Must-Listen Memoirs

Book Summary

Lara looked like a typical soccer mom in Santa Cruz, California, complete with a million-dollar home in a cul-de-sac. But one day, everything she had been hiding came tumbling down. Lara had been stealing neighbors’ credit cards in order to support her heroin addiction.

She was convicted of 32 felonies and must now learn the ways of prison politics and its class system. She earns the nickname “Mama Love” from other inmates and soon rises to become the “shot caller”.

After her sentence, Lara reinvents herself again as a ghost-writer. She’s gone from stealing others’ identities for heroin to becoming others to help them write hit novels. She was successful enough to meet Oprah, the Dalai Lama, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Through all this, the shame of her past haunts her. She must learn to forgive before she can truly move on.

Book Summary

In 2022, Lisa Marie Presley asked her daughter to help her write her memoir, but she passed away just a month later before the book could be written. Instead, Riley Keough listened to the tapes that her mother had recorded for the book and set out to document her mother’s life.

This book – told in the voices of both mother and daughter – is filled with stories of Lisa Marie’s childhood at Graceland in Tennessee, the unconditional love she felt from her father, the trauma of his death, her marriage to Michael Jackson, and her lifelong relationship with Danny Keough.

Book Summary

Shari’s childhood was portrayed as perfect to the followers of her mom’s YouTube channel, 8 Passengers, which had an astonishing 2.5 million subscribers. Her mom, Ruby, had a wholesome online persona and claimed to show the daily lives of their family, which included Shari’s five younger siblings.

Behind the scenes, Ruby was tyrannical, and as her fortune grew, so did her delusions of righteousness. Relationship coach Jodi helped Ruby implement an inhumane and merciless disciplinary regime. In 2023, Ruby and Jodi were finally arrested on multiple charges of aggravated child abuse. In this memoir, Shari reveals the details of her childhood and her family’s involvement with Jodi Hildebrandt’s cultish life coaching program.

Book Summary

Astronaut Scott Kelly has traveled to the International Space Station (ISS) four times, including spending a record-breaking year aboard the ISS. In this memoir, chapters alternate between candid accounts of his 2016 year in space, his colorful childhood, and years of training that led him there, including his earlier career as a Navy Captain, a fighter pilot, and an engineer. 

Scott Kelly and his identical twin, Mark, are both astronauts, and both have spent time at the ISS. When Scott agreed to spend a year in space, more than any other American, Mark stayed on Earth as a control subject, allowing medical experts to compare and discover the effects of extended time in space on the human body. Kelly – a true scientist at heart – writes and narrates in a very clear and straightforward manner, while still injecting plenty of humor and heart.

Book Summary

In 1999, Ina Garten published The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook and couldn’t imagine all the ways it would change her life. In 2002, her Food Network show, also called Barefoot Contessa, inspired home cooks everywhere. She now has 13 cookbooks, but her path to success wasn’t easy. Beginning with her challenging childhood, this memoir recounts each step of her path, both in and outside the kitchen.

Book Summary

While Delia Ephron is best known for writing iconic romantic comedy scripts like You’ve Got Mail, her real life also sounds like a movie. In 2012, she lost her sister, writer Nora Ephron, followed by her husband of 25 years, Jerry, only 3 days later.

It took 5 months for her to be ready to cancel her husband’s landline, which turned into a big enough debacle that she was inspired to write an op-ed in The New York Times about it. Across the country, recently widowed Peter read the column and enjoyed Ephron’s signature wit. Eventually, he wrote to Delia and shared that they had been on a date once before in college. At 72 years old, they began corresponding, with the exchanges becoming increasingly intimate over time. Many of their notes are shared within this memoir.

Unfortunately, Delia was then diagnosed with a similar leukemia to the one that took her sister, Nora. Peter became her unexpected rock, and she shares the no-holds-barred account of her treatment. As of 2025, she is in remission, so this memoir has a happy ending, but be prepared for some difficult chapters.

Book Summary

Each of Dolly Parton’s songs tells a story of her real-life experiences, and in this book, she shares those stories behind her lyrics and the journey she was on when she wrote them. This includes her insights into her financially impoverished upbringing in a house rich with love, her long marriage, her faith, and her remarkable career as a country music icon and pop culture legend.

