biographies and autobiographies of famous personalities

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• In Celebrity Memoirs

The Best Celebrity Autobiographies

From Hollywood stars to star musicians, the best celebrity autobiographies delve into the personal lives and experiences of these famous personalities, providing readers with a rare glimpse behind the curtain. Best celebrity autobiographies provide a unique opportunity to explore the lives of these individuals from their own perspectives. With a captivating blend of wit, wisdom, and honesty, these works offer a rare glimpse into the experiences that have shaped their careers and public personas. Discovering the best celebrity autobiographies can be an extraordinary journey for those intrigued by the rich, profound tales narrated by these famous personalities. 

The best celebrity autobiographies not only share the personal journeys of these famous figures but also transport readers through the emotional, turbulent, and triumphant moments that define their careers. Each celebrity autobiography serves as a testament to the resilience, passion, and determination required to achieve success in the limelight. Through these compelling narratives, readers can gain a deeper understanding of the complex personal journeys that have led to the creation of iconic moments in entertainment history. These autobiographical masterpieces, penned by the celebrities themselves, elevate the genre, setting the bar for what constitutes the finest examples of captivating and revealing life stories. 

Among the standouts in the realm of celebrity biographies, books such as Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher, I, Tina by Tina Turner, and Bossypants by Tina Fey exemplify the prowess and artistry of this unique literary genre. Fisher's candid exploration of her struggles with addiction and mental health in "Wishful Drinking" presents a raw and unfiltered account of her life in the public eye. In I, Tina , Turner chronicles her turbulent journey from an impoverished upbringing to the pinnacle of global fame, highlighting her resilience and tenacity. Fey's Bossypants offers a delightful mix of humor and insight as she reflects on her career progression from a fledgling comedian to an influential powerhouse in the world of comedy. These remarkable works showcase the innate talent and exceptional storytelling abilities of these celebrities, solidifying their place among the best autobiographies ever written. 

The enchantment of the best celebrity memoirs lies in their ability to reveal the hidden facets of these iconic lives while inspiring awe and admiration in their readers. These compelling narratives, often imbued with humor, emotion, and brutal honesty, resonate with readers on a profound level. By immersing oneself in the stories shared within these pages, it becomes evident that the best celebrity memoirs hold a timeless appeal, as they capture the essence of the human experience and provide a unique perspective on the extraordinary lives of these beloved public figures. 

Wishful Drinking

This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection

Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography

Little Girl Lost

My Lucky Life in and Out of Show Business: a Memoir

Home: A Memoir of My Early Years

Lucky Man: a Memoir

My First Five Husbands...And the Ones Who Got Away

Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life

My Mother Was Nuts

Elvis and me

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

Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story

Unsweetined Jodie Sweetin

Not My Father's Son: a Memoir

A Natural Woman: A Memoir

Still Woman Enough: A Memoir

Prairie Tale: a Memoir

Moon River and Me: A Memoir

Scar Tissue

The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee

American Prince

American on Purpose

Stars: They're just like us! These are lists of fascinating facts about famous people - who, despite all the glitz and glamour, are well-rounded, full-formed human beings. Mostly.

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Blog – Posted on Monday, Jan 21

The 30 best biographies of all time.

Biographer Richard Holmes once wrote that his work was “a kind of pursuit… writing about the pursuit of that fleeting figure, in such a way as to bring them alive in the present.”

At the risk of sounding cliché, the best biographies do exactly this: bring their subjects to life. A great biography isn’t just a laundry list of events that happened to someone. Rather, it should weave a narrative and tell a story in almost the same way a novel does. In this way, biography differs from the rest of nonfiction .

All the biographies on this list are just as captivating as excellent novels , if not more so. With that, please enjoy the 30 best biographies of all time — some historical, some recent, but all remarkable, life-giving tributes to their subjects.

If you're feeling overwhelmed by the number of great biographies out there, you can also take our 30-second quiz below to narrow it down quickly and get a personalized biography recommendation  😉

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1. A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar

This biography of esteemed mathematician John Nash was both a finalist for the 1998 Pulitzer Prize and the basis for the award-winning film of the same name. Nasar thoroughly explores Nash’s prestigious career, from his beginnings at MIT to his work at the RAND Corporation — as well the internal battle he waged against schizophrenia, a disorder that nearly derailed his life.

2. Alan Turing: The Enigma: The Book That Inspired the Film The Imitation Game - Updated Edition by Andrew Hodges

Hodges’ 1983 biography of Alan Turing sheds light on the inner workings of this brilliant mathematician, cryptologist, and computer pioneer. Indeed, despite the title ( a nod to his work during WWII ), a great deal of the “enigmatic” Turing is laid out in this book. It covers his heroic code-breaking efforts during the war, his computer designs and contributions to mathematical biology in the years following, and of course, the vicious persecution that befell him in the 1950s — when homosexual acts were still a crime punishable by English law.

3. Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow

Ron Chernow’s Alexander Hamilton is not only the inspiration for a hit Broadway musical, but also a work of creative genius itself. This massive undertaking of over 800 pages details every knowable moment of the youngest Founding Father’s life: from his role in the Revolutionary War and early American government to his sordid (and ultimately career-destroying) affair with Maria Reynolds. He may never have been president, but he was a fascinating and unique figure in American history — plus it’s fun to get the truth behind the songs.

Prefer to read about fascinating First Ladies rather than almost-presidents? Check out this awesome list of books about First Ladies over on The Archive.

4. Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" by Zora Neale Hurston

A prolific essayist, short story writer, and novelist, Hurston turned her hand to biographical writing in 1927 with this incredible work, kept under lock and key until it was published 2018. It’s based on Hurston’s interviews with the last remaining survivor of the Middle Passage slave trade, a man named Cudjo Lewis. Rendered in searing detail and Lewis’ highly affecting African-American vernacular, this biography of the “last black cargo” will transport you back in time to an era that, chillingly, is not nearly as far away from us as it feels.

5. Churchill: A Life by Martin Gilbert

Though many a biography of him has been attempted, Gilbert’s is the final authority on Winston Churchill — considered by many to be Britain’s greatest prime minister ever. A dexterous balance of in-depth research and intimately drawn details makes this biography a perfect tribute to the mercurial man who led Britain through World War II.

Just what those circumstances are occupies much of Bodanis's book, which pays homage to Einstein and, just as important, to predecessors such as Maxwell, Faraday, and Lavoisier, who are not as well known as Einstein today. Balancing writerly energy and scholarly weight, Bodanis offers a primer in modern physics and cosmology, explaining that the universe today is an expression of mass that will, in some vastly distant future, one day slide back to the energy side of the equation, replacing the \'dominion of matter\' with \'a great stillness\'--a vision that is at once lovely and profoundly frightening.

Without sliding into easy psychobiography, Bodanis explores other circumstances as well; namely, Einstein's background and character, which combined with a sterling intelligence to afford him an idiosyncratic view of the way things work--a view that would change the world. --Gregory McNamee

6. E=mc²: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation by David Bodanis

This “biography of the world’s most famous equation” is a one-of-a-kind take on the genre: rather than being the story of Einstein, it really does follow the history of the equation itself. From the origins and development of its individual elements (energy, mass, and light) to their ramifications in the twentieth century, Bodanis turns what could be an extremely dry subject into engaging fare for readers of all stripes.

7. Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazario

When Enrique was only five years old, his mother left Honduras for the United States, promising a quick return. Eleven years later, Enrique finally decided to take matters into his own hands in order to see her again: he would traverse Central and South America via railway, risking his life atop the “train of death” and at the hands of the immigration authorities, to reunite with his mother. This tale of Enrique’s perilous journey is not for the faint of heart, but it is an account of incredible devotion and sharp commentary on the pain of separation among immigrant families.

8. Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo by Hayden Herrera

Herrera’s 1983 biography of renowned painter Frida Kahlo, one of the most recognizable names in modern art, has since become the definitive account on her life. And while Kahlo no doubt endured a great deal of suffering (a horrific accident when she was eighteen, a husband who had constant affairs), the focal point of the book is not her pain. Instead, it’s her artistic brilliance and immense resolve to leave her mark on the world — a mark that will not soon be forgotten, in part thanks to Herrera’s dedicated work.

9. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Perhaps the most impressive biographical feat of the twenty-first century, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is about a woman whose cells completely changed the trajectory of modern medicine. Rebecca Skloot skillfully commemorates the previously unknown life of a poor black woman whose cancer cells were taken, without her knowledge, for medical testing — and without whom we wouldn’t have many of the critical cures we depend upon today.

10. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

Christopher McCandless, aka Alexander Supertramp, hitchhiked to Alaska and disappeared into the Denali wilderness in April 1992. Five months later, McCandless was found emaciated and deceased in his shelter — but of what cause? Krakauer’s biography of McCandless retraces his steps back to the beginning of the trek, attempting to suss out what the young man was looking for on his journey, and whether he fully understood what dangers lay before him.

11. Let Us Now Praise Famous Men: Three Tenant Families by James Agee

"Let us now praise famous men, and our fathers that begat us.” From this line derives the central issue of Agee and Evans’ work: who truly deserves our praise and recognition? According to this 1941 biography, it’s the barely-surviving sharecropper families who were severely impacted by the American “Dust Bowl” — hundreds of people entrenched in poverty, whose humanity Evans and Agee desperately implore their audience to see in their book.

12. The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann

Another mysterious explorer takes center stage in this gripping 2009 biography. Grann tells the story of Percy Fawcett, the archaeologist who vanished in the Amazon along with his son in 1925, supposedly in search of an ancient lost city. Parallel to this narrative, Grann describes his own travels in the Amazon 80 years later: discovering firsthand what threats Fawcett may have encountered, and coming to realize what the “Lost City of Z” really was.

13. Mao: The Unknown Story by Jung Chang

Though many of us will be familiar with the name Mao Zedong, this prodigious biography sheds unprecedented light upon the power-hungry “Red Emperor.” Chang and Halliday begin with the shocking statistic that Mao was responsible for 70 million deaths during peacetime — more than any other twentieth-century world leader. From there, they unravel Mao’s complex ideologies, motivations, and missions, breaking down his long-propagated “hero” persona and thrusting forth a new, grislier image of one of China’s biggest revolutionaries.

14. Mad Girl's Love Song: Sylvia Plath and Life Before Ted by Andrew Wilson by Andrew Wilson

Titled after one of her most evocative poems, this shimmering bio of Sylvia Plath takes an unusual approach. Instead of focusing on her years of depression and tempestuous marriage to poet Ted Hughes, it chronicles her life before she ever came to Cambridge. Wilson closely examines her early family and relationships, feelings and experiences, with information taken from her meticulous diaries — setting a strong precedent for other Plath biographers to follow.

15. The Minds of Billy Milligan by Daniel Keyes

What if you had twenty-four different people living inside you, and you never knew which one was going to come out? Such was the life of Billy Milligan, the subject of this haunting biography by the author of Flowers for Algernon . Keyes recounts, in a refreshingly straightforward style, the events of Billy’s life and how his psyche came to be “split”... as well as how, with Keyes’ help, he attempted to put the fragments of himself back together.

16. Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World by Tracy Kidder

This gorgeously constructed biography follows Paul Farmer, a doctor who’s worked for decades to eradicate infectious diseases around the globe, particularly in underprivileged areas. Though Farmer’s humanitarian accomplishments are extraordinary in and of themselves, the true charm of this book comes from Kidder’s personal relationship with him — and the sense of fulfillment the reader sustains from reading about someone genuinely heroic, written by someone else who truly understands and admires what they do.

17. Napoleon: A Life by Andrew Roberts

Here’s another bio that will reshape your views of a famed historical tyrant, though this time in a surprisingly favorable light. Decorated scholar Andrew Roberts delves into the life of Napoleon Bonaparte, from his near-flawless military instincts to his complex and confusing relationship with his wife. But Roberts’ attitude toward his subject is what really makes this work shine: rather than ridiculing him ( as it would undoubtedly be easy to do ), he approaches the “petty tyrant” with a healthy amount of deference.

18. The Passage of Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson IV by Robert A. Caro

Lyndon Johnson might not seem as intriguing or scandalous as figures like Kennedy, Nixon, or W. Bush. But in this expertly woven biography, Robert Caro lays out the long, winding road of his political career, and it’s full of twists you wouldn’t expect. Johnson himself was a surprisingly cunning figure, gradually maneuvering his way closer and closer to power. Finally, in 1963, he got his greatest wish — but at what cost? Fans of Adam McKay’s Vice , this is the book for you.

19. Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser

Anyone who grew up reading Little House on the Prairie will surely be fascinated by this tell-all biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Caroline Fraser draws upon never-before-published historical resources to create a lush study of the author’s life — not in the gently narrated manner of the Little House series, but in raw and startling truths about her upbringing, marriage, and volatile relationship with her daughter (and alleged ghostwriter) Rose Wilder Lane.

20. Prince: A Private View by Afshin Shahidi

Compiled just after the superstar’s untimely death in 2016, this intimate snapshot of Prince’s life is actually a largely visual work — Shahidi served as his private photographer from the early 2000s until his passing. And whatever they say about pictures being worth a thousand words, Shahidi’s are worth more still: Prince’s incredible vibrance, contagious excitement, and altogether singular personality come through in every shot.

21. Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout by Lauren Redniss

Could there be a more fitting title for a book about the husband-wife team who discovered radioactivity? What you may not know is that these nuclear pioneers also had a fascinating personal history. Marie Sklodowska met Pierre Curie when she came to work in his lab in 1891, and just a few years later they were married. Their passion for each other bled into their passion for their work, and vice-versa — and in almost no time at all, they were on their way to their first of their Nobel Prizes.

22. Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter by Kate Clifford Larson

She may not have been assassinated or killed in a mysterious plane crash, but Rosemary Kennedy’s fate is in many ways the worst of “the Kennedy Curse.” As if a botched lobotomy that left her almost completely incapacitated weren’t enough, her parents then hid her away from society, almost never to be seen again. Yet in this new biography, penned by devoted Kennedy scholar Kate Larson, the full truth of Rosemary’s post-lobotomy life is at last revealed.

23. Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay by Nancy Milford

This appropriately lyrical biography of brilliant Jazz Age poet and renowned feminist, Edna St. Vincent Millay, is indeed a perfect balance of savage and beautiful. While Millay’s poetic work was delicate and subtle, the woman herself was feisty and unpredictable, harboring unusual and occasionally destructive habits that Milford fervently explores.

24. Shelley: The Pursuit by Richard Holmes

Holmes’ famous philosophy of “biography as pursuit” is thoroughly proven here in his first full-length biographical work. Shelley: The Pursuit details an almost feverish tracking of Percy Shelley as a dark and cutting figure in the Romantic period — reforming many previous historical conceptions about him through Holmes’ compelling and resolute writing.

25. Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life by Ruth Franklin

Another Gothic figure has been made newly known through this work, detailing the life of prolific horror and mystery writer Shirley Jackson. Author Ruth Franklin digs deep into the existence of the reclusive and mysterious Jackson, drawing penetrating comparisons between the true events of her life and the dark nature of her fiction.

26. The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel

Fans of Into the Wild and The Lost City of Z will find their next adventure fix in this 2017 book about Christopher Knight, a man who lived by himself in the Maine woods for almost thirty years. The tale of this so-called “last true hermit” will captivate readers who have always fantasized about escaping society, with vivid descriptions of Knight’s rural setup, his carefully calculated moves and how he managed to survive the deadly cold of the Maine winters.

27. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

The man, the myth, the legend: Steve Jobs, co-founder and CEO of Apple, is properly immortalized in Isaacson’s masterful biography. It divulges the details of Jobs’ little-known childhood and tracks his fateful path from garage engineer to leader of one of the largest tech companies in the world — not to mention his formative role in other legendary companies like Pixar, and indeed within the Silicon Valley ecosystem as a whole.

28. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand

Olympic runner Louis Zamperini was just twenty-six when his US Army bomber crashed and burned in the Pacific, leaving him and two other men afloat on a raft for forty-seven days — only to be captured by the Japanese Navy and tortured as a POW for the next two and a half years. In this gripping biography, Laura Hillenbrand tracks Zamperini’s story from beginning to end… including how he embraced Christian evangelism as a means of recovery, and even came to forgive his tormentors in his later years.

29. Vera (Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov) by Stacy Schiff

Everyone knows of Vladimir Nabokov — but what about his wife, Vera, whom he called “the best-humored woman I have ever known”? According to Schiff, she was a genius in her own right, supporting Vladimir not only as his partner, but also as his all-around editor and translator. And she kept up that trademark humor throughout it all, inspiring her husband’s work and injecting some of her own creative flair into it along the way.

30. Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare by Stephen Greenblatt

William Shakespeare is a notoriously slippery historical figure — no one really knows when he was born, what he looked like, or how many plays he wrote. But that didn’t stop Stephen Greenblatt, who in 2004 turned out this magnificently detailed biography of the Bard: a series of imaginative reenactments of his writing process, and insights on how the social and political ideals of the time would have influenced him. Indeed, no one exists in a vacuum, not even Shakespeare — hence the conscious depiction of him in this book as a “will in the world,” rather than an isolated writer shut up in his own musty study.

If you're looking for more inspiring nonfiction, check out this list of 30 engaging self-help books , or this list of the last century's best memoirs !

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50 best autobiographies & biographies of all time

Enlightening and inspiring: these are the best autobiographies and biographies of 2024, and all time. .

Reading an autobiography can offer a unique insight into a world and experience very different from your own – and these real-life stories are even more entertaining, and stranger, than fiction . Take a glimpse into the lives of some of the world's most inspiring and successful celebrities , politicians and sports people and more in our edit of the best autobiographies and biographies to read right now.

• New autobiographies & biographies
• Inspiring autobiographies & biographies
• Sports autobiographies & biographies
• Celebrity autobiographies & biographies
• Political & historical autobiographies
• Literary autobiographies & biographies

The best new autobiographies and biographies

Charles iii, by robert hardman.

Meet the man behind the monarch in this new biography of King Charles III by royal expert and journalist Robert Hardman. Charting Charles III’s extraordinary first year on the throne, a year plighted by sadness and family scandal, Hardman shares insider details on the true nature of the Windsor family feud, and Queen Camilla’s role within the Royal Family. Detailing the highs and lows of royal life in dazzling detail, this new biography of the man who waited his whole life to be King is one of 2024’s must-reads. 

Sociopath: A Memoir

By patric gagne.

The most unputdownable memoir you’ll read this year, Sociopath is the story of Patric Gagne, and her extraordinary life lived on the edge. With seering honestly, Patric explains how, as a child she always knew she was different. Graduating from feelings of apathy to petty theft and stalking, she realised as an adult that she was a sociopath, uncaring of the impact of her actions on others. Sharing the conflict she feels between her impulses, and her desire to live a settled, loving life with her partner, Sociopath is a fascinating story of one woman’s journey to find a place for herself in the world. 

Lisa Marie Presley's memoir

By lisa marie presley.

Lisa Marie Presley was never truly understood . . . until now. Before her death in 2023, she’d been working on a raw, riveting, one-of-a-kind memoir for years, recording countless hours of breathtakingly vulnerable tape, which has finally been put on the page by her daughter, Riley Keough.

Went to London, Took the Dog: A Diary

By nina stibbe.

Ten years after the publication of the prize-winning  Love, Nina  comes the author’s diary of her return to London in her sixty-first year. After twenty years, Nina Stibbe, accompanied by her dog Peggy, stays with writer Debby Moggach in London for a year. With few obligations, Nina explores the city, reflecting on her past and embracing new experiences. From indulging in banana splits to navigating her son's dating life, this diary captures the essence of a sixty-year-old runaway finding her place as a "proper adult" once and for all.

Beyond the Story

In honor of BTS's 10th anniversary, this remarkable book serves as the band's inaugural official release, offering a treasure trove of unseen photographs and exclusive content. With Myeongseok Kang's extensive interviews and years of coverage, the vibrant world of K-pop springs to life. As digital pioneers, BTS's online presence has bridged continents, and this volume grants readers instant access to trailers, music videos, and more, providing a comprehensive journey through BTS's defining moments. Complete with a milestone timeline, Beyond the Story stands as a comprehensive archive, encapsulating everything about BTS within its pages.

Hildasay to Home

By christian lewis.

The follow-up to his bestselling memoir Finding Hildasay , in Hildasay to Home Christian Lewis tells the next chapter of his extraordinary journey, step by step. From the unexpected way he found love, to his and Kate's journey on foot back down the coastline and into their new lives as parents to baby Marcus, Christian shares his highs and lows as he and his dog Jet leave Hildasay behind. Join the family as they adjust to life away from the island, and set off on a new journey together. 

by Carolyn Hays

This moving memoir is an ode to Hays' transgender daughter – a love letter to a child who has always known herself. After a caseworker from the Department of Children and Families knocked on the door to investigate an anonymous complaint about the upbringing of their transgender child, the Hays family moved away from their Republican state. In A Girlhood, Hays tells of the brutal truths of being trans, of the sacrificial nature of motherhood and of the lengths a family will go to shield their youngest from the cruel realities of the world. Hays asks us all to love better, for children everywhere enduring injustice and prejudice.

by Prince Harry

The fastest-selling non-fiction book of all time and packed with revelations, Spare is Prince Harry's story. Twelve-year-old Harry was known as the carefree one; the happy-go-lucky Spare to the more serious Heir until the loss of his mother changed everything. Then, at twenty-one, he joined the British Army, resulting in post-traumatic stress. Amidst this, the Prince also couldn't find love. Then he met Meghan. But from the beginning, Harry and Meghan were preyed upon by the press, subjected to waves of abuse, racism, and lies. For the first time, Prince Harry tells his own story, chronicling his journey with raw, unflinching honesty. 

Is This Ok?

By harriet gibsone.

Harriet spent much of her young life feeding neuroses and insecurities with obsessive internet searching and indulging in whirlwind ‘parasocial relationships'. But after a diagnosis of early menopause in her late twenties, her relationship with the internet took a darker turn, as her online addictions were thrown into sharp relief by the corporeal realities of illness and motherhood. An outrageously funny, raw and painfully honest account of trying to find connection in the age of the internet,  Is This Ok? is the stunning literary debut from music journalist, Harriet Gibsone. 

Winner of Pulitzer Prize in Memoir, Stay True  is a deeply moving and intimate memoir about growing up and moving through the world in search of meaning and belonging. When Hua Hsu first meets Ken in a Berkeley dorm room, he hates him. A frat boy with terrible taste in music, Ken seems exactly like everyone else. For Hua, Ken represents all that he defines himself in opposition to – the mainstream. The only thing Hua, the son of Taiwanese immigrants, and Ken, whose Japanese American family has been in the US for generations, have in common is that, however they engage with it, American culture doesn’t seem to have a place for either of them. 

Life's Work

By david milch.

Best known for creating smash-hit shows including NYPD Blue and Deadwood, you’d be forgiven for thinking that David Milch had lived a charmed life of luxury and stardom. In this, his new memoir, Milch dispels that myth, shedding light on his extraordinary life in the spotlight. Born in Buffalo New York to a father gripped by drug-addiction, Milch enrolled at Yale Law befire being expelled and finding his true passion for writing. Written following his diagnosis with Alzheimer’s in 2015, in Life’s Work Milch records his joys, sadnesses and struggles with startling clarity and grace. 

Will You Care If I Die?

By nicolas lunabba.

In a world where children murder children, and where gun violence is the worst in Europe, Nicolas Lunabba's job as a social organizer with Malmö's underclass requires firm boundaries and emotional detachment. But all that changes when he meets Elijah – an unruly teenage boy of mixed heritage whose perilous future reminds Nicolas of his own troubled past amongst the marginalized people who live on the fringes of every society. Written as a letter to Elijah,  Will You Care If I Die?  is a disarmingly direct memoir about social class, race, friendship and unexpected love.

The best inspiring autobiographies and biographies

By yusra mardini.

After fleeing her native Syria to the Turkish coast in 2015, Yusra Mardini boarded a small dinghy full of refugees headed for Greece. On the journey, the boat's engine cut out and it started to sink. Yusra, her sister, and two others took to the water to push the overcrowded boat for three and a half hours in open water, saving the lives of those on board. Butterfly is Yusra Mardini's journey from war-torn Damascus to Berlin and from there to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Game. A UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador and one of People magazine's 25 Women Changing the World, discover Yusra and her incredible story of resilience and unstoppable spirit.

Finding Hildasay

After hitting rock bottom having suffered with depression for years, Christian Lewis made an impulsive decision to walk the entire coastline of the UK. Just a few days later he set off with a tent, walking boots and a tenner in his pocket. Finding Hildasay tells us some of this incredible story, including the brutal three months Christian Lewis spent on the uninhabited island of Hildasay in Scotland with no fresh water or food. It was there, where his route was most barren, that he discovered pride and respect for himself. This is not just a story of a remarkable journey, but one of depression, survival and the meaning of home. 

The Happiest Man on Earth

By eddie jaku.

A lesson in how happiness can be found in the darkest of times, this is the story of Eddie Jaku, a German Jew who survived seven years at the hands of the Nazis. Eddie Jaku always considered himself a German first, and a Jew second. All of that changed in November 1938, when he was beaten, arrested and taken to a concentration camp. But through his courage and tenacity he still came to live life as 'the happiest man on earth'. Published at the author turns one hundred, The Happiest Man on Earth is a heartbreaking but hopeful memoir full of inspiration. 

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I know why the caged bird sings, by maya angelou.

A favourite book of former president Obama and countless others, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings , recounts Angelou’s childhood in the American south in the 1930s. A beautifully written classic, this is the first of Maya Angelou's seven bestselling autobiographies. 

I Am Malala

By malala yousafzai.

After speaking out about her right to education almost cost her her life, Malala Yousafzi refused to be silenced. Instead, her amazing story has taken her all over the world. This is the story of Malala and her inspirational family, and of how one person's voice can inspire change across the globe. 

In Extremis: The Life of War Correspondent Marie Colvin

By lindsey hilsum.

In her job as a foreign correspondent, Marie Colvin reported from some of the most dangerous places in the world. It was a job that would eventually cost her her life. In this posthumous biography of the award-winning news journalist, Lindsey Hilsum shares the story of one of the most daring and inspirational women of our times with warmth and wit, conveying Colvin's trademark glamour. 

The best memoirs

This is going to hurt, by adam kay.

Offering a unique insight into life as an NHS junior doctor through his diary entries, Adam Kay's bestselling autobiography is equal parts heartwarming and humorous, and oftentimes horrifying too. With 97-hour weeks, life and death decisions and a tsunami of bodily fluids, Kay provides a no-holds-barred account of working on the NHS frontline. Now a major BBC comedy-drama, don't miss this special edition of This Is Going To Hurt including a bonus diary entries and an afterword from the author. 

The Colour of Madness

By samara linton.

The Colour of Madness  brings together memoirs, essays, poetry, short fiction and artworks by people of colour who have experienced difficulties with mental health. From experiencing micro-aggressions to bias, and stigma to religious and cultural issues, people of colour have to fight harder than others to be heard and helped. Statistics show that people from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds in the UK experience poor mental health treatment in comparison to their white counterparts, and are more likely to be held under the Mental Health Act. 

Nothing But The Truth

By the secret barrister.

How do you become a barrister? Why do only 1 per cent of those who study law succeed in joining this mysterious profession? And why might a practising barrister come to feel the need to reveal the lies, secrets, failures and crises at the heart of this world of wigs and gowns? Full of hilarious, shocking and surprising stories,  Nothing But The Truth  tracks the Secret Barrister’s transformation from hang ‘em and flog ‘em, austerity-supporting twenty-something to a campaigning, bestselling, reforming author whose writing in defence of the law is celebrated around the globe.

by Michelle Obama

This bestselling autobiography lifts the lid on the life of one of the most inspiring women of a generation, former first lady Michelle Obama. From her childhood as a gifted young woman in south Chicago to becoming the first black First Lady of the USA, Obama tells the story of her extraordinary life with humour, warmth and honesty. 

Kitchen Confidential

By anthony bourdain.

Regarded as one of the greatest books about food ever written, Kitchen Confidential lays bare the wild tales of the culinary industry. From his lowly position as a dishwasher in Provincetown to cooking at some of the finest restaurants across the world, the much-loved Bourdain translates his sultry, sarcastic and quick-witted personality to paper in this uncensored 'sex, drugs, bad behaviour and haute cuisine' account of life as a professional chef. Bourdain's tales of the kitchen are as passionate as they are unpredictable, as shocking as they are funny.

Everything I Know About Love

By dolly alderton.

Dolly Alderton, perhaps more than any other author, represents the rise of the messy millennial woman – in the very best way possible. Her internationally bestselling memoir gives an unflinching account of the bad dates and squalid flat-shares, the heartaches and humiliations, and most importantly, the unbreakable female friendships that defined her twenties. She weaves together personal stories, satirical observations, a series of lists, recipes, and other vignettes that will strike a chord of recognition with women of every age. This is a memoir that you'll discuss with loved ones long after the final page. 

The best sports autobiographies and biographies

By chris kamara.

Presenter, commentator, (sometimes masked) singer, footballer, manager and campaigner, Kammy's action-packed career has made him a bona fide British hero. Kammy had a tough upbringing, faced racism on the terraces during his playing career and has, in recent years, dealt with a rare brain condition – apraxia – that has affected his speech and seen him say goodbye to Sky Sports. With entertaining stories of his playing career from Pompey to Leeds and beyond; his management at Bradford City and Stoke; his crazy travels around the world; of  Soccer Saturday  banter; presenting  Ninja   Warrior ; and the incredible friendships he's made along the way,  Kammy  is an unforgettable ride from one of Britain's best-loved broadcasters.

Alone on the Wall

By alex honnold.

In the last forty years, only a handful of climbers have pushed themselves as far, ‘free soloing’ to the absolute limit of human capabilities. Half of them are dead. Although Alex Honnold’s exploits are probably a bit  too  extreme for most of us, the stories behind his incredible climbs are exciting, uplifting and truly awe-inspiring. Alone on the Wall  is a book about the essential truth of being free to pursue your passions and the ability to maintain a singular focus, even in the face of mortal danger. This updated edition contains the account of Alex's El Capitan climb, which is the subject of the Oscar and BAFTA winning documentary,  Free Solo .

On Days Like These

By martin o'neill.

Martin O’Neill has had one of the most incredible careers in football.   With a story spanning over fifty years, Martin tells of his exhilarating highs and painful lows; from the joys of winning trophies, promotion and fighting for World Cups to being harangued by fans, boardroom drama, relegation scraps and being fired. Written with his trademark honesty and humour,  On Days Like These  is one of the most insightful and captivating sports autobiographies and a must-read for any fans of the beautiful game.

Too Many Reasons to Live

By rob burrow.

As a child, Rob Burrow was told he was too small to be a rugby player. Some 500 games for Leeds later, Rob had proved his doubters wrong: he won eight Super League Grand Finals, two Challenge Cups, three World Club Challenges and played for his country in two World Cups. In 2019 though, Rob was diagnosed with motor neurone disease and given just two years to live. He went public with the news, determined to fight it all the way. Full of love, bravery and kindness, this is the story of a man who has awed his fans with his positive attitude to life.

