The 50 best memoirs and biographies
The best memoirs and biographies ranked: true life stories, autobiographies and inspiring biographies. A top 50 with short reviews and where to read each one.
A great memoir shows you how someone else saw the world. The list includes autobiographies by public figures, memoirs by writers and scientists, and biographies of people who changed their fields, ranging from heart-breaking to very funny.
These are editorial picks, ranked for readability and lasting appeal, and nobody pays to be on the list. Not sure where to start? Try the book finder and get three picks for your mood.
Top 50 memoirs & biographies, ranked
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Educated
A woman raised by survivalists in Idaho teaches herself enough to reach Cambridge.
- Inspiring
- Moving
Where to read
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Becoming
The former First Lady on her childhood, career and years in the White House.
- Inspiring
- Moving
Where to read
-
Born a Crime
A comedian's memoir of growing up in apartheid South Africa.
- Funny
- Inspiring
Where to read
-
The Glass Castle
A childhood with brilliant, neglectful parents.
- Moving
- Gripping
Where to read
-
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Angelou's childhood in the segregated South.
- Moving
- Inspiring
Where to read
-
Night
A teenager's account of Auschwitz and Buchenwald.
- Moving
Where to read
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The Diary of a Young Girl
A girl in hiding in Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation.
- Moving
- Thoughtful
Where to read
-
Long Walk to Freedom
Mandela's autobiography from village boy to president.
- Inspiring
Where to read
-
Wild
A woman hikes the Pacific Crest Trail after her mother's death.
- Inspiring
- Moving
Where to read
-
Eat, Pray, Love
A year of travel in Italy, India and Bali after a divorce.
- Inspiring
Where to read
-
Just Kids
The singer's years with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe in New York.
- Moving
- Thoughtful
Where to read
-
Open
The tennis star's honest memoir.
- Gripping
- Inspiring
Where to read
-
Spare
The Duke of Sussex tells his story.
- Moving
Where to read
-
When Breath Becomes Air
A neurosurgeon faces terminal cancer.
- Moving
- Thoughtful
Where to read
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The Year of Magical Thinking
Didion on the year after her husband's death.
- Moving
- Thoughtful
Where to read
-
Angela's Ashes
A childhood of poverty in Limerick.
- Moving
- Funny
Where to read
-
Hillbilly Elegy
A memoir of an Appalachian family.
- Thoughtful
Where to read
-
Persepolis
A girl grows up in Iran during and after the Islamic Revolution.
- Moving
- Thoughtful
Where to read
-
Between the World and Me
A letter to his son about being Black in America.
- Thoughtful
- Moving
Where to read
-
Man's Search for Meaning
A psychiatrist's account of surviving the camps and finding purpose.
- Inspiring
- Thoughtful
Where to read
-
Girl, Interrupted
A memoir of 18 months in a psychiatric hospital.
- Thoughtful
- Moving
Where to read
-
Lab Girl
A scientist writes about plants, work and friendship.
- Inspiring
- Funny
Where to read
-
Know My Name
A survivor of sexual assault reclaims her story.
- Moving
- Inspiring
Where to read
-
I'm Glad My Mom Died
The former child star on her mother and her recovery.
- Funny
- Moving
Where to read
-
Crying in H Mart
Grief, food and identity after the loss of a mother.
- Moving
Where to read
-
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone
A therapist becomes a patient.
- Funny
- Moving
Where to read
-
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
Malcolm X's life from Nebraska to Mecca.
- Inspiring
- Thoughtful
Where to read
-
Autobiography of a Yogi
The life of an Indian yogi and his spiritual journey.
- Inspiring
- Thoughtful
Where to read
-
My Experiments with Truth
Gandhi's autobiography.
- Thoughtful
- Inspiring
Where to read
-
Wings of Fire
The autobiography of India's missile scientist and president.
- Inspiring
Where to read
-
I Am Malala
The girl shot by the Taliban for going to school.
- Inspiring
- Moving
Where to read
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The Story of My Life
How a deaf and blind girl learned to communicate.
- Inspiring
- Moving
Where to read
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Steve Jobs
The authorised biography of Apple's co-founder.
- Inspiring
- Gripping
Where to read
-
Elon Musk
The biography of Tesla and SpaceX's founder.
- Gripping
- Inspiring
Where to read
-
Shoe Dog
The founder of Nike tells the story.
- Inspiring
- Funny
Where to read
-
Dreams from My Father
Obama's story of race and identity.
- Thoughtful
- Moving
Where to read
-
A Promised Land
Obama's memoir of his first term.
- Thoughtful
Where to read
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Greenlights
The actor's stories and lessons.
- Funny
- Inspiring
Where to read
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The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
A Malawian boy builds a windmill.
- Inspiring
Where to read
-
Unbroken
An Olympic runner survives a plane crash, raft and POW camp.
- Inspiring
- Gripping
Where to read
-
Running with Scissors
An unconventional childhood.
- Funny
- Moving
Where to read
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Bossypants
Tina Fey on comedy, women and work.
- Funny
- Inspiring
Where to read
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Yes Please
A comedian's essays on work, family and fame.
- Funny
- Inspiring
Where to read
-
Untamed
A woman breaks out of the life she was told to live.
- Inspiring
- Moving
Where to read
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Think Like a Monk
Lessons from the author's years as a monk.
- Inspiring
Where to read
-
Finding Me
The actor's life from poverty to the Oscars.
- Moving
- Inspiring
Where to read
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This Is Going to Hurt
A junior doctor's secret diary.
- Funny
- Moving
Where to read
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The Liars' Club
A childhood in East Texas.
- Funny
- Moving
Where to read
-
West with the Night
A pioneering aviator remembers Africa and flight.
- Inspiring
- Gripping
Where to read
-
Heavy
An American memoir of weight, family and race.
- Moving
- Thoughtful
Where to read
Each link opens that store’s search for the book. Availability and prices vary by store and country. We may earn a commission from some stores, which never changes the ranking.
Types of biography & memoir books
Looking for something more specific? These are the main kinds of biography & memoir, with the sort of story or subject each one covers.
Celebrity and public-figure memoirs
Politicians, athletes and entertainers.
Coming-of-age memoirs
Childhood and what shaped a life.
Survival memoirs
Illness, war and hardship.
Business biographies
Founders and how they built companies.
Funny memoirs
Comedians telling it straight.
Spiritual autobiographies
Lives changed by faith.
Want to write and publish your own biography & memoir book?
Many readers of this page are also writers. The stores in the lists above are where readers find books, while Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, IngramSpark, Lulu and Draft2Digital are the tools authors use to publish and distribute a book to those stores. You can also publish to Barnes & Noble Press and Google Play Books directly.
Our free KDP calculators help with print cost, royalties and cover size, and our publishing services can take care of setup for you.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best memoir ever written?
Educated, Becoming, The Glass Castle and Night are among the most widely praised.
What is the difference between a memoir and an autobiography?
An autobiography covers a whole life in order. A memoir focuses on a period or theme in the writer's life.
Where can I read or buy the best memoirs & biographies?
Each of the 50 books has links to Amazon, Kindle, Barnes & Noble and Google Play Books. Authors who want to publish their own biography & memoir book can start with our free guides to Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, Lulu and Draft2Digital.
Not sure what to read next?
Pick a genre and a mood and the book finder will suggest three books to try.