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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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Jonathan Eig's "King: A Life," a biography of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., was ... [+] recognized as one of the best books of 2023.

Biographies offer a chance to explore the decision-making and circumstances around some of history’s most fascinating events. The best biography books offer fresh insights into familiar situations that you may have learned about in history class but never explored in-depth. You can learn the unexpected reasoning behind why a president went with option A instead of option B, or how a scientist’s early failures led to a groundbreaking discovery. Biographies often chronicle the lives of famous people, but sometimes they focus on people who never attained celebrity status despite doing extraordinary things. This list of the top biographies includes people of all backgrounds who can teach us things about life, passion, perseverance and more.

Top Biography Books

Biographies are different from autobiographies. A biography is an account of someone’s life written by someone else. An autobiography is an account of someone’s life that they write themselves. For instance, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin was written by the Founding Father. But more than two centuries later, Walter Isaacson wrote a biography of Benjamin Franklin.

Some of the most popular and well-known biographies include Isaacson’s recent book about Elon Musk, Ron Chernow’s Alexander Hamilton , which inspired the musical about the former Secretary of the Treasury, and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, about a woman who changed the course of modern medicine. The biographies on this list were selected based on critical acclaim, sales and impact on popular culture.

Cincinnati Reds great Pete Rose is the subject of one of the best biographies, a new one called ... [+] "Charlie Hustle."

30. Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball by Keith O'Brien (2024)

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The newest book on the list, this New York Times bestseller chronicles the highs and lows of baseball’s all-time hits leader, who was banned from the Hall of Fame for betting on baseball. Keith O’Brien looks at FBI records and press coverage to build a comprehensive portrait of the former Cincinnati Reds star.

This book is best for sports fans who want to go beyond Xs and Os. Keith O’Brien’s Charlie Hustle is available from Penguin Random House .

29. The Woman They Could Not Silence by Kate Moore (2021)

Kate Moore ( Radium Girls ) uncovers the story of Elizabeth Packard, a woman confined to a mental asylum in the 19 th century for daring to have opinions and push back against social norms by giving a voice to other women like herself. It earned a GoodReads Choice nomination for Best History & Biography.

This book is best for history buffs looking for lesser-known stories. Kate Moore’s The Woman They Could Not Silence is available from Sourcebooks .

28. The Doctors Blackwell: How Two Pioneering Sisters Brought Medicine to Women and Women to Medicine by Janice P. Nimura (2021)

Elizabeth Blackwell became the first female physician in the United States in 1849—and perhaps more remarkably, her sister, Emily, soon became the second. This New York Times bestseller traces their journeys and the founding of the famed New York Infirmary for Indigent Women and Children, the first U.S. hospital run by women.

This book is best for anyone interested in medical history, science pioneers or sibling rivarly. Janice P. Nimura ’s The Doctors Blackwell is available from W.W. Norton .

27. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin (2005)

There have been many biographies of the 16 th president, but this stands out for presenting his story based around his cabinet, which (as the title suggests) he stacked with his political enemies. Pulitzer Prize winner Doris Kearns Goodwin presents the story, which inspired Steven Spielberg ’s Oscar-winning movie Lincoln , like a fast-paced novel.

This book is best for those who enjoy the psychology of rivalries. Doris Kearns Goodwin ’s Team of Rivals is available from Simon & Schuster .

Author Doris Kearns Goodwin's Abraham Lincoln biography is one of the best reads about the 16th ... [+] president.

26. Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo by Hayden Herrera (2002)

Arguably the most famous Mexican woman of her (or any) generation, Frida Kahlo has inspired many with her art. This biography in turn explores her own inspirations and influences, adding greater depth to her well-known romance with Diego Rivera and other stories. The San Francisco Chronicle said the book made Kahlo “fully human.”

This book is best for those who appreciate art or want to learn more about Mexican history. Hayden Herrera ’s Frida is available from HarperCollins .

25. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (2001)

Young mother Henrietta Lacks died of cancer in 1951, but her “immortal cells” live on today, fueling countless medical advances. Yet her family didn’t learn of her contributions until two decades later and didn’t profit from them. Journalist Rebecca Skloot uncovers the racism and disturbing history of discrimination within medicine while telling a human story.

This book is best for anyone who watched the Oprah Winfrey film about Lacks on HBO and wants to learn more. Rebecca Skloot ’s The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is available from Penguin Random House .

