I love reading memoirs. You can be nosy, but with intellectual curiosity!
Reading in general is great for developing empathy and understanding others’ perspectives, but the memoir genre gives us the story directly from the source, and there’s so much we can learn from someone else’s experiences.
If you want to read more memoirs or if you love memoirs and you’re looking for a new one to read, here are my recommendations based on other genres you like.
Also, I’ve read 79 memoirs (thanks to StoryGraph for that data!), so this is part one of a series if you all like this post.
Historical Fiction Readers
No Name in the Street by James Baldwin: Baldwin recounts his childhood growing up in Harlem, from early experiences that shaped him to historical events of the 1960s and 70s, revealing his despair during those times and speaking to contemporary conversations about racism, violence, injustice, and grief.
The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride: This narrative is as engaging and detailed as fiction, as McBride revisits his mother’s fascinating journey, reflects on historical events and social issues, and candidly describes his experiences as a mixed-race child growing up in poverty.
Family Saga Readers
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls: In one of the most unique and absorbing memoirs I’ve read, Walls describes the dysfunctional and unconventional circumstances in which she and her siblings grew up, and how, even after they became adults, their free-spirited, chronically unstable parents continued to choose homelessness.
Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon: Laymon’s signature eloquent writing style comes through in his powerful and challenging memoir, where he writes about growing up in Jackson, Mississippi, his complicated mother and family plagued by secrets and lies, and his struggles with weight and identity.
Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward: Like Heavy, Men We Reaped is set in Mississippi. In her memoir, Ward tells the story of her childhood through the lens of loss, drawing parallels between the deaths of her brother and friends and the pressures that Black men are often overburdened by.
Hell If We Don't Change Our Ways by Brittany Means: Means' unflinching memoir chronicles her childhood marked by abuse, violence, neglect, and instability, as she comes of age in the passenger seat while her mother escapes abusive relationships. (It probably goes without saying that most of these memoirs require trigger warnings for one thing or another, but this one especially; read my review for details.)
Black Lit Readers
I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown: This memoir examines Brown’s experiences as a Black woman navigating predominantly white Christian spaces and institutions throughout her life. I wrote a long-form review of it for The Witness: A Black Christian Collective in 2018, which you can read here.
Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford: This one could’ve easily fit into the previous category, too, because Ford’s memoir is a brave exploration of family trauma and a beautiful story of self-discovery. In it, she delves into her relationship with her incarcerated father, her complex relationship with her mother, and her coming-of-age woes as a Black woman growing up in the Midwest.
Buck by M.K. Asante: Asante’s memoir tells his journey growing up in Philadelphia, navigating family struggles and mental health issues, as he eventually discovers the power of words and finds his life’s passion. He tells his story in a raw, matter-of-fact writing style and through hip hop lyrics (written by himself and others).
Romance and Spice Readers
More: A Memoir of Open Marriage by Molly Roden Winter: This frank and charged memoir explores Winter’s decision to open her marriage and the emotional complexities and sexual adventures that followed. It has been—fairly, IMO—described as a bad representation of consensual non-monogamy, but Winter is a great writer and storyteller, and her experiences with motherhood, marriage, and steamy fun might make for an easy entry into the memoir genre for those who typically prefer books of the romance or smut variety.
Who I Always Was: A Memoir In Essays by Theresa Okokon: Okokon’s memoir details her journey of coming into her own—her desires, her connection with Blackness after growing up in almost all-white suburbs in Wisconsin, and her understanding of her father’s mysterious death after he traveled to Nigeria when she was nine and never returned. Her dating stories and pop culture insights were my least favorite aspects of her story, but they would likely be welcome with romance readers.
Have you read any of these memoirs? Did you find a new one to read? Would you like more recommendations in part two based on other genres you enjoy? Let me know in the comments.
For more nonfiction book recommendations, check out this post: