Biography and Memoir

Discover the stories of their lives, in recent biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs.
Updated October 16, 2024
Drag items up and down to your preferred order then select the "Save Order" button.
Knife Meditations After an Attempted Murder
Rushdie, Salman.
Paper Book
NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST * #1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER * From Booker Prize winner Salman Rushdie, a searing, deeply personal account of enduring--and surviving--an attempt on his life thirty years after the fatwa that was ordered against him   On the morning of August 12,...
Sociopath : A Memoir
Gagne, Patric.
Paper Book
The acclaimed New York Times bestselling memoir of the author's struggle to understand her own sociopathy and shed light on the often maligned and misunderstood mental disorder. "A cross between a podcast by relationship therapist Esther Perel and a salacious tell-all."...
All That Glitters : A Story of Friendship, Fraud, and Fine Art
Whitfield, Orlando.
Paper Book
A dazzling insider's account of the contemporary art world and the stunning rise and fall of the charismatic American art dealer Inigo Philbrick, as seen through the eyes of his friend and fellow dealer In development as a series for HBO Orlando Whitfield and Inigo...
Elon Musk
Isaacson, Walter
Paper Book
#1 New York Times bestseller From the author of Steve Jobs and other bestselling biographies, this is the astonishingly intimate story of the most fascinating and controversial innovator of our era--a rule-breaking visionary who helped to lead the world into the era of...
The Friday Afternoon Club : A Family Memoir
Dunne, Griffin.
Paper Book
The instant New York Times bestseller!  "Warm and perceptive." --New York Times "Griffin Dunne knows how to tell a story." --Washington Post "Dunne is a prospector for the incandescent detail."  --Los Angeles Times ...
Gray Matters : A Biography of Brain Surgery
Schwartz, Theodore H.
Paper Book
We've all heard the phrase 'it's not brain surgery.' But what exactly is brain surgery? It's a profession that is barely a hundred years old and profoundly connects two human beings, but few know how it works, or its history. How did early neurosurgeons come to understand the human brain - an...
On Call : A Doctor's Journey in Public Service
Fauci, Anthony S.
Paper Book
Anthony Fauci is arguably the most famous - and most revered - doctor in the world today. His role guiding America sanely and calmly through Covid (and through the torrents of Trump) earned him the trust of millions during one of the most terrifying periods in modern American history, but this was...
Group Living and Other Recipes : A Memoir
Milholland, Lola.
Paper Book
"An affirmation and celebration of our deep and radical connections with the world and each other . . . Reading this book is like finding a friend."--Ruth Ozeki A spirited and timely exploration of group living that encourages readers to reconsider the meaning of family and home....
A Well-Trained Wife: A Memoir My Escape from Christian Patriarchy
Levings, Tia.
Paper Book
The instant New York Times bestseller: "Today it hit me when he hit me, blood shaking in my brain. Maybe there wasn't a savior coming. Maybe it was up to me to save me." Recruited into the fundamentalist Quiverfull movement as a young wife, Tia...
Men Have Called Her Crazy : A Memoir
Tendler, Anna Marie
Paper Book
*NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER* "This book is so many things I didn't know I needed: a testament to the work of healing, a raw howl of anger, and an indictment of misogyny's insipid, predictable, infuriating reign." --Carmen Maria Machado, author of the National Book Award...
The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon : The Life and Times of Washington's Most Private First Lady
Lee, Heath Hardage.
Paper Book
A new, revolutionary look into the brilliant life of Pat Nixon. In America's collective consciousness, Pat Nixon has long been perceived as enigmatic. She was voted "Most Admired Woman in the World" in 1972 and made Gallup Poll's top ten list of most admired women fourteen...
Feh : A Memoir
Auslander, Shalom.
Paper Book
Shalom Auslander was raised like a veal in a dysfunctional family in the Orthodox community of Monsey, New York: the son of an alcoholic father; a guilt-wielding mother; and a violent, overbearing God. Now, as he reaches middle age, Auslander begins to suspect that what plagues him is something...