A painting of Henrietta Lacks hangs in the entryway of the Henrietta Lacks Community Center at Lyon ... [+] Homes in the Turner Station neighborhood of Baltimore. She is the subject of "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks," one of the best biographies.

24. Becoming Dr. Seuss by Brian Jay Jones (2019)

Rhyming isn’t easy, but Dr. Seuss made it look breezy. In this comprehensive look at the former advertising man’s life, Brian Jay Jones traces Theodor Geisel’s career trajectory to political cartoonist and author, as well as discussing some of the views that have received criticism in recent years.

This book is best for anyone who ever read a Dr. Seuss book, which is everyone. Brian Jay Jones ’ Becoming Dr. Seuss is available from Penguin Random House .

23. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson (2011)

From his extreme diets to his trademark black turtlenecks, Steve Jobs was a man like none other, for better or worse. Esteemed biographer Walter Isaacson captures the nuance of his personality and the genius that drove him to create companies that made things people feel passionately about. The bestselling book became a 2015 movie.

This book is best for anyone who loves or hates Apple products. Walter Isaacson ’s Steve Jobs is available from Simon & Schuster .

Late Apple CEO Steve Jobs is the subject of an acclaimed biography by Walter Isaacson.

22. All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days by Rebecca Donner (2021)

This National Book Critics Circle Award for Biography made the best books of the year list for Time , The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times . It pulls back the curtain on the women who led the largest resistance groups against the Nazis in Germany, including the author’s great-great aunt.

This book is best for those looking for a new perspective on World War II. Rebecca Donner ’s All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days is available from Little, Brown & Co .

21. Redbone: The True Story of a Native American Rock Band by Christian Staebler and Sonia Paoloni, illustrated by Thibault Balahy (2020)

At what price does commercial success come? That question haunted musicians Pat and Lolly Vegas, Native American brothers who influenced stars like Jimi Hendrix and the Doors, as they rose to fame with the Redbone hit “Come and Get Your Love.” But they later shifted their focus to the American Indian Movement.

This book is best for fans of the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack and those looking for a different take on Native American history. Christian Staebler and Sonia Paoloni ’s Redbone is available from Penguin Random House .

20. The Vice President's Black Wife: The Untold Life of Julia Chinn by Amrita Chakrabarti Myers (2023)

Richard Mentor Johnson, vice president under Martin Van Buren, married enslaved Black woman Julia Ann Chinn. Though he refused to give her freedom, he did give her power on his estate. The relationship, which was likely not consensual, ultimately cost him his political career, and this book details how.

This book is best for fans of presidential history looking for untold stories. Amrita Chakrabarti Myers ’ The Vice President’s Black Wife is available from University of North Carolina Press .

19. Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff (2011)

Cleopatra may be the most famous woman in history, but her notoriety has overshadowed her incredible life and accomplishments. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Stacy Schiff adds depth to her story through a thoroughly researched history that also dispels misogynistic myths about the queen of Egypt.

This book is best for anyone curious about Egyptian history or who loves the classics . Stacy Schiff’s Cleopatra is available from Little, Brown & Co .

Stacy Schiff wrote an outstanding biography of Egyptian queen Cleopatra.

18. All That She Carried by Tiya Miles (2021)

This National Book Award winner and New York Times bestseller chronicles a bag passed down from an enslaved woman to future generations, which becomes the starting point for this poignant and well-researched book about the generational impact of slavery.

This book is best for everyone and should be required reading to humanize topics too often glossed over in political debates. Tiya Miles ’ All That She Carried is available from Simon & Schuster .

17. Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History by S. C. Gwynne (2011)

Quanah Parker, the biracial son of a pioneer woman who became the last Comanche chief, battled white settlers over land in the American West for decades. The book traces both his personal story (he was undefeated in battle) and the greater implications of the stealing of tribal lands.

This book is best for those looking for new stories about the Old West. S.C. Gwynne ’s Empire of the Summer Moon is available from Simon & Schuster .

16. Becoming Nicole: The inspiring story of transgender actor-activist Nicole Maines and her extraordinary family by Amy Ellis Nutt (2016)

Nicole Maines rose to fame when she became the first transgender woman to play a superhero on TV. Chronicling her journey from adoption to getting the job on Supergirl , this Amazon Editors Pick and New York Times bestseller also shows how her family changed their views on gender identity and the impact on their community.

This book is best for fans of comic books. Amy Ellis Nutt ’s Becoming Nicole is available from Penguin Random House .

Actress Nicole Maines speaks at a "Supergirl" presentation at Comic-Con International. She's the ... [+] subject of a heralded biography.

15. Victoria: The Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire by Julia Baird (2016)

The Victoria depicted in history books is way too dry. An Esquire and New York Times pick for best book of 2016, Victoria illuminates how the future monarch went from fifth in line for the crown to a teenage queen to a mother of nine who somehow survived eight attempts on her life.

This book is best for anyone who’s ever struggled with work-life balance. Julia Baird’s Victoria is available from Penguin Random House .

14. The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation by Anna Malaika Tubbs (2021)

This remarkable book draws a line between the mothers of three of the most important Black men in American history, celebrating Black motherhood and shining a light on how they resisted Jim Crow while bringing up their sons. It was named one of Amazon's Best Biographies and Memoirs of 2021.

This book is best for parents and anyone interested in civil rights. Anna Malaika Tubbs ’ The Three Mothers is available from Macmillan .

13. Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow (2004)

Lin-Manuel Miranda was so inspired by this Founding Father biography that he famously wrote some of the music for Hamilton on his honeymoon. Pulitzer Prize winner Ron Chernow follows Alexandar Hamilton from immigration to member of George Washington’s cabinet to death in a duel with his nemesis, Aaron Burr.

This book is best for fans of the Broadway show and presidential history. Ron Chernow ’s Alexander Hamilton is available from Penguin Random House .

"Hamilton" author Ron Chernow and the cast appear onstage at the opening night curtain call for ... [+] "Hamilton" at the Pantages Theatre on August 16, 2017 in Los Angeles.

12. The Crusades of Cesar Chavez: A Biography by Miriam Pawel (2014)

Pulitzer Prize winner Miriam Pawel tells the story of one of the most influential and revered U.S. labor leaders in this National Book Critics Circle Award finalist. She doesn't cover up his flaws, but she does illustrate why he was so successful while saluting his enduring humanity.

This book is best for those looking for deep dives on labor or Latine history. Miriam Pawel ’s The Crusades of Cesar Chavez is available from Macmillan .

11. Warhol by Blake Gopnik (2020)

Andy Warhol is so famous, you only need to mention his last name for instant recognition. Art critic Blake Gopnik blends understanding of Warhol’s medium with excellent research and conclusions to paint the most complete picture yet of one of the defining artists of the 20 th century.

This book is best for pop culture devotees and fans of art history. Blake Gopnik ’s Warhol is available from HarperCollins .

10. Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World by Bradley Hope and Tom Wright (2018)

The Financial Times and Fortune tabbed this one of the best books of 2018 for telling the unlikeliest of stories: How a Malaysian MBA used Goldman Sachs and other financial institutions to steal billions of dollars he used to pay for real estate, parties—and even the making of The Wolf of Wall Street .

This book is best for Hollywood and movie lovers. Bradley Hope and Tom Wright’s Billion Dollar Whale is available from Hachette Books .

9. The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks by Jeanne Theoharis (2013)

There’s so much more to Rosa Parks’ story than one day on a bus in Montgomery. Jeanne Theoharis takes a comprehensive look at her six decades of activism and why she wasn’t the “accidental catalyst” the history books have made her sound like, regaining Parks her agency.

This book is best for those who know how the Montgomery Bus Boycott began but don’t know about Parks’ earlier involvement in organizing. Jeanne Theoharis’ The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks is available from Penguin Random House .

8. American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin (2005)

The inspiration behind Christopher Nolan ’s summer’s blockbuster film Oppenheimer won the Pulitzer Prize and hit No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list. It tells J. Robert Oppenheimer’s life story, with a particular focus on the bomb and how it played into the Cold War.

This book is best for anyone who saw the movie and wants to know more. Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin’s American Prometheus is available from Penguin Random House .

"Oppenheimer" cast members Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy and Florence Pugh. The movie is ... [+] based on the prize-winning biography.

7. Self Made: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker by A'Lelia Bundles (2002)

Madam C.J. Walker, her enslaved parents’ first freeborn child, became one of the wealthiest women of her time. Entirely self-made, she used wealth gained from her cosmetics empire caring for Black hair to help uplift other women and connect with civil rights leaders. The author is Walker’s great-great granddaughter.

This book is best for people obsessed with the Forbes billionaire lists. A’Lelia Bundles ’ Self Made (originally titled On Her Own Ground) is available from Simon & Schuster .

6. Three Ordinary Girls: The Remarkable Story of Three Dutch Teenagers Who Became Spies, Saboteurs, Nazi Assassins—and WWII Heroes by Tim Brady (2021)

World War II is a hugely popular literary period, and here’s another worthy biography from that era, following the Nazi resistance efforts of Dutch teens Hannie Schaft and sisters Truus and Freddie Oversteegen. They saved countless children and Jews from concentration camps and even assassinated German soldiers.

This book is best for World War II aficionados and fans of hidden history. Tim Brady’s Three Ordinary Girls is available from Kensington Books .

5. Bruce Lee: A Life by Matthew Polly (2018)

This highly rated (4.8/5 stars on Amazon) book incorporates information gleaned from more than 100 interviews, which helped Polly piece together scenes from Lee’s childhood in Hong Kong and the challenges he faced from racism in Hollywood. It also investigates his shocking and still mysterious death.

This book is best for fans of martial arts or who want to know what it was like to be Asian in Hollywood decades ago. Matthew Polly ’s Bruce Lee is available from Simon & Schuster .

Bruce Lee from the 1972 film "The Way of the Dragon." He is the subject of Matthew Polly's ... [+] biography.

4. Orwell's Roses by Rebecca Solnit (2021)

This finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award explores author George Orwell’s career from a unique angle: looking at his passion for gardening. Rebecca Solnit ties his devotion to his plants to his work as a writer and an antifascist. It presents him in a different light than past biographies.

This book is best for gardeners and those who’ve read 1984 . Rebecca Solnit ’s Orwell’s Roses is available from Penguin Random House .

3. Billie Holiday: The Musician and the Myth by John Szwed (2015)

Billie Holiday’s story is too often simplified to a rags-to-riches tale focusing on her struggles pre- and post-fame. But her influence, accomplishments and enduring power are far too grand to tokenize. This biography focuses on her music, allowing jazz scholar John Szwed to illustrate what made her so spectacular.

This book is best for jazz and music fans. John Szwed ’s Billie Holiday is available from Penguin Random House .

2. Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe (2023)

The Sacklers were once revered for their philanthropy, but the opioid epidemic unmasked how they sold and marketed a painkiller that catalyzed the crisis. This New York Times bestseller traces three generations of the family and their insistence on downplaying the addictiveness of opioids. It asks and answers how they avoided accountability.

This book is best for fans of Hulu’s Dopesick and anyone looking for more information about the opioid crisis. Patrick Radden Keefe ’s Empire of Pain is available from Penguin Random House .

Tufts employee Gabe Ryan removes letters from signage featuring the Sackler family name at the Tufts ... [+] building. The biography "Empire of Pain" details what led to the Sacklers' fall from grace.

1. King: A Life by Jonathan Eig (2023)

Hailed by the New Yorker , Washington Post , Time and Chicago Tribune as one of the best books of 2023, King is a definitive biography of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. It’s also the first to rely on recently declassified FBI files, giving greater depth to the narrative and this unique American story.

This book is best for those who want to go beyond the “I Have a Dream” speech. Jonathan Eig ’s King is available from Macmillan .

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What are the most entertaining biographies.

The most entertaining biographies will teach lessons and impart wisdom while also keeping you on the edge of your seat, anticipating the next development in a storied life. Famed pop culture figures and entertainers make great subjects. 

For an in-depth and fast-paced look at one of our most celebrated jurists, check out 2018’s  Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life by Jane Sherron de Hart. If you want laughs and a behind-the-scenes peek at a seminal variety show, try David Bianculli’s 2010 book The Uncensored Story of 'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour . And to lose yourself in a dishy, reads-like-a-novel bio of the ultimate girlboss, try Marisa Meltzer’s 2023 Glossy: Ambition, Beauty, and the Inside Story of Emily Weiss's Glossier .

What Are The Best Professional Biographies?

The best professional biographies make connections between the habits and hopes of dreamers and their eventual success. They often provide a blueprint for success that readers can adopt for their own lives. 

To learn how to build a truly impressive empire, read Neal Gabler’s 2006  Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination . Another American legend is the subject of T.J. Stiles’ 2010 National Book Award winner The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt , which is as much about capitalism as Vanderbilt. And in 2016’s Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race , Margot Lee Shetterly shows how Black women professionals were discriminated against at NASA—but still helped land a man on the moon. 