With You Every Step, a celebration of friendship by Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield

At home with muhammad ali, by hana yasmeen ali.

Written by his daughter Ali using material from her father's audio journals, love letters and her treasured family memories, this sports biography offers an intimate portrait of one of boxing's most legendary figures, and one of the most iconic sports personalities of all time. 

They Don't Teach This

By eniola aluko.

In her autobiography, footballer Eni Aluko addresses themes of dual nationality, race and institutional prejudice, success, gender and faith through her own experiences growing up in Britain. Part memoir, part manifesto for change, They Don't Teach This is a must-read book for 2020. 

Touching The Void

By joe simpson.

A million-copy bestseller, Touching The Void recounts Joe Simpson and Simon Yate's near fatal dscent after climbing Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes. A few days after reaching the summit of the mountain, Simon staggered into Base Camp, exhausted and frost-bitten, with news that that Joe was dead. What happened to Joe, and how the pair dealt with the psychological traumas that resulted when Simon was forced into the appalling decision to cut the rope, makes not only an epic of survival but a compelling testament of friendship. 

The best celebrity autobiographies and biographies

By adrian edmondson.

From brutal schooldays to 80s anarchy, through The Young Ones and beyond, Berserker! is the one-of-a-kind, fascinating memoir from an icon of British comedy, Adrian Edmondson. His star-studded anecdotes and outrageous stories are set to a soundtrack of pop hits, transporting the reader through time and cranking up the nostalgia. But, as one would expect, these stories are also a guaranteed laugh as Ade traces his journey through life and comedy. 

Being Henry

By henry winkler.

Brilliant, funny, and widely-regarded as the nicest man in Hollywood, Henry Winkler shares the disheartening truth of his childhood, the difficulties of a life with severe dyslexia and the pressures of a role that takes on a life of its own. Since the glorious era of  Happy Days  fame, Henry has endeared himself to a new generation with roles in such adored shows as  Arrested Development and  Barry , where he’s revealed himself as an actor with immense depth and pathos. But Being Henry  is about so much more than a life in Hollywood and the curse of stardom. It is a meaningful testament to the power of sharing truth and of finding fulfillment within yourself.

What Are You Doing Here?

By floella benjamin.

Actress, television presenter, member of the House of Lords – Baroness Floella Benjamin is an inspiration to many. But it hasn't always been easy: in What Are You Doing Here?   she describes her journey to London as part of the Windrush generation, and the daily racism that caused her so much pain as a child. She has gone on to remain true to her values, from breaking down barriers as a Play School presenter to calling for diversity at the BBC and BAFTA to resisting the pressures of typecasting. Sharing the lessons she has learned, imbued with her joy and positivity, this autobiography is the moving testimony of a remarkable woman.

Life Lessons

By jay blades.

‘Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.’ Let Jay’s words of wisdom – gleaned from his own triumphs over adversity – help you to find your best path through life. Filled with characteristic warmth and humour, Jay talks about the life lessons that have helped him to find positivity and growth, no matter what he’s found himself facing. Jay shares not only his adventures and escapades but also the way they have shaped his outlook and helped him to live life to the fullest. His insight and advice give you everything you need to be able to reframe your own circumstances and make the best of them.

A Funny Life

By michael mcintyre.

Comic Michael McIntyre specialises in pin-sharp observational routines that have made him the world's bestselling funny man. But when he turns his gaze to himself and his own family, things get even funnier. This bracingly honest memoir covers the highs, lows and pratfalls of a career in comedy, as Michael climbs the greasy pole of success and desperately attempts to stay up there.

by Elton John

Elton John is one of the most successful singer/songwriters of all time, but success didn't come easily to him. In his bestselling autobiography, he charts his extraordinary life, from the early rejection of his work to the heady heights of international stardom and the challenges that came along with it. With candour and humour, he tells the stories of celebrity friendships with John Lennon, George Michael and Freddie Mercury, and of how he turned his life around and found love with David Furnish. Me is the real story of the man behind the music. 

And Away...

By bob mortimer.

National treasure and beloved entertainer, Bob Mortimer, takes us from his childhood in Middlesborough to working as a solicitor in London in his highly acclaimed autobiography. Mortimer’s life was trundling along happily until suddenly in 2015 he was diagnosed with a heart condition that required immediate surgery and forced him to cancel an upcoming tour. The book covers his numerous misadventures along his path to fame but also reflects on more serious themes, making this both one of the most humorous and poignant celebrity memoirs of recent years. 

by Walter Isaacson

Based on interviews conducted with Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson's biography of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs is filled with lessons about innovation, leadership, and values and has inspired a movie starring Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet and Seth Rogen. Isaacson tells the story of the rollercoaster life and searingly intense personality of creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized the tech industry. Although Jobs cooperated with this book, he asked for no control over what was written and put nothing off limits, making this an unflinchingly candid account of one of the key figures of modern history.

Maybe I Don't Belong Here

By david harewood.

When David Harewood was twenty-three, his acting career began to take flight and he had what he now understands to be a psychotic breakdown. He was physically restrained by six police officers, sedated, then hospitalized and transferred to a locked ward. Only now, thirty years later, has he been able to process what he went through. In this powerful and provocative account of a life lived after psychosis, critically acclaimed actor, David Harewood, uncovers a devastating family history and investigates the very real impact of racism on Black mental health.

Scenes from My Life

By michael k. williams.

When Michael K. Williams died on 6 September 2021, he left behind a career as one of the most electrifying actors of his generation. At the time of his death, Williams had nearly finished his memoir, which traces his life in whole, from his childhood and his early years as a dancer to his battles with addiction. Alongside his achievements on screen he was a committed activist who dedicated his life to helping at-risk young people find their voice and carve out their future. Imbued with poignance and raw honesty,  Scenes from My Life  is the story of a performer who gave his all to everything he did – in his own voice, in his own words.

The best political and historical autobiographies

The fall of boris johnson, by sebastian payne.

Sebastian Payne, Whitehall Editor for the Financial Times, tells the behind-the-scenes story of the fall of former Prime Minister, Boris Johnson. After being touted saviour of the Conservative Party, it took Johnson just three years to resign after a series of scandals. From the blocked suspension of Owen Patterson to Partygate and the Chris Pincher allegations, Payne gives us unparalleled access to those who were in the room when key decisions were made, ultimately culminating in Boris's downfall. This is a gripping and timely look at how power is gained, wielded and lost in Britain today.

by Sung-Yoon Lee

The Sister , written by Sung-Yoon Lee, a scholar and specialist on North Korea, uncovers the truth about Kim Yo Jong and her close bond with Kim Jong Un. In 2022, Kim Yo Jong threatened to nuke South Korea, reminding the world of the dangers posed by her state. But how did the youngest daughter of Dear Leader Kim Jong Il, his ‘sweet princess’, become the ruthless chief propagandist, internal administrator and foreign policymaker for her brother’s totalitarian regime? Readable and insightful, this book is an invaluable portrait of a woman who might yet hold the survival of her despotic dynasty in her hands.

Long Walk To Freedom

By nelson mandela.

Deemed 'essential reading for anyone who wants to understand history' by former US President, Barack Obama, this is the autobiography of one of the world's greatest moral and political leaders, Nelson Mandela. Imprisoned for more than 25 years, president of the African National Congress and head of South Africa's anti-apartheid movement, the Nobel Peace Prize winner's life was nothing short of extraordinary. Long Walk to Freedom vividly tells this story; one of hardship, resilience and ultimate triumph, written with the clarity and eloquence of a born leader. 

The Diary of a Young Girl

By anne frank.

No list of inspiring autobiographies would be complete without Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl . Charting the thirteen-year-old's time hiding in a 'Secret Annex' with her family to escape Gestapo detection, this book (which was discovered after Anne Frank's death), is a must-read, and a testament to the courage shown by the millions persecuted during the Second World War. 

The best literary autobiographies

The immortal life of henrietta lacks, by rebecca skloot.

Born to a poor black tobacco farmer in rural Virginia in 1920, Henrietta Lacks died of cancer when she was just 31. However, her story does not end there, as her cancer cells, taken without permission during her treatment continued to live on being used for research all over the world and becoming a multi-million dollar industry, with her family only learning of her impact more than two decades after her death. In The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Rebecca Skloot tells the story of a woman who never knew of her lifesaving impact and asks: do we ever really own our bodies? 

A Fortunate Woman

By polly morland.

Funny, emotional and imbued with great depth, A Fortunate Woman is an exploration of the life of a country doctor in a remote and wild wooded valley in the Forest of Dean. The story was sparked when writer and documentary maker Polly Morland found a photograph of the valley she lives in tucked inside a tattered copy of John Berger’s  A Fortunate Man . Itself an account of the life of a country doctor, the book inspired a woman doctor to follow her vocation in the same remote place. And it is the story of this woman that Polly Morland tells, in this compelling portrait of landscape and community.

Father and Son

By jonathan raban.

On 11 June 2011, three days short of his sixty-ninth birthday, Jonathan Raban suffered a stroke which left him unable to use the right side of his body. Learning to use a wheelchair in a rehab facility outside Seattle and resisting the ministrations of the nurses overseeing his recovery, Raban began to reflect upon the measure of his own life in the face of his own mortality. Together with the chronicle of his recovery is the extraordinary story of his parents’ marriage, the early years of which were conducted by letter while his father fought in the Second World War.

Crying in H Mart

By michelle zauner.

This radiant read by singer, songwriter and guitarist Michelle Zauner delves into the experience of being the only Asian-American child at her school in Eugene, Oregon, combined with family struggles and blissful escapes to her grandmother's tiny Seoul apartment. The family bond is the shared love of Korean food, which helped Michelle reclaim her Asian identity in her twenties. A lively, honest, riveting read.

The Reluctant Carer

By the reluctant carer.

The phone rings. Your elderly father has been taken to hospital, and your even older mother is home with nobody to look after her. What do you do? Drop everything and go and help of course. But it's not that straightforward, and your own life starts to fall apart as quickly as their health. Irresistibly funny, unflinching and deeply moving, this is a love letter to family and friends, to carers and to anyone who has ever packed a small bag intent on staying for just a few days. This is a true story of what it really means to be a carer, and of the ties that bind even tighter when you least expect it. 

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50 Best Autobiographies of All Time

Hannah Yang

Table of Contents

Top new autobiography books, best autobiographies of all time, most famous autobiographies, inspiring autobiographies, must-read autobiographies for athletes, top autobiographies about politics, good autobiographies about science.

Autobiographies allow us to experience other people’s lives from their own perspectives.

It can be really powerful to see the ways other people describe their own lives, especially when those people are inspiring figures or well-known celebrities.

So, what are some great autobiographies you can read?

This article will give you 50 fantastic autobiographies to add to your reading list across several categories: sports, politics, science, and more.

Let’s start our list with recent releases. Here are some great autobiographies that were published within the past five years.

1. A Promised Land by Barack Obama (2020)

In this powerful autobiography, President Barack Obama takes us on the journey that led to his presidency. He describes his time in the White House and how he handled issues like the global financial crisis and Operation Neptune’s Spear.

2. All In: An Autobiography by Billie Jean King (2021)

Billie Jean King writes about how she became the tennis legend she is today, with 39 Grand Slam titles and six years as the top-ranked female tennis player in the world. She incorporates her insights on leadership, activism, love, happiness, and more.

3. Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman by Alan Rickman (2022)

Alan Rickman, an actor famous for his roles in movies like Die Hard, Harry Potter, and many more, wrote these diaries from 1993 to 2016. These diaries are a rare peek into his inner world and all his real life stories from that time period.

4. I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy (2022)

Jennette McCurdy, famous for playing Sam Puckett on the Nickelodeon show iCarly, writes about her troubled relationship with her mother and how that dictated her choices until her mom passed away. She writes about her early life, her mental health, her acting career, and her struggle for independence.

5. Finding Me by Viola Davis (2022)

Famous actress Viola Davis writes about how she built her successful career and how she grounded herself in self-love and radical honesty. Her writing is intimate, personal, and moving.

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6. Spare by Prince Harry (2023)

Prince Harry tells the world about the loss of his mother, his time in the British Army, his relationship with Meghan Markle, and the tensions he’s faced with his older brother, the heir. Spare is raw and often heart-wrenching.

7. Easily Slip Into Another World: A Life in Music by Henry Threadgill (2023)

Henry Threadgill, a Pulitzer Prize-winning saxophonist, flutist, and composer, writes about his childhood in Chicago in the 1960s, his service in Vietnam, and his devotion to the art of jazz music.

Now it’s time to turn to the classics. Let’s look at some famous autobiographies that have truly stood the test of time.

8. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou (1969)

Maya Angelou writes about her childhood from age 3 to 16. She underwent many traumatic experiences, including racism and sexual assault, but she overcame those hardships to become one of the greatest American poets of all time. 

The Collected Autobiographies continues her story if I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings leaves you hungry for more.

9. Always Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A. by Luis J. Rodriguez (1993)

Luis J. Rodriguez writes about growing up immersed in L.A. gang culture. In the 1990s, Always Running was one of the most frequently banned books in the U.S. because of its graphic content and daring stance on police brutality.

10. A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway (1964)

Famous American writer Ernest Hemingway describes his experiences in Paris in the 1920s. He writes about his first wife Hadley, his son Jack, and his early experiments with the craft of writing.

11. An Autobiography by Agatha Christie (1977)

Agatha Christie, the Queen of Crime, invented some of the world’s most famous detectives, such as Hercule Poirot and Jane Marple. Her autobiography, published after her death, is considered by some to be one of her greatest literary masterpieces.

12. Chronicles Volume One by Bob Dylan (2004)

Award-winning musician Bob Dylan writes about his life and music in this famous autobiography. However, it’s worth mentioning that this book has been controversial for accusations of plagiarism, so read with discretion.

13. Bare by George Michael (1990)

George Michael, the lead singer of Wham!, writes about his rise to stardom. The people who knew George describe what happened behind the scenes, providing even deeper insight into what he was really like, not just as a performer but also as a person.

Many autobiographies have topped bestseller lists and even become household names. Here are some famous autobiographies that millions of people have read.

14. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank (1947)

Anne Frank, a young Jewish girl hiding from Nazi persecution throughout the Holocaust, tells her story in this heartbreaking diary. The Diary of a Young Girl is an absolute must-read if you haven’t read it already.

15. Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 1 by Mark Twain (2010)

Mark Twain completed his autobiography by 1910 but asked that it not be published for another 100 years. In 2010, when it was finally published, it became an instant New York Times bestseller that provides an intimate portrait of this famous author’s experiences.

16. The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X (1965)

Malcolm X was one of the most famous figures of the American civil rights movement. Alex Haley, an esteemed contributor to Reader’s Digest , compiled this autobiography using interviews and excerpts of Malcolm X’s writing.

17. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass (1845)

Frederick Douglass, an esteemed abolitionist and orator, chronicles his life story as a former slave in this vivid autobiographical account. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is widely considered one of the best autobiographies of all time.

18. Just Kids by Patti Smith (2010)

Artist Patti Smith writes about her relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, who later passed away due to AIDS. The book addresses sexuality, politics, and artistic expression in a moving and evocative way.

19. Cash: The Autobiography by Johnny Cash (1997)

Johnny Cash is a famous American musician, known for songs like “Folsom Prison Blues.” In this definitive biography, he writes about his spirituality, memories, and relationships.

20. Iacocca: An Autobiography by Lee Iacocca (1984)

Lee Iacocca, the son of Italian immigrants, became the president of Ford Motor Company and also helped Chrysler turn its fate around. His book tells us, in his own words, how he faced obstacles with integrity and grit.