My name is Barbra
Streisand, Barbra
Paper Book
The long-awaited memoir by the superstar of stage, screen, recordings, and television Barbra Streisand is by any account a living legend, a woman who in a career spanning six decades has excelled in every area of entertainment. She is among the handful of EGOT winners (Emmy,...
Consent : A Memoir
Ciment, Jill.
Paper Book
From the acclaimed novelist ("A virtuoso"--Donna Seaman, Booklist), a deft, shocking memoir that asks whether we can judge past behavior by today's moral codes, as the author reevaluates her decades-long marriage to the forty-seven-year-old man she met when she was seventeen, revisiting a...
The Widow's Guide to Dead Bastards
Waite, Jessica.
Paper Book
After the sudden death of her husband, a woman unearths surprising revelations about the man she was married to for seventeen years. A compulsively readable, darkly funny, posthumous love story about loss, grief, and unresolved relationships. Jessica Waite's successful,...
Vision A Memoir of Blindness and Justice
Tatel, David.
Paper Book
The "moving, thoughtful, and inspiring memoir" (Bryan Stevenson, author of Just Mercy) by one of America's most accomplished public servants and legal thinkers--who spent years denying and working around his blindness, before finally embracing it as an essential part of his identity....
Alexander at the End of the World : The Forgotten Final Years of Alexander the Great
Kousser, Rachel.
Paper Book
"A heart-pounding, mind-bending adventure." --Ilyon Woo A riveting biography of Alexander the Great's final years, when the leader's insatiable desire to conquer the world set him off on an exhilarating, harrowing journey that would define his legacy.   By 330 B.C.E., Alexander...
Tiger, Tiger : The Untold Story of the G.O.A.T
Patterson, James.
Paper Book
Instant New York Times Bestseller! James Patterson--the only major author to have nine holes-in-one--gets inside the mystery of Tiger Woods as only he can. How did Tiger become the G.O.A.T., what drove him to fall so spectacularly, and how has he made his way back to the...
White Robes and Broken Badges : Infiltrating the KKK and Exposing the Evil Among Us
Moore, Joe.
Paper Book
In this shocking memoir, a former FBI informant reveals what he learned from successfully infiltrating the Ku Klux Klan in the backwoods of the Sunshine State, uncovering details about the hate group's structure and its modern far-right spinoffs which are operating to achieve the same goal:...
True Gretch : What I've Learned About Life, Leadership, and Everything in Between
Whitmer, Gretchen.
Paper Book
From trailblazing Michigan governor and rising Democratic star Gretchen Whitmer comes an unconventionally honest, personal, and funny account of her remarkable life and career, full of insights that guided her through a global pandemic, showdowns with high-profile bullies, and even a kidnapping...
The devil at his elbow : Alex Murdaugh and the fall of a Southern dynasty
Bauerlein, Valerie.
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * "The definitive account of the Murdaugh murders. Forget the podcasts, the TV specials, and the documentaries--this is the version of the story you'll want to read. And once you pick it up, you won't be able to put it down."--John Carreyrou, Pulitzer...
The dragon from Chicago : the untold story of an American reporter in Nazi Germany
Toler, Pamela D.
Paper Book
For fans of unheralded women's stories, a captivating look at Sigrid Schultz-one of the earliest reporters to warn Americans of the rising threat of the Nazi regime "No other American correspondent in Berlin knew so much of what was going on behind the scene as did Sigrid Schultz." -...
Do Something : Coming of Age Amid the Glitter and Doom of '70s New York
Trebay, Guy.
Paper Book
An evocative coming-of-age memoir--the story of the education of a wayward wild child and acidhead who, searching for meaning and purpose, found refuge in the demimonde of the ruined but magical metropolis that was New York City in the 1970s. "In his beautiful memoir, Do Something...
Ambition Monster : A Memoir
Romolini, Jennifer.
Paper Book
An "intimate, intensely resonant memoir about workaholism, unresolved trauma, and the 'addictive nature of ambition'" (Harper's Bazaar), this is an anti-girlboss tale for our times for readers of Drinking: A Love Story and Uncanny Valley. ...