What Are The Best Presidential Biographies?

The best presidential biographies reveal never-before-known details about famous leaders’ lives. It can be challenging to dig up something new but so rewarding because it helps our understanding of how these men governed and led. 

Arguably the best presidential biography is Robert Caro’s portrait of Lyndon B. Johnson, starting with 1990’s  The Path to Power , which traces LBJ’s journey from early childhood to the start of his political career. An enduring book is Edmund Morris’ acclaimed 1979 The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt , which paints a full picture of a complicated man. And 2017’s  The Unexpected President: The Life and Times of Chester A. Arthur by Scott S. Greenberger shows that even a long-forgotten president still has influence and value. 

Bottom Line

Biographies offer an escape into someone else’s story, giving you the chance to see why they made their decisions and second-guess them if you like. Whether you prefer biographies focused on history, pop culture or science, you can find a book you’ll love on this list.

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27 Best Memoirs: Unforgettable Stories That Inspire

These autobiographies deliver poignant self-reflection, humor, and resilience.

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Memoirs always combine storytelling and inspiration . These intensely personal narratives offer unique insights and lessons learned from the author's past. When you read one of the best memoirs on our list, you're invited into someone's life, experiencing their story through their own words, complete with all the emotions, reflections, and raw honesty that accompanies personal recollection. The journeys that shaped who they are today can also sometimes provide readers with a fresh perspective, allowing them to see the world from a different vantage point.

Whether it's an account of someone else's childhood adventures, professional triumphs, or personal struggles, these stories are meant to transport you — the reader — to new places and broaden your understanding of the human experience. The memoirs in this roundup resonate deeply and will leave you with a lasting impression you won't be able to unsee in the best possible way. We know you'll appreciate these selections. Memoirs or not, they represent some of the best books ever published .

From juicy tales from celebrities to acclaimed writers to renowned chefs and even lesser-known yet compelling voices, each book offers a unique lens on life. Check out the best memoirs below!

More Books: The Best Books from Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club • 19 Books About the Royal Family • The Juiciest Celebrity Memoirs

Patric Gagne "Sociopath: A Memoir" (2024)

"Sociopath: A Memoir" by self-identified Patric Gagne takes a deep dive into the author's life as he navigates the complexities of living with antisocial personality disorder. Gagne, now a writer and mental health advocate, offers an unflinching look at her experiences. Throughout its chapters, she sheds light on the challenges and misunderstandings surrounding sociopathy.

With personal anecdotes and introspective insights, she aims to humanize the condition and foster empathy for others in the same position. For those interested in mental health, it's a crucial read and one of the best memoirs you can opt for, as it provides a rare, authentic perspective on a frequently stigmatized disorder of sociopathy.

Michelle Obama "Becoming" (2018)

In Michelle Obama 's memoir, "Becoming," the former First Lady of the United States chronicles her journey from growing up on the South Side of Chicago to her time in the White House . Obama shares personal stories about her childhood, education, career, motherhood, and experience as a First Lady.

This powerful and inspiring read gives insights into her challenges and triumphs, including moments in history you might even remember. Her advocacy for education, health, and women's rights are major themes in her book and life. It is a must-read for those interested in personal growth, resilience, and the life of one of the most influential women in recent history.

Read more about Michelle Obama

Drew Barrymore "Wildflower" (2015)

Drew Barrymore's memoir "Wildflower" comprises of personal essays where the actress reflects on her unconventional upbringing , career in Hollywood, and her journey to becoming a successful actress and mother. Through candid and heartfelt stories, she shares the lessons learned from her tumultuous childhood , early fame, and struggles with addiction.

"Wildflower" is an inspiring read for its honesty and resilience, offering an intimate glimpse into her life and evolution into the grounded and joyous adult we see today on her own talk show.

Read more about Drew Barrymore

Sandra Tsing Loh "The Madwoman and the Roomba: My Year of Domestic Mayhem" (2020)

"The Madwoman and the Roomba: My Year of Domestic Mayhem" is a humorous memoir by award-winning columnist Sandra Tsing Loh. The book captures Loh's chaotic and relatable experiences managing household life, technology mishaps, and the everyday challenges of modern domesticity.

Through her witty anecdotes and sharp observations, she explores themes of middle age, parenting, and the absurdities of suburban life. You should read it for its laugh-out-loud humor and keen insights into the trials and tribulations of family and home management. It may even give you a comforting and comedic take on the universal struggles of domestic life if that's where you're at in life.