If you’re looking for inspiration to help you change your life or make a difference in the world, reading an autobiography can be a great place to start. Many people have done incredible things that are sure to motivate you.

Here are some great examples of inspiring autobiographies.

21. I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai (2013)

The Taliban shot Malala Yousafzai for defending the right for Pakistani girls to get an education. Now, she’s one of the most courageous and inspiring figures in the world, and her bestselling memoir describes her journey.

22. Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda (1946)

Paramahansa Yogananda is the man most often credited with making yoga popular in the U.S. In Autobiography of a Yogi, he writes about his life story as well as his life lessons for readers who want to learn about yoga and finding inner peace.

23. The Autobiography of Gucci Mane by Gucci Mane (2017)

Gucci Mane, a prolific trap and hip-hop artist, started writing this memoir while incarcerated. His autobiography tells us about his childhood in Alabama, living on the streets in Atlanta, and his experience making music while overcoming obstacles.

24. Living for Change: An Autobiography by Grace Lee Boggs (1998)

Grace Lee Boggs is a human rights activist who never stopped fighting for a more just society. She writes about how she dedicated her life to her beliefs and helped make the world a fairer place.

25. The Story of My Experiments With Truth by Mohandas K. Gandhi (1925)

Mahatma Gandhi, famous for his civil disobedience campaigns, wrote this autobiography in weekly installments, which he published in his journal Navjivan. Now, the completed book has been named one of the “100 Best Spiritual Books of the 20th Century.”

26. The Story of My Life by Helen Keller (1902)

As a young child who was both blind and deaf, Helen Keller had no way to communicate with the world. Her teacher, Anne Sullivan, helped her learn how to rise above her disabilities. This compassionate memoir provides hope, courage, and faith for all of us.

27. Surpassing Certainty: What My Twenties Taught Me by Janet Mock (2017)

Janet Mock is an award-winning writer, director, and producer, as well as a trans rights advocate. In this inspiring memoir, she writes about what she learned in her twenties and how she found her path.

28. Becoming by Michelle Obama (2018)

Former first lady Michelle Obama writes about her extraordinary life in this inspirational memoir. Becoming is structured in three parts: Becoming Me, Becoming Us, and Becoming More. She writes about her childhood growing up in Chicago, her relationship with her husband Barack Obama, and their experiences serving in the White House.

It’s not easy to become a record-breaking athlete. It takes a lot of training, grit, and determination.

Many world-famous athletes have written autobiographies explaining how they reached such high levels of accomplishment in their fields. Here are a few great books by successful athletes.

29. Flying Free: My Victory Over Fear to Become the First Latina Pilot on the US Aerobatic Team by Cecilia Aragon (2020)

Cecilia Aragon started out as a meek, bullied young girl, then rose to become one of the most acclaimed female aerobatic pilots of all time. She writes about her experience joining the U.S. aerobatic team and her lifelong love of math.

30. Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, a Life in Balance by Simone Biles (2016)

Simone Biles is an American gymnast who’s won seven Olympic medals. In Courage to Soar , she talks about how she overcame obstacles and trained incessantly to become the greatest in her sport.

31. Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi (2009)

Andre Agassi was raised to be a tennis champion from a young age by his exacting father. Though Agassi dominated on the court, he often resented the sport in his personal life, and Open documents his complicated feelings throughout his career.

32. The Game by Ken Dryden (1983)

The Game , which was named one of the “Top 10 Sports Books of All Time” by Sports Illustrated , tells the story of Ken Dryden, a legendary Canadian hockey player. He writes about his fellow players, his life on the road, and his worldview both on and off the ice.

33. Drive: The Story of My Life by Larry Bird (1989)

Larry Bird, who has won three NBA MVP awards, has often been viewed as one of the most private and mysterious basketball legends. In Drive, he reveals all the private feelings that he rarely shared publicly, including the story behind his failed marriage and his decision to transfer schools.

34. Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan (2015)

William Finnegan started surfing as a young child and went on to chase waves around the world: Australia, Asia, Africa, and more. His autobiography reads almost like an adventure story, showing how he mastered the art of surfing.

35. I Always Wanted to Be Somebody by Althea Gibson (1958)

Althea Gibson was the first African American tennis player to win at Wimbledon. Her autobiography explains how she triumphed over a difficult childhood to achieve athletic success.

36. Strongman: My Story by Eddie Hall (2017)

Eddie “The Beast” Hall is a British strongman who won the World’s Strongest Man competition. He writes about the training, nutrition, and dedication required to make it as a professional strongman.

Many politicians write autobiographies describing the ways their leadership impacted their communities.

Here are some famous political autobiographies, which might be well worth a read.  

37. Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela (1994)

Nelson Mandela, the first Black president of South Africa, tells his life story in Long Walk to Freedom. He writes about his experiences growing up, training as a lawyer, becoming an anti-apartheid activist, and getting sentenced to life in prison.

38. Madam Secretary: A Memoir by Madeleine Albright (2003)

Madam Secretary tells the story of Madeleine Albright, who served as U.S. Secretary of State during Bill Clinton’s presidency. She writes about how she approached peace in the Middle East, NATO’s interventions abroad, and many other prominent global affairs issues.

39. My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor (2013)

Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, writes about growing up in a low-income Puerto Rican immigrant family and how her childhood shaped her rise to success. This inspiring story will remind you that anyone with enough dedication can achieve their dreams.

40. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin (1909)

Benjamin Franklin wrote his autobiography in the 1770s–1790s, but it wasn’t published until 1909. Now you can read about the life of one of America’s Founding Fathers and his moral views on the society he lived in.

41. An Autobiography by Jawaharlal Nehru (1936)

Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of independent India, wrote this book while in prison from 1934–1935. He writes about his vision for modern India and his views on both history and the present.

42. Daughter of the East: An Autobiography by Benazir Bhutto (1988)

Benazir Bhutto’s father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was a prime minister of Pakistan who was executed in 1979. In Daughter of the East, Benazir Bhutto writes about how she took up her father’s mantle and began leading the Pakistan People’s Party.

43. The Truths We Hold by Kamala Harris (2019)

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris writes about her upbringing in an immigrant family in California, her passion for justice, and her rise to one of the highest leadership roles in the U.S. She also reckons with the truths that define her country and how we can face them.

Finally, let’s finish our list with some autobiographies written by incredible scientists. These people made discoveries that changed the world, and it’s fascinating to hear about the life events that led them to those discoveries.

44. The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA by James D. Watson (1968)

James Watson writes about how he and his partner Francis Crick discovered the double helix structure of DNA. This tremendous breakthrough won them a Nobel Prize and revolutionized the future of biology.

45. Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! by Richard Feynman (1985)

In this witty and lighthearted autobiography, Richard Feynman, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, recounts his life in physics. His voice shines through in this book, which is simultaneously eccentric, funny, and brilliant.

46. My Brief History by Stephen Hawking (2013)

Stephen Hawking writes about how he triumphed over Lou Gehrig’s Disease to become one of the most famous scientists of all time. He also explains his breakthrough research into black holes and quantum gravity.

47. Letters from the Field, 1925–1975 by Margaret Mead (1977)

Margaret Mead sent letters to her family and friends while she was conducting field research in Samoa, New Guinea, Bali, and more. These smart, lyrical, and insightful letters show us the inner world of a wonderful scientist.

48. Jane Goodall: 50 Years at Gombe: A Tribute to Five Decades of Wildlife Research, Education, and Conservation by Jane Goodall (2013)

Dr. Jane Goodall tells us about her groundbreaking studies of chimpanzee behavior and her philanthropic work across five decades. Photos accompany her writing to make this book come to life. 

49. An Appetite for Wonder: The Makings of a Scientist by Richard Dawkins (2013)

Richard Dawkins, a renowned evolutionary biologist, writes about his personal evolution as a scientist. An Appetite for Wonder covers his childhood in colonial Kenya, his education at Oxford, and his work championing a gene-centered perspective on evolution.

50. On the Move: A Life by Oliver Sacks (2015)

Dr. Oliver Sacks was a British neurologist who authored many bestselling books, including The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. In On the Move , he writes about his childhood, his experience coming out as a gay man, his drug addiction, and many more personal experiences in a moving and incisive way.

There you have it—our picks for the top autobiographies of all time.

Good luck, and happy reading!

Hannah is a speculative fiction writer who loves all things strange and surreal. She holds a BA from Yale University and lives in Colorado. When she’s not busy writing, you can find her painting watercolors, playing her ukulele, or hiking in the Rockies. Follow her work on hannahyang.com or on Twitter at @hannahxyang.

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Best Autobiographies

These are the top autobiographies and memoirs according to the web’s most popular book blogs. ranked by how often they were featured..

13 inspiring autobiographies everyone should read

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There are few things as inspiring as a firsthand account of greatness. While fiction can give us a glimpse into a world that may feel too perfect for our reality, stories that actually happened can be just as, if not more, amazing.

The people we now regard as masters of their craft were once just another kid with a dream — to make music, to write, to make people laugh, to change the world. And through the autobiography, we can get a glimpse into the life and struggle that took place before the world learned who they were.

These stories can be found in most every field — memoirs of businessmen, musicians, comedians, writers, and politicians — whatever you aspire to be, you can probably find an account of someone’s path toward a similar goal.

Below is a collection of autobiographies that I’ve read or had recommended to me by friends, family, and the internet. If you’re looking for a bit of inspiration to help you further your craft, or if you simply need a new book to read and are a big fan of Johnny Cash or Bryan Cranston, there’s probably something here for you.

“Kitchen Confidential: Adventures In The Culinary Underbelly” by Anthony Bourdain

Anthony Bourdain has something of a dream life today, traveling the world to explore tastes and cultures in a way very few will ever get the chance to do. But before he was a jet setter, he was a chef. In "Kitchen Confidential," readers get a window into the wild world of his restaurant days, including sex, drugs, and culinary expertise.

Buy it here >>

“Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life” by Steve Martin

One of the first funnymen I was introduced to as a child, Steve Martin is a legendary performer of stage, screen, magic, and banjo. His memoir recounts stories of his childhood, including starting his career at Disneyland and the discipline and sacrifice it took to perform as much as he did. This one is a personal favorite, and a must-read for any aspiring performer.

“A Moveable Feast” by Ernest Hemingway

One of the greatest writers to have ever lived, Hemingway’s "A Moveable Feast" gives readers a glimpse of his life as a young, poor writer in Paris in the 1920s, and the thoughts and activities that filled his days. The book captures intimates scenes from cafes, bars, and apartments, and features cameos and conversations with James Joyce, F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound, and more.

“The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told by Alex Haley” by Malcolm X

Named one of the ten most important nonfiction books of the twentieth century by TIME magazine, "Malcolm X" tells readers firsthand the story of one of the most important activists, speakers, and fighters in the struggle for change in America.

“A Life in Parts” by Bryan Cranston

Before he was Heisenberg, Bryan Cranston was a lot of things, playing roles including paperboy, farmhand, security guard, dating consultant, murder suspect, dock loader, lover, husband, and father over the course of his prolific acting career. In his memoir, he provides readers with stories of his youth, his journey as an actor, and landing the role that would change his career forever, Walter White.

“Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time” by Howard Schultz

Before it was the International Coffee Making Machine that it is today, Starbucks was a single store on the Seattle waterfront that just made good coffee. In "Pour Your Heart Into It," CEO Howard Schultz goes through the guiding philosophies and principles that have helped shape his business, and the wisdom he’s gained over the years while growing that single store into over 1,600 when the book was published back in 1999. Today, there are 21,000 Starbucks stores worldwide.

“On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft” by Stephen King

Stephen King is one of the most gifted and prolific writers in American history, creating so many works of such high-quality that it can be tough to imagine how he does it. Here, he details the habits and convictions that have helped him create the horrifying works he’s crafted for the world — essential reading for any aspiring writer.

“Losing My Virginity: How I Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way,” by Richard Branson

Richard Branson is one of the most successful entrepreneurs of his generation, with ventures in music, airlines, retail, and even soda. It happened thanks in part to his stated philosophy of "Oh, screw it, let’s do it" and a few of his other personal rules for success. For anyone out there who wants to start their own business, Branson’s book could serve you well.

“Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen

Released this past September, "Born to Run" has already been praised by critics all over. Starting with the story of when he and the E Street Band played the Super Bowl Halftime show in 2009 and weaving back in and out of his personal and musical history, this book is a great resource for any die hard fans of The Boss.

“Cash: The Autobiography” by Johnny Cash

The story of The Man in Black as he chooses to tell it. From childhood to stardom, the path for Johnny Case was never smooth, and that journey helped make his music as iconic as it is today. With stories of addiction, Elvis, and a love of his wife, this book allows readers a more detailed look at the history that inspired his work.

“Life” by Keith Richards

It’s hard to imagine a person on the planet who has lived a more interesting life than Keith Richards. A founding member of the Rolling Stones, Richards defined for many what it meant to be a rock star, and here he tells his audience about his life of drugs, music, love, and more drugs.

“Long Walk to Freedom” by Nelson Mandela

The book that inspired the recent film about the man who inspired so many. Nelson Mandela was one of the most influential moral and political leaders the world has seen. In "Long Walk to Freedom," Mandela recounts the struggles that made up his life, and his journey from prison to triumph. 

“My Booky Wook” by Russell Brand

You’ll probably recognize Russell Brand as the musical sexpot Aldous Snow from "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," but before breaking big, Brand was living quite a life. In his book, the comic is strikingly candid about his relationship with heroin, and his ability to freely form words into captivating sentences translates extremely well from the microphone to the page. 

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14 celebrity autobiography books you won't want to put down

The must-read celebrity memoirs for 2023.

While we love a novel, there's nothing quite like getting stuck into a candid celebrity memoir that reveals the real person behind the persona. From tragic childhood stories to turbulent relationships and their journeys to success, they're sometimes funny, often relatable, and almost always inspire us in some way.

Whether you're interested in the lives of royals like Prince Harry , US celebrities like Britney Spears and Matthew Perry , or  British TV stars like Holly Willoughby , we've found something for everyone.

Trending celebrity autobiographies at a glance

• Britney Spears - The Woman In Me
• Matthew Perry - Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing
• Prince Harry - Spare
• Jada Pinkett Smith - Worthy
• Michelle Obama - Becoming

You may also like

How we chose the best celebrity autobiographies.

• Bestsellers: All of the celebrity memoirs in this edit have been bestsellers on Amazon and many are Amazon Editor's Picks.
• Trending: We've included all of the most talked about celebrity autobiographies right now.
• Reading & listening options:  Each book is available in a range of forms, from paperback to Kindle and Audible.

The best celebrity autobiographies to read now

Scroll on for 14 of the best celebrity memoirs that deserve a place on your bookshelf.

Britney Spears, The Woman In Me

Britney 's highly-anticipated memoir was released on 24 October, and she's finally speaking in her own words about her heartbreaking personal struggles, from her relationships - most notably with Justin Timberlake - her exploitation by the media, and the conservatorship that ruled her life for 13 years.

Matthew Perry, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing

Friends star Matthew Perry released his memoir last year, less than 12 months before he tragically died in October 2023. It was an instant New York Times bestseller thanks to his very candid account of his addictions, and revelations about what it was really like behind the scenes on one of the biggest TV shows of all time.

Prince Harry, Spare

Released in January, Prince Harry's debut book was already a bestseller on pre-orders alone. The candid memoir details his life including the death of his mother Princess Diana and meeting his now wife Meghan Markle . All proceeds from the book go to British charities.

Pamela Anderson, Love, Pamela

Following 2022's explosive Pam & Tommy mini-series, Pamela Anderson  set the record straight in her own words with her first memoir. Alternating between storytelling and her own poetry, she reveals all from her childhood to her relationships and life in the Playboy Mansion.

