Biography and Memoir

Discover the stories of their lives, in recent biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs.
Updated July 29, 2025
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The Dry Season: A Memoir of Pleasure in a Year Without Sex
Melissa Febos
Paper Book
From Melissa Febos, the national bestselling author of Girlhood, comes an examination of the solitude, freedoms, and feminist heroes she discovered during a year of celibacy and a wise and transformative look at relationships and self-knowledge. "Only Melissa Febos could...
Patriot: A Memoir
Alexei Navalny
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD WINNER * BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: THE NEW YORKER, THE ATLANTIC, NPR * The powerful and moving memoir of a fearless political opposition leader who paid the ultimate price for his beliefs. "...
How to Lose Your Mother: A Daughter's Memoir
Molly Jong-Fast
Paper Book
Instant New York Times Bestseller "With propulsive humor and perspective on her annus horribilis, Jong-Fast achieves the memoir's transformative work of alchemy, arming us all with lines so good you won't just want to underline them, you will want to cut them out to share." --...
Care and Feeding: A Memoir
Laurie Woolever
Paper Book
An Instant New York Times Bestseller! A candid, funny, and occasionally devastating memoir of a woman making her way through the food world, navigating addiction, a cultural reckoning, and an unexpected tragedy In this moving, hilarious, and insightful bestselling memoir, Laurie...
Class Clown: The Memoirs of a Professional Wiseass: How I Went 77 Years Without Growing Up
Dave Barry
Paper Book
America's most beloved wiseass finally tells his life story with all the humor you'd expect from a man who made a career out of making fun of pretty much everything. How does the son of a Presbyterian minister wind up winning a Pulitzer Prize for writing a wildly inaccurate...
The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom
Shari Franke
Paper Book
INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "Heart-wrenchingly personal...dizzying." --Rolling Stone From eldest daughter Shari Franke, the shocking true story behind the viral 8 Passengers family vlog--now the subject of a new Hulu...
The Harder I Fight the More I Love You: A Memoir
Neko Case
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AN APPLE BEST BOOK OF THE MONTH Singer-songwriter Neko Case paints a vivid portrait of an extraordinary life--one forged through a poverty-stricken childhood, obsessive desire, bursts of comedy, and...
Ordinary Time: Lessons Learned While Staying Put
Annie B. Jones
Paper Book
In her first book, the popular From the Front Porch podcast host and independent bookstore owner challenges the idea that loud lives are the ones that matter most, reminding us that we don't have to leave the lives we have in order to have the lives of which we've always dreamed. Can life...
Source Code: My Beginnings
Bill Gates
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * The origin story of one of the most influential and transformative business leaders and philanthropists of the modern age "A surprisingly candid memoir of the Microsoft mogul's early years...Reading this book feels like watching someone take a...
Made Up, But Still True
Donald Sutherland
Paper Book
The long-awaited, bracingly candid, and utterly unpredictable personal story of movie legend Donald Sutherland, sharing his deep passion for acting, his intense journey through success and loss, and every wild story in between   As one of the most enduring actors in Hollywood...
Freedom: Memoirs 1954 – 2021
Angela Merkel
Paper Book
The New York Times and USA Today bestseller For sixteen years, Angela Merkel was Chancellor of Germany and at the forefront of European and international politics. In her memoir, she looks back on her life in two German states--East Germany until 1990, and...
The Third Gilmore Girl: A Memoir
Kelly Bishop
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A Goodreads Choice Awards Winner "Come for the Gilmore Girls anecdotes, stay for the revealing truths about what it takes to build a lifelong career in and out of Hollywood" (The A.V. Club) in...
This Dog Will Change Your Life
Friedman Weiss, Elias
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A uniquely insightful, uplifting, emotional, and informative book that shows us how dogs make our lives better by making us better people, from the Dogist The stunning hardcover of This Dog Will Change Your Life features a custom...
Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old: Thoughts on Aging as a Woman
Brooke Shields
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From generational icon Brooke Shields comes an intimate and empowering exploration of aging that flips the script on the idea of what it means for a woman to grow older Brooke Shields has spent a lifetime in the public eye....
Lucky Loser: Adventures in Tennis and Comedy
kostamichael
Paper Book
From a host of The Daily Show and stand-up comic, Michael Kosta, comes a wildly funny and insightful memoir about his unlikely journey from professional tennis player (#864 in the world) to professional comedian (there's no ranking system in comedy but he's probably . . . top 50?). Before...
Sonny Boy: A Memoir
Al Pacino
Paper Book
The Instant New York Times Bestseller * One of People Magazine's Top 10 Books of the Year "The rare celebrity memoir that's also a literary read. As funny as it is reflective, it shares stories behind Pacino's hardscrabble upbringing, classic films and journey to icon...
Say Everything: A Memoir
Ione Skye
Paper Book
In this instant New York Times bestselling memoir, Gen X icon Ione Skye shares her "delightfully juicy" (People) and achingly vulnerable story about chasing fame, desire, and true love in the shadow of her famous, absent father. In 1987, sixteen-year-old Ione Skye...
