The 23 Best Memoirs to Read in 2021, According to Goodreads Members

25 Best Memoirs of All Time - Best-Selling Memoirs & Personal Stories Ever Written

The best memoirs of all time, as chosen by our readers

41 Memoirs Everyone Should Read in 2022 — Best Memoirs of All Time

When Breath Becomes Air

Cuando el Aliento se Convierte en Aire

A Memoir

Una Memoria

The narrative is a retrospective view into the life of a young girl, the last of seven siblings, growing up on a remote farm in Idaho. Raised in a devout Mormon household, her father, a scrap metal dealer, and her mother, an unlicensed midwife and herbal healer, instilled in her a deep fear of government interference. This led to an unorthodox upbringing devoid of formal education, medical care, or any official documentation. The family dynamics begin to change when the protagonist is about nine years old. Her mother sustains a brain injury, which sees her shift focus from midwifery to intuitive healing. Around the same time, a sibling departs for college, leading the young girl to take an interest in formal education and take on more responsibilities in her father's business, often risking her safety.

Entering her teens, the protagonist finds some independence through jobs and involvement in the local community's music and theatre scene. However, her life remains largely controlled by her father's rigid rules and religious doctrine, often causing her anxiety about sinning. Around the age of thirteen, her older brother returns home and becomes physically abusive, his behavior worsening after a head injury. Another brother encourages her to apply for college as an escape, and despite initial uncertainty, she begins to study independently, gaining admission to Brigham Young University at seventeen.

Adjusting to university life was challenging but she eventually flourishes academically. Balancing multiple jobs and maintaining high grades to keep her scholarship, she also contends with her father and abusive brother whenever she visits home. With help from a bishop, she secures funding for her education and begins to understand the damaging effects of her isolated upbringing. Upon switching her major to history, she is encouraged to study abroad at Cambridge University in England, which further broadens her worldview. She wins a prestigious fellowship, leading her to pursue a Master's degree. Despite building a successful life in England and working towards a doctorate, she remains in contact with her family, but the relationship deteriorates when the truth about her brother's abusive behavior becomes known. Her family's dismissive response leads to her estrangement from them, causing grief and depression. However, she finds healing, completes her PhD, and embraces an independent life, knowing she may never reconcile with her family.

Educated

Educada

The 49 Best Memoirs We've Ever Read

During the 1930s, a young, self-conscious African American girl and her elder brother, Bailey, find themselves in the rural town of Stamps, Arkansas with their grandmother Annie after their parents' divorce. Their upbringing is marred by feelings of abandonment and inferiority, with the protagonist constantly comparing herself to white girls and other Black children. Despite the support of her charismatic brother Bailey, she struggles with self-esteem, often feeling ridiculed and inferior. She is deeply affected by the entrenched racism in the South, signified by daily humiliations and the existence of terrifying lynch mobs.

At the age of eight, the siblings are uprooted again to live with their mother, Vivian, in St. Louis. Vivian's lifestyle is unconventional as she works in gambling parlors and her live-in boyfriend, Mr. Freeman, sexually abuses and later rapes the young girl. This traumatic event follows with a court appearance and Mr. Freeman's subsequent murder, presumably by the associates of Vivian's underground criminal circle. The protagonist is submerged in shame and guilt, believing she caused Mr. Freeman's death. As a result, she falls silent, speaking only to her brother Bailey.

Eventually, the siblings return to their grandmother's house in Stamps. The protagonist's silence is broken when she is introduced to Mrs. Bertha Flowers, who encourages her to read literature out loud. Back in Stamps, she experiences numerous racist incidents that further enlightens her about the pervasive nature of racism. After a horrifying incident where her brother Bailey witnesses a white man's satisfaction at seeing a dead, rotting Black man, the siblings are moved to California to stay with their mother. The protagonist grows into a strong, self-assured young woman in California, defying racist norms to become the first Black streetcar conductor at fifteen. The narrative concludes as she embraces motherhood, gaining confidence in herself as a young mother to her newborn son.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Sé Por Qué Canta el Pájaro Enjaulado

Born and raised in South Side, Chicago, a young Michelle Obama's early life is profoundly shaped by her parents Fraser and Marian Robinson's belief in education and their resilience in the face of adversity. Michelle's academic journey takes her from a local magnet school, where she befriends the daughter of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, to Princeton and Harvard for her higher studies. Eventually, her career takes her to a prestigious law firm in Chicago, where she meets a charismatic man named Barack Obama, who she is tasked with mentoring. As their relationship blossoms, Michelle realises her distaste for her career in law and transitions to a role working for long-time friend and ally, Valerie Jarrett, at city hall.

