to start again... etc. I think this approach is probably more appropriate for someone in the early stages of the disease? I can't remind her every time I visit, because she might get upset about it...

J
Jocelyne

Hello, thank you for this beautiful document. It allows my sister and I to retrace the life of our beloved mother who is 100 years old, soon to be 101.
Very well structured, the steps, the questions serve as a starting point.

C
Chantale

The questions are perfectly formulated, but I'd have to look at them again, as some of them were, in my opinion, uninteresting.
Had I been able to leaf through them, I might not have bought.

A
Annick

Livre magnifique, questions riches et profondes pour déposer son histoire. Livre pour toutes les personnes qui ont envie, le désir de réfléchir à sa vie, de léguer son histoire.

B
Bien Vieillir Chez Soi Cocagne

This is a wonderful book to give to your mother or grandmother, or to buy for yourself so that our children and grandchildren can better know your history and where they came from.

S
Suzie

I like this book very much, it allows me to have discussions with my mother.
it is inspiring and allows us to get to know our loved one better.

L
Lise

Very good idea that this super beautiful book. It allows us to know our roots.
It's so enriching to have the experience of our elders.

D
Diane

Very nice legacy to leave to future generations while immersing us in a reflection that revives beautiful memories! Excellent exercise of memory.

G
Gilbert

Magical!

M
Martine

Même chose que pour le livre Homme

G
Guylaine

I've looked at it with my mother, but she hasn't started it yet. I'll give her time to read it and then we'll sit down together to write it up a bit.

K
KELLEY

I have been asking my mother questions from this book almost every day for the past month. She enjoys reliving and telling me about many events that I never heard her talk about before. The questions are very thorough- it will be a wonderful memory for her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. I highly recommend this book!

J
Johanne

My mother was very excited about the idea of gathering her memories. Very stimulating for her

R
Richard

My wife, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease, loves this book and inscribes all her memories in it over time so that our grandchildren and children can find the essence of her past life. At the same time, it forces her to concentrate on drawing from her memory the imperishable memories of her life. A few lines per day are added at the end of the morning to this book filled with loves that she will leave to the collective memory...

M
Marie-Lise

A great tool to help people with life-threatening conditions.

V
Victoria

This really helped me connect with my parents on a daily basis. It also reminded them of when they were younger, which energized them.

A
Anonyme

Such a great gift idea! I have a little baby and this will be such a great heirloom for her! My child's grandmothers loved it!

D
Danielle

Très belle idée que d’immortaliser une vie par lecriture

S
Sunny

Great gift idea, as much for the person who receives it as for us, because it allows us to know more about the one's experiences and it weaves even stronger bonds. My mother loves to recall certain events from the past and share them with us. The only downside as she says, "there are not enough lines and spaces to write down everything I have to tell" so she decided to record herself instead following the questions in the book. Wonderful gifts and congratulations to the team!

M
Marie-Josee

I gave this book to my 84 year-old mother for her birthday, she adores it!

F
France

Amazing idea to lead a biography starter and share our story with our kids. Love it!!!

A
Andrée

Great! For someone who has never written and has no initiative to write about themselves, this is a tool that brings the person to writing. It is a great activity that can be done with the help of someone else or alone and that can be done in small chunks in chronological order or not.

L
Lucie

I received it as a gift and gave it to two friends who were delighted.

however, you must be careful not to answer questions too quickly, as you risk repeating yourself ....
in the questions that follow.
don't be afraid to answer some questions with a yes or a no, and then fill in the rest on the following pages.

A
Anne

Très intéressant mais un peu lourd pour des personnes âgées. Pas facile de se rappeler de toutes ces informations. Je crois que cela est plus facile quand on est plus jeune. J'ai hâte de voir si elle sera capable de répondre et si cela va aboutir vraiment!

S
Stephany

My aunt liked it so much she wants to buy one for all her friends. It's a guide on how to write your story for those who aren't authors, one question at a time.

M
Michel

A much-appreciated gift.

M
Monique

A very well designed book, I had been looking for a way to get my parents to gather their memories in one place and also allow me to learn more about them. I was thrilled to discover this book. I decided to buy one for my mom and one for my dad. I am waiting for the result :)

The only reason for my missing star is that the books arrived with a corner damaged by transportation. I would have liked them to be better protected considering the price but especially since they are pieces that are meant to be kept for a very long period of time.

M
Marie-Claude

Trop de questions, structure trop détaillée et complexe pour une personne de 85-90 ans