Life is tough. When we face hardships, we all sometimes need a little perspective or an escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life to get through them. That's when many readers turn to memoirs. The best memoirs put you in someone else's shoes, striking the perfect balance between feeling like you're reading someone else's diary and learning more about the world outside your own ears.
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There's a memoir out there for every type of reader. Some of PEOPLE staff's favorite memoirs tackle themes like medicine, parenting, LGBTQ+ identity, family dynamics, military life, food, or just what it means to be human. We're sure one of these will resonate with you.
Inconceivable by Alexandra Collier
When Ally realized she wanted a baby but her partner didn't, she found herself back home in Australia single and ready to mingle. But now that she was in her 30s, she also felt her biological clock was ticking and decided to embark on a different, and often controversial, journey: conceiving with donor sperm. This candid story is both funny and inspiring, perfect for anyone looking to start a family on their own terms.
Bird Milk & Mosquito Bones by Priyanka Mattoo
Priyanka Mattoo was born, like many of her ancestors, in a wooden house in Kashmir, but violence forced her family to flee the country in 1989, and they moved 32 times over the next 40 years. In essays that span England, Saudi Arabia, Michigan, Rome, and Los Angeles, Mattoo finds humor in darkness, wit and wisdom in difficult situations, and above all, a sense of who we are meant to be, no matter where we end up.
“The Chair and the Valley: A Memoir of Trauma, Healing, and the Outdoors” by Banning Lyon
It's hard not to be overcome with rage at the injustices Banning experienced as a teenager: He was committed to a psychiatric hospital at 15 after being deemed suicidal for giving his skateboard to a friend, and then suffered a year of psychological abuse disguised as therapy.
Forced to sit in a chair facing a wall for hours, unable to help other teenage patients who were needlessly restrained, he suffered overwhelming PTSD — and that was before the tragic death of his fiancée. Lyon's discovery of the courage to find happiness after decades of darkness transforms this harrowing memoir into an inspiring read. Marissa Charles
“I'm Mostly Here to Have Fun” by Glynis MacNicol
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit New York City in March 2020, Glynis McNicoll, 46, found herself holed up alone in her tiny Manhattan apartment for 16 months. Crushing with isolation and loneliness, she packed her bags when an opportunity arose to subrent a friend's apartment in Paris. What follows is a story of grabbing life with both hands: sumptuous meals and nourishing friendships, sex with handsome men, and plenty of (often naked) adventure. Fans of Nora Ephron and Joan Didion will devour this memoir of living with unrestrained joy.
Chanel Miller's “Know My Name”
After Brock Turner was sentenced to six months in county jail for sexually assaulting a woman then known as Emily Doe, a letter stunned the world. Chanel Miller's victim impact statement sent shockwaves around the world, leading to changes in California law and the removal of the judge in the case. As a result, thousands of people felt empowered to own and share their stories.
Here, in powerful prose, she tells her own story of trauma, shame, healing, and the culture of bigotry we all find ourselves in. It's a stunningly beautifully told story that will stay with you for a long time.
Samantha Irby's “Wow, No, Thanks”
If you thought fame would change bestselling author Samantha Irby, think again. She's still a “cheese-fry-eating, slightly damp Midwesterner,” and her Mason jar salad recipe is proof. This raucous, delightfully raunchy collection of essays reveals the “Hallmark Channel dream” life the author has built, and is as relatable as it is belly-laughing.
Somebody's Daughter by Ashley Ford
Growing up with her father in prison, Ashley Ford often yearns for him to lean on and support her, a need that only intensifies after she is sexually assaulted by a boyfriend. Then, when her grandmother reveals the reason her father is in prison, her world is rocked. This is a poignant memoir about growing up poor, fatherless, black girl, struggling with her body and society's expectations of it, and who she is and can be.
Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Greeley
Following a cancer diagnosis and surgery to remove a third of her jaw, nine-year-old Lucy returns to school to the cruel ridicule of other children. This marks the beginning of a 30-year journey to self-acceptance that has involved many reconstructive surgeries and much soul-searching along the way. This unsentimental, often humorous memoir explores the torn desire to be loved for who she is and to see conventional beauty in the mirror.
