What are some memoirs that you all think should be read?
What are some memoirs that you all think should be read? Every recommendation is appreciated.
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What are some memoirs that you all think should be read? Every recommendation is appreciated.
One of my favorite books
The Glass Castle
The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls, My Beloved World by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Educated by Tara Westover, Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
Educated
Autobiography of a Banned Journalist
Etched in Sand Regina Calcaterra
Michael J. Fox has two.
Night trilogy by Eli Weisal
I second this recommendation.
I agree!
The Glass Castle & Educated we both fantastic.
Persepolis I & 2, Maus 1 & 2, Daring to Drive : a Saudi Woman’s Awakening, The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr., I am Malala, Born A Crime by Trevor Noah, Personal History by Katherine Graham, Man’s Search for Meaning, I know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Langston Hughes memoirs on audio: The Big Sea and I Wonder As I Wander, My Life in France by Julia Child, Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas.
SLIPSTREAM by Elizabeth Jane Howard. Howard (1923-2014), a British writer best known for The Cazalet Chronicles series of novels, was once my favorite living writer. She’s unflinchingly honest in this memoir.
Born A Crime by Trevor Noah and Lots of Candles Plenty of Cake by Anna Quindlen
Glass Castle, Barbarian Days, Look Me in the Eye
David Attenborough’s autobiography is awesome
Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah. Not My Father’s Son by Alan Cuming.
LIFE IS TOO SHORT by Mickey Rooney.
The Glass Castle, Wild
Saw the movie – how different is the book?
@Gina pretty similar. But books are always better.
Will then get a copy to read too 😉
Reazul, if you are in Bangladesh, you have a perspective I haven’t heard before. What Memoirs have you enjoyed?
Appreciate your response here. I’m looking for titles that are extremely honest about life as the writer experienced it. Funny, satirical, humorous way of illustrating it would be a bonus.
I’ve mostly read memoirs that are of Bengali people e.g., politicians, actors.
@Reazul are there Memoirs you think would be of interest globally?
I can name one that could be a global read. It’s named “Asamapta Atmajibanee” which translates “Unfinished Memoir” in english. Written by founding father of Bangladesh Mr. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, it chronicles his early years in politics and associated events e.g., his prison life owing to protesting central government’s numerous discriminatory attitude towards then East Pakistan, that subsequently made him the person he became who eventually proclaimed the independence of Bangladesh.
@Reazul fantastic! We never hear about books like this. Thank you!
You are welcome. ?
My Dark Country by Danelle Murray
MY LIFE AS A RADICAL LAWYER by William M. Kunstler. Kunstler, a celebrated and controversial lawyer who first made a name for himself by defending the Chicago Seven in the late 1960s, looks back on his life and career.
I Am, I Am, I Am. Lab Girl. Educated.
Matter of Inches by Clint Malarchuk..
All But my Life by Gerda Weissman Klein ..
Empty Mansions about Hugette Clark…
Jenna Miscavich about Scientology..
Losing my Virginity about Richard Branson..
I am not my Fathers Son by Alan Cummins
MY LIFE ON THE ROAD by Gloria Steinem
Check out In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl’s Journey to Freedom by Yeonmi Park
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24611623
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Sound of Gravel,
Just Kids, by Patti Smith
Man’s Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls!! Fantastic read. Also enjoyed A Place to Stand by Santiago Bacca!!
Odd you should mention The Glass Castle. Last night I finished the movie version on Amazon. It was so intense and painful that I watched in spurts over the course of a week.
I knew nothing of the story before watching the movie. As the credits roll in the movie they have interviews with the real life mother and children. It’s been on my mind. Maybe now I will try the book.
@Sally I have wanted to read it for years…. and something else always pushed ahead of it… this year I went on a bit of a memoir kick and it resurfaced!! I loved it so very much! I have just purchased copies for a couple friends. It was so compelling!! I didn’t know there was a movie version until someone mentioned it on here!! People on here say they did a wonderful job with the film! I cannot wait to watch it!!? the book is such an easy read…. I think even knowing the story, the writing will effect you even further!! Happy reading!!?❤️
THE SPEED OF SOUND – Breaking the Barriers between Music and Technology: A Memoir by Thomas Dolby. Dolby, an engineer by training who became famed for his 1983 hit song “She Blinded Me with Science”, went on to become a successful pioneer in digital music and technology.
AND THE WALLS CAME TUMBLING DOWN: An Autobiography by Ralph David Abernathy. Reverend Abernathy played a key role as a comrade-in-arms to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s in the United States.
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah!
BOYS IN THE TREES: A Memoir by Carly Simon. I was fortunate to have been able to attend an interview Carly Simon had about this book. Her music I’ve listened to since the early 1970s. So, to meet her after the interview and Q&A session was truly an honor. I have her autograph in my copy of her memoir.