Paris Hilton, Paris: The Memoir

We all know Paris Hilton as a 00s icon - LA's most famous heiress and star of the reality show  The Simple Life,  but as we've since discovered, there's so much more to Hollywood's original It-girl. In her first memoir, Paris details what it was really like for her growing up, from being kidnapped to attend an ‘emotional growth' boarding school and the abuse she suffered there, to how she grew her global empire.

Michelle Obama, Becoming

If you're looking for a truly inspirational read, try  Michelle Obama 's award-winning memoir,  Becoming . Published in 2018 to critical acclaim, it's a deeply personal account of her life growing up in Chicago, her university days and her time spent serving as First Lady of the United States.

Jada Pinkett Smith, Worthy

Actress, singer-songwriter and host of the viral Red Table Talk , Jada Pinkett Smith 's autobiography is as honest and vulnerable as you'd expect. She writes candidly about her childhood in Baltimore, turbulent teen years and unconventional relationship with Will Smith, never shying away from revealing her insecurities or past mistakes.

Reese Witherspoon, Whiskey in a Teacup

Reese Witherspoon pays homage to her southern heritage in this part memoir part lifestyle guide. It's a collection of personal stories, beauty hacks and party hosting tips, with some of her grandmother Dorothea's best recipes thrown in for good measure.

Matthew McConaughey, Greenlights

Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey released Greenlights  as   an honest account of the lessons he's learnt in life. From his tough childhood in Texas to his pursuit of acting, through his old diaries he writes about his failures and successes and what he's taken from them.

Trevor Noah, Born a Crime

Trevor Noah’s bestselling memoir tells the story of his path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show . Born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother, which was at the time punishable by five years in prison, he was mostly kept hidden for the earliest years of his life. Finally liberated by the end of South Africa’s white rule, Trevor went on to fully embrace the opportunities won by a centuries-long struggle to become the star he is today.

Will Smith, Will

From rap star to A-list Hollywood actor, Will Smith has seen decades of success. Now, with the help of bestselling author Mark Manson, he's written his memoir, which also offers wisdom on how to overcome life's difficulties.

Priyanka Chopra, Unfinished

From growing up in India to winning the global beauty pageants that launched her acting career and becoming one of the most famous women in the world,  Priyanka 's memoir has a lot to pack in. It's honest, funny and a real eye-opener.

Holly Willoughby, Reflections

Holly Willoughby's autobiography book explores how to navigate emotionally challenging situations, from body image to burnout, and how to treat yourself with kindness. The TV Star said she's "sharing her truths" and reveals what works for her when life gets tricky. 

Tina Brown, The Vanity Fair Diaries

If you're interested in celebrity culture and what goes on behind the scenes at a glossy magazine, you'll love this memoir by former  Vanity Fair  editor-in-chief ,  Tina Brown. Based on her personal diaries, she shares everything that went down in New York and Hollywood in the 80s and it's seriously juicy.

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These 12 Stunning Autobiographies Will Leave You in Wonder

By Mia Barzilay Freund

We may earn a commission if you buy something from any affiliate links on our site.

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to win Wimbledon , run The Washington Post , or get drunk with Jimmy Buffett ? Through the best autobiographies and celebrity memoirs , we can access gripping true stories told in the words of the people who lived through them.

Translating experience into language is a creative act. Autobiography can be earnest or irreverent, playful or profound. Often, real life can be stranger than fiction. The best autobiographies bring us closer to remarkable people and circumstances—and they’re well-written, to boot.

But that’s not all. The best examples from the genre can provide insights that help us improve our own lives. After all, there’s nothing like a story of perseverance against all odds to prove anything is possible.

These tales of endurance, transformation, and unlikely triumph are sure to command your attention––and dare we say, inspire your own main character energy .

Open by Andre Agassi

You don’t need to love tennis to find yourself totally engrossed by the story of Agassi’s legendary career. Once the number-one player in the world, Agassi led a life of pressure and publicity—from his intense childhood coached by his father to his high-profile marriages to Brooke Shields and Steffi Graf to the acute physical pain of his last chapter in professional tennis. The book was written with the help of ghostwriter J. R. Moehringer, whose own memoir The Tender Bar inspired a 2021 film with Ben Affleck. (Moehringer most recently helped Prince Harry pen his memoir, Spare .)

The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls

The Glass Castle

A New York Times bestseller for more than eight years, this stunning memoir details the author’s unconventional upbringing and her trajectory from a trailer park in Arizona to the New York City literary scene. Under her troubled but relentlessly dreaming father, Wells nurtured her imagination as she and her siblings learned to fend for themselves within their dysfunctional household. Her approach was creative and sometimes painful—like when she suffered full-body burns cooking hot dogs at age three, or when she fashioned homemade braces from rubber bands and wire. A brilliant prequel, Half Broke Horses , focuses on Walls’s adventurous grandmother during the early 1900s.

The Accidental Life by Terry McDonell

The Accidental Life

A legend in the world of magazines and publishing, McDonell was the trusted editor and friend of literary greats like James Salter and George Plimpton. His 2016 memoir chronicles relationships and skirmishes across a four-decade career in journalism—from sipping wine with Jimmy Buffett to playing “acid golf” with Hunter S. Thompson. Each chapter comes marked with a word count, making for satisfying, self-contained dips into literary lore. Evocative, irreverent, and honest, McDonell’s memoir spans a wild and wonderful time in American media.

How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair

How to Say Babylon

A poet as well as a memoirist, Sinclair fills her 2023 memoir with lyrical descriptions of her upbringing in Montego Bay, Jamaica, where the Rastafarian faith into which she was born prescribed rigid codes on the basis of gender. However, language—specifically, poetry —served as a welcome escape, made possible by Sinclair’s literature-loving mother. Moving and unflinching, Babylon is an astonishing feat of memory set in motion.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

I Know Why the Caged Bird

Angelou enlarged and enriched the genre of autobiography with her 1969 account of her early life in Stamps, Arkansas. In it, she fashions her younger self into a literary character through whom she revisits events of the past. A young Maya endures affronts to her humanity through encounters with racism and sexual violence, but her story channels adolescent insecurity into self-possession, reflected in the author’s breathtaking command of language and narrative.

Easy Beauty by Chloé Cooper Jones

Easy Beauty

Born with sacral agenesis, a rare condition that affects her gait and stature, Cooper Jones is keenly aware of the reactions her physicality elicits. Her subtle and humorous 2022 memoir—a Pulitzer Prize finalist—challenges the reader to reassess the way bodies claim space , tracing how Cooper Jones’s own perspective shifts when she unexpectedly becomes a mother.

Personal History: A Memoir by Katharine Graham

Personal History

Graham’s Pulitzer Prize–winning autobiography explores her isolating upbringing amid extreme privilege, her exhilarating and agonizing marriage, and her leadership of The Washington Post during its coverage of events like the Pentagon Papers and the Watergate scandal. With its intimate insight into a formidable figure in American life, Graham’s Personal History makes the memoir a literary force.

Grace: A Memoir by Grace Coddington

Vogue ’s longtime creative director pulls back the curtain on the fashion industry and the creative world surrounding it, documenting the insecurities of moving from industry outsider to insider and the joy of bringing to life fashion fantasies in the magazine’s pages. Beginning with her upbringing in Wales and her early career in modeling, Coddington recounts things in a playful and characteristically British tone: the professional squabbles, artistic decisions, iconic outfits, and all. The memoir also features Coddington’s personal photographs, as well as lush spreads from her favorite features.

Por Estas Calles Bravas / Down These Mean Streets by Piri Tomás

Down These Mean Streets

Growing up in Spanish Harlem in the 1930s and ’40s, Tomás experienced discrimination and abuse on the basis of his Puerto Rican heritage. In an environment of poverty and violence, he fell into crime and drug addiction and eventually was incarcerated over a dispute with a police officer. His vivid personal account, available in both English and Spanish, details his journey from a place of hopelessness to self-acceptance through storytelling.

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

Douglass’s narrative is an important document of American history, as well as an essential piece of American literature. It records his experiences under slavery and his eventual escape and involvement in the abolition movement. A story of incredible hardship and triumph, the narrative includes the acquisition of language itself; Douglass taught himself to read and write, skills the enslaved were otherwise denied.

The Long Loneliness by Dorothy Day

The Long Loneliness

A leader in the Catholic Worker movement, Day was a radical political organizer and journalist governed by principles of nonviolence and charity. Her autobiography captures a storied life, including her religious conversion, her personal conflicts over motherhood, and her founding and operation of the Catholic Worker newspaper. Her autobiography stands as an exquisite piece of personal reflection and social activism (with a moving introduction by psychiatrist Robert Coles).

Night by Elie Wiesel

Written in 1960, Wiesel’s memoir is the sobering account of his experiences during the Holocaust, including his time in the Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps. At certain moments, his prose takes on a fractured, faltering quality, as if language itself fails to capture the horrors he endured. Sixty-four years after its publication, Night remains an important record of a dark chapter in recent history.

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13 Celebrity Autobiographies That Are Seriously Worth Reading

By Lindsey Lanquist

All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Celeb autobiographies can be pretty hit or miss. I don't want to name any names, but if all you've done is profit from an inherited empire of wealth, I'm probably not too interested in what you have to say. Some celebs, though, have risen to the occasion and penned—or hired someone to pen—books that are actually worth reading.

Below are 13 of our favorite celeb-authored books.

Modern Romance , Aziz Ansari

Aziz Ansari's Modern Romance isn't quite an autobiography, but the comedian did write it himself. The book is a thoughtful—but funny (of course)—look at the contemporary world of dating. And Ansari teamed up with an NYU sociologist to help him take a deeper dive into the technology-infused world of ~modern romance~. Get ready to learn something—and to have a serious laugh. (Shop here for $11.52.)

The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo , Amy Schumer

This book won't hit stores until August, but we're excited to see Amy Schumer's frank and unapologetic writing emerge in a new format. Anyone who loved Trainwreck , who watches Inside Amy Schumer on the reg, or who just has an affinity for funny women should look out for The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo. (Pre-shop here for $15.40.)

Bossypants , Tina Fey

Reading Tina Fey's writing is as entertaining as watching the actress on TV, so get ready to turn Bossypants ' pages as quickly as you'd hit the "continue watching" button on Netflix. Fey's autobiography tells her story from nerdy start to wildly successful finish, with a little bit of SNL in between. Plus, her novel's title and core message make an empowering point: "You're no one until someone calls you bossy." Hear that, ladies? (Shop here for $5.41.)

Seriously...I'm Kidding , Ellen DeGeneres

Everybody loves Ellen DeGeneres, and her book is packed with the same witty humor and silly personality the TV star has become known for. Hear anecdotes from the star's past, and flip the book over to read rave reviews about Seriously...I'm Kidding penned by the comedienne herself. "What I'm saying is, let us begin, shall we?" DeGeneres wrote in her book's intro. And seriously, what's holding you back? (Shop here for $10.20.)

In the Country We Love , Diane Guerrero

Orange Is The New Black actress Diane Guerrero has a seriously important story to tell, and she wants you to hear it. Her book, In the Country We Love , details her family's journey with immigration and deportation—painting a vivid picture of a social issue facing many in our country. Guerrero's story is one of strength and resilience in the face of adversity, and it's incredibly captivating. (Shop here for $11.75.)

Happy Accidents , Jane Lynch

Before Jane Lynch was a wildly popular actress known for her roles in Glee and The 40-Year-Old Virgin , she was a little girl from Illinois dreaming of making it in Hollywood. The story sounds familiar, but with Lynch's clever voice and hilarious anecdotes, her path to success was all but stereotypical. Lynch's book is amusing and inspiring—making it quite the page-turner. ** (Shop here for $14.99.) **

Not That Kind of Girl , Lena Dunham

Though Lena Dunham can be a somewhat polarizing figure, Not That Kind of Girl is a charming, unapologetic look at young womanhood. The book is a compilation of Dunham's essays, e-mails, and lists, and tells a coming-of-age story through the awkward, down-to-earth voice the author and actress has become known for. (Shop here for $17.72.)

Wildflower , Drew Barrymore

Drew Barrymore takes a more heartfelt, less humorous approach to telling her story with Wildflower . The book is fun and insightful, and it traces Barrymore's journey to the point of fulfillment she's reached today. Emotional and heartwarming, Wildflower is the perfect read for anyone craving a happy ending. (Shop here for $9.52.)

If You Ask Me , Betty White

No celeb autobiography list would be complete without a nod to Betty White—the queen of all queens. White's If You Ask Me paints a hilariously unglamorous look at the world of Hollywood through the eyes of someone who knows it better than most. Plus, who doesn't want to read about Betty White's frank opinions on the world? (Shop here for $9.28.)

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? , Mindy Kaling

Touted as one of the best recent celeb releases, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? is a beautiful and hilarious look at Mindy Kaling's transformation from obedient "chubster" child to acclaimed comedic writer and actress. Part journey to success story and part collection of humorous thoughts on the world, Kaling's book is everything you'd expect it to be, which is—in a word—magic. (Shop here for $8.05.)

My Horizontal Life , Chelsea Handler

Most people aren't brave or honest enough to pen an anthology of their one-night stands, but Chelsea Handler isn't most people. Her 2013 book, My Horizontal Life , leads the reader on a journey through wild nights out that end in equally exciting bouts of passion—over and over and over again. Handler's voice is classically blunt and humorous, leaving the reader constantly entertained. (Shop here for $6.05.)

Yes Please , Amy Poehler

Amy Poehler is phenomenal, and Yes Please is another example of the actress proving just how awesome she is. Filled with tales of doing cocaine and treating careers like bad boyfriends, Yes Please is the smart, hilarious read only Poehler could've written. Get ready to get to know the Parks and Recreation actress a whoooole lot better. (Shop here for $7.78.)

Scrappy Little Nobody , Anna Kendrick

Another upcoming release, Anna Kendrick's Scrappy Little Nobody is sure to be a hit. Kendrick's silly sense of humor makes pretty much anything she does fun and adorable, and we're excited to see what anecdotes Scrappy Little Nobody holds. (Pre-shop here for $16.06.)

Get ready to hit the bookstore and dive into these serious page-turners. And let us know which ones are your favorites!

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• Books About Death

12 Inspiring Biographies That’ll Change Your Perspective

Updated 09/26/2023

Published 06/17/2020

Kate Wight, BA in English

Contributing writer

Cake values integrity and transparency. We follow a strict editorial process to provide you with the best content possible. We also may earn commission from purchases made through affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more in our affiliate disclosure .

Biographies and autobiographies are some of the most life-changing books that exist. They allow us to learn more about individuals, both famous and relatively unknown.

Jump ahead to these sections:

Best inspiring biographies, most inspiring autobiographies, inspiring autobiographies for children and young adults.

We may find we form a deep connection to a stranger when we read about them based on shared life experiences. Or we may just learn more about someone who has a totally different background. Most of all, we can find ourselves inspired by witnessing the way a person has lived their life. 

Here, we’ll explore some of the best memoirs and biographies published in recent years that will make you see the world in a new light. 

People often want to be moved by the world around them. We look to other people to inspire us so that we can learn and grow. The right sources of inspiration can help us believe in ourselves.

They can even transform the way we live our lives. These biographies are sure to inspire you and challenge you. 

1. Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World by Tracy Kidder

Over the past several years, infectious diseases have dominated the national consciousness.

Global pandemics, the anti-vaccination movement, and preventative HIV medication are all part of this conversation. This biography focuses on the work of Dr. Paul Farmer. Farmer, a physician and anthropologist, fought tuberculosis in Haiti, Peru, and Russia. His story gives us hope that dedicated individuals are fighting to protect our health.  

