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Best Biography and Memoir Recommendations

For some readers, real life is much more compelling than fiction, and real people are far more interesting than any character an author could dream up. If you're one of those readers, then biographies, autobiographies and memoirs are for you. 

The types of true stories are endless—there are romantic memoirs and tragic memoirs. There are short, essay-length memoirs that give you just a taste of an author’s writing. Perhaps you’re interested in a travel memoir that will make you feel as though you’ve walked the same steps as the writer, or you’re an American history buff looking for a bucket list of biographies on every American president. You could read a first-hand account from a former slave who became a dressmaker for Mary Todd Lincoln, or immerse yourself in Ruth Gruber’s own account of how she helped 1000 refugees find asylum. 

From biographies of politicians, business leaders, artists and celebrities, to memoirs that tell unforgettable true stories with unflinching honesty, these are the books that let you fully step into someone else's shoes.

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The Best Nonfiction Books of All Time

In these books, the real story was more than enough.

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Powerful stories from those who have been there.

Read an Interview with Janet Somerville, Author of How Midsummer Night

“By writing to Richard and addressing him in the second person present, I felt close to him again. Through those words he is once again alive.”

8 William Shakespeare Biographies That Read Betwixt the Lines

“I dare do all that may become a man; Who dares do more, is none.” —Shakespeare

The Best Roald Dahl Books You Haven't Heard Of

“A person is a fool to become a writer. His only compensation is absolute freedom.” —Roald Dahl 

Fans of Capote vs. The Swans Will Love These 10 Books

From catty, low-class writers to the dirty dogs of the elite, society is a zoo. 

Remembering Iris Apfel; Accidental Icon and Self-Dubbed Geriatric Starlet, 1921-2024

Read an excerpt from Iris Apfel’s memoir that is just as authentic and vivacious as she was.

5 Incredible Books by War Correspondent Martha Gellhorn

"I have no intention of being a footnote in someone else’s life.” —Martha Gellhorn, on her relationship with Ernest Hemingway

These Books Written by Filmmakers Give Reading a New Meaning

These directors are excellent storytellers, in any medium.

The Best Book Club Books of Winter 2024

These picks are definitely “read by the fireplace” worthy.