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This memoir is witty, funny, heartbreaking, and beautifully written. This book will be loved by fans of Blair’s work and of her MS advocacy.
Chann’s enriching memoir speaks to those who feel they are still growing up and learning to overcome trauma. Though the narrative slows down when the author focuses on the psychology of Christian conservatism, the story he tells is an important one.
Not just for horse fans. The author’s frank talk about her fear of losing her independence because of her blindness will resonate with any reader facing physical or other challenges.
Warnock’s intimate account of life-changing moments and the arc of events in Georgia and America holds wide appeal and will particularly appeal to readers of faith.
A wonderful addition to any library that will appeal to a wide audience interested in historical narrative, Chinese history, family dynamics, and generally as a story of struggle against the odds.
In rough-hewn speech fluent as a river and forceful as a hammer blow, Crews captures the warmth, dignity, and brutality of his people and their fierce and awful devotion to home. This is his masterpiece.
Readers will appreciate this memoir as a moving firsthand account but also as a call to action to ensure that human rights prevail at America’s borders.
A powerful story about a family struggling under the weight of definitions of sacrifice and success, and reconciliation and forgiveness.
PREMIUM
Asylum: A Memoir & Manifesto
Okporo’s personal journey is touching, and his skillful explanation of the corrupt immigration processes and policies that continue to reject and exclude the very people they are meant to aid is a timely plea for reform and empathy.
Eloquently written and compulsively readable, Bilton’s jaw-dropping coming-of-age memoir--and the love and survival found within its pages--is one readers won’t soon forget.
This cautionary tale will help many understand how prescription drug dependency can happen and the strength and courage required to overcome it. Highly recommended.
El Sayed’s coming-of-age memoir about resiliency, family, and identity will delight readers as a study of making sense of a world where rules can often help along the way.
Be prepared to laugh, to cry, and possibly to be mortified at the level of detail Woolf feels comfortable sharing; but in the end, readers will definitely be glad they got on this roller coaster with her.
Daley’s conversational style will appeal to a wide audience interested in sports and contemporary gay lives. Highly recommended.
This memoir, with its vividly described events and locales, along with its natural history frame, will appeal to readers who enjoy narrative nonfiction or travel memoirs about women recreating themselves, natural history, Indigenous cultures, and whales. Fans of Margaret Renkl’s Late Migrations or Meredith May’s The Honey Bus will relish Cunningham’s story.
Moving, evocative, and haunting, this father-son perspective on the civil rights movement is a necessary read and a great addition for all library collections.
Fans of TV shows about emergency medicine will appreciate the fast, episodic pace and life lessons of Almojera’s memoir.
PREMIUM
This Is Not a Pity Memoir
A powerful, fragmented journey through brain injury. This book will especially appeal to Morgan’s fans, and to those who have experienced similar journeys.
Forbes has a story that needs to be read, and one that she has clearly synthesized and analyzed to ensure its significance encompasses both her personal successes and a much larger societal reform.
An intriguing account of the royals that should provoke much discussion (and many arguments). Fans of the British royals and royal history will be seeking out Brown’s book, particularly as 2022 is Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee year.
Marshall’s reflections on coming of age during the 1960s will appeal to some readers, as will her experience being raised by cold and distant parents.
Hauser has created a meandering but entertaining look into her professional and personal life. Readers looking for something a little different in a memoir will not be disappointed.
PREMIUM
The Summer Friend: A Memoir
A readable, if slight, memoir about summer, family, and friendship.
Woods’s fans will learn little of how he writes. Yachting enthusiasts will enjoy the racing segment but it’s of modest interest to anyone else.
This memoir combines the thrill of field work filming illegal and dangerous organizations with the mundane work of policy and environmental reporting. An important history of environmentalism.
PREMIUM
How To Be a Boss B*tch
Custom-made for Quinn’s 1.8 million Instagram followers, who will jump at the chance to learn all of her secrets to success and will find the unabashedly open personal anecdotes motivating and moving.
PREMIUM
Magic Season: A Son’s Story
Libraries looking to increase their LGBTQ+ memoir collections will not want to miss this worthy entry.
