I love a good memoir. I get the fascination of peeping into the life of a stranger, a celebrity or an ordinary person every time. It doesn’t matter whether they’re telling how they overcame a life full of obstacles, how they lived through an unusual experience, or their adventures with a specific hobby: If a memoir sounds remotely interesting, it goes into my audiobook library.
I prefer listening to memoirs on audio, especially if they are narrated by their authors. It feels more intimate, like a conversation with someone who is willing to share some tidbits of wisdom that I might not have learned otherwise. In fact, I consider memoirs to be my own version of self-help: They offer the same benefits of a fresh perspective and solid advice, but without the preachy tone that I’ve found in many books in the self-help genre.
Well, I am always on the lookout for new and fresh memoirs. Every quarter or so, I publish new books and choose a few to accompany me on my morning walk. All eight of these books made that cut. I haven’t heard them all yet, but I’m excited to do so. I hope you do too!
Note: You may need to toggle on the audiobook version
Mother Mary comes to me By Arundhati Roy
Obviously this memoir about Roy’s complicated relationship with his mother is also about his own writing journey. Traumatized by the death of his mother Mary in 2022, the book explores how their bond and their complicated grief shaped the creation of his novels.
A hymn to life: shame must change sides by Gisele Pellicot, tr. Natasha Lehrer and Ruth Driver, narrated by Emma Thompson
Gisele Pellicote’s name has become a global symbol of strength and grace through fire. In this book, she describes, both literally and metaphorically, the trials she went through after the horrific discovery of her husband’s famous abuse.
be shattered By Hanif Qureshi
When the fall of 2022 brought a devastating diagnosis, Qureshi was forced to face a new life where paralysis was his new normal. What followed was a series of thoughts and ideas set down from his various hospital beds, a collection of ideas that has become this memoir.
homeschooled By Stephen Merrill Block
Homeschooling became legal in Texas when Merrill Block’s mother pulled her out of school to prevent her teachers from “suppressing her creativity.” Left largely to her own devices, she then faced her mother’s abusive attempts to stunt her development. Going back to school, Merrill Block found a reality that was very different from what he knew.
Civil Rights Warrior: A Life on the Front Lines of Justice, Equality, and the American Dream By Evelyn Jones Rich
In this memoir, the woman known as Avi Rich describes her extraordinary life, scholarship, and activism. The latter, which began when Dr. Rich was a student at Bryn Mawr College, lasted for decades, including the present. a must read.
Adult Braces: Keeping Yourself Healthy by lindy west
Who among us has not reached the lowest point? West captures that feeling as she takes us on a cross-country road trip, the method she has chosen to rediscover herself and her purpose, and which she hopes to inspire other women to do the same (cross-country road trip optional).
Full of Myself: Black Womanhood and the Journey to Self-Position by Austin Channing Brown
As an outstanding anti-racism educator, Channing Brown has always enjoyed his work. But there came a time when he found himself tired of carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. This memoir shares her efforts to break free from the bonds that trap her, and explores how black women are limited in their abilities.
you with sad eyes by Christina Applegate
Christina Applegate was always on top of the world. But in this book, she uncovers the luminous fog that covered the dark spots during her decades-long career, and then, when a multiple sclerosis diagnosis changed everything.
Can’t get enough memes? Then add these must-read 2025 memoirs to your TBR and these memoirs and essays from the LGBTQ+ community.
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