Book Summary

Michelle Zauner, a Grammy-nominated indie rockstar, shares her story of growing up as the only Asian-American kid at her school in Eugene, Oregon. At home, her mother had very high and particular expectations of her. However, they were able to bond over food, especially the months spent in her grandmother’s tiny apartment in Seoul.

After graduating, she moved to the East Coast for college, where she also performed with her fledgling band and met her future husband. However, as she worked to make her dreams come true, her Koreaness felt more distant.

When Michelle was 25, her mom was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. This unexpected and devastating life event drew her back to the food, language, and history her mother had given her.

Book Summary

Even a therapist needs someone to talk to! Lori Gottlieb is a forty-something Los Angeles therapist who helps patients through a myriad of life’s challenges, but when a crisis causes her world to come crashing down, she seeks the help of a therapist of her own.

In this very candid and personal memoir, Gottlieb invites us into her world as both a clinician and a patient. She breaks down many of the stigmas about mental health, sheds light on the benefits of therapy, and paints a vivid and funny portrait of what it means to be human.

Book Summary

Born a Crime is the true story of Daily Show host Trevor Noah’s childhood and early adulthood. Trevor was born in South Africa in 1984 to a white father and black mother. His parents could have been imprisoned for five years – or worse – for conceiving him. He spent his early years largely hidden from life outside because his mother feared (with good reason) that he could be removed from her custody because of the apartheid rules of segregation.

In true Trevor Noah fashion, you’ll be entertained while also receiving an education on life in apartheid South Africa. He manages to explain the extremely complex system of apartheid in accessible terms by drawing on examples and comparisons.

When the era of white rule officially ended in the early 1990s, it was far from the end of the family’s troubles. From attempted kidnappings and domestic violence to high school dating drama, you’ll find a mixture of relatable and shocking stories that keep you engaged with every page.

Book Summary

For more than three decades, Alex Trebek hosted Jeopardy! His presence on television brought him into the homes of millions of Americans each and every night, making him feel like a close friend. But throughout this time, Trebek resisted countless appeals to write a book about his life.

After announcing his diagnosis with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, Trebek was so overwhelmed with gratitude for the outpouring of love and well wishes he received from fans that he finally decided to write a book about his life. He said, “I want people to know a little more about the person they have been cheering on for the past year.”

In his memoir, Trebek shares his thoughts on a wide range of topics, including marriage, parenthood, education, success, and philanthropy. He also answers some of the questions he was asked most often by fans of the show.

Trebek wanted to narrate as much of his own audiobook as possible, but because of his illness, he worried that his voice would give out, so he called on Ken Jennings – the most successful contestant in the history of Jeopardy! – to narrate other portions of the book for him.

Book Summary

Viola Davis grew up in a crumbling apartment in Central Falls, Rhode Island. Throughout her childhood, she dealt with poverty, abuse, and racism. Reflecting on those challenges, she speaks about these experiences with straightforward, brutal honesty. Hearing the story of how she got from there to Juilliard is one you really need to hear in her own voice. 

Her career has not been without struggles, many of which stem from the trauma of her upbringing. But she takes you along for the ride as she wins her first Tony, and then her first Oscar, learning along the way about the importance of self-love and acceptance.

Book Summary

In 1994 at age 7, author Qian Wang moved with her family from China to America. Before the move, her parents were successful professors. Despite the Chinese word for America, Mei Guo, meaning beautiful country, life is much harder for the family here. Her parents overstay their visas and are not in the US legally, which means they must find work in sweatshops instead of classrooms.

Qian escapes to libraries to avoid the teachers and classmates who shun her limited English. Over time, she’s able to master English through her study of books like The Berenstain Bears and The Babysitters Club, and begins to glimpse some of the magic of New York City, such as Christmas at Rockefeller Center. However, her world changes again when her mom gets sick.

This memoir gives a unique insight into the hidden life and struggles of children trying to thrive in a place where they must also remain hidden in many ways.

Book Summary

As a young attorney in Montgomery, Alabama, Bryan Stevenson founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit law office dedicated to helping poor, incarcerated, and wrongly condemned defendants.

One of EJI’s first clients was Walter McMillian, a young Black man who was wrongly convicted of the murder of a young white woman. He was sentenced to death despite the consistent declaration of his innocence.

