Memoirs
Some of the most fascinating books I’ve ever read have been memoirs that read like fiction. You know the ones I’m talking about. The story is so unbelievable you wouldn’t believe it if it wasn’t true. Those are the memoirs I wanted to round up for you.
While I’ll always be fascinated by celebrity memoirs, it’s the memoirs of ordinary people that I find the most interesting. Below are some of my absolute favorites.
The Best Memoirs
Each colorful block below represents the best book in a subgenre. Click on the arrow to reveal my “best” pick in any category. You’ll also be able to use a page jump to see more books in that section.
The Best Memoir about Places
Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes – Jump to section
The Best Memoir about Family
Educated by Tara Westover – Jump to section
The Best Memoir About Finding Yourself
Strangers by Belle Burden – Jump to section
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Memoirs About Places
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
Author: Cheryl Strayed
Year: 2012
Genre: Memoir
More info: National Bestseller, Oprah’s Book Club 2.0 pick
Age Range: 16+
Plot
This is a perfect choice for nonfiction books for beginners. When Cheryl Strayed was 22, she lost her mother and slowly, her marriage as well. She impulsively chose to hike the Pacific Crest Trail alone- more than 1000 miles of sometimes treacherous wilderness.
Why Kirsten loves it
This is a definite feel-good nonfiction book that will take you on the trail with Cheryl as she hits rock bottom and slowly builds herself back up again with strength and humor.
Find this book in: Books Like Where the Crawdads Sing / Nonfiction Travel Books
Under the Tuscan Sun
Author: Frances Mayes
Year: 1998
Genre: Memoir
More info: #1 New York Times Bestseller
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range: 16+
Plot
The memoir that inspired the movie starring Diane Lane was as captivating in print as it was on screen. I loved reading about Frances Mayes’s gutsy decision to pick up her life and start all over in a new country.
Why Kirsten loves it
I enjoyed hearing about her discovery of her new surroundings and finding love again in the Italian countryside.
Find this book in: Nonfiction Travel Books
Plot
This non-fiction book is written by a woman who grew up on the famed Ardrossan estate as a member of the family that inspired The Philadelphia Story, a classic movie about the upper class.
Why Kirsten loves it
The movie was a favorite of mine (does it get any better than Cary Grant & Kate Hepburn?), and Ardrossan is actually only 15 minutes from my house. I got to see the writer speak at the 55,000 sq ft home. It was so cool to get a peek behind the pages.
Memoirs About Family
Plot
This is an amazing recount of Jeanette Walls’s upbringing and childhood. She is a successful journalist and writer living in New York City. Her parents also live in New York; however, they choose to be homeless. Jeanette Wells’s upbringing was unconventional and her parents did not offer her a structured childhood.
Trigger Warnings
Alcoholism, Child abuse
Why Jackie loves it
This is a fascinating memoir that reads like fiction. It gives a unique perspective to mental illness from a close family member. Wells is able to do this without blame and with love and respect respect for both her parents.
Find this book in: Thought-provoking Books / Coming-of-age Books for Adults / Books about Poverty / Books like Where the Crawdads Sing / Best Nonfiction Books / Novels About Trauma
Maid
Author: Stephanie Land
Year: 2019
Genre: Memoir
More info: New York Times Bestseller
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range:
Plot
Stephanie’s story about trying to build a better life for her child is so compelling and thought-provoking. In addition to detailing how she worked as a housemaid to make ends meet, she also explains the struggles to afford basic needs on a limited income.
Trigger Warnings
Domestic Abuse
Why Kirsten loves it
This book about poverty and a mother’s love was eye-opening and so compelling. It reminded me of a more modern Nickel and Dimed.
Find this book in: Books About Poverty / Books About Motherhood
Plot
This coming-of-age book had me thinking about it for DAYS. I mean truly, DAYS. This story shows the impact a lack of education can have on generations. Tara tells her life story about growing up with her survivalist family, having little contact with the outside world.
Tara’s journey was inspiring, heartbreaking, and thought-provoking all in one. This nonfiction book about cults had great insight into more extremist religions and survivalists.
Trigger Warnings
Child abuse
Why Kirsten loves it
I don’t usually read memoirs but I heard great things about this book. I loved it so much- it made my list of favorites for the year. It is an amazing story that reads like a novel rather than nonfiction.
Find this book in: Books about Cults / Books about Poverty / Coming-of-age Books for Adults / Best Books of 2018 / Best Books for Book Clubs to Read / Best Nonfiction Books
Homeschooled
Author: Stefan Merrill Block
Year: 2026
Genre: Memoir
More info: January 2026 Read with Jenna Book Club Pick
Age Range: 16+
Plot
In his memoir, Stefan recalls life being homeschooled, which started when he was 9 years old. He recounts the five years he was taught based on his mother’s whims before making the startling adjustment back to public school as a high school freshman.
Trigger Warnings
Suicide, Abuse, Mental Illness
Why Kirsten likes it
It’s hard to read this story and not compare it to Tara Westover’s Educated. The setting was different, the parenting was different, and yet that same uncomfortable feeling of a parent claiming to be doing something for the betterment of their child while doing quite the opposite was hard to ignore. It’s clear that Block loves his mother, but also that he is beginning to understand the mental illness that led her to treat him poorly.
It was hard to read about the anguish of his homeschool wrecking his self-esteem. It was equally hard to realize his mother was suffering, and his father was oblivious and negligent in his own right.
Memoirs About Finding Yourself
Strangers
Author: Belle Burden
Year: 2026
Genre: Memoir
More info: New York Times Bestseller
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range: 16+
Plot
Belle and her children are sequestered at their home in Martha’s Vineyard during the COVID pandemic, when out of the blue, her husband reveals his affair and asks for a divorce. Unaware of her husband’s unhappiness and infidelity, Belle is left looking back on her 20 years of marriage for clues that this was going to happen.
She also documents her journey to acceptance, her friends and family’s reaction to the shocking news, and her path forward into single motherhood.
Why Kirsten loves it
Salacious and unputdownable, this story reads like fiction. I was swept into Belle’s mind, and my heart broke as I listened to her gracefully recount her sweeping emotions. I can’t wait to see Gwenyth Paltrow in the adaptation of this one.
Find this book in: Best Beach Reads 2026
All Boys Aren’t Blue
Author: George M Johnson
Year: 2020
Genre: Nonfiction
More info: New York Times Bestseller
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range: 16+
Plot
I love George M, Johnson’s voice as they talk about very difficult topics in such a way that the book is completely relatable to everyone. Everyone knows that memoirs usually aren’t my preferred genre but there was something about George’s story that hooked me from the first sentence.
Trigger Warnings
Sexual assault, homophobia
Why Jackie loves it
This book is eye-opening and profound. It made me think about things from a different perspective and I was captivated by the story throughout the entire book. This non-fiction book is so captivating, that it reads like fiction.
Find this book in: Books With Blue in the Title / Best Nonfiction Books
Expert Tip
- Love novels set in far-off places? Choose a memoir about an exotic locale.
- Love a good family drama in your fiction? Memoirs about family are for you.
- Love a coming-of-age story? Memoirs about finding yourself are your cup of tea!
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best non-celebrity memoirs?
The answer to this is totally subjective, but my favorites involve stories of overcoming hardship, usually in unique situations. I love Educated by Tara Westover for that reason and also Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes, which is also a fabulous adaptation!
Related Content
Epilogue
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it does have some of my favorites. What is the best memoir you’ve ever read? Drop it below!
