I have read and loved: Educated, When Breath Becomes Air, Wild, I'm Glad My Mom Died, What my Bones Know. etc. I'm always looking for more memoirs. What are some great ones I should pick up?
My Effin Life- Geddy Lee, even if you aren’t a Rush or rock music fan, his telling of growing up with Immigrant parents who survived the Holocaust is so haunting and important.
Longjumping-Lock-724 on
Glass Castle
underthelighthouse on
Somebody’s Daughter by Ashley C. Ford
candyspyder on
Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction by David Scheff is heartbreaking and wonderfully written ..
His son wrote his own memoir too: Tweak by Nic Scheff
I read Beautiful Boy first and I honestly wish I read Tweak before it. They’re both great
14kanthropologist on
Crying in H Mart
Maus (this one is a graphic novel but it is AMAZING)
JemAndTheBananagrams on
Crying in H Mart.
kv89 on
The Sound of Gravel by Ruth Wariner
GoDucks1117 on
Know my Name by Chanel Miller (TW: sexual assault)
stimmtnicht on
Chasing Me to my Grave by Rembert
The Storyteller by Dave Grohl
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
Finding Me by Viola Davis
hrviolation on
Stay True by Hua Hsu is one of my all time favorites!
Tough_cookie83 on
Becoming by Michelle Obama
EagleEyezzzzz on
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah is my favorite memoir / autobiography. It’s utterly fascinating.
The others you listed are some of my favorite books, so I think you’ll like this one!
DowntownSurvey6568 on
Wave- about being the only one in your family to survive a tsunami. The year of magical thinking – a memoir by Joan Didion, about losing your husband and daughter shortly after. Paula by Isabel Allende – losing your daughter.
lpnltc on
Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder- not a memoir but the author follows Dr Paul Farmer and his efforts to fight TB and bring healthcare to impoverished places.
guadalupeoso on
Barbarian Days. Do not just think it is a surfing book. You do not need to be a surfer to appreciate it. It’s an unbelievable book.
justkatie123 on
Hear me out- Jessica Simpson’s Memoir is fabulous. I have never really cared much about her but it was a fascinating look into the horrors of being famous at a young age. She also tackles abusive relationships (you’ll never look at John Mayer the same), her weird dad, alcoholism, and what it was like to be cast as a dumb blonde (spoiler: she’s actually a very smart, successful businesswoman). I read it 5 years ago and it’s stayed with me all this time.
jmo4021 on
Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Green and Lost Idealism
The Centre Cannot Hold: A Memoir of My Schizophrenia
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood
Exit Interview: The Life and Death of my Ambitious Career
A Place Called Home: A Memoir
Solito
Know my Name
I’m Glad my Mom Died
CrabCheap on
I don’t know if it necessarily counts as a memoir, but H is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald is in my top 3 favorite nonfiction books of all time. It’s like a memoir, nature writing, and meditation on grief all rolled into one. Also, Spare by Prince Harry.
vulgarlibrary on
A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy by Tia Levings
seasidesunshine45 on
these are some of my faves, all so well written.
H is for Hawk by Helen McDonald
I am, I am, I am: Seventeen brushes with death by Maggie O’Farrell
Lowborn by Kerry Hudson
I never said I loved you by Rhik Samadder
My Good Bright Wolf by Sarah Moss
Wayfarer by Phoebe Smith
The Hare with Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal
On Chapel Sands by Laura Cumming
The Outrun by Amy Liptrot
And this is apparently autofiction but I really enjoyed: A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa
sqplanetarium on
Alison Bechdel – Fun Home, Are You My Mother?, and The Secret of Superhuman Strength
Esme Weijun Wang – The Collected Schizophrenias
Scarlettlovesyarn on
How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair is the best thing I read last year.
mommima on
Night by Elie Weisel
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
My German Question by Peter Gay
Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs
UnwashedParrot on
Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl
Born a Crime, Trevor Noah
Crying in H Mart, Michelle Zauner
One Day, Everyone Will Have Been Against This, Omar El Akkad
Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates
…Does Into Thin Air count? (Jon Krakauer)
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, Ocean Vuong (apparently fictionalized but heavily memoir-ish and so so good)
Also: not a memoir but if you loved When Breath Becomes Air, you may also love Cutting for Stone, Abraham Verghese which I found so similar and loved with all my heart ❤️
25 Comments
Autobiography of a Face
My Effin Life- Geddy Lee, even if you aren’t a Rush or rock music fan, his telling of growing up with Immigrant parents who survived the Holocaust is so haunting and important.