Homework: A Memoir
Geoff Dyer
Paper Book
Named a most anticipated book of 2025 by Vulture | The Guardian | Financial Times | The Observer | The Times (London) | Literary Hub "A picture of postwar England unlike any other . . . A highly original memoir that will provoke,...
What I Ate in One Year: (and related thoughts)
Stanley Tucci
Paper Book
From Stanley Tucci, award-winning actor and New York Times bestselling author, a deliciously unique memoir chronicling a year's worth of meals. "Sharing food is one of the purest human acts." Food has always been an integral part of Stanley Tucci's...
Maybe This Will Save Me: A Memoir of Art, Addiction and Transformation
Tommy Dorfman
Paper Book
*NATIONAL BESTSELLER* *An Autostraddle Most Anticipated Queer Book* "I'm determined to get to know the real Tommy, to trace the shape of my scars." For years, Tommy Dorfman turned her back on her thoughts and emotions, hoping...
Memorial Days: A Memoir
Geraldine Brooks
Paper Book
A New York Times Bestseller "Brooks tracks the geography of grief with patience and grace as she comes to terms with the ongoing nature of outliving the ones you love most. ... Her memoir is certainly a testament to her own unique loss, but it's moreover a lifeline to others...
The Loves of My Life: A Sex Memoir
Edmund White
Paper Book
From the legendary author Edmund White, a stunning, revelatory memoir of a lifetime of gay love and sex. "In his panoply of sexual encounters, Edmund White's love of sex makes us proud to be human. And the story of his sex life reads like a beautifully crafted, very moving...
Lovely One: A Memoir
Ketanji Brown Jackson
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * In her "vulnerable, tender, and infinitely inspirational" (Oprah Daily) memoir, the first Black woman to ever be appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States chronicles her extraordinary life story. "A billowingly triumphant...
You'll Never Believe Me: A Life of Lies, Second Tries, and Other Stuff I Should Only Tell My Therapist
Kari Ferrell
Paper Book
"A captivating, sharp and very funny memoir." --New York Times Book Review The compelling, edgy, compassionate, laugh-out-loud memoir from Kari Ferrell, formerly known as the "Hipster Grifter" Before Anna Delvey, before the Tinder Swindler,...
Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show (While also in an Actual Cult!)
Bethany Joy Lenz
Paper Book
An "incredible" (Alex Cooper, Call Her Daddy), "riveting" (People) New York Times bestselling memoir by One Tree Hill star Bethany Joy Lenz about her decade in a cult and her quest to break free. In the early 2000s, after years of hard work and...
Song So Wild and Blue: A Life with the Music of Joni Mitchell
Paul Lisicky
Paper Book
"An intimate, impressionistic Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man mode, interwoven with Mitchell myths and parallels."-- New York Times Book Review "An astonishing exploration of what it means to lead an artist's life--how to last, dig deep, change, to embrace one's voice while in...
Melania
Melania Trump
Paper Book
Melania is a compelling and inspirational memoir that offers a glimpse into the life of a remarkable woman who has navigated challenges with grace and determination.    In her memoir, Melania reflects on her Slovenian childhood,...
CABIN: Off the Grid Adventures with a Clueless Craftsman
Patrick Hutchison
Paper Book
THE NATIONAL BESTSELLER A memoir of the author's journey from an office job to restoring a cabin in the Pacific Northwest, based on his wildly popular Outside Magazine piece. Wit's End isn't just a state of mind. It's the name of a gravel road, the address...
Queen of All Mayhem: The Blood-Soaked Life and Mysterious Death of Belle Starr, the Most Dangerous Woman in the West
Dane Huckelbridge
Paper Book
A riveting, deeply researched, blood-on-the-spurs biography of Belle Starr, the most legendary female outlaw of the American West.  On February 3, 1889, just two days shy of her forty-first birthday, Myra Maybelle Shirley--better known at that point by her outlaw sobriquet "Belle...
I'll Have What She's Having
Chelsea Handler
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER . In hilarious and tender essays, Chelsea Handler shares her unforgettable story of becoming the woman she always wanted to be. "A raw and raucous exploration of Handler's ongoing search for self . . . She's disarming us with humor to get at our...
Lorne: The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live
Susan Morrison
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * The definitive biography of Lorne Michaels, the man behind America's most beloved comedy show "The kind of biographical monument usually consecrated to founding fathers, canonical authors and world-historical scientific geniuses."--The New York...
Reagan: His Life and Legend
Max Boot
Paper Book
In this "monumental and impressive" biography, Max Boot, the distinguished political columnist, illuminates the untold story of Ronald Reagan, revealing the man behind the mythology. Drawing on interviews with over one hundred of the fortieth president's aides, friends, and family members, as...
Sucker Punch: Essays
Scaachi Koul
Paper Book
The long-awaited follow-up from one of the most original and hilarious voices writing today. Scaachi Koul's first book was a collection of raw, perceptive, and hilarious essays reckoning with the issues of race, body image, love, friendship, and growing up the daughter of...
