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    ethos
    An open Ethos hardcover resting on someone's lap, mid page-turn — one page of captioned family photographs facing a page of typeset story
    Excellent

    The Life Story Book

    Their life, one spoken answer at a time, becomes a keepsake hardcover memoir. Designed by professional memoir writers, each question builds on what they said before.

    Select quantity

    1x
    1 book
    $99$84
    10 cover designs, unlimited colors
    30 day money back guarantee
    Most families choose this
    3x
    Buy 2, get 1 FREE
    $237$143
    1 extra copy FREE
    FREE shipping in US
    Best value
    5x
    Buy 3, get 2 FREE
    $375$201
    2 extra copies FREE
    FREE shipping in US
    FREE digital ebook copy
    Add 1 more book to unlock FREE shipping.
    30 day money back guarantee
    No questions asked. Less than 1% of customers ask for their money back.

    Loved by American families

    Why families choose Ethos

    A keepsake book of their life, in their own voice. Your whole family will read it and keep it.

    Your kids will know who they really are

    Not just Mom or Dad. The kid they were, the day they married, the day you were born.

    All they have to do is talk

    Their spoken answers become the chapters of their book, in their own voice.

    Questions? Just call.

    Ask us anything, whether you've ordered yet or not. A real person answers in under a minute.

    Contact us

    Set it up in minutes. They do the rest by talking.

    Three steps from first question to finished book:

    Add your personal touch

    Tell us a bit about them and share some photos. We'll craft interview questions built around what makes their story theirs. Skip any that don't feel right.

    They just talk

    A reminder arrives, they tap and talk. You hear each story the moment it lands.

    We make the book

    Their words become real chapters. You check the spelling of every name and place from one list, then it ships.

    Read a finished book

    A few families let us share their books. Yours stays private, always.

    Sing Me Home
    A Life Between Worlds
    All the Love We Kept
    The Dugout Years
    Page 1
    Page 2
    Page 3
    Page 4
    Page 5
    Page 6
    Page 7
    Page 8
    Page 9

    Tap arrows to change page

    More than a questionnaire you set up

    We design the interview flows from the context and stories you give us.

    ethos
    Others
    Rambling friendly
    They can ramble and circle back. We shape it into one clear story.
    Locked into one question at a time, until answers wander and the book becomes a mess.
    Going deeper
    We follow up after every session, like a real interviewer.
    A fixed list of questions. Surface questions get surface answers.
    Whole family
    Siblings can add questions and stories of their own.
    A generic list, or you come up with the questions yourself.
    Cover design
    10 templates, unlimited colors
    1 generic design
    Getting names right
    Every name and place comes back as one list to spell-check.
    AI drafts it, gets names wrong, and leaves you to find them.
    Photos
    As many as you want
    One photo per chapter.
    Historical context
    When they mention things like a party line, we add a short note so future readers understand.
    None
    A note from the founder

    My father was a sea captain.

    I'm Edward, a co-founder of Ethos. For years I tried to get my dad to put his life on paper. The journal stayed blank, the prompt emails fizzled. He didn't need generic prompts. He needed the right questions, in the right order, built around his own life.

    I'd spent years writing life stories by hand. The craft was never the writing, it was the asking. So Ethos became that craft, for every family. I heard things about my dad I'd never known. That's what I want for yours.

    And you belong in these pages too. The one who asked, who remembered, who kept it from being lost. Part of this story is yours to tell.

    Every life is worth a book.
    Edward Toonela's signature
    Co-founder
    Find your fit

    Is Ethos right for you?

    Three questions. A straight answer.

    Question 1 of 3

    Whose stories do you want in a book?

    Our promise

    Risk free

    Love it, or your money back.

    30Day
    Money back guarantee

    A full month to be sure Ethos is right for your family. If it isn't, we'll refund every cent. No questions.

    30 day money backFree shippingPrivate to your familyYours to keep and downloadOne time payment

    Questions? We have answers.

    They install nothing. They tap one link in a text and talk. No smartphone of their own? Record them on yours, side by side. Need a hand? Call us at 385-443-9288.

    Excellent
    4.9
    MargaretVerified

    I just answered the questions. That's all I had to do. They sent me back a book that sounds like me. My daughter said she could hear my voice on every page.

    RobertVerified

    I'm 74. Figured I had nothing worth writing down. Two months in, I had 180 pages. My grandkids read it together at Thanksgiving.

    JuliaVerified

    I'm not good with tech. All I needed was my phone. I answered the questions, said some out loud. Three months later a book showed up with my name on the cover.

    Eleanor W.Verified

    I started this for my kids but it ended up doing more for me. I'd never seen my whole life laid out in order before. It's a lot more than I gave myself credit for.

    Logan, UT
    Harold P.Verified

    The questions brought back stories I hadn't thought about in 50 years. Things I would've told you were gone for good. That surprised me more than the book did.

    Rexburg, ID
    Frances M.Verified

    I always said my life was nothing special and I meant it. Reading it back in order I could see what I actually did. I don't say that about myself anymore.

    Walter K.Verified

    One question would remind me of something and that would remind me of two more. I started keeping notes in between so I wouldn't lose them.

    Provo, UT
    Ruth A.Verified

    I never knew her and it's always bothered me. My grandkids won't have that problem. That's the whole reason I did this.

    Idaho Falls, ID
    Stanley R.Verified

    Nothing dramatic ever happened to me. 60 years in the same town. It came back a 208 page book.

    Nampa, ID
    Lorraine H.Verified

    My daughter has been after me about this since she was 30. One question a week is what finally made it doable.

    Doris L.Verified

    It's about 20 minutes on a Tuesday and I just talk. It's become the part of the week I look forward to.

    Ogden, UT
    Clarence B.Verified

    I'm 81. The youngest ones won't remember much of me on their own. Now they don't have to.

    Vivian T.Verified

    I figured I'd run out after a month. I'm still going!

    Bernice O.Verified

    In school I was honestly an F student when it came to essays. But Ethos really shined with the grammar and the wording. It reads beautifully.

    Alma P.Verified

    Printing took way longer than they quoted me, about 5 weeks past. No complaints about the book itself, it sounds just like me.

    Preston, ID