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Editors’ Picks: Biography & Memoir
Works that delve into the lives of people our editors find utterly fascinating.
Published on March 17, 2023
How To Be A Good Creature: A Memoir in Thirteen Animals
Sy MontgomeryMontgomery, acclaimed naturalist and author of “The Soul of an Octopus,” shares a memoir in essays on the majestic creatures she’s met during her lifetime, including an insatiable hog, aloof emus, and adoring dogs. Montgomery’s deep connection with animals is endearing and inspiring, and the animals themselves offer important life lessons. — Lanie P.
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed
Lori GottliebGottlieb’s memoir is an invitation for readers to see perspectives from both sides of the couch when it comes to therapy. I greatly appreciated her candor and vulnerability in sharing her experiences as a therapist who starts seeing a therapist herself. Her writing is warm and conversational and goes a long way in demystifying and destigmatizing mental health treatment. — Emma C.
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: the heartfelt, funny memoir by a New York Times bestselling therapist
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: the heartfelt, funny memoir by a New York Times bestselling therapist
Lori GottliebGottlieb’s memoir is an invitation for readers to see perspectives from both sides of the couch when it comes to therapy. I greatly appreciated her candor and vulnerability in sharing her experiences as a therapist who starts seeing a therapist herself. Her writing is warm and conversational and goes a long way in demystifying and destigmatizing mental health treatment. — Emma C.
In the Dream House: A Memoir
Carmen Maria MachadoMachado (“Her Body and Other Parties”) doesn’t just break all the rules with her marvelous memoir — she transcends them. Masterfully weaving together dozens of genres, from gothic and folktales, to lesbian pulp and road trips, Machado tells the frightening story of a past relationship with an abusive girlfriend. “In the Dream House” breaks the destructive silence surrounding abusive queer relationships — and breaks open a new way of nonfiction storytelling. — Katie W.
Men We Reaped: A Memoir
Jesmyn WardNational Book Award winner Ward’s memoir about the Black men who died too soon in her life injects some much-needed perspective and humanity into the larger narrative about systemic racism, sexism, and classism. — Ashley M.
I Miss You When I Blink: Essays
Mary Laura PhilpottThe phrase “I Miss You When I Blink” is one of my favorite titles of any book, ever, and this hybrid of memoir and self-help essays lives up to the greatness of its name. Philpott writes with humor and sorrow about losing yourself despite having loving friends and family and a rewarding career. The “you” and the “I” of the title are one and the same — a nostalgic longing for who you once were and can never be again. A reluctant acceptance that here and now will soon be there and gone. A triumphant realization that you are still the maker of your own story. — Ashley M.
Just Kids: A National Book Award Winner
Patti SmithSmith’s beautifully rendered memoir — set in the bohemian glamor of the Chelsea Hotel in the late ’60s — chronicles her loving relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe and their early years as struggling artists. — Alex P.
Dinners with Ruth: A Memoir of Friendship
Nina TotenbergRBG is a legend, and this biography, by iconic journalist Totenberg, humanizes the Supreme Court justice in ways no other book or film has to date. It offers all the behind-the-scenes context about a pivotal time for women’s rights. Both Totenberg and Ginsberg were heroes to me growing up, so I couldn’t get enough of Totenberg’s masterful storytelling about her friend who also happened to be such an influential figure in U.S. history. — Sarah S.
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
Barbara KingsolverKingsolver chronicles her family’s move from Arizona to Virginia, where they commit to a year of self-sufficient and local eating. Like any complete lifestyle change, the journey is filled with funny and challenging moments, which Kingsolver describes vividly. (Her descriptions of home-grown fruit and veggies are mouth-watering.) This memoir is an inspiration for those of us wanting to be more mindful consumers. — Lanie P.
Making a Scene
Constance WuI haven’t read many celeb memoirs, but was drawn to this one since Wu was Asian, a woman, and from Virginia. (I’m biracial Taiwanese-Irish, a woman, and from Maryland.) Wu is refreshingly open about her life so far, including her successes and, more interestingly, her failures in her career as well as in romance. She narrates the audiobook, which brought even more of Wu’s personality to the book. — Sarah S.
The Yellow House: A Memoir (2019 National Book Award Winner)
Sarah M. BroomBroom tells the story of her family through the framework of their beloved yellow house in a little-known New Orleans neighborhood. In evocative prose, she chronicles how her family rides out Hurricane Katrina — and generations of social injustices. — Katie W.
Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body
Roxane GayThis is not a typical dieting memoir. Gay (one of our favorite contemporary writers) was gang raped at age 12, and because of that trauma, she gained weight as a defense mechanism. “I ate and ate and ate in the hopes that if I made myself big, my body would be safe,” she writes. “Hunger” is raw, and it’s for anyone who also constantly gnaws over complicated images of beauty and feelings of self-worth. — Alex P.
Heart Berries: A Memoir
Terese Marie MailhotA rare debut that will take your breath away with its poetic beauty. This memoir from Mailhot chronicles her time growing up on a Canadian First Nations reservation with a love of memory and language and an acute knowledge of their limitations. — Ashley M.
High School
Sara QuinTwin sisters Tegan and Sara have been releasing indie pop and alternative hits since 1998 and have been critically acclaimed darlings ever since. Their memoir chronicles their tumultuous high school years, full of sibling squabbles, sexual discovery, and, of course, songwriting. If you’ve ever jammed out to a Tegan and Sara song (and you probably have, because there are so many, including “Everything is AWESOME!!!” from “The Lego Movie”), the audiobook is a must: It’s narrated by the sisters and contains recordings of their earliest music. — Ashley M.
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike
Phil KnightJust as Nike’s swoosh symbol is one of the most recognizable icons of excellence around the world, this memoir from the shoe company’s founder, Phil Knight, has quickly become one of the most-lauded, must-read business books of all time. The people that fill out Knight’s life are quirky, just like him, and those quirks, coupled with his humor and humbleness, make this memoir stand out. — Ashley M.
Through a Window: My Thirty Years with the Chimpanzees of Gombe
Jane GoodallFollowing “In the Shadow of Man,” Goodall offers another fascinating account of her experiences among the chimps at Gombe National Park in Tanzania. The many parallels between chimpanzees and humans are astonishing, with much to be learned on the value of community. — Lanie P.
Fierce Attachments: A Memoir
Vivian GornickSince its publication in 1987, “Fierce Attachments” has remained unparalleled among other memoirs about parents. As Vivian Gornick and her mother walk through the streets of Manhattan and reminisce about their dysfunctional lives, they confront the unresolvable in their relationship, and make peace with it. — Andrea B.
Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy
Jane LeavyIn a feat nearly as remarkable as legendary pitcher Koufax’s greatest moments on the mound, sports biographer Leavey convinced the notoriously private southpaw to let her tell his story. His short but mythical pitching career may be well-known to baseball fans, but his off-the-field life has always been shrouded in mystery — until now. “Sandy Koufax” paints a gripping portrait of a complicated legend who has been called “The Left Arm of God.” — Katie W.