A fast-paced, clear-eyed view of a colorful character and a complicated father. Any library with Rich Cohen’s other works (or Herb Cohen’s best seller You Can Negotiate Anything) will find this a solid add for their collections.
PREMIUM
Lily’s Promise
The author’s attention to detail makes for an intimate and memorable read. Best suited for those interested in Judaica, European studies, and memoirs.
A fun, light, and entertaining read, although readers of contemporary biographies may find some portions dated. Recommended for libraries attempting to improve AAPI representation in their collections as there are so few titles available featuring successful Japanese American entrepreneurs.
While Johnson’s career is deserving of a deeper work with better treatment, the present work should appeal to fans of Cold War–era to present-day military memoirs.
A noteworthy narrative of a confrontational and consequential character, especially good for those new to the field of presidential history.
PREMIUM
Game: An Autobiography
Highly recommended and essential for public and school library collections.
Powerful and beautifully written, this is a mesmerizing memoir and will appeal to fans of Melissa Febos and Roxane Gay.
An absolute delight! Full of personality, Kurlansky’s book will enchant history, literarature, and Hemingway fans alike.
An enjoyable peek into the past that provides insight into Monroe’s life and the zeitgeist of 1950s England. Film buffs and fans of the era will enjoy Morgan’s biography, as will any reader interested in Monroe and her enduring legacy.
PREMIUM
Nora Ephron: A Biography
Doidge’s vivacious, enthusiastic biography has serious undertones, much like Ephron herself. It will appeal to Ephron’s broad swath of fans. Includes book club questions.
Deeply moving and exceptionally well written, this offbeat memoir will please anyone interested in the NYC art scene from the 1950s on. Every father should have a daughter as loving, perceptive and honest as Calhoun.
A heartfelt account of a life cut short, and the jarring inequities that contributed to the tragedy.
PREMIUM
The High Sierra: A Love Story
Robinson’s writing is clear, fun, and filled with joy for time spent in the mountains. This lengthy memoir will appeal to fans of Robinson and the Sierras.
PREMIUM
Anna: The Biography
A challenging read for those lacking industry knowledge, but it still fascinates with Odell’s well-documented account of Wintour’s broad influence.
This memoir is a love letter to Dr. Osefo’s mother and first-generation immigrants all across America. Readers don’t have to be Real Housewives fans to enjoy this touching story of love, loss, and emotional growth.
Crisp prose, meticulous research with extensive footnotes, and careful objectivity make Lownie’s biography accessible to all readers.
PREMIUM
Fly Girl: A Memoir
An engaging memoir perfect for fans of Hood’s and readers interested in aviation history or who love a good coming-of-age memoir.
Jawando has written an enlightening, heartfelt memoir that will appeal to readers looking for a “different” all-American story; one that shows the power of community to uplift Black men in the United States.
A powerful, brilliant exploration of motherhood and its inextricable links to the other selves comprising a mother; those pieces that society doesn’t accept as part of the entrenched narrative about the meaning and purpose of motherhood.
Ultimately a good biography and analysis of four important leaders; should be valuable for any readers interested in World War II history or leadership studies.
Philpott gives words to feelings of worry that many readers can likely relate to, and she gives readers hope, not by offering solutions, but by telling them that they are not alone.
Fans of Rowe’s dark humor and previous memoir will enjoy the next chapter in her life. Caregivers and relations of semi-dependent adults and those struggling with mental health will identify with the tussle of making it through, day by day.
DiMarco’s memories, told with a true gift of storytelling and filled with his big personality, are funny and enlightening for any reader.
An excellent biography of Queen Elizabeth II, a fitting tribute to a dedicated monarch. Especially recommended to those interested in the British royal family.
A heartfelt account of service and change. Recommended for readers interested in Catholic or Indian history.
This well-written memoir will interest aviation and space buffs with its nail-biting war stories and thrilling space adventures.
A fun, interactive exploration of the history and hidden world of puzzles. A must-read for puzzle enthusiasts of all skill levels.
While the cynical humor will not be for everyone, Janetti’s memoir will be a solid choice for those who liked Do You Mind If I Cancel? or who follow his social media.