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
Paul Kalanithi was just 36 years old and nearly finished his 10-year training as a neurosurgeon when he was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. With that, the future he and his wife had envisioned disappeared, and Paul was no longer a doctor treating the dying, but a patient. In this engrossing and thought-provoking memoir, he seeks to answer a question we've all wondered at one point: “What makes life worth living?”
Educated by Tara Westover
Born to survivalists, Tara Westover stepped into her first classroom at age 17. When one of her brothers became violent and the other enrolled in college, Tara decided she wanted a different life. Thus began an educational path that took her around the world and into some of the most prestigious educational institutions on the planet. But it wasn't until she arrived in a remote location that she began to wonder if she would ever really return home. Give this book to a teen or young adult who complains about not wanting to go back to school, or read it yourself to avoid the “Sunday Horrors.”
“Well, this is exhausting” Sophia Benoist
Anyone who's ever tried to fit into a mold they didn't fit will read through this inspiring memoir about the glory, flaws, and foibles of modern womanhood in one sitting. From how to be the life of the party (and a “chill girl” at the same time), to the time a nutritionist determined Sofia's ketchup habit was damaging her health, to why an encyclopedic knowledge of reality TV is actually a good thing, this book will help anyone feel included.
“A Year Without a Name” by Silas Grace Dunham
When dissociation is all you've ever known, it starts to feel like it's everything. Silas Dunham traces her transition from little girl to daughter to sister to a young gay woman who never quite settled, and offers deep insights into wealth, whiteness, and the cultural maelstrom in which we're all immersed.
“Happy-Go-Lucky” by David Sedaris
David Sedaris is one of our greatest living essayists, consistently eliciting tears and spittle from his readers—sometimes both at the same time. In his latest collection of essays, he reflects on the pandemic, what it means to be an adult orphan, and the recent and ongoing upheaval in his life and that of our country.
Crying at H Mart by Michelle Zauner
If the title doesn't give you a clue, grab some tissues before you read on. Growing up one of the few Asian-American kids in her Oregon school, Michelle Zauner recounts her difficult adolescence, trips to Seoul to visit her grandmother, and bonding with her mother over piles of food. After moving across the country to start her own life, Michelle was just 25 when her mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer. A story of a strained mother-daughter relationship and a reflection on one's racial identity through food, family history, and language, this is an emotional must-read.
Belonging by Nora Klug
Although World War II was long over when Nora was born, it cast a shadow over her childhood in Germany, one reason being that she knew very little about her grandparents' involvement in the war; they never spoke about it. So she returned to Germany to do research, interviewing family members and trying to dig up their stories. This is an entirely unique and fascinating graphic memoir about family secrets and what it's like to bring them to light.
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
With beautiful language and storytelling that will captivate the reader, Jeannette Walls shares the story of her unconventional and often ignored upbringing, growing up with unconventional and frequently absent parents, in a heartbreaking but well worth the read.
“The Maid” by Stephanie Rand
When Stephanie finds herself unexpectedly pregnant at age 28, she gives up her dreams of college and takes a job cleaning houses to support herself and her daughter. This is a raw, unflinching story of the struggle to survive on food stamps and WIC, what it takes to receive government assistance, and how little help society's neediest actually receive.
And the Birds Didn't Sing by Farley Mowat
After being rejected from the Royal Canadian Air Force, Farley Mowat enlisted in the infantry as a second lieutenant in 1940 and quickly won the trust of his fellow soldiers. He is an affable leader who exudes an air of optimism, but when his regiment encounters elite German troops, this initial friendship turns to despair. A first-hand account of the horrors of war, this book is an important read for our time and feels unsettlingly prescient.
Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichl
Grab a snack and immerse yourself in this memoir that's also a love letter to cooking. Ruth, a food writer, discovered at a young age that, in her words, “food can be a way of understanding the world; watching people eat can tell you a lot about who they are.”
Fierce Attachments by Vivian Gornick
This masterful memoir portrays Vivian's complicated and often tense relationship with her controlling and complicated mother, as well as a portrayal of “urban peasant” life in the Bronx and its characters that will resonate with you for a long time.
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