Life's Too Short : A Memoir
Rucker, Darius.
Paper Book
"Darius has always been one of my favorite people to sing with and to call a friend in this industry and yet even knowing him well for as long as I have, there are so many incredible stories in Life's Too Short that I enjoyed learning for the first time."--Sheryl Crow ...
Rebel Girl : My Life As a Feminist Punk
Hanna, Kathleen
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER An electric, searing memoir by the original rebel girl and legendary front woman of Bikini Kill and Le Tigre. Hey girlfriend I got a proposition goes something like this: Dare ya to do what you want Kathleen Hanna's band Bikini Kill...
The Color of Everything : A Journey to Quiet the Chaos Within
Richards, Cory.
Paper Book
A renowned climber and National Geographic photographer shares his incredible adventures-and the early trauma that drove him to seek such heights. "An extraordinary memoirofmental illness that reads like a thriller."-Amy Ellis Nutt, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and...
Joyful Recollections of Trauma
Scheer, Paul.
Paper Book
From award-winning actor and comedian Paul Scheer, a candid and humorous memoir-in-essays on coming to terms with childhood trauma and finding the joy in embracing your authentic self. Paul Scheer has entertained countless fans and podcast listeners with stories about the odd...
Being Henry : the Fonz ... and beyond
Winkler, Henry
Paper Book
Instant New York Times Bestseller! From Emmy-award winning actor, author, comedian, producer, and director Henry Winkler, a deeply thoughtful memoir of the lifelong effects of stardom and the struggle to become whole. Henry Winkler, launched into...
Docile : Memoirs of a Not-So-Perfect Asian Girl
Song, Hyeseung.
Paper Book
For readers of Crying in H Mart and Minor Feelings as well as lovers of the film Minari comes a "scorchingly honest...hugely evocative memoir" (Helen Macdonald, New York Times bestselling author of H Is for Hawk) about the daughter of ambitious Asian American...
Bird Milk & Mosquito Bones : A Memoir
Mattoo, Priyanka.
Paper Book
From a wry, insightful, and very funny new voice, here is one woman's search for home, from Kashmir to England to Saudi Arabia to Michigan to Rome and, finally, to Los Angeles--standalone essays that together form a sweeping portrait of a peripatetic life. "I would follow Priyanka...
Wonderland : A Tale of Hustling Hard and Breaking Even
Treska, Nicole.
Paper Book
A "touching memoir" (The New York Times Book Review) that "brilliantly blends a history of Boston and its surrounding areas with the history of a fascinating--and at times functional--family" (Isaac Fitzgerald, New York Times bestselling author of Dirtbag, Massachusetts) as...
An Unfinished Love Story : A Personal History of the 1960s
Goodwin, Doris Kearns.
Paper Book
The #1 New York Times bestseller from "America's historian-in-chief" (New York magazine). An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s by Doris Kearns Goodwin, one of America's most beloved historians, artfully weaves together biography,...
Bits and Pieces : My Mother, My Brother, and Me
Goldberg, Whoopi.
Paper Book
From multi-award winner Whoopi Goldberg comes a new and unique memoir of her family and their influence on her early life. If it weren't for Emma Johnson, Caryn Johnson would have never become Whoopi Goldberg. Emma gave her children the loving care and wisdom they needed to succeed in life...
I've Tried Being Nice : (among Other Things) : Essays
Leary, Ann.
Paper Book
New York Times bestselling author Ann Leary offers a literary feast of humor and wisdom told from the perspective of a recovering people pleaser. Having arrived at a certain age (her prime), Ann Leary casts a wry backward glance at a life spent trying--and often...
What a Fool Believes : A Memoir
McDonald, Michael.
Paper Book
* INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A sweeping and evocative memoir from the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, Grammy Award-winning, platinum selling singer-songwriter Michael McDonald, written with his friend, Emmy Award-nominated actor, comedian, and #1 New York Times ...
I Shouldn't Be Telling You This : (But I'm Going to Anyway)
Devantez, Chelsea.
