Barrie Olmstead

Many memoirists are dipping their writing tools into the waters of self-disclosure about their feelings and issues ranging from immigration and illness to work and witchcraft. These selections deliver raw honesty, poetic language, and sharp prose.

In LJ’s yearly examination of this reader-favorite genre, we found four leading trends that examine trauma and mortality, offer insight into the impact of war, readily confront mental health concerns, and experiment with hybrid forms and genres.

The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times by Michelle Obama (Crown) is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

LJ’s first memoir preview looks at the trends in this season’s bumper crop of life stories.

Malcolm X, Rose Pastor Stokes, Natasha Trethewey. The best biographies & memoirs published in 2020.

Lives and times. The best biographies and memoirs published in 2019.