View This Book on Amazon

2. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

In 1936, distance runner Louis Zamperini competed in the Berlin Olympics as a teenager, an astonishing feat. But while that would be a notable enough accomplishment to warrant a biography, it’s only the beginning of his story. 

In 1941 he was commissioned into the United States Air Force, where he served as a bombardier. When he was just 26 years old, his plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean on a search and rescue mission. Miraculously, he lived through the crash and went on to survive 47 days adrift at sea. Unfortunately, he was then captured in the Japanese-occupied Marshall Islands. He was taken to a prison camp and tortured as a POW for two and a half years until the end of World War II. 

Despite all of the ups and downs he encountered in his life, he discovered faith and the power of forgiveness. His story is proof that even after unimaginable hardship, the human spirit perseveres.  

3. Young Mandela by David James Smith

Many people know the name and the legacy of Nelson Mandela. He was a political leader, activist, and philanthropist who spent 27 years in prison, much of it in solitary confinement. His crime? Fighting to dismantle the oppressive South African apartheid regime. 

Upon his release, he became the first black president of South Africa and the first elected in a truly democratic election. Many people remember the benevolent, gray-haired Mandela from the latter part of his life.

This book focuses on his drive and leadership and his willingness to put himself on the line to invoke change. He is proof that one person can have enough of an impact to change the course of an entire nation.

View This Book on Amazon      

4. Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times by Thomas Hauser

Some people think celebrities and sports figures should keep their mouths shut about their personal beliefs and just do what they’re paid to do. One recent example of this is Colin Kaepernick. But sports figures have a lengthy history of fighting for their beliefs. Famed fighter Muhammad Ali was one of the earliest and most vocal. 

Like Kaepernick, his morals cost him years of his career. When he refused to be drafted to the Vietnam War as a conscientious objector, he was found guilty of draft evasion and stripped of his titles. But he appealed his decision all the way up to the Supreme Court, proving he was a tireless fighter in more ways than one.     

Biographies often focus on famous people, political figures, or other high-profile individuals. While celebrities also write memoirs, some of the most moving autobiographies come from people who are less well-known. Here are our picks for especially inspiring autobiographies.

5. Sully: My Search for What Really Matters by Chesley B. Sullenberger with Jeffrey Zaslow

On January 15, 2009, Americans were riveted by news reports of a near tragedy. A US Airways flight was forced into making an emergency landing after both of its engines were taken out by a flock of Canada geese.

Miraculously, pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger and his co-pilot were able to land the plane on the Hudson River without a single life lost. This story shows that on an average workday, a regular person can become a hero.      

6. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott

Bird by Bird is ostensibly a guide to help aspiring writers hone their craft. But it is so much more than that.

Lamott meditates on her awkward childhood, her history of addiction, and her journey toward faith. She also delves into deeply painful topics like the death of her beloved father.

This book shows how you can mine all your life’s experiences in aid of helping you tell compelling stories. It also demonstrates that you can overcome an incredible array of challenges and become a teacher and leader.  

7. Educated by Tara Westover

We trust our parents to prepare us for the world around us. Tara Westover’s parents raised her as a survivalist in the mountains of Idaho. She stewed herbs and canned fruits to sustain her family through the winter. What her parents didn’t do was allow her to seek an education or medical care.

At the age of 17, Westover stepped foot in a classroom for the first time in her life. She taught herself math and grammar and made it into college, and has traveled the world in pursuit of knowledge. Her story shows we can overcome the most hardscrabble and deprived upbringing.  

8. When I Fell From the Sky by Juliane Koepcke

When she was just 17, Koepcke miraculously survived a plane crash. Lightning struck her plane midflight and tore it apart. She plummeted two miles to the earth, still strapped to her seat.

She was flung far enough away from the wreckage that she had to spend 11 days navigating her way through the wilderness, even with grievous wounds. This tale of perseverance is unparalleled. 

Kids and young people often gravitate towards fictional stories. But autobiographies can be a great way to get them more interested in nonfiction books.

All children need people to look up to. These autobiographies can inspire the next generation to follow their dreams.  

9. I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai with Christina Lamb

For a lot of kids, school is tedious and boring. For Malala Yousafzai, the chance to go to school was worth risking her life. Malala grew up in the Swat Valley of Pakistan, which was seized by the Taliban. This extremist group is opposed to girls receiving any form of education. Malala refused to be intimidated and continued seeking an education. 

She nearly paid the ultimate price. When she was just fifteen years old, she was shot point-blank in the head on her bus ride home from school. Miraculously she survived and inspired the world with her courage and perseverance.   

10. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

The atrocities perpetrated against Jewish people during World War II can feel far removed from modern times. This memoir brings the harsh reality of living in Nazi-occupied Holland to life.

Anne Frank and her family spent two years living in hiding in cramped quarters. But the war is really just the backdrop. This memoir provides a human face to the sweeping historical injustices of the 1940s. It’s impossible to read the inner thoughts of a thirteen-year-old girl and not feel personally connected to her struggles.    

11. Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Jacqueline Woodson is a Newbery Honor award-winning author who is known for her poetic and evocative writing style. In her memoir-in-verse, Brown Girl Dreaming , Woodson talks about what it was like growing up as a young African-American girl in the 1960s.

In particular, she talks about the juxtaposition of living in New York vs. the segregated town of Greenville, South Carolina. This book will be especially inspiring for young African-American girls who don’t always get to see characters that look like them. 

12. Firebird by Misty Copeland

Misty Copeland is a ballet dancer for the American Ballet Theatre (ABT). The ABT is one of just a few leading classical ballet companies in the United States. In 2015, Copeland became the first African-American principal dancer in the company’s 75 years of existence.

This children’s book depicts a young ballerina who, much like Copeland herself, gets to dance the lead role in Firebird . It’s a great inspiration for children to show that they can achieve their dreams through hard work and dedication. 

Read These Inspirational Biographies for a Brand-New Perspective

There are so many books to read before you die . In truth, there’s no way to read all of the books you want to. But if you’re looking for inspiration, there’s nothing like a good memoir or biography to really move you.

Every one of us, young and old, can find something in someone else’s story to challenge us to become better. Someone’s life story told well can change your own life. 

If you're looking for more recommendations, read our guides on the best inspiring fiction and non-fiction books .

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Make Your Own List

Best Biographies

The best memoirs: the 2024 nbcc autobiography shortlist, recommended by may-lee chai.

Winner 2024 National Book Critics Circle Award for Autobiography

How to Say Babylon: A Memoir by Safiya Sinclair

It's been a "phenomenal" year for autobiographical writing, says May-lee Chai —the award-winning author and chair of the judges for this year's National Book Critics Circle prize for autobiography. Here she offers us a tour of the five memoirs that made their 2024 shortlist.

Interview by Cal Flyn , Deputy Editor

I Would Meet You Anywhere: A Memoir by Susan Kiyo Ito

Secret Harvests: A Hidden Story of Separation and the Resilience of a Family Farm by David Mas Masumoto

Rotten Evidence: Reading and Writing in an Egyptian Prison by Ahmed Naji, translated by Katharine Halls

Story of a Poem: A Memoir by Matthew Zapruder

1 I Would Meet You Anywhere: A Memoir by Susan Kiyo Ito

2 secret harvests: a hidden story of separation and the resilience of a family farm by david mas masumoto, 3 rotten evidence: reading and writing in an egyptian prison by ahmed naji, translated by katharine halls, 4 how to say babylon: a memoir by safiya sinclair, 5 story of a poem: a memoir by matthew zapruder.

T hanks for joining us. We love featuring the National Book Critics Circle shortlists ; they always surface excellent books we might otherwise have missed. What were you looking for when you were drawing up the 2024 NBCC shortlist of the best recent memoirs?

Did you notice any trends among this year’s submissions?

The first book on the 2024 shortlist is Susan Kiyo Ito’s memoir I Would Meet You Anywhere . It reflects on the author’s relationship with her birth mother, after being adopted as a child. Could you tell us more?

Susan Ito’s memoir tackles an important subject—how to know oneself when information key to one’s identity is deliberately withheld by law from a class of people. Ito is an adoptee who does not have the legal right to the files of her birth mother and by extension biological father. Ito is exploring this fundamental question of identity, who she is, who is her family, over the course of the decades that she spends tracking down her birth mother. Ito was raised by a Japanese American mother and father, but because she is herself mixed race, she stands out from her parents physically, in ways that other people remark upon as she is growing up. This lens allows Ito to examine many notions of family, how the construction of race in the U.S. informs who gets to be considered belonging in a family and in a community, and the ramifications of denying adoptees the rights to their own paperwork. Why is this still allowed? What are the implications of these commodifying and dehumanizing government policies? Ito’s memoir is a profound work.

Next, we have David Mas Masumoto’s Secret Harvests , a memoir that explores the secret history of his own Japanese-American family.

The author David Mas Masumoto discovers that he has a secret aunt, who had been made a ward of the state of California at age 12 in 1942 when the rest of her family was sent to incarceration camps. By the time he realizes she exists, the aunt is in hospice care and has been hidden away in a care facility for more than 70 years.

Her disability is tied to the racist policies of the era—she was denied proper medical care as a Japanese American child after contracting meningitis, and as a result is mentally disabled and can no longer speak or communicate verbally. This story reveals the racism of the state, its consequences on a family and a little girl, but it also reveals the shame that the family felt about disability. Masumoto wrestles with this complex history on the page, as he works to reunite the lost aunt with surviving family members and to track down information about what her life was like for all these years. This book also raises important questions about who is erased from historical texts in general and about the erasure of disabled people in particular.

The book features artwork by Patricia Wakida—maybe you’d tell us about that?

The author stated in the book why he asked Patricia Wakida to create original woodblock prints: it’s a traditional Japanese art form, and he wanted an artist who understood the story that he was telling and who could create culturally appropriate images. The art adds another layer of storytelling. We saw many autobiographies this year that combine text and image in some way. The nuanced way that the Wakida’s woodblock prints are in conversation with Masumoto’s narrative was very interesting.

The next book on the shortlist is a chronicle of the author’s time in Egyptian prison. Tell us about Rotten Evidence by Ahmed Naji. Why is it one of the best memoirs of 2024?

Just from the subtitle and description, we expected a harrowing story of the author’s imprisonment, and perhaps an indictment of censorship, but this memoir is also an erudite exploration of the power of literature, an appreciation of Arabic novels and texts, and a rumination on language. It’s a very literary memoir.

Rotten Evidence is also laugh-out-loud funny. Ahmed Naji’s distinctive voice is so strong in this book, thanks to Katharine Halls’ brilliant translation. Naji has an amazing ability to crack wise even in the face of oppression, pointing out the ironies of his captors’ illogic, pettiness, and lack of intellectual rigor as well as the indignities of prison life. That doesn’t sound at all funny, but Naji’s observations are witty and bold and sometimes just hilarious.

Ultimately, Rotten Evidence is about the power of literature as a form of self-liberation, a way to imagine freedom for the mind even when the body is imprisoned.

America is not Egypt. But a powerful book about free expression does feel timely. Would you agree?

Let’s talk about Safiya Sinclair’s How to Say Babylon . It’s an account of the author’s coming of age in a very strict Rastafarian household. Would you talk us through it?

This memoir is another story of literary self-liberation in many ways, as Safiya Sinclair finds poetry as a pathway out of her abusive, extremely restricted, patriarchal upbringing. Growing up in Jamaica, Sinclair must live by her increasingly paranoid father’s rules. Her physical appearance is controlled: she can’t wear pants, only skirts or dresses. She’s told she’s too outspoken, that she’ll never be a perfect Rasta girl. Her father beats her and her siblings in fits of rage at imagined transgressions. But Sinclair’s love of reading and poetry enable her to do well in school and she eventually frees herself from her father’s control. Sinclair is herself an accomplished poet, and she uses the literary skills of poetry in the telling of this story. Despite the harsh subject matter, her sentences are just gorgeous! For example, she writes, “The hiss of crickets prickled the night,” and, “My father’s silence spread like a fog over everything,” and, “The pale owl of my past still chases me down…” This is a book that deserves to be savored sentence by sentence.

Sounds like it might appeal to those who loved Tara Westover’s Educated . Does it give the reader an understanding of the Rastafarian belief system?

Finally, we have Matthew Zapruder’s literary memoir  Story of a Poem . It sounds rather beautiful. Would you talk our readers through the concept?

Matthew Zapruder writes poignantly of finding joy in the precision of poetry amidst the messiness of grief, parenting, and general stresses of modern life. On the one hand, Zapruder is taking the reader on an interior journey as he describes the process of completing a poem through multiple drafts, describing his own creative process. On the other, he describes more mundane, daily struggles that any one of us might be experiencing.

There’s a chapter about his experiences as a parent of a child on the autism spectrum, and his angst as a father. He’s posing existential questions about what it means to be responsible for another life. Then in a later chapter he’s struggling with smoke from the massive fires in Northern California during the early days of the pandemic. Climate change is another kind of existential threat that can seem overwhelming at the individual level.

Throughout, Zapruder demonstrates not only that reading and writing poetry are a salve for the anxiety of life’s problems, but also that poetry is an essential way of making sense of the world.

Story of a Poem is a memoir whose themes dovetail very powerfully with the other titles on the shortlist.

I agree. Do you think that, by reading about authors’ experiences and how they have come to terms with them, we can better approach our own lives?

I think autobiographies are fascinating because they provide so many kinds of insights! They can show us by example how other people have dealt with problems we might ourselves be facing. They can also show us the path not taken in our own lives. Or we get to live vicariously by reading about other people who may seem completely different on the surface. And when memoirs are in and of themselves artistic explorations, they can be inspiring at another level: as a way to reflect upon our daily lives as a source for artistic expression.

This year’s crop of autobiographies is so diverse in terms of aesthetic sensibilities and themes, they really pushed the boundaries of the genre. I’d love to see more publishers support writers like those on our shortlist who are taking creative risks, mixing genres, mixing artistic forms—prose and imagery, prose and poetry, et cetera—while exploring the self and the world with such thoughtfulness.

February 19, 2024

Five Books aims to keep its book recommendations and interviews up to date. If you are the interviewee and would like to update your choice of books (or even just what you say about them) please email us at [email protected]

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May-lee Chai

May-lee Chai is the author of eleven books of fiction, nonfiction, and translation including the American Book Award-winning story collection, Useful Phrases for Immigrants , and Tomorrow in Shanghai & Other Stories , which was longlisted for The Story Prize and a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice.

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Biography Online

List of Top 100 Famous People

A list of famous people, chosen mainly from the nineteenth, twentieth or twenty-first centuries. This list includes famous actors, politicians, entrepreneurs, writers, artists and humanitarians.