With Michelle's support, Barack Obama pursues a career in politics, being elected to the Illinois state senate. Despite her own reservations about politics, Michelle stands by Barack, even as they face personal tribulations including the loss of loved ones and Michelle's own struggle with miscarriages and fertility issues. They eventually turn to in vitro fertilization, leading to the birth of their daughters Malia and Sasha. Despite familial and career pressures, the couple remain strong, aided by couples therapy and their shared dedication to public service. 

When the opportunity arises for Barack to run for presidency, Michelle, despite her initial skepticism, agrees to be part of the campaign journey. She becomes a valuable asset on the campaign trail, even amidst baseless rumors and intense media scrutiny. Following a decisive win and a smooth transition into the White House, Michelle takes on the role of First Lady with grace and dedication. She spearheads several initiatives focusing on issues like childhood obesity, education, and support for military families. Despite the political ups and downs, including a shocking defeat in the 2016 presidential race, Michelle remains hopeful about the future, drawing comfort from the positive changes she and Barack have contributed during their time in the White House.

Becoming

Convirtiéndome

From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

De Perdida a Encontrada en el Sendero del Cresta del Pacífico

Wild

Salvaje

Know My Name

Conoce Mi Nombre

The Liars' Club

El Club de los Mentirosos

The account revolves around a boy, Frank, who shares the tale of his parents meeting in New York City. His mother, Angela, falls pregnant with him leading to their marriage. Angela finds it hard to feed her growing brood of boys as her husband, Malachy, squanders his earnings on liquor. The family is further strained by the death of Frank's beloved younger sister, Margaret, which plunges Angela into depression. In an attempt to escape their hardships, the family moves back to Ireland, where they encounter additional challenges: Angela miscarries, two of Frank's brothers die, and Malachy persists in his alcoholic habits.

Frank recounts his impoverished childhood, fraught with deprivation yet also filled with humor and adventure. They are forced to move to the second level of their home due to flooding, symbolically leaving 'Ireland' (the damp bottom floor) for 'Italy' (the warm upper one). Despite Malachy's destructive alcoholism, he wins Frank's affection with captivating stories about Irish heroes and their neighbors. As Frank grows, Angela births two more sons, Michael and Alphonsus. School becomes a focal point in Frank's life, especially after a bout of typhoid fever lands him in the hospital where he discovers Shakespeare. His love for stories and his talent for storytelling catch his teacher's attention.

As World War II breaks out, many fathers, including Malachy, leave for England, hoping to secure work and support their families. However, Malachy fails to send money back home. Frank, now working, dreams of saving enough to provide for his family. After eviction forces them to live with a relative, Angela enters a sexual relationship with their host, causing Frank great discomfort and exacerbating his guilt about his own sexual desires. Frank begins his own sexual journey with a young woman, Theresa, whose untimely death leaves him devastated. Having managed to save enough money, Frank finally leaves for New York, hopeful yet melancholic about leaving his homeland and family.

Angela's Ashes

Las Cenizas de Angela

Men We Reaped

Hombres que Cosechamos

Stories from a South African Childhood

Historias de una Infancia Sudafricana

Growing up in South Africa amidst the racial segregation era known as apartheid, a young boy of mixed race experienced life as an oppressed individual. Born in the mid-80s by his black single mother Patricia and Swiss father Robert, who defied the laws criminalizing interracial relationships, his life was fraught with complexities. Patricia and Robert had to keep their son's existence a secret due to his mixed heritage, as public knowledge of his existence was perilous.

South Africa had been colonized by the Dutch in the 1600s, who seized lands and exploited black African tribes like the Zulu, Xhosa and Sotho, using them as farm slave labor. The descendants of these colonizers, known as Afrikaners, continued the racial subjugation under apartheid law until the mid-1990s. The boy, a product of interracial mingling, belonged to the "colored" racial group, often experiencing rejection from both black and white cultures. Despite the end of apartheid in 1994, navigating South African society remained challenging for him.