Book Summary

For more than forty years, U2 has been a dominant force on the rock charts. Lead singer Bono is a cultural icon on and off the stage, and is finally sharing his story in his own words. The memoir is divided into forty chapters, each titled after a U2 song. 

In the beginning, you’ll learn about his personal life. From the death of his mother when he was 14, to his 40+ year marriage and children, you’ll get new insight into what makes him who he is. There are also plenty of stories about his time with his bandmates and how they became so influential in the music industry. 

Outside of his family and music, Bono is also an activist, sharing his passion for leaving the world a better place in the final third of the book. He doesn’t just throw money at issues; he invests his own time and labor into campaigning for change, so he spends a large portion of the book reflecting on his wide-ranging advocacy on major issues.

While the printed copy of this memoir includes a drawing by Bono for every chapter, the audiobook is narrated in his lyrical Irish voice, and you’ll be treated to snippets of songs.

Book Summary

Let us start by saying that Michelle Obama’s memoir is not about politics – in fact, she is pretty blunt about her disdain for politics throughout this book. She does discuss her experiences as the wife of a politician and as the First Lady of the United States of America, where she leveraged her platform to advocate for women and girls worldwide. 

This memoir, however, is a much more in-depth reflection on her early life experiences and the all-too-familiar struggle to find the right balance between career and family, especially under the media’s scrutiny.

The first of three sections in Becoming focuses on Obama’s upbringing on the South Side of Chicago and her education at Princeton University and Harvard Law School. She speaks honestly about the experience of being a working-class black student at an elite, predominantly white campus. In the second section, she talks about her marriage and career before becoming First Lady. And in the final section, she shares about living at the most famous address in the world.

Both a gifted writer and narrator, Obama has written a deeply personal memoir filled with humor, wit, emotion, and refreshing honesty about both her triumphs and disappointments – both public and private.

Book Summary

Sally Field is one of the most celebrated, beloved, and enduring actors of our time. Thanks to her infectious charm and captivating personality, and the fact that we’ve seen her on TV and the big screen for most of her life, it’s easy to feel like we know her. But in this memoir, Fields opens up about the highs and lows of her star-studded career, but also about her difficult childhood that was marked by both abuse and neglect. She speaks with raw honesty and humility, but never with self-pity. 

In Pieces is an inspiring story of life as a woman in the second half of the 20th century, and it’s made all the more powerful by hearing it in her own voice.

Book Summary

In this memoir, Safiya tells the story of her struggle to break free of her rigid Rastafarian upbringing. Her childhood was ruled by her father’s strict patriarchal views and repressive control. He was a volatile reggae musician and militant adherent to a strict Rastafari sect obsessed with purity. Concerned with the threat of what Rastas call ‘Babylon’ —the corrupting influences of the outside Western world —her father valued obedience above all else. He worried that womanhood would render Safiya and her sisters morally weak and impure.

While her father banned everything from pants to jewelry and makeup, her mother gave her daughters the gift of books. Safiya latched on to poetry and in time used her education to find her voice and to eventually break free.

Book Summary

We knew Rob as a talented actor from his days on The West Wing and Brothers and Sisters, but we didn’t know what to expect from his memoir. In short, we were impressed by his intelligence, charm, and ability to discuss his insecurities, mistakes, and successes candidly.

The book begins with Lowe’s early years in Ohio, where he discovered his love of acting. Then you’ll hear about his teen years in the wild counterculture of mid-seventies Malibu, California, where he spent his time making home movies with many not-yet-famous friends. His first big break came when he was cast in The Outsiders, but being thrust into stardom came at a price as he took part in the wild excesses of the 1980s. He speaks honestly about his quest for sobriety and his desire to build a solid family, and how his later career successes benefited from both. 

Book Summary

Born in St. Louis in 1928, Maya Angelou grew up to become one of the most influential voices of the 20th century – a poet, educator, civil rights activist, historian, actress, filmmaker, and much more. In this memoir, first published in 1969, Maya recounts her childhood from the ages of three through sixteen.

As a young child, Maya and her brother are “shipped” to Stamps, Arkansas, to live with their paternal grandmother, where they endure both the pain of abandonment and prejudice. At eight years old, the two return to live with their mother in St. Louis, where her mother’s boyfriend rapes Maya. 

After returning to Arkansas, Maya is so traumatized by the abuse she endured that she stops speaking for several years.