• Marilyn Monroe (1926 – 1962) American actress, singer, model
• Abraham Lincoln (1809 – 1865) US President during American civil war
• Nelson Mandela (1918 – 2013)  South African President anti-apartheid campaigner
• Queen Elizabeth II (1926 – 2022) British monarch since 1954
• John F. Kennedy (1917 – 1963) US President 1961 – 1963
• Martin Luther King (1929 – 1968)  American civil rights campaigner
• Winston Churchill (1874 –  1965 ) British Prime Minister during WWII
• Donald Trump (1946 – ) Businessman, US President.
• Bill Gates (1955 – ) American businessman, founder of Microsoft
• Muhammad Ali (1942 – 2016) American Boxer and civil rights campaigner
• Mahatma Gandhi (1869 – 1948) Leader of Indian independence movement
• Mother Teresa (1910 – 1997) Macedonian Catholic missionary nun
• Christopher Columbus (1451 – 1506) Italian explorer
• Charles Darwin (1809 – 1882) British scientist, theory of evolution
• Elvis Presley (1935 – 1977) American musician
• Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955) German scientist, theory of relativity
• Paul McCartney (1942 – ) British musician, member of Beatles
• Queen Victoria ( 1819 – 1901) British monarch 1837 – 1901
• Pope Francis (1936 – ) First pope from the Americas
• Jawaharlal Nehru (1889 – 1964) Indian Prime Minister 1947 – 1964
• Leonardo da Vinci ( 1452 – 1519) Italian, painter, scientist, polymath
• Vincent Van Gogh (1853 – 1890) Dutch artist
• Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882 – 1945) US President 1932 – 1945
• Pope John Paul II (1920 – 2005) Polish Pope
• Thomas Edison ( 1847 – 1931) American inventor
• Rosa Parks (1913 – 2005)  American civil rights activist
• Lyndon Johnson (1908 – 1973) US President 1963 – 1969
• Ludwig Beethoven (1770 – 1827) German composer
• Oprah Winfrey (1954 – ) American TV presenter, actress, entrepreneur
• Indira Gandhi (1917 – 1984) Prime Minister of India 1966 – 1977
• Eva Peron (1919 – 1952) First Lady of Argentina 1946 – 1952
• Benazir Bhutto (1953 – 2007) Prime Minister of Pakistan 1993 – 1996
• George Orwell (1903 – 1950) British author
• Vladimir Putin (1952 – ) Russian leader
• Dalai Lama (1938 – ) Spiritual and political leader of Tibetans
• Walt Disney (1901 – 1966) American film producer
• Neil Armstrong (1930 – 2012) US astronaut
• Peter Sellers (1925 – 1980) British actor and comedian
• Barack Obama (1961 – ) US President 2008 – 2016
• Malcolm X (1925 – 1965) American Black nationalist leader
• J.K.Rowling (1965 – ) British author
• Richard Branson (1950 – ) British entrepreneur
• Pele (1940 – ) Brazilian footballer, considered greatest of 20th century.
• Angelina Jolie (1975 – ) Actress, director, humanitarian
• Jesse Owens (1913 – 1980) US track athlete, 1936 Olympics
• John Lennon (1940 – 1980) British musician, member of the Beatles
• Henry Ford (1863 – 1947) US Industrialist
• Haile Selassie (1892 – 1975) Emperor of Ethiopia 1930 – 1974
• Joseph Stalin (1879 – 1953) Leader of Soviet Union 1924 – 1953
• Lord Baden Powell (1857 – 1941) British Founder of scout movement
• Michael Jordan (1963 – ) US Basketball star
• Vladimir Lenin (1870 – 1924) Leader of Russian Revolution 1917
• Ingrid Bergman (1915 – 1982) Swedish actress
• Fidel Castro (1926 – ) President of Cuba 1976 – 2008
• Leo Tolstoy (1828 – 1910) Russian author and philosopher
• Greta Thunberg (2003 – ) Environmentalist activist)
• Pablo Picasso (1881 – 1973) Spanish modern artist
• Oscar Wilde (1854 – 1900) Irish author, poet, playwright
• Coco Chanel (1883 – 1971) French fashion designer
• Charles de Gaulle (1890 – 1970) French resistance leader and President 1959 – 1969
• Amelia Earhart ( 1897 – 1937) Aviator
• John M Keynes (1883 – 1946) British economist
• Louis Pasteur (1822 – 1895) French chemist and microbiologist
• Mikhail Gorbachev (1931 – ) Leader of Soviet Union 1985 – 1991
• Plato (423 BC – 348 BC) Greek philosopher
• Adolf Hitler (1889 – 1945) leader of Nazi Germany 1933 – 1945
• Sting (1951 – ) British musician
• Elon Musk (1971 – ) Business magnate, and entrepreneur.
• Mary Magdalene (4 BCE – 40CE) devotee of Jesus Christ
• Alfred Hitchcock (1899 – 1980) English / American film producer, director
• Michael Jackson (1958 – 2009) American musician
• Madonna (1958 – ) American musician, actress, author
• Mata Hari (1876 – 1917) Dutch exotic dancer, executed as spy
• Cleopatra (69 – 30 BCE) Queen of Egypt
• Grace Kelly (1929 – 1982) American actress, Princess of Monaco\
• Malala Yousafzai  (1997 – ) Pakistani human rights activist
• Steve Jobs (1955 – 2012) co-founder of Apple computers
• Ronald Reagan (1911 – 2004) US President 1981-1989
• Lionel Messi (1987 – ) Argentinian footballer
• Babe Ruth (1895 – 1948) American baseball player
• Bob Geldof (1951 – ) Irish musician, charity worker
• Roger Federer (1981 – ) Swiss Tennis player
• Sigmund Freud (1856 – 1939) Austrian psychoanalyst
• Woodrow Wilson (1856 – 1924) US president 1913 – 1921
• Mao Zedong (1893 – 1976) Leader of Chinese Communist revolution
• Katherine Hepburn (1907 – 2003) American actress
• Audrey Hepburn (1929 – 1993) British actress and humanitarian
• David Beckham (1975 – )  English footballer
• Tiger Woods (1975 – ) American golfer
• Usain Bolt (1986 – ) Jamaican athlete and Olympian
• Carl Lewis (1961 – ) US athlete and Olympian
• Prince Charles (1948 – )  Heir to British throne
• Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (1929 – 1994) American wife of JF Kennedy
• Joe Biden (1942 – ) US President
• Kim Kardashian (1980 – ) American socialiate
• C.S. Lewis (1898 – 1963) British author
• Billie Holiday (1915 – 1959) American jazz singer
• J.R.R. Tolkien (1892 – 1973) British author
• Billie Jean King (1943 – ) American tennis player and human rights activist
• Margaret Thatcher (1925 – 2013) British Prime Minister 1979 – 1990

More famous people

• Anne Frank (1929 – 1945) Dutch Jewish author who died in Holocaust
• Simon Bolivar (1783 – 1830) Venezuelan independence activist in South America.
• Marie Antoinette (1755 – 1793) French Queen, executed during the French revolution
• Cristiano Ronaldo  (1985 – ) Portuguese footballer.
• Emmeline Pankhurst  (1858 – 1928) English suffragette.
• Emile Zatopek  (1922 – 2000) Czech athlete
• Desmond Tutu (1931 – 2021) South African Bishop and opponent of apartheid
• Lech Walesa  (1943 – ) Polish leader of Solidarity movement
• Julie Andrews  (1935 – ) British singer, actress
• Florence Nightingale  (1820 – 1910) British nurse
• Marie Curie  (1867 – 1934) Polish / French scientist
• Stephen Hawking (1942 – ) British scientist
• Tim Berners Lee (1955 – ) English creator of World Wide Web
• Aung San Suu Kyi (1945 – ) Burmese opposition leader
• Lance Armstrong (1971 – ) American cyclist
• Shakira  (1977 – ) Colombian singer
• Jon Stewart (1962 – ) American comedian
• Wright Brothers   Orville (1871 – 1948) and Wilbur (1867 – 1912) American inventors, aviation pioneers
• Ernest Hemingway (1899 – 1961) American author
• Roman Abramovich (1966 – ) Russian oligarch
• Tom Cruise (1962 – ) American actor
• Rupert Murdoch (1931 – ) Media owner of News Corporation
• Al Gore (1948 – ) US presidential candidate and environmental campaigner
• Sacha Baron Cohen (1971 – ) English comedian
• George Clooney (1961 – ) American actor and political activist
• Paul Krugman  (1953 – ) American Nobel Prize winning economist
• Jimmy Wales (1966 – ) American creator of Wikipedia
• Brad Pitt (1963 – ) Actor
• Kylie Minogue (1968 – ) Australian singer and actress
• Stephen King (1947 – ) American author

More Famous people

Famous historical figures : A list of famous people throughout the ages, which includes people from ancient civilisations to the present.

Famous People Through History

• Famous people of the Renaissance (14th – 15th Century)
• Famous people of the Enlightenment (late 17th Century)
• Famous Victorians (1832 – 1901)
• Famous people of the Nineteenth Century
• Famous people of Edwardian period (1901 – 1914)
• Famous people of Inter-war period (1918 – 1939)
• Twenty-first Century

Famous by Nationality

• Bangladesh i

Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan . “Top 100 Famous People”, Oxford, UK. www.biographyonline.net , 31/01/2016. Last updated 28 Sep 2019.

1000 Years of Famous People at Amazon

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An autobiography is a self-written book of one's life. The word "autobiography" was first used by William Taylor in 1797 in the English periodical "The Monthly Review". Some of the famous great personalities of world history had written their own Autobiography. Autobiography and its author's name is an important GK section for every competitive exam. Below is the list of some such autobiographies along with their writers name.

The static GK "Autobiography list and authors" is an important topic in any competitive GK exams. The questions related to "Autobiography list and authors" is common in any GK exam question papers. It is a key static GK topic that needs attention. It will be easy to scores on this topic once candidates by heart the above list.

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The Best New Biographies and Memoirs to Read in 2024

This year sees some riveting and remarkable lives—from artist ai weiwei to singer-songwriter joni mitchell—captured on the page..

A life story can be read for escapist pleasure. But at other times, reading a memoir or biography can be an expansive exercise, opening us up to broader truths about our world. Often, it’s an edifying experience that reminds us of our universal human vulnerability and the common quest for purpose in life.

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Biographies and memoirs charting remarkable lives—whether because of fame, fortune or simply fascination—have the power to inspire us for their depth, curiosity or challenges. This year sees a bumper calendar of personal histories enter bookshops, grappling with enigmatic public figures like singer Joni Mitchell and writer Ian Fleming , to nuanced analysis of how motherhood or sociopathy shape our lives—for better and for worse.

SEE ALSO: The Best Addiction Memoirs for the Sober Curious

Here we compile some of the most rewarding biographies and memoirs out in 2024. There are stories of trauma and recovery, art as politics and politics as art, and sentences as single life lessons spread across books that will make you rethink much about personal life stories. After all, understanding the triumphs and trials of others can help us see how we can change our own lives to create something different or even better.

Zodiac: A Graphic Memoir by Ai Weiwei and illustrated by Gianluca Costantini

Ai Weiwei , the iconoclastic artist and fierce critic of his homeland China, mixes fairy tales with moral lessons to evocatively retrace the story of his life in graphic form. Illustrations are by Italian artist Gianluca Costantini . “Any artist who isn’t an activist is a dead artist,” Weiwei writes in Zodiac , as he embraces everything from animals found in the Chinese zodiac to mystical folklore tales with anamorphic animals to argue the necessity of art as politics incarnate. The meditative exercise uses pithy anecdotes alongside striking visuals to sketch out a remarkable life story marked by struggle. It’s one weaving political manifesto, philosophy and personal memoir to engage readers on the necessity of art and agitation against authority in a world where we sometimes must resist and fight back.

Alphabetical Diaries by Sheila Heti

Already well-known for her experimental writings, Sheila Heti takes a decade of diary entries and maps sentences against the alphabet, from A to Z. The project is a subversive rethink of our relationship to introspection—which often asks for order and clarity, like in diary writing—that maps new patterns and themes in its disjointed form. Heti plays with both her confessionals and her sometimes formulaic writing style (like knowingly using “Of course” in entries) to retrace the changes made (and unmade) across ten years of her life. Alphabetical Diaries is a sometimes demanding book given the incoherence of its entries, but remains an illuminating project in thinking about efforts at self-documentation.

Splinters: Another Kind of Love Story by Leslie Jamison

Unlike her previous work The Empathy Exams , which examined how we relate to one another and on human suffering, writer Leslie Jamison wrestles today with her own failed marriage and the grief of surviving single parenting. After the birth of her daughter, Jamison divorces her partner “C,” traverses the trials and tribulations of rebound relationships (including with “an ex-philosopher”) and confronts unresolved emotional pains born of her own life living under the divorce of her parents. In her intimate retelling—paired with her superb prose—Jamison charts a personal history that acknowledges the unending divide mothers (and others) face dividing themselves between partners, children and their own lives.

Radiant: The Life and Line of Keith Haring by Brad Gooch

Whether dancing figures or a “radiant baby,” the recognizable cartoonish symbols in Keith Haring ’s art endure today as shorthand signs representing both his playfulness and politicking. Haring (1958-1990) is the subject of writer Brad Gooch ’s deft biography, Radiant , a book that mines new material from the archive along with interviews with contemporaries to reappraise the influential quasi-celebrity artist. From rough beginnings tagging graffiti on New York City walls to cavorting with Andy Warhol and Madonna on art pieces, Haring battled everything from claims of selling out to over-simplicity. But he persisted with work that leveraged catchy quotes and colorful imagery to advance unsavory political messages—from AIDS to crack cocaine. A life tragically cut short at 31 is one powerfully celebrated in this new noble portrait.

The House of Hidden Meanings by RuPaul Charles

In The House of Hidden Meaning , celebrated drag queen, RuPaul , reckons with a murky inner world that has shaped—and hindered—a lifetime of gender-bending theatricality. The figurative house at the center of the story is his “ego,” a plaguing barrier that apparently long inhibited the performer from realizing dreams of greatness. Now as the world’s most recognizable drag queen—having popularized the art form for mainstream audiences with the TV show RuPaul’s Drag Race —RuPaul reflects on the power that drag and self-love have long offered across his difficult, and sometimes tortured, life. Readers expecting dishy stories may be disappointed, but the psychological self-assessment in the pages of this memoir is far more edifying than Hollywood gossip could ever be.

Sociopath: A Memoir by Patric Gagne

Patric Gagne is an unlikely subject for a memoir on sociopaths. Especially since she is a former therapist with a doctorate in clinical psychology. Still, Gagne makes the case that after a troubled childhood of antisocial behavior (like stealing trinkets and cursing teachers) and a difficult adulthood (now stealing credit cards and fighting authority figures), she receives a diagnosis of sociopathy. Her memoir recounts many episodes of bad behavior—deeds often marked by a lack of empathy, guilt or even common decency—where her great antipathy mars any ability for her to connect with others. Sociopath is a rewarding personal exposé that demystifies one vilified psychological condition so often seen as entirely untreatable or irreparable. Only now there’s a familiar face and a real story linked to the prognosis.

Ian Fleming: The Complete Man by Nicholas Shakespeare

Nicholas Shakespeare is an acclaimed novelist and an astute biographer, delivering tales that wield a discerning eye to subjects and embrace a robust attention to detail. Ian Fleming (1908-1964), the legendary creator of James Bond, is the latest to receive Shakespeare’s treatment. With access to new family materials from the Fleming estate, the seemingly contradictory Fleming is seen anew as a totally “different person” from his popular image. Taking cues from Fleming’s life story—from a refined upbringing spent in expensive private schools to working for Reuters as a journalist in the Soviet Union—Shakespeare reveals how these experiences shaped the elusive world of espionage and intrigue created in Fleming’s novels. Other insights include how Bond was likely informed by Fleming’s cavalier father, a major who fought in WWI. A martini (shaken, not stirred) is best enjoyed with this bio.

Knife: Meditations after an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie

Salman Rushdie , while giving a rare public lecture in New York in August 2022, was violently stabbed by an assailant brandishing a knife . The attack saw Rushdie lose his left hand and his sight in one eye. Speaking to The New Yorker a year later , he confirmed a memoir was in the works that would confront this harrowing existential experience: “When somebody sticks a knife into you, that’s a first-person story. That’s an ‘I’ story.” Knife: Meditations after an Attempted Murder is promised to be his raw, revelatory and deeply psychological confrontation with the violent incident. Like the sword of Damocles, brutality has long stalked Rushdie ever since the 1989 fatwa issued against the author, following the publication of his controversial novel, The Satanic Verses . The answer to such barbarity, Rushdie is poised to argue, is by finding the strength to stand up again.

