Biography and Memoir

Discover the stories of their lives, in recent biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs.
Updated March 24, 2025
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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...
PATRIOT: A MEMOIR
Navalny, Alexei
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. "...
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...
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...
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....
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...
FREEDOM: MEMORIES 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...
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...
You'll Never Believe Me: A Life of Lies, Second Tries, and Other Stuff I Should Only Tell My Therapist
Kari Ferrell
Food for Thought: Essays and Ruminations
Alton Brown
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From Alton Brown, the New York Times bestselling cookbook author and beloved culinary food personality, a debut collection of personal essays defined by his flair, wit, and insight. From cameraman to chef, musician to...
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 memoir, Laurie Woolever traces...
SONNY BOY: A MEMOIR
Pacino, Al
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 reflecive, it shares stories behind Pacino's hardscrabble upbringing, classic films and journey to icon...
MARK TWAIN
Chernow, Ron
Paper Book
Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Ron Chernow illuminates the full, fascinating, and complex life of the writer long celebrated as the father of American literature, Mark Twain Before he was Mark Twain, he was Samuel Langhorne Clemens. Born in 1835, the man who would...
ORDINARY TIME: LESSONS LEARNED WHILE STAYING PUT
Jones, Annie B
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...
KNIFE Meditations After an Attempted Murder
Rushdie, Salman (COR)
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 A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New...
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...
The inherited mind : a story of family, hope, and the genetics of mental illness /
Longman, James
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...
WHAT I ATE IN ONE YEAR: (AND RELATED THOUGHTS)
Tucci, Stanley
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...
Who I always was : a memoir /
Okokon, Theresa,
Paper Book
For fans of Aftershocks and How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America, a gripping and deeply honest memoir in essays, this debut collection sets out to answer the universal question of: Why am I like this? When Theresa Okokon was nine, her father traveled to...
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...
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,...
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 unforgettable memoir traces one daughter's moving quest to understand her larger-than-life childhood as she searches for the truth about her father, the serial killer Edward Wayne Edwards. One evening in...
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...
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...
THE FRIDAY AFTERNOON CLUB a family memoir /
Dunne, Griffin,
Paper Book
The instant New York Times bestseller * Named a Best Book of the Year by TIME, NPR, People, Town & Country, and Air Mail "Warm and perceptive." --New York Times "Griffin Dunne knows how to tell a story." --Washington...
DINNER FOR VAMPIRES: LIFE ON A CULT TV SHOW (WHILE ALSO IN AN ACTUAL CULT!)
Lenz, Bethany Joy
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...
DAUGHTER OF DARING: THE TRICK-RIDING, TRAIN-LEAPING, ROAD-RACING LIFE OF HELEN GIBSON, HOLLYWOOD'S FIRST STUNTWOMAN (ORIGINAL)
O'Meara, Mallory.
Paper Book
From LA Times bestselling author Mallory O'Meara, the story of America's first professional stuntwoman, Helen Gibson, who rose to fame during a time when women ruled Hollywood. Helen Gibson was a woman willing to do anything to give audiences a thrill. Advertised as "The...
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...
Calling In: How to Start Making Change with Those You'd Rather Cancel
Loretta J. Ross
Paper Book
From a pioneering Black feminist and MacArthur "Genius" Fellow, an urgent and exhilarating memoir-manifesto-handbook about how to rein in the excesses of cancel culture so we can truly communicate and solve problems together. In 1979, Loretta Ross was a single mother who'd had to...
The Woman Who Knew Everyone: The Power of Perle Mesta, Washington’s Most Famous Hostess
Meryl Gordon
Paper Book
A TOWN & COUNTRY MUST READ BOOK OF 2025 AN AMAZON BEST BOOK OF THE MONTH - BIOGRAPHIES & MEMOIR A deeply researched biography of the socialite, political hostess, activist and United States envoy to Luxembourg, Perle Mesta, from New York Times...
Spellbound: My Life as a Dyslexic Wordsmith
Phil Hanley
Paper Book
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 was in first grade, he realized...
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...
In Gad We Trust: A Tell-Some
Josh Gad
Paper Book
A heartfelt and hilarious collection of essays from the comedian and entertainer known for voicing Olaf in the phenomenon Disney franchise of Frozen, and for his award-winning turn as Elder Cunningham in the Broadway smash hit The Book of Mormon. For the first and...
THE ELEMENTS OF MARIE CURIE: HOW THE GLOW OF RADIUM LIT A PATH FOR WOMEN IN SCIENCE
Sobel, Dava
Paper Book
The acclaimed Pulitzer Prize finalist and #1 New York Times bestselling author of Galileo's Daughter crafts a luminous chronicle of the life and work of the most famous woman in the history of science, and the untold story of the many young women trained in her laboratory who...
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...
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...
Say Everything: A Memoir
Ione Skye
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Gen X icon Ione Skye bares all in an achingly vulnerable coming-of-age memoir about chasing fame, desire, and true love in the shadow of her famous, absent father. In 1987, sixteen-year-old Ione Skye landed the breakout role...
Looking at women looking at war : a war and justice diary /
Amelina, Viktorii?a,
Paper Book
"Remarkable...powerful, eloquently testifying to the horrific consequences of this conflict." --New York Times Book Review "Unsparing and impossible-to-forget... its shape and urgency dictated by war and by its author's shining life so abruptly shredded into night."...
The Waiting Game: The Untold Story of the Women Who Served the Tudor Queens: A History
Nicola Clark
Paper Book
A New York TImes Book Review Editor's Pick A colorful and authoritative narrative history of the often-overlooked--yet hugely influential--figures of the Tudor court: the ladies-in-waiting. Every Tudor Queen had ladies-in-waiting. They were her...
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...
Before Elvis: The African American Musicians Who Made the King
Preston Lauterbach
Paper Book
In this thought-provoking book, the Black musicians who influenced Elvis Presley's music finally receive recognition and praise. After Baz Luhrmann's movie, Elvis, hit theaters, audiences and critics alike couldn't help but question the Black origins of Elvis...
Sweet Nothings: Confessions of a Candy Lover
Sarah Perry
Paper Book
A fun, sophisticated illustrated collection of essays that catalogs the simple and not so simple pleasures of the eclectic world of candy from the award-winning author of After the Eclipse. With illustrations by Forsyth Harmon. A taxonomy of sweetness, a rhapsody of artificial flavors, and...
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...
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,...

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