Patricia encouraged her son to educate himself and think critically, fostering in him a proficiency in several of South Africa's official languages. This linguistic dexterity enabled him to interact with various racial and cultural groups, despite feeling alienated in many instances. He leveraged his skill in language to run a profitable illicit CD business in Johannesburg's township, Alexandra, and build a career as a DJ. Despite several run-ins with the law, he recognized his privilege compared to his peers. His mother's effort to prepare him for a harsh world bore fruit when he stepped up to cover her medical bills after she survived a shooting incident at the hands of her abusive husband, Abel.

Born a Crime

Nacido un Crimen

Bossypants

Pantalones mandones

Untamed

Indomable

The Diary of a Young Girl

El Diario de una Joven

In her thirteenth year, a young girl started chronicling her life, discussing her schooldays, friendships, and crushes, all within the Jewish Lyceum in Amsterdam, where she, along with her older sibling, was forced to attend due to anti-Semitic laws. Prior to the outbreak of World War II, her family had relocated from Germany to the Netherlands to avoid persecution. However, the German invasion in 1940 necessitated their move into hiding. Together with another family known as the van Daans and a man called Mr. Dussel, they took refuge in a hidden annex above her father's office, relying on his employees for provisions and news from the outside world.

In the annex, war updates from the radio were followed keenly, with bits of information making their way into the girl's journal, serving as a historical backdrop for her personal thoughts. The mood within their hideout often swayed depending on the progress of the war. As the conflict escalated, Amsterdam's inhabitants faced hardship as resources dwindled and criminal activities spiked. Our protagonist often jotted down her personal feelings of seclusion and loneliness, struggling with her relationship with the adults in the annex, particularly her mother whom she thought lacked warmth. She was fond of her father but often came under criticism from the van Daans and Mr. Dussel. Despite admiring her sister, she didn't feel a close bond and refrained from writing much about her. She formed a tight bond with Peter van Daan, causing her father's disapproval, which subsequently lessened her infatuation.

Throughout her diary entries, the girl showed significant development, moving from mundane daily activities to more profound contemplations on human nature and her identity. She wrestled with the persecution faced by her people and her own personal identity, feeling a strong affinity with her aggrieved people but also desiring to be recognized as an individual. During her time in hiding, she grappled with confinement, deprivation, and the harsh realities of the Holocaust, striving to maintain her identity amid the oppressive climate. Her diary, brimming with the observations of an imaginative and normal teenager, abruptly ends on a seemingly ordinary day in August 1944. Only days later, they were betrayed, arrested, and tragically, only her father survived. He discovered her diary and decided to publish it, turning it into a testament of the unimaginable atrocities of the Holocaust, narrated from a child's perspective.

Anne Frank

In her adult years, in New York, the narrator is shocked to see her mother scavenging through garbage. She invites her mother for lunch to discuss how she could assist them, but her parents are content with their homeless lifestyle. The narrative then revisits the narrator's early childhood, where she lived with her siblings and parents in a trailer park. She suffers severe burns due to her tutu catching fire while cooking unsupervised and is rushed to the hospital. Her father, however, sneaks her out without settling the hospital bill. 

Their life is continually on the move due to their father's habit of fleeing from debts and the law, a practice he refers to as "doing the skedaddle." Despite his struggle with alcohol and job instability, the father reassures his family that their vagabond lifestyle is temporary, promising them a grand, self-sustaining house made of glass. After the birth of their youngest sibling, Maureen, the family enjoys brief stability in Nevada until their father's drinking habits and a confrontation with a disgruntled neighbor force them to relocate to Phoenix.

Finally, they move to their father's hometown, Welch, where they live under substandard conditions, resorting to scavenging and stealing for survival. A visit from child protective services prompts their mother to obtain a teaching job, but their father's drinking addiction drains their income. After their mother chooses art over her job, the siblings decide to move to New York. The narrator and her brother manage to finance their move, despite their father stealing their savings. In New York, they build successful lives for themselves while their parents continue their vagrant lifestyle. The patriarch's death brings the family together, and they celebrate his life during Thanksgiving.

The Glass Castle

El Castillo de Cristal

The story is conveyed through the eyes of a Jewish adolescent who initially resides in Sighet, a town in Hungarian Transylvania, immersing himself in the study of the Torah and Jewish mysticism. His teacher, Moishe the Beadle, is deported and returns months later with a gruesome account of the German secret police's brutal extermination of his transport, a tale dismissed as the ramblings of a madman. The narrative takes a dark turn in the spring of 1944 when the Nazis seize Hungary; the protagonist and other Jewish town-folk are subjected to a series of oppressive regulations, forcing them into cramped ghettos before being crammed into cattle cars for a journey to Auschwitz.