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
I second this
WALK THROUGH WALLS: A Memoir by Marina Abramovic. The famous conceptual artist traces the arc of her life, from post-World War II Yugoslavia to the world stage.
The secret holocaust diaries
My Mother Was Nuts, buy Penny Marshall.
Decision Points by George W Bush ???
You Don’t Look Like Anyone I Know, by Heather Sellers
Night by Elle Weizel
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
currently reading EDUCATED- very good!
Just finished… so good- powerful.
TRUST ME: A Memoir by George Kennedy. Kennedy, a WWII veteran and Hollywood actor best known for roles in “Cool Hand Luke”, “The Dirty Dozen”, “The Eiger Sanction”, and The Naked Gun movies shares with the reader the story of a long and full life.
Hands of My Father- Myron Uhlberg
In the Sanctuary of Outcasts by Neil White
Eleanor Roosevelt.
DELTA LADY: A Memoir by Rita Coolidge.
Hunger by Roxane Gay
Educated
LOVE, LOSS, AND WHAT WE ATE: A Memoir by Padma Lakshmi
Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Americana was really good ?
To Kill A Mocking .
“To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee is a novel, not a memoir.
THE OUTSIDER: My Life in Intrigue by Frederick Forsyth. The international best-selling writer of novels like “The Day of the Jackal”, “The Dogs of War”, and “The Odessa File” shares with the reader what has been a remarkable life. Before going into writing, Forsyth had been a journalist and at 19, had served in the Royal Air Force (RAF) as its youngest fighter pilot during the late 1950s.
EDUCATED and GLASS CASTLE are my favorites so far this year.
Desert Flower by Waris Dirie.
The movie was fantastic. I take it the book is too?
I haven’t seen the movie, but yeah, the book is great. It’s an insight into places and people I’d never have known a single thing about otherwise.
@Sarah do watch the film. It’s fantastic. The actress in the film is spectacularly beautiful. I will put the book on my TBR pile.
A HOUSE OF MY OWN: Stories from My Life by Sandra Cisneros
The glass castle, How Dare the Sun Rise, Born a Crime
When Breath Becomes Air
LIVING MY LIFE by Emma Goldman. Goldman was one of the most famous (infamous to some) women of the early 20th century. She was a writer, social activist, advocate for women’s rights, drama critic, and journalist.
Leah Remini’s Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology. Follow up with her documentary about the said cult.
Etched in Sand by Reginna Calcatera
A COLORED WOMAN IN A WHITE WORLD by Mary Church Terrell. Terrell (1863-1954) was a tireless advocate for women’s rights and civil rights for African Americans. She was the first African American woman appointed to the District of Columbia Board of Education and the American Association of University Women.
Born a Crime, Trevor Noah. Tracks, A Woman’s Solo Trek Across 1700 Miles of Australian Outback.
Summer at Tiffany’s!
Personal History, Katherine Graham.
H is for Hawk
Down and out in Paris and London
Kafir Boy by Mark Mathabane
I am currently reading With the Old Breed by E. B. Sledge. It is the firsthand experience of being a Marine in the Pacific during the war in the Pacific. It shows the human side of being in battle. I truly don’t know how they survived. It’s an amazing read.
Born a Crime
The Glass Castle
Educated
Wild
Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom
Every single book written by David Sedaris starting with his first & classic Me Talk Pretty One Day. Listen to them on audio. His telling of his stories will have you laughing so hard you won’t be able to breathe. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4137.Me_Talk_Pretty_One_Day?ac=1&from_search=true
two or three things i know for sure by dorothy allison
SIMPLE DREAMS: A Musical Memoir by Linda Ronstadt
Educated by Tara Westover
The Accidental President of Brazil by Fernando Henrique Cardoso…An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth: What Going to Space Taught Me About Ingenuity, Determination, and Being Prepared for Anything by Chris Hadfield…A Beginner’s Guide to Acting English by Shappi Khorsandi…Notes From a Small Island by Bill Bryson…Yes, Chef: A Memoir by Marcus Samuelsson and Veronica Chambers…Losing Mum and Pup by Christopher Buckley…The Flame Trees of Thika by Elspeth Huxley…My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell…The Elephant to Hollywood by Michael Caine…Dreaming in Hindi: Coming Awake in Another Language by Katherine Russell Rich…Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America by Firoozeh Dumas…The Sweeter the Juice: A Family Memoir in Black and White by Shirlee Taylor Haizlip…
WOW
Life by Keith Richards
West With the Night- Beryl Markham/ Dust Tracks on the Road – Zora Neale Hurston/ Just Kids-Patti Smith/ A Moveable Feast – Ernest Hemmingway
Natural Woman by Carole King
The Glass Castle, Born a Crime, Just Mercy, I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, The Wisdom of the Wolves, H is for Hawk.
