I've been in a reading slump for the past few months (first semester of college) but I've finally reached a point where I want to read again. I love fiction but I've been trying to diversify my reading and last year I read a few memoirs that really stuck with me, mainly:
• Know My Name by Chanel Miller
• The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Educated by Tara Westover is on my TBR but I haven't gotten around to it yet. I'm looking for more memoirs that actually stick with you on an emotional level- its hard to tell from a Google or goodreads search alone which ones are actually solid picks and which ones are just…. ehhhh.
I know things like this can depend on the person so for context I'm a college aged woman pursuing a STEM career and the oldest child of a low-income family of 7 (soon to be 8). I've also had some ongoing struggles with mental health and have experienced a fair amount of grief this year (miscarriage of a close family member and the recent death of a loved one). Reccomendations don't have to relate to this though as I'm happy to read purely to see how other people experience the world; My only request is nothing sports related (my search has come up with a shocking amount of these). Thank you!
by rblank613
9 Comments
You might consider “H is for Hawk” by Helen Macdonald. Great audiobook narration by the author. It’s basically a memoir about a difficult time in a young woman’s life following the sudden death of her father and how she decided to cope.
All That Remains – Sue Black. She’s a forensic anthropologist and it’s part memoir and part an exploration of death. Will always stay with me
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah is one of my all-time favorite memoirs. It’s hilarious and insightful and emotional at times. It’s very, very good!
Aftershocks by Nadia Owusu
Some mental health related memoirs that have stuck with me are:
Why Fish Don’t Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life
What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma
The Many Lives of Mama Love: A Memoir of Lying, Stealing, Writing, and Healing
I’m also currently reading Good Morning, Monster: A Therapist Shares Five Heroic Stories of Emotional Recovery, which may interest you.
Bookends Zibby Owens
I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
Wave walker by Susanne Haywood. It’s similar to Educated in the sense the author didn’t get a traditional education during childhood(grew up on a boat sailing around the world).
Change Me Into Zeus’s Daughter
The Liars’ Club
An Unquiet Mind
Angela’s Ashes
Wasted
Girl, Interrupted
Poet Warrior