The Art of Dying: Writings, 2019–2022 by Peter Schjeldahl (Release: May 14)

Peter Schjeldahl (1942-2022), longstanding art critic of The New Yorker , confronted his mortality when he was diagnosed with incurable lung cancer in 2019. The resulting essay collection he then penned, The Art of Dying , is a masterful meditation on one life preoccupied entirely with aesthetics and criticism. It’s a discursive tactic for a memoir that avoids discussing Schjeldahl’s coming demise while equally confirming its impending visit by avoiding it. Acknowledging that he finds himself “thinking about death less than I used to,” Schjeldahl spends most of the pages revisiting familiar art subjects—from Edward Hopper ’s output to Peter Saul ’s Pop Art—as vehicles to re-examine his own remarkable life. With a life that began in the humble Midwest, Schjeldahl says his birthplace was one that ultimately availed him to write so plainly and cogently on art throughout his career. Such posthumous musings prove illuminating lessons on the potency of American art, with whispered asides on the tragedy of death that will come for all of us.

Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell by Ann Powers (Release: June 11)

Joni Mitchell has enjoyed a remarkable revival recently, even already being one of the most acclaimed and enduring singer/songwriters. After retiring from public appearances for health reasons in the 2010s, Mitchell, 80, has returned to the spotlight with a 2021 Kennedy Centers honor , an appearance accepting the 2023 Gershwin Prize and even a live performance at this year’s Grammy Awards . It’s against this backdrop of public celebration of Mitchell that NPR music critic Ann Powers retraces the life story and musical (re)evolution of the singer, from folk to jazz genres and rock to soul music, across five decades for the American songbook. “What you are about to read is not a standard account of the life and work of Joni Mitchell,” she writes in the introduction. Instead, Powers’ project is one showing how Mitchell’s many journeys—from literal road trips inspiring tracks like “All I Want” to inner probings of Mitchell’s psyche, such as the song “Both Sides Now”—have always inspired Mitchell’s enduring, emotive and palpable output. These travels hold the key, Powers says, to understanding an enigmatic artist.

• SEE ALSO : ‘Under the Bridge’ Review: A Miniseries That Interrogates the True Crime Genre

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List of autobiographies of famous personalities.

LIST OF AUTOBIOGRAPHIES OF FAMOUS PERSONALITIES

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15 Famous Indian Personalities and their Autobiographies

Famous indian personalities and their autobiographies: biographies of famous personalities are always a source of inspiration. the biographies will tell you about the controversies, the dark sides of a person that you may have never heard of..

1- The Story of My Experiments with Truth by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

In 1940, Father of Nation, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi wrote his autobiography 'The Story of My Experiments with Truth' where he covered his life from childhood days to 1921. In 1998, a committee of global spiritual and religious authorities designated it as one of the "100 Best Spiritual Books of the 20th Century". 

2- An Autobiography by Jawaharlal Nehru

3- autobiography of a yogi by paramahansa yogananda, 4- atmakatha (malayalam) by anna chandy, 5- waiting for a visa by b. r. ambedkar , 6- all from memory by b. v. acharya , 7- a grain of sand in the hourglass of time by arjun singh and ashok chopra.

In 2011, former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh started writing his autobiography 'A Grain of Sand in the Hourglass of Time' but died on March 4, 2011, before completing it. The autobiographical book was then completed by Ashok Chopra. Ashok is a publisher, author, editor, and literary columnist by profession. 

8- Baburnama by Babur

9- courage and conviction by general vijay kumar singh, 10- ente katha (my story) by kamala surayya, 11- en sarithiram by u. v. swaminathan iyer, 12- how i became a hindu by sita ram goel , 13- jakhan choto chilam by satyajit ray, 14- living shadows by aribam syam sharma, 15- a shot at history by abhinav bindra .

In 2011, Indian Shooter and Gold medalist Abhinav Bindra published an autobiographical book 'A Shot at History: My Obsessive Journey to Olympic Gold'. 

Rishi Kapoor Biography: Early Life, Illness, Death, Family, Film Career, Famous Dialogues and Awards

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Home » List of Famous Indian Personalities and their Autobiographies

List of Famous Indian Personalities and their Autobiographies

Names of famous personalities of india 2022.

We are given a new updated list in tabular column. It contains names of Famous Personalities of India 2022. Also we have given their autobiography and their profession details. They have made a huge contribution to our nation. It is very important in exam point of view. Students please view this page and find the list and names of famous personalities of India 2022 before appearing for the exam.

List of Famous Indian Personalities and their Autobiographies FAQs

Q: List of famous Indian Personalities and their Autobiographies comes under in which section?

A: List of famous Indian Personalities and their autobiographies comes under Static GK Section.

Q: What is the Autobiography name of Sardar Vallabhai Patel?

A: The Sardar Of India  is the Autobiography name of Sardar VallaBhai Patel.

Q: In Which year Bhagat Singh Autobiography Published?

A: The Autobiography of Bhagat Singh was published in 1931.

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‘She was trying to find herself’: the untold story of Peggy Guggenheim, Hampshire homemaker

The socialite and collector prioritised art over family and claimed she had 1,000 lovers. But a new UK exhibition tells another tale – that of the five years she spent in Hampshire and Sussex leading a relatively ordinary life, as her granddaughter explains

B eside the Grand Canal, on a wall of the palazzo she called home for 30 years, a portrait of Peggy Guggenheim fizzes with her larger-than-life personality, a personality that once reverberated between these walls, and across Venice. In the painting, Peggy wears a pair of her signature outsize sunglasses, and clutches three of her beloved Lhasa Apsos terriers. Today, Peggy’s palazzo is a museum housing the art collection she amassed from the 1930s to the 1970s, featuring work by everyone from Picasso to Pollock, Ernst to Kandinsky, Duchamp to Tanguy, all of whom she knew and many of whom she slept with. The portrait hangs outside the office of the museum’s director, who happens also to be Peggy’s fiercest critic. She is Karole Vail, daughter of Peggy’s son, Sindbad.

Vail has been director of the Venice Guggenheim (known as the Peggy Guggenheim Collection; there are related Guggenheim museums in New York and Bilbao) since 2017, and it’s fair to say that her take on her grandmother is mired in the belief that, while Peggy was a superlative art collector, she left much to be desired as a mother and grandmother. “She was obsessed with the men in her life: she never focused on her children in the way they needed,” says Vail.

Lovers, and art, came first with Peggy Guggenheim: but just as Vail has reaped the benefits of her grandmother’s passions in her professional life, she has mourned her neglect of her family in her personal life. And yet there was a moment, Vail concedes, when Peggy really did try to give family her best shot. That episode took place far from the glamorous Venice with which she is most associated, and a long way from the New York where she was raised. It happened in a leafy corner of Hampshire, and this summer, Petersfield Museum will play host to an exhibition focusing on this little-known period in Peggy’s biography, with works by Ernst, Tanguy and Henry Moore lent by the Venice Guggenheim.

In 1934, Peggy’s life – which had already been punctuated by dramas and tragedies, including her father Benjamin’s death on the Titanic, the death of her sister Benita in childbirth, and the loss of her other sister Hazel’s two young sons who fell from the top of a New York skyscraper in 1928 – was again in meltdown. She had been living in Devon; her marriage to Laurence Vail, father of her two children, had ended acrimoniously – and her next love affair, with literary critic John Holms, had ended suddenly with his death during what should have been a routine operation, when he failed to come round from the anaesthetic. However, Peggy was never without a lover for long, and she soon began a new relationship with the communist writer Douglas Garman. In her autobiography, Out of this Century: Confessions of an Art Addict , she relates almost as an aside that she had decided to end her life, so when the couple decided to buy a place to live in Hurst, just over the Sussex-Hampshire border near Petersfield: “I put the house in Garman’s name as I intended to die.” But in the next sentence the story changes abruptly: “Of course I didn’t [die] and I went to live in the house instead.”

Her new home was called Yew Tree Cottage, though Peggy describes it as having four bedrooms and two sitting rooms, one with a fireplace so big you could sit in it. By her standards, though, it was “small”: the big appeal was the grounds, which ran to an acre, with a stream running through. The reason for moving to Hurst was that her daughter, Pegeen, two years younger than Sindbad, wanted to attend the same school as Garman’s daughter, and Hurst was on the right bus route.

At first, it was just Peggy and Pegeen – and a maid, of course – at Yew Tree Cottage. After the divorce from Laurence Vail, Sindbad had gone to live with his father and his new wife; this separation of the siblings was one of many decisions that Karole Vail believes made life extremely difficult for her father and her aunt. But then Garman and his daughter, Debbie, moved in with Peggy; and it was at this point that Peggy seems to have discovered an unlikely new side to herself. In her autobiography she describes how she was, once again, the mother of two children; and this time, she seems to have enjoyed it more. She threw herself, against all odds, into domesticity.

Though Vail is not inclined to praise of any kind when it comes to her grandmother, she does concede that the five years Peggy spent in Hampshire show her in a different light. She was, Vail believes, “trying to find herself – she was figuring herself out, trying to understand herself better. She was trying to be domestic; she had been raised by nannies and governesses. Maybe she wanted to be a hands-on mother, and just didn’t know how.” In her autobiography, Peggy describes herself in these years as being so domestic she did little more than look after Pegeen and Debbie: she describes a simple, home-based life in which she read to the children before bedtime, watched them act out little plays in outfits from the dressing-up box, and cared for them when they were sick. For Peggy, it was almost certainly the nearest she ever got, in a life that would stretch across nine decades, to something like a “normal” existence.

It didn’t last. Peggy and Garman were, as she recorded in her diary, “fighting all day, f… all night”. She went to Paris, to stay in the Hotel Crillon; and it was in Paris at the end of 1937 that she met her next lover, Samuel Beckett, who “spoke very seldom and never said anything stupid”. He came to stay one weekend at Yew Tree Cottage. Up to this point Peggy had preferred paintings by old masters; Beckett told her “one had to accept the art of our day as if it was a living thing”. With this, her life’s work was set: “She went on to devote her life to something very different [from her family],” says Vail. “And that was art.”

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Peggy became one of the most important figures in the 20th-century art world, a renowned collector who managed to snap up hundreds of works by big-name artists on the eve of the second world war. In 1938 she opened what would be a landmark London gallery, Guggenheim Jeune, and the Petersfield exhibition will explore how she began to plan that from Yew Tree Cottage. She would go on to found a gallery in New York, where her proteges included Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko, before moving to live in Venice, where she bought her palazzo and filled it with paintings, collages and sculptures.

And yet for Vail, born in 1958 and raised in Paris, her famous grandmother was rarely mentioned. “My father hardly ever talked about Peggy. There had been so many difficulties, and their relationship was fraught – he and Pegeen had suffered badly with the divorce.” Her father wanted to shield her from the fallout of a high-profile grandmother whose life was often seen as outrageous – Peggy said she had more than 1,000 lovers in her time, and was more than forthcoming about her sex life in her autobiography, and in general conversation.

Vail agrees that there’s value in a woman, especially in Peggy’s era, being so candid and straightforward about things that were often hardly mentioned. But that didn’t make her a good grandmother, she says. “We would come to stay in Venice, here in the palazzo, sporadically for holidays,” she recalls, “but it was never very child-friendly.” Later, in her teenage years, Vail spent some time there without her parents. “I don’t have particularly fond memories of Peggy from that time. She was a bit overwhelming and she would ask very direct and embarrassing questions – it was terrible for a young teenager, to have your grandmother asking about your sexuality and your boyfriends, often with other people listening.”

After school, Vail studied at Durham University, then lived in Florence for 12 years, where she worked in publishing. “But I couldn’t ignore my grandmother for ever,” she says. For the centenary of Peggy’s birth, in 1998, she pitched a show to the New York Guggenheim, and then got a job there, working her way up from being a curatorial assistant. In 2017, when the directorship of Guggenheim Venice became vacant, “the opportunity felt too good to be true”. Married to the abstract painter Andrew Huston – who pops into her office briefly during our chat to collect the couple’s Irish terrier, Briccolo, who’s been sitting quietly beside the desk – Vail says she has always needed to earn her living, and had long been a fan of the collection her grandmother amassed. She doesn’t dodge the difficult issues. “There’s always the question of nepotism [but] I always worked hard and that was recognised. There were many candidates for the job and I was deemed the right person to do it.”

The grandmother she spent so long trying to avoid is, of course, ever present: but these days, Vail says, she often forgets Peggy is a relative at all. She doesn’t feel she has much in common with her: she admires her sense of style, she says, but it’s very different from her own way of dressing (when we meet, she’s in smart slacks and a pullover – far from the ostentatious, brightly coloured outfits Peggy was photographed wearing). “I feel I’ve connected with the best of her,” she says. “ I care very much about the collection, and I hope she’d be pleased and happy that one of her grandchildren is looking after it for her.”

Peggy Guggenheim: Petersfield to Palazzo opens at Petersfield Museum and Art Gallery, Hampshire, on 15 June

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Do You Know These Films Based on Great Biographies?

By J. D. Biersdorfer April 22, 2024

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Welcome to Great Adaptations, the Book Review’s regular multiple-choice quiz about literature that has gone on to find new life in the form of movies, television shows, theatrical productions and other formats. This week’s quiz highlights films that were adapted from the biographies or autobiographies of their notable subjects.

Just tap or click your answers to the five questions below. And scroll down after you finish the last question for links to the books and their screen adaptations.

“Oppenheimer,” a film about the man who was instrumental in developing the first nuclear weapons for the United States, won seven Academy Awards earlier this year. The film’s screenplay was adapted from a 2005 biography by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. What was the main title of the book?

“American Prometheus”

“Burning the Sky”

“A Wing and a Prayer”

The 1972 film “Lady Sings the Blues” was loosely based on which singer’s 1956 autobiography?

Ella Fitzgerald

Bessie Smith

Billie Holiday

Mildred Bailey

“Alan Turing: The Enigma” is Andrew Hodges’ 1983 biography of the gay British mathematician who helped the Allies decipher encrypted Nazi messages during World War II, but was later punished for his sexuality. What was the name of the 2014 film based on the book?

“The Turing Test”

“The Code Breaker”

“The Imitation Game”

“Julie & Julia” is a 2009 film about the chef Julia Child and the blogger Julie Powell, who tried to make all the recipes from one of Child’s cookbooks years later. The screenplay was based on two different books, Powell’s 2005 memoir about the project (and source of the movie’s name) and Julia Child’s posthumously published 2006 autobiography. What was that book’s title?

“Blood, Bones and Butter”

“My Life in France”

“Kitchen Confidential”

“A Year in Provence”

After reading Louis Fischer’s 1950 biography of this global figure, the film director Richard Attenborough spent years trying to make a film about that person’s life. The picture was finally released in 1982 and won eight Academy Awards. Who was the subject of the movie?

Harriet Tubman

J. Edgar Hoover

Mahatma Gandhi

Frida Kahlo

Explore More in Books

Want to know about the best books to read and the latest news start here..

The complicated, generous life  of Paul Auster, who died on April 30 , yielded a body of work of staggering scope and variety .

“Real Americans,” a new novel by Rachel Khong , follows three generations of Chinese Americans as they all fight for self-determination in their own way .

“The Chocolate War,” published 50 years ago, became one of the most challenged books in the United States. Its author, Robert Cormier, spent years fighting attempts to ban it .

Joan Didion’s distinctive prose and sharp eye were tuned to an outsider’s frequency, telling us about ourselves in essays that are almost reflexively skeptical. Here are her essential works .

Each week, top authors and critics join the Book Review’s podcast to talk about the latest news in the literary world. Listen here .