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
Born a Crime, Trevor Noah
KITCHENER’S LAST VOLUNTEER: The Life of Henry Allingham, the Oldest Surviving Veteran of the Great War by Henry Allingham. A remarkable memoir by someone (Henry Allingham – born in 1896 & died in 2011) who survived a world war [served in the Royal Naval Air Service, which later became the Royal Air Force on April 1, 1918] and lived through the whole of the 20th century.
The soldiers who fought for Kitchener in Turkey and Mesopotamia went through hell and back. I remember reading the Book, The Fall of the Ottomans, and literally putting the book down to say, ‘Dear God, thank you not making me a soldier at Gallipoli.’
My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor
OFF THE ROAD: My Years with Cassady, Kerouac, and Ginsberg by Carolyn Cassady
Townie and Hunger Makes me a Modern Girl are 2 of my absolute favorites. Bios are my favorite genre, I just find them fascinating. Also check out like any comedians bio that’s read by them. Super funny, Trevor Noahs, and Amy Poelhers are good places to start. But the top two are written beautifully and really touched my life.
When Breath Becomes Air
Educated
YOU’LL BE OKAY: My Life with Jack Kerouac by Edie Kerouac-Parker. Parker, a native of Grosse Pointe, MI, moved to New York City in 1940 to study art and became quickly swept up in the excitement and freedoms the Big Apple had to offer. Along the way, she met Jack Kerouac, who was attending Columbia University on a football scholarship at the time. Both of them fell in love and married in 1944. Sadly, the marriage was not to last. (I read this book a few years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it.)
M Train by Patti Smith
A Book of Untruths by Miranda Doyle.
Just finished. Excellent!
“Swanson on Swanson”by Gloria Swanson the silent film star. The autobiography by Agatha Christie. She doesn’t mention her famous disappearance, but you can tell in the context why she was over stressed.
Boy and Going Solo by Roald Dahl.
The Glass Castle
Chosen by a Horse, by Susan Richards! So excellent!
I enjoyed all of Carrie Fisher ‘s autobiographies.
Elli Weisel’s books.
Y’know, I really need to read them. Thanks for the reminder ❤️
I so agree about Wiesel!
Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
Black Boy by Richard Wright
Reading in the Dark by Seamus Deane.
The Color of Water by James McBride
Loved this book; bought several copies to give to friends. Yrs later heard McBride speak too- excellent.
Great book!
I just finished listening to Brave by Rose McGowan. It was so emotional, I loved it! ?
I’m reading it now, halfway through. Great so far!
Trevor Noah’s book was hilarious!
I read ‘Priest Daddy
Born Both
What is this one about? I realize it could be obvious but you never know.
@Kathy it is about hermaphroditism. Sorry that is no longer the politically correct term. But that’s what most people still call it. The author calls it intersex.
I really liked Alan Cumming’s Not My Father’s Son.
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
The Motorcycle Diaries
Life on the Color Line
A Long Way Gone
Just pretend it never happened by Jenny Lawson. Just finished it and it’s hilarious
This is good
Autobiography of a Schizophrenic girl is very interesting. You get a real glimpse inside her mind.
Hyperbole and a Half
BRIGHT, INFINITE FUTURE: A Generational Memoir on the Progressive Rise by Mark Green. A onetime Nader Raider, public interest lawyer (graduate of Harvard Law School), best-selling author, and public official, Mark Green tells the story of his life and 6-decade career in public service.
Glass Castle
The Glass Castle
I am reading memoirs surrounding the AIDS epidemic in America, and one that I think is really impactful and a really good and worthwile read is Heaven’s Coast by Mark Doty. It made me see so many things in a different way, and I highlighted half of the book. It has a very impactful prose, and I felt I needed to re-read some paragraphs after a pause to really take everything in. I cried throughout the book.
Up from Slavery – by Booker T Washington – comes to mind
Very good book. I read it years ago.
an Autobiography by Agatha Christie is great. Renoir, My Father by Jean Reboir is another very good one. quartered Safe Out Here by George Macdonald Fraser is a fascinating War memoir. MY History by Antonia Fraser is excellent.
TALE OF A GUINEA PIG by Geoffrey Page. The author was a young fighter pilot in the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1940 when, in defense of his country, he attacked a German aircraft, his Hurricane fighter sustaining grievous damage, compelling him to bail out over the English Channel. Page incurred severe burns and underwent 2 years of treatments before he was cleared for combat duty. This is his story.