Biography that Inspires You

Get inspired by someone else's story! Try one of these biographies, autobiographies, or memoirs. We have many more on our nonfiction shelves - just ask a friendly Ledding librarian. Plant a seed, read!

Updated May 6, 2026
LINCC (Libraries in Clackamas County) Milwaukie Ledding Library
Drag items up and down to your preferred order then select the "Save Order" button.
Shout : a poetry memoir
Anderson, Laurie Halse
Paper Book
A New York Times bestseller and one of 2019's best-reviewed books, a poetic memoir and call to action from the award-winning author of Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson! Bestselling author Laurie Halse Anderson is known for the unflinching way she writes about, and...
The enigma girls : how ten teenagers broke ciphers, kept secrets, and helped win World War II
Fleming, Candace
Paper Book
    From award-winning author Candace Fleming, comes the powerful and fascinating story of the brave and dedicated young women who helped turn the tides of World War II for the Allies, with their hard work and determination at Bletchley Park.<...
How the boogeyman became a poet
Keith, Anthony R., Jr.
Paper Book
Odyssey Award for Audiobook Excellence Winner Poet, writer, and hip-hop educator Tony Keith Jr. makes his debut with a powerful YA memoir in verse, tracing his journey from being a closeted gay Black teen battling poverty, racism, and homophobia to becoming an openly gay first-generation...
Amazing fantastic incredible : a marvelous memoir
Lee, Stan
Paper Book
In this gorgeously illustrated, full-color graphic memoir, Stan Lee--comic book legend and cocreator of Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, the Incredible Hulk, and a legion of other Marvel superheroes--shares his iconic legacy and the story of how modern comics came to be. Stan...
It's Trevor Noah : born a crime : stories from a South African childhood
Noah, Trevor
Paper Book
The host of The Daily Show, Trevor Noah, shares his personal story and the injustices he faced while growing up half black, half white in South Africa under and after apartheid in this New York Times bestselling young readers' adaptation of his adult memoir. ...
Bad boy : a graphic novel
Sims, Guy A.
Paper Book
A gripping graphic memoir adaptation of iconic, multi-award-winning author Walter Dean Myers's autobiography, telling the story of his coming-of-age in Harlem, adapted by Guy A. Sims and illustrated by Dawud Anyabwile. Legendary author Walter Dean Myers was once a troublemaker and a...
They called us enemy
Takei, George
Paper Book
New York Times Bestseller! A stunning graphic memoir recounting actor/author/activist George Takei's childhood imprisoned within American concentration camps during World War II. Experience the forces that shaped an American icon -- and America itself -- in this gripping tale...
Educated : a memoir
Westover, Tara
Paper Book
For readers of The Glass Castle and Wild, a stunning new memoir about family, loss and the struggle for a better future #1 International Bestseller Tara Westover was seventeen when she first set foot in a classroom. Instead of traditional lessons, she grew up learning...

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