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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Read an Excerpt from Lawrence Durrell, a Stunning Biography

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The American Dirt controversy has made it even harder to make the cut.

How Former Slave Elizabeth Keckley Befriended the Lincolns

An excerpt from the memoir of a woman who bought her own freedom and became a dressmaker for Mary Todd Lincoln.

I Am Spartacus! Remembering Kirk Douglas, 1916-2020

Read an excerpt from Kirk Douglas's 2012 memoir.

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Authors recount deeply personal stories of learning to adjust to life in a foreign world.

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Whatever you’re doing this winter, make time for one of these great reads.

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The Southern novelist shed light on inequality, abuse, and more.

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No matter what you're looking for, we have a book for you.

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If we could do it all over again, we'd make time for these stories.

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A good book can take you places you've never been.