If you want to cry then you came to the right place, because these heartwrenching true stories are about to rip you apart and stomp on the pieces. These are the top 10 memoirs that had a lasting impact on me and they are my gift to you.
Welcome to my curated list of the best memoirs worth reading. These gems belong on every bookworm’s shelf!
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Finding Me by Viola Davis
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About The Book: In my book, you will meet a little girl named Viola who ran from her past until she made a life-changing decision to stop running forever.
My Review, 4 Stars
Firstly, you have to do the audiobook because Viola Davis narrates it herself. It is her telling her own story. After listening to this book it made me admire Viola even more than I already did and it made me realize I’m glad I didn’t go into acting. I think this nonfiction memoir is definitely worth the read!
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
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About The Book: An exquisitely observed memoir by a young neurosurgeon faced with a terminal cancer diagnosis who attempts to answer the question ‘What makes a life worth living?’
My Review, 5 Stars
I had no idea what I was getting into with this book but I can honestly say this book changed my life and even though I read it years ago I still think about it all the time.
I am a huge medical nerd and that may be why this book had such a big influence on me but I highly recommend everyone read this memoir. I’ve read hundreds of books and this was probably the best book I’ve ever read.
Educated by Tara Westover
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About The Book: Tara Westover was 17 the first time she set foot in a classroom. Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho and lacking any formal education, Tara began to educate herself.
My Review, 4 Stars
There is some controversy over this book and the validity of the accounts. I can see why although I believe the story as Tara Westover has told it. This story made my heart hurt.
Stand helplessly by as Tara weaves you through her odd upbringing, where the hospital was forbidden, education was unattainable, and oppression was part of day-to-day life.
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
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I haven’t had the pleasure to read this YET! But with a title like that, it is on my short list!
About The Book: Trevor Noah’s unlikely path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show began with a criminal act: his birth. Trevor was born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison.
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
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About The Book: The Glass Castle is a remarkable memoir of resilience and redemption, and a revelatory look into a family at once deeply dysfunctional and uniquely vibrant.
My Review, 4 Stars
A true story of family dysfunction and unconditional love. Being a parent is hard and being a kid is hard too. What can I say except that I think I somewhat related to every single person in this true story.
A great memoir which basically reminded me of how life can be. Life is almost always filled with challenges and suffering and I guess that just makes us appreciate the times that really shine a bit more.
Solito by Javier Zamora
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About The Book: A young poet tells the story of his harrowing migration from El Salvador to the United States at the age of nine in this memoir.
A three-thousand-mile journey from his small town in El Salvador, through Guatemala and Mexico, and across the U.S. border. He will leave behind his beloved aunt and grandparents to reunite with a mother who left four years ago and a father he barely remembers. Traveling alone except for a group of strangers and a coyote hired to lead them to safety.
All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
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About The Book: In a series of personal essays, prominent journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist George M. Johnson explores his childhood, adolescence, and college years in New Jersey and Virginia. This young-adult memoir weaves together the trials and triumphs faced by Black queer boys.
Maid by Stephanie Land
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About The Book: Hard work, low pay, and a mother’s will to survive. Maid explores the underbelly of upper-middle class America and the reality of what it’s like to be in service to them.
My Review, 4 Stars
Poverty is no joke and this memior hits hard especially when it was so sadly relatable for me as a young single mother myself working in shit jobs trying to make sure the power didn’t get shut off. I totally get it.
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
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About The Book: Here is a book as joyous and painful, as mysterious and memorable, as childhood itself. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings captures the longing of lonely children, the brute insult of bigotry, and the wonder of words that can make the world right.
My Review, 4 Stars
Yea, this book is important and a classic for good reason. Follow the real life of Maya and her brother between two homes.
I really loved the ending and the overall story, her life and the lessons found within are very powerful. From bigotry to racism, women’s rights, abandonment, and rape, you really learn a lot from this book.
Escape by Carolyn Jessop
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About The Book: The dramatic first-person account of life inside an ultra-fundamentalist American religious sect, and one woman’s courageous flight to freedom with her eight children.
My Review, 4 Stars
As someone who has lived in Utah since I was little until age 30 this story is one I’m familiar with but nonetheless it was a fascinating and horrifying story. I am impressed with the challenges this women had faced and all that she has overcome.
Disturbing and heartbreaking and this true story gives outsiders a look Into how a lot of women are still living in Utah even today.
These memoirs aren’t just books; they’re windows into the diverse human experience. Each one offers a unique perspective, teaching us valuable lessons about life, resilience, and the strength of the human spirit.
I Chug My Wine 