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  1. Genres
  2. ›Biography

Best Biography Books

Life stories of notable people

451 summaries

Showing 1–24 of 451

  1. The Diary of a Young Girl

    Anne Frank

    ★ 4.2 (2.7M) average on GoodreadsMemoir

    During the Nazi occupation, a teenage girl's diary, written from a secret annex, shares observations on humanity, hope, and the wait for freedom.

  2. Eat, Pray, Love

    Elizabeth Gilbert

    ★ 3.6 (1.5M) average on GoodreadsLifestyle

    A heartbroken writer leaves her conventional life for a year-long global search for pleasure in Italy, spiritual devotion in India, and unexpected love and balance in Bali.

  3. Night

    Elie Wiesel

    ★ 4.3 (970k) average on GoodreadsMemoir

    In the darkness of Auschwitz and Buchenwald, a teenage Elie Wiesel faces the extermination of his family, the loss of his faith, and the lasting scars of humanity's deepest cruelty.

  4. Steve Jobs

    Walter Isaacson

    ★ 4.1 (957k) average on GoodreadsBusiness

    Steve Jobs was a visionary who fused creativity and technology to revolutionize six industries and shape our digital world.

  5. The Glass Castle

    Jeannette Walls

    ★ 4.3 (903k) average on GoodreadsMemoir

    Jeannette Walls's memoir describes her unusual childhood with brilliant, free-spirited parents whose poverty-stricken life shaped her independence and love despite family problems.

  6. Bossypants

    Tina Fey

    ★ 4.0 (848k) average on GoodreadsMemoir

    From a 'vicious nerd' with stress dreams to the comedic force behind Liz Lemon and 'Weekend Update,' Tina Fey chronicles her journey to proving that 'you're no one until someone calls you bossy.'

  7. Educated

    Tara Westover

    ★ 4.5 (796k) average on GoodreadsMemoir

    Raised in the Idaho mountains by fundamentalist survivalists, a young woman forges her own path to education, battling fierce family loyalty and personal demons to discover a world beyond her isolated upbringing.

  8. Tuesdays with Morrie

    Mitch Albom

    ★ 4.1 (782k) average on GoodreadsMemoir

    A dying professor's weekly lessons from his bedside change a former student, giving him ideas on life, love, and letting go.

  9. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption

    Laura Hillenbrand

    ★ 4.4 (767k) average on GoodreadsMemoir

    Louis Zamperini's incredible World War II odyssey transforms him from a rebellious youth and Olympic runner into a survivor of a plane crash, shark-infested waters, and brutal Japanese POW camps, only to find redemption through forgiveness.

  10. Me Talk Pretty One Day

    David Sedaris

    ★ 4.0 (618k) average on GoodreadsMemoir

    With self-deprecating wit, David Sedaris chronicles his uproarious attempts to master French under the tutelage of a merciless instructor in Paris, all while navigating the eccentricities of his own family and the absurdities of modern life.

  11. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

    Cheryl Strayed

    ★ 4.0 (615k) average on GoodreadsLifestyle

    After losing her mother and her marriage, a young woman impulsively hikes over a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail alone, finding strength and healing in the unforgiving wilderness.

  12. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

    Rebecca Skloot

    ★ 4.1 (587k) average on GoodreadsHistory

    A poor Southern tobacco farmer's unwitting contribution of 'immortal' cells starts a journey through scientific breakthroughs, medical ethics, and her family's decades-long fight for recognition and understanding.

  13. Angela's Ashes

    Frank McCourt

    ★ 4.1 (540k) average on GoodreadsMemoir

    In Depression-era Limerick, young Frank McCourt navigates an impoverished Irish Catholic childhood, sustained by his father's captivating stories and his own spirit, turning hardship into a tale of resilience, humor, and ultimate forgiveness.

  14. In Cold Blood

    Truman Capote

    ★ 4.1 (529k) average on GoodreadsThriller

    Capote dissects the brutal, motiveless Clutter family murders, exposing the chilling humanity and depravity of the killers while blurring the lines between true crime and literary art.

  15. The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America

    Erik Larson

    ★ 4.0 (522k) average on GoodreadsHistory

    At the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, an architect's triumph is overshadowed by a serial killer who preys on visitors.

  16. Marley and Me: Life and Love With the World's Worst Dog

    John Grogan

    ★ 4.1 (441k) average on GoodreadsMemoir

    Meet Marley, the incorrigible, ninety-seven-pound Labrador retriever whose chaotic antics and boundless heart teach his young owners that unconditional love often comes wrapped in chewed furniture and slobbery kisses.

  17. Yes Please

    Amy Poehler

    ★ 3.8 (430k) average on GoodreadsMemoir

    Amy Poehler's 'Yes Please' is a funny and honest memoir from the comedic mind behind 'Parks and Recreation,' blending personal stories, observations on modern life, and practical wisdom with her signature wit.

  18. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)

    Mindy Kaling

    ★ 3.9 (420k) average on GoodreadsMemoir

    From timid chubster to Hollywood comedy writer, Mindy Kaling hilariously navigates the awkward realities of friendship, romance, and fame with the relatable charm of a 'Girl Next Door' who is anything but ordinary.

  19. I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban

    Malala Yousafzai

    ★ 4.1 (419k) average on GoodreadsPolitics

    A teenage girl from a Taliban-controlled valley refuses to give up her books, becoming a global voice for education even after an assassination attempt.

  20. When Breath Becomes Air

    Paul Kalanithi

    ★ 4.4 (415k) average on GoodreadsMemoir

    A brilliant neurosurgeon, suddenly a patient with terminal cancer, faces the question of what makes life worth living when his envisioned future disappears into an urgent present.

  21. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

    Maya Angelou

    ★ 4.2 (409k) average on GoodreadsMemoir

    Maya Angelou's memoir shows her journey from trauma in the Jim Crow South to finding her voice through literature and self-love.

  22. Man's Search for Meaning

    Viktor E. Frankl

    ★ 4.4 (401k) average on GoodreadsMemoir

    In the horror of Auschwitz, psychiatrist Viktor Frankl learned that the last human freedom is choosing one's attitude and finding meaning, not pleasure, as the ultimate will to live.

  23. Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster

    Jon Krakauer

    ★ 4.2 (395k) average on GoodreadsLifestyle

    On May 10, 1996, ambition and a sudden, violent storm turned Mount Everest into a deadly trap, leaving Jon Krakauer to tell the harrowing story of a disaster that took lives and shattered climbers' dreams.

  24. Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood

    Trevor Noah

    ★ 4.5 (389k) average on GoodreadsMemoir

    Trevor Noah's "Born a Crime" is a poignant and often hilarious memoir of a biracial boy navigating the absurdities and dangers of apartheid South Africa, all while being shaped by his fiercely rebellious and devout mother who literally risked everything for his existence.

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