Paper Book
A NATIONAL BESTSELLER "I could not put this book down. It's so funny" -Ru Paul "I LOVE this book for its honesty and dark (and light!) comedy" -Rachel Dratch (Instagram) "It's f*cking great!!! Raw, intimate, hilarious,...
Prairie Man : My Little House Life & Beyond
Butler, Dean.
Paper Book
Cast just before his twenty-third birthday, Dean Butler joined Little House on the Prairie halfway through its run, gaining instant celebrity and fans' enduring affection. Ironically, when the late, great Michael Landon remarked that Little House would outlive everyone involved in making it, Butler...
The Uptown Local : Joy, Death, and Joan Didion : A Memoir
Leadbeater, Cory.
Paper Book
A brilliant debut memoir about a young writer--struggling with depression, family issues, and addiction--and his life-changing decade working for Joan Didion As an aspiring novelist in his early twenties, Cory Leadbeater was presented with an opportunity to work for a well-known writer...
My Good Bright Wolf : A Memoir
Moss, Sarah.
Paper Book
A New York Magazine Most-Anticipated Book of the Fall From the acclaimed author of Ghost Wall, Summerwater, and The Fell, Sarah Moss's My Good Bright Wolf is an unflinching memoir about childhood, food, books, and our ability to see,...
Ask Not : The Kennedys and the Women They Destroyed
Callahan, Maureen
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER  |  #1 SUNDAY TIMES (UK) BESTSELLER   "The must-read book of the summer" (Megyn Kelly) from New York Times bestseller Maureen Callahan: a "harrowing,...
The Editor : How Publishing Legend Judith Jones Shaped Culture in America
Franklin, Sara B.
Paper Book
Legendary editor Judith Jones, the woman behind some of the most important authors of the 20th century--including Julia Child, Anne Frank, Edna Lewis, John Updike, and Sylvia Plath--finally gets her due in this "surprising, granular, luminous, and path-breaking biography" (Edward Hirsch,...
Down with the System : A Memoir (of Sorts)
Tankian, Serj.
Paper Book
THE *INSTANT* NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER  USA TODAY BESTSELLER An exhilarating, thoughtful, and beautifully written memoir by musician, songwriter, and lead singer-lyricist of Grammy award-winning metal band, System Of A Down, Serj Tankian. <...
Midnight in Moscow : A Memoir from the Front Lines of Russia's War Against the West
Sullivan, John J.
Paper Book
A memoir of service by the American ambassador who was on the diplomatic front lines when Putin invaded Ukraine, Midnight in Moscow is the first behind-the-scenes account of how U.S.-Russia relations hit their nadir--and a playbook for our unfolding confrontation. ...
A Season for That : Lost and Found in the Other Southern France
Hoffman, Steve.
Paper Book
In this poignant, delicious memoir, American tax preparer and food writer Steve Hoffman tells the story of how he and his family move to the French countryside, where the locals upend everything he knows about food, wine, and learning how to belong. Steve Hoffman is a perfectly...
Fi : A Memoir of My Son
Fuller, Alexandra.
Paper Book
From the award-winning New York Times-bestselling author of Don't Let's Go To The Dogs Tonight, Alexandra Fuller, comes a career defining memoir about grieving the sudden loss of her twenty-one-year-old child "A mesmeric celebration of a boy who died too soon,...
Grief Is for People : A Memoir
Crosley, Sloane.
Paper Book
One of the Most Anticipated Books of the Year: Time, The Washington Post, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Publishers Weekly, Paste, The Millions, Kirkus Reviews, Lit Hub, Real Simple, Nylon, BookPage, The Story...
Miss May Does Not Exist : The Life and Work of Elaine May, Hollywood's Hidden Genius
Courogen, Carrie.
Paper Book
Miss May Does Not Exist, by Carrie Courogen is the riveting biography of comedian, director, actor and writer Elaine May, one of America's greatest comic geniuses. May began her career as one-half of the legendary comedy team known as Nichols and May, the duo that revolutionized the...

Library staff! You can create and contribute to lists. Contact your catalog administrator or log in here.