Glass Castle
Somebody’s Daughter by Ashley C. Ford
Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction by David Scheff is heartbreaking and wonderfully written ..
His son wrote his own memoir too: Tweak by Nic Scheff
I read Beautiful Boy first and I honestly wish I read Tweak before it. They’re both great
Crying in H Mart
Maus (this one is a graphic novel but it is AMAZING)
Crying in H Mart.
The Sound of Gravel by Ruth Wariner
Know my Name by Chanel Miller (TW: sexual assault)
Chasing Me to my Grave by Rembert
The Storyteller by Dave Grohl
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
Finding Me by Viola Davis
Stay True by Hua Hsu is one of my all time favorites!
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah is my favorite memoir / autobiography. It’s utterly fascinating.
The others you listed are some of my favorite books, so I think you’ll like this one!
Wave- about being the only one in your family to survive a tsunami. The year of magical thinking – a memoir by Joan Didion, about losing your husband and daughter shortly after. Paula by Isabel Allende – losing your daughter.
Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder- not a memoir but the author follows Dr Paul Farmer and his efforts to fight TB and bring healthcare to impoverished places.
Barbarian Days. Do not just think it is a surfing book. You do not need to be a surfer to appreciate it. It’s an unbelievable book.
Hear me out- Jessica Simpson’s Memoir is fabulous. I have never really cared much about her but it was a fascinating look into the horrors of being famous at a young age. She also tackles abusive relationships (you’ll never look at John Mayer the same), her weird dad, alcoholism, and what it was like to be cast as a dumb blonde (spoiler: she’s actually a very smart, successful businesswoman). I read it 5 years ago and it’s stayed with me all this time.
Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Green and Lost Idealism
The Centre Cannot Hold: A Memoir of My Schizophrenia
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood
Exit Interview: The Life and Death of my Ambitious Career
A Place Called Home: A Memoir
Solito
Know my Name
I’m Glad my Mom Died
I don’t know if it necessarily counts as a memoir, but H is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald is in my top 3 favorite nonfiction books of all time. It’s like a memoir, nature writing, and meditation on grief all rolled into one. Also, Spare by Prince Harry.
A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy by Tia Levings
these are some of my faves, all so well written.
H is for Hawk by Helen McDonald
I am, I am, I am: Seventeen brushes with death by Maggie O’Farrell
Lowborn by Kerry Hudson
I never said I loved you by Rhik Samadder
My Good Bright Wolf by Sarah Moss
Wayfarer by Phoebe Smith
The Hare with Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal
On Chapel Sands by Laura Cumming
The Outrun by Amy Liptrot
And this is apparently autofiction but I really enjoyed: A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa
Alison Bechdel – Fun Home, Are You My Mother?, and The Secret of Superhuman Strength
Esme Weijun Wang – The Collected Schizophrenias
How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair is the best thing I read last year.
Night by Elie Weisel
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
My German Question by Peter Gay
Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs
Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl
Born a Crime, Trevor Noah
Crying in H Mart, Michelle Zauner
One Day, Everyone Will Have Been Against This, Omar El Akkad
Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates
…Does Into Thin Air count? (Jon Krakauer)
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, Ocean Vuong (apparently fictionalized but heavily memoir-ish and so so good)
Also: not a memoir but if you loved When Breath Becomes Air, you may also love Cutting for Stone, Abraham Verghese which I found so similar and loved with all my heart ❤️