Leonard sets the record straight on Butler and provides an object lesson on the ways his personality and principles combined to effect public good.
A fierce and fresh amalgamation of memoir and cultural criticism by one of the country’s most compelling thinkers. Highly recommended.
This is a beautifully written memoir of one woman’s commitment to equality and respect for displaced people in the United States; her schools’ achievements are impressive evidence. Highly recommended.
PREMIUM
Easy Beauty
Cooper Jones’s book will encourage readers to view bodies (their own and others’) in a new, more graceful light. Recommended for most memoir collections.
PREMIUM
Riverman: An American Odyssey
An intriguing character study for anyone interested in the life of a man with an adventurous spirit and an engaging personality, who collected friends across the country.
A dual biography that will have wide appeal for fans of World War II history. Recommended for all libraries.
PREMIUM
Everything Left To Remember: My Mother, Our Memories, and a Journey Through the Rocky Mountains
This grounded, readable, and gracefully written memoir is an interesting take on the road trip genre, particularly relatable to people affected by dementia.
Although it can sometimes read more like a long column than a memoir, Bruni’s optimistic book will be a balm to many. Recommended.
Irankunda joins other writers from the African continent (see Rwandan Clemantine Wamariya’s The Girl Who Smiled Beads and Liberian Wayétu Moore’s The Dragons, the Giant, the Women) in giving eloquent and stirring witness to a childhood shattered by war and the legacies of colonialism.
A laudatory biography of Brand that admirers, the unfamiliar, and even some detractors will find insightful.
An intimate and engaging memoir by an artist who understands that personal thoughts and feelings often lead to remarkable ideas. Recommended.
Updegrove will alleviate, although not quench, general readers’ continual thirst for biographies of JFK. Pair with the likes of Fredrik Logevall’s JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century, 1917–1956.
A sensitive memoir on living and finding joy in life following personal loss. Readers needn’t be Christian to find value in Hord’s advice, but she weaves spirituality throughout the text, which will likely resonate most strongly with readers who share her faith.
PREMIUM
Never Simple
A brave exploration of a difficult but forever-connected mother-daughter relationship. Scheier’s memoir will appeal to many, thanks to its wit, unraveling mystery, and honesty.
An engaging and thoroughly researched memoir relaying a family history that is at turns recognizable and abhorrent, as an honest and typical history of American exceptionalism, racism, and misogyny. Will appealing to lovers of memoirs, family secrets, genealogy, and the sociological makeup threading U.S. history.
With poetic writing, strong characterization, and a powerful love story, Ephron’s memoir takes readers on a journey of loss, pain, hope, and perseverance.
PREMIUM
Tasha: A Son’s Memoir
This is a charming and sad memoir, reminding readers of life’s inevitabilities, the beauty of the journey, and the lesson to hold on to those close to them with a fierceness.
PREMIUM
Brace for Impact
An uplifting memoir of slow work towards self-acceptance, and of the healing and support Montesanti found in roller derby. Montesanti effectively mixes difficult self-reflection with lighter tales (derby recruitment, team practices, even a climactic trip to RollerCon), though some readers might wish there was more on-the-track action.
This is an outstanding contribution for any library about one personal experience of political upheaval in Hong Kong.
PREMIUM
Hello, Molly!
A scattered but often-absorbing recollection, tending more towards anecdote than introspection, and becoming most thoughtful when Shannon reflects on her complex relationship with her father and her mother’s absence from her life.
PREMIUM
Angela Davis: An Autobiography
This new edition of the autobiography is meant to bring Davis and her story to a new generation of readers, who can still identify with her experiences. It contains the prefaces of the earlier editions, so it is worth replacing older copies of the book. Still a key work in the areas of prison abolition and feminism, this reissue of a classic autobiography deserves a place of honor in any collection.
PREMIUM
Cost of Living
Maloney’s nontraditional health care memoir serves as a warning for those who’ve never had to stay in the hospital stay, and sends the message that there is work to be done.
This is both an absorbing family story and a saga of the Irish diaspora in Boston, a city that eventually accepted the Kennedys and allowed the ambitious family to achieve versions of the American dream before fate intervened.
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