Biography and Memoir

Discover the stories of their lives, in recent biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs.
Updated October 7, 2025
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The Dry Season: A Memoir of Pleasure in a Year Without Sex
Febos, Melissa
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
Naval ny , Alekse
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
Jong-Fast, Molly
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
Woolever, Laurie
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
Barry, Dave
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
Franke, Shari
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
Case, Neko
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...
Source Code: My Beginnings
Gates, Bill
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...
Freedom: Memoirs 1954 - 2021
Merkel, Angela
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...
This Dog Will Change Your Life
Weiss Friedman, 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
Shields, Brooke
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
Kosta, Michael
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...
Maybe This Will Save Me: A Memoir of Art, Addiction and Transformation (Original)
Dorfman, Tommy
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
Brooks, Geraldine
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
White, Edmund
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...
Song So Wild and Blue: A Life with the Music of Joni Mitchell
Lisicky, Paul
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
Trump, Melania
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
Hutchison, Patrick
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...
I'll Have What She's Having
Handler, Chelsea
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
Morrison, Susan
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...
Sucker Punch: Essays
Koul, Scaachi
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
Longman, James
Paper Book
A compelling memoir by ABC News correspondent James Longman in which he discusses mental illness and trauma in families, what the latest genetic science is telling us, and how to not only persevere but thrive. James Longman was a preteen in boarding school when his dad, who was...
Raised by a Serial Killer: Discovering the Truth about My Father
Balascio, April
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...
Written in the Waters: A Memoir of History, Home, and Belonging
Roberts, Tara
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
Viorst, Judith
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
Selinger, Hannah
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? ...
Food for Thought: Essays and Ruminations
Brown, Alton
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,...
Good Soil: The Education of an Accidental Farmhand
Chu, Jeff
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...
Spellbound: My Life as a Dyslexic Wordsmith
Hanley, Phil
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
Corren, Andy
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
Hess, Amanda
Paper Book
"Engrossing...With a reporter's gimlet eye, Hess lenses out from her personal experience...[She] has a (hilariously reluctant) native's ear for the (awful) millennial marketing sound." --The New York Times "Hess's debut memoir bursts with humor and intelligence as it...
Hope: The Autobiography
Pope Francis
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * Pope Francis originally intended this exceptional memoir to appear only after his death, but the needs of our times and the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope moved him to make this precious legacy available sooner. Now, the book stands as his testament; the spiritual,...
Cleavage: Men, Women, and the Space Between Us
Boylan, Jennifer Finney
Paper Book
What is the difference between men and women? Jennifer Finney Boylan, bestselling author of She's Not There and co-author of Mad Honey with Jodi Picoult, examines the divisions--as well as the common ground--between the genders, and reflects on her own experiences, both difficult...
Mark Twain
Chernow, Ron
Paper Book
The #1 New York Times Bestseller! One of Barack Obama's Summer Reading List Picks "Comprehensive, enthralling . . . Mark Twain flows like the Mississippi River, its prose propelled by Mark Twain's own exuberance." --The Boston Globe ...
Poets Square: A Memoir in Thirty Cats
Gustafson, Courtney
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * An intimate memoir about the importance of community and care in a world that can feel impossibly broken--and a story about accidentally going viral while tending to a colony of feral cats. When Courtney Gustafson moved into a rental house in...
Citizen: My Life After the White House
Clinton, Bill
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A powerful, candid, and richly detailed memoir from an American icon, revealing what life looks like after the presidency: triumphs, tribulations, and all. On January 20, 2001, after nearly thirty years in politics--eight of them as president of...
Expect Great Things!: How the Katharine Gibbs School Revolutionized the American Workplace for Women
Krefft, Vanda
Paper Book
A fun and fascinating social history of the famed Katharine Gibbs School, which from the 1910s to the 1960s, trained women for executive secretary positions but surreptitiously was instilling the self-confidence and strategic know-how necessary for them to claim equality, power, and authority in...
Love, Queenie: Merle Oberon, Hollywood's First South Asian Star
Sen, Mayukh
Paper Book
Merle Oberon made history when she was announced as a nominee for the Best Actress Oscar in 1936. Hers was a face that "launched a thousand ships," a so-called exotic beauty who the camera loved and fans adored. Her nomination for The Dark Angel marked the first time the Academy recognized a...
Motherland: A Feminist History of Modern Russia, from Revolution to Autocracy
Ioffe, Julia
Paper Book
LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD Acclaimed journalist Julia Ioffe tells the story of modern Russia through the history of its women, from revolution to utopia to autocracy. In 1990, seven-year-old Julia Ioffe and her family fled the Soviet Union. Nearly...

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