The Inherited Mind: A Story of Family, Hope, and the Genetics of Mental Illness
James Longman
Paper Book
James Longman was a preteen in boarding school when his dad, who was diagnosed with depression and schizophrenia, died by suicide. As he got older, James's own bouts of depression spurred him to examine how his father's mental health might have affected his own. He engaged with experts to uncover...
Raised by a Serial Killer: Discovering the Truth About My Father
April Balascio
Paper Book
The untold story behind the hit true crime podcast The Clearing, this "engrossing and absolutely terrifying read" (San Francisco Chronicle) traces one daughter's moving quest to understand the truth about her father, the serial killer Edward Wayne Edwards, while confronting cold...
The Art of Power: My Story as America's First Woman Speaker of the House
Nancy Pelosi
Paper Book
The most powerful woman in American political history tells the story of her transformation from housewife to House Speaker--how she became a master legislator, a key partner to presidents, and the most visible leader of the Trump resistance. When, at age forty-six, Nancy Pelosi,...
Written in the Waters: A Memoir of History, Home, and Belonging
Tara Roberts
Paper Book
One woman's epic journey to trace the global slave trade across the Atlantic Ocean in this searing memoir for fans of Cheryl Strayed's Wild and Jesmyn Ward's Men We Reaped. An adventurous blend of personal and cultural history from a star National Geographic Explorer...
Making the Best of What's Left: When We're Too Old to Get the Chairs Reupholstered
Judith Viorst
Paper Book
From the bestselling author Judith Viorst comes a witty and poignant exploration of the joys and sorrows of life's twilight years--one that leaves us laughing, pondering, and grateful for the moments we have left. In a career that has spanned more than fifty years, Judith Viorst...
Cellar Rat: My Life in the Restaurant Underbelly
Hannah Selinger
Paper Book
Town & Country's Best Books of Spring 2025 | Kirkus Reviews's Most Anticipated Nonfiction of Spring 2025 | Amazon's Best Books of the Month | American Writers Museum's Staff Picks What happens when a career you love doesn't love you back? ...
The Church of Living Dangerously: Tales of a Drug-Running Megachurch Pastor
John Lee Bishop
Paper Book
The unbelievable true story of John Bishop, a former megachurch pastor who ended up running drugs for the Sinaloa Cartel. For thirty years, John Bishop was a pastor. Along the way, he learned that everyone does stupid things. We lie to our families. We lie to ourselves. We take long lunch...
Food for Thought: Essays and Ruminations
Alton Brown
Paper Book
This instant New York Times bestseller by Alton Brown, the acclaimed cookbook author, beloved culinary personality, and food science expert, is a "must-read" (Gaby Dalkin, New York Times bestselling author of What's Gaby Cooking) debut collection of food essays, cooking tips,...
The Rebel Romanov: Julie of Saxe-Coburg, the Empress Russia Never Had
Helen Rappaport
Paper Book
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Romanov Sisters comes the story of a courageous young Imperial Grand Duchess who scandalized Europe in search of freedom. In 1795, Catherine the Great of Russia was in search of a bride for her grandson...
Good Soil: The Education of an Accidental Farmhand
Jeff Chu
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * A profound meditation on nature, heritage, and belonging, from an accomplished journalist who left New York City for life on a working farm "I needed this book. I think you need it, too."--Maggie Smith, New York Times bestselling author of You Could...
Kingmaker: Pamela Harriman's Astonishing Life of Power, Seduction, and Intrigue
Sonia Purnell
Paper Book
"A thorough account of Harriman's rise which also manages to be a brisk, twisty read ... riveting and revelatory." --The New Yorker "Rigorous but rollicking." --The New York Times Named a BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR by The New Yorker, Apple...
Spellbound: My Life as a Dyslexic Wordsmith
Phil Hanley
Paper Book
National Bestseller An Amazon Best of Biography/Memoir Comedian and severe dyslexic Phil Hanley reveals his unlikely path to success in a story that is equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking. When Phil Hanley...
Dirtbag Queen
Andy Corren
Paper Book
In this "utterly unhinged, hilarious" memoir, a son pays tribute to his larger than life 'zaftig good time gal' mother and his unusual childhood (Jenny Lawson, New York Times bestselling author). "Because she was my mother, the death of zaftig good-time...
Second Life: Having a Child in the Digital Age
Amanda Hess
Paper Book
"Hess's debut memoir bursts with humor and intelligence as it weaves the story of her own pregnancy....This unexpected page-turner is as vulnerable as it is sharp." --Vulture As an internet culture critic for The New York Times, Amanda Hess had built a reputation...
Who I Always Was: A Memoir
Theresa Okokon
Paper Book
For fans of Aftershocks and How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America, an affective and deeply honest memoir in essays that "asks the deepest questions of identity, of home, of belonging" (Nick Flynn, author of Another Bullshit Night in Suck City). ...

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