Upon reaching Birkenau, the entrance to Auschwitz, the protagonist and his father are separated from the rest of their family, whom they never see again. The new prisoners undergo "selections," determining who will be killed immediately or sent to laborious tasks. The protagonist and his father narrowly survive the selection, but stumble upon the horrifying sight of babies being incinerated by Nazis. The prisoners endure horrendous cruelty, being stripped, shaved, disinfected, and subsequently marched to Auschwitz's main camp. Eventually, they are sent to Buna, a work camp, where the protagonist is forced into labor. In the face of relentless humiliation, brutal conditions, and constant threat of death, the prisoners find solace in each other, religious practice, and the hope of a Jewish state in Palestine.

After several months at Buna, the protagonist undergoes surgery for a foot injury. However, with advancing Russian forces threatening to liberate Buna, the Nazis decide to evacuate. The prisoners are forced into a death march through a blizzard, running over fifty miles to the Gleiwitz concentration camp. Many succumb to the harsh weather and exhaustion. From Gleiwitz, they are once again loaded onto cattle cars for a deadly voyage to Buchenwald. Of the hundred Jewish prisoners that start the journey, only twelve survive. The protagonist and his father manage to survive through mutual support, but his father eventually dies of dysentery and physical abuse in Buchenwald. The protagonist is left a mere shell of his former self until the liberation of the camp by the American army on April 11, 1945.

Night

Noche

How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World

Cómo una niña defendió la educación y cambió el mundo

The narrative focuses on a young Pakistani girl who bravely opposed the oppressive Taliban regime and their prohibition of female education. Despite being attacked and severely wounded by the Taliban, she survives and becomes a globally recognized advocate for human rights and education. She shares her life experiences growing up in the verdant Swat Valley in northwest Pakistan, as part of the Yousafzai tribe of the Pashtun people who value hospitality and honor. Her family includes her progressive, educated father who founded the Khushal School, her devout mother, and her two younger brothers. In a society that traditionally undervalues girls, she is celebrated by her father and named after a brave heroine from folklore.

She provides a detailed insight into her parents' history, their tribal background, and the events leading up to the establishment of the Khushal School. She shares about the societal and cultural changes in Pakistan under various military regimes. She also offers an account of a family trip to Shangla, an impoverished region where women's lives were extremely restricted. Her narrative includes her schoolmates and childhood lessons learned on the importance of generosity, honesty, and humility. As a result of geopolitical events and subsequent power shifts, religious leaders gain prominence in the region, leading to intense confrontations over religious interpretations and the education of girls.

With the rise of the Taliban, life under their rule becomes increasingly restrictive and violent. Despite the order to prohibit girls from attending school, she continues her studies and publicly criticizes the oppressive situation. As the fight between the Taliban and the army intensifies, her family, along with millions of other Pashtuns, are forced to evacuate. Upon their return, they find their home and school still standing amidst the destruction. Despite natural disasters causing further destruction, they remain resilient. As tensions heighten between Pakistan and the U.S., she gains national and international recognition for her activism. Despite threats from the Taliban, she remains in Swat. The narrative culminates with a brutal attack on her by the Taliban in 2012. Her recovery, supported by the international community, takes place in England where her family is relocated. She continues her education and advocacy work with unwavering determination, hoping one day to return to her beloved Pakistan.

24 Best Memoir Books of All Time

When Breath Becomes Air

Educated

A Memoir

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Becoming

Wild

From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

Know My Name

A Memoir

The Liars' Club

A Memoir

Angela's Ashes

A Memoir

Men We Reaped

A Memoir

Born a Crime

Stories from a South African Childhood

Bossypants

Untamed

Anne Frank

The Diary of a Young Girl

The Glass Castle

A Memoir

Night

I Am Malala

How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World

Yes Please

H Is for Hawk

Me Talk Pretty One Day

The Yellow House

A Memoir

Hunger

A Memoir of (My) Body

Fun Home

A Family Tragicomic

In the Dream House

A Memoir

The Mistress's Daughter

A Memoir

Sources

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