Frank McCourt "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" (1999)

"Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" is an evocative recount of Frank McCourt's impoverished childhood in Limerick, Ireland. The author narrates his early years with humor and resilience despite facing extreme poverty, his father's alcoholism, and the loss of siblings. This memoir vividly depicts the harsh realities of life in mid-20th-century Ireland.

You should read it for its poignant storytelling and its ability to find hope and humanity amidst adversity. McCourt's narrative is both heartbreaking and inspiring, making it a compelling read that highlights the strength of the human spirit.

Sonali Deraniyagala "Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala" (2013)

Sri Lankan writer and economist Sonali Deraniyagala lost her parents, her husband, and her two young sons in the 2004 tsunami that devastated parts of Thailand, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and India. In this relentless memoir, she explores the seemingly bottomless depths of grief and how our power to remember the past can be healing. Readers who love a resolution might look elsewhere, but they’d be missing out on some unflinching, courageous writing.

Joan Didion "The Year of Magical Thinking" (2005)

From acclaimed writer Joan Didion, The Year of Magical Thinking recounts the sudden death of her husband and the hospitalization of their daughter within days of each other. (Her daughter eventually died at 39, which Didion writes about in Blue Nights .) It’s an engrossing and vulnerable look into a year of experiencing and coping with tragedy—filled, of course, with the writer’s famously incisive prose.

Dave Holmes "Party of One: A Memoir in 21 Songs" (2017)

We all have songs that can conjure specific memories. Writer, comedian, and TV personality Dave Holmes takes that notion to heart in his memoir, where he writes about growing up Catholic and closeted in Missouri and how he “accidentally” became an MTV VJ. There’s a plethora of references to ʼ80s and ʼ90s music and self-deprecating humor that strikes the perfect balance.

Glennon Doyle "Untamed" (2020)

"Untamed" by Glennon Doyle is a memoir that chronicles the author's journey to find her true self. Doyle, a renowned speaker and activist, shares her experiences with personal struggles, including divorce and coming out. During the process, she learns to trust her inner voice. It's one of the best memoirs you can read because it challenges societal norms, encouraging readers to break free from expectations and live authentically just as Doyle did. With its powerful message of self-discovery and empowerment, "Untamed" is a compelling read for anyone looking to embrace their true identity and find liberation in their own lives.

Maya Angelou "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" (1969)

An American classic, Maya Angelou ’s debut memoir recounts the acclaimed author ’s childhood and adolescence from Arkansas to Missouri to California. She touches on themes of identity and self-acceptance and recounts the abhorrent racism she and her family experienced, as well as the sexual violence she suffered at the hands of her mother’s boyfriend. But there’s great joy here, too, especially when young Angelou learns to come out of her shell through her love of literature.

Read more about Maya Angelou

Anthony Bourdain "Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Kitchen Underbelly" (2000)

You’ve probably seen this book on several similar lists, but that’s because it’s endlessly interesting. Bourdain dishes on such a niche culture—that of high-octane kitchens in some of the world’s best restaurants—and doesn’t shy away from some of its ugliest qualities. He gets personal, too, with anecdotes both amusing and somber.

Read More about Anthony Bourdain

Kiese Laymon "Heavy" (2018)

With the deeply moving Heavy , Kiese Laymon shares the trials of his upbringing in Jackson, Mississippi. It’s written in the second person, addressing his mother, and it touches on his relationship to his body and how racism permeated his views of himself and the world around him. This modern memoir should be on every reading list.

Roald Dahl "Boy and Going Solo" (1984)

"Boy and Going Solo” consist of two autobiographical works by renowned author Roald Dahl published in 1984 and 1986. "Boy" recounts Dahl's early childhood and school years in England, filled with vivid, often humorous tales of pranks and strict teachers. "Going Solo" continues his story into young adulthood, focusing on his adventures as a pilot in World War II.

These memoirs are rich with the storytelling flair that characterizes Dahl's fiction, offering insight into the experiences that shaped his creative imagination. You should read them for their engaging narrative, historical context, and to understand the formative years of one of the 20th century’s most beloved children's authors.

Read more about Roald Dahl

Cathy Park Hong "Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning" (2020)

There’s no shortage of powerful writing in this book by writer and poet Cathy Park Hong. Throughout the work—about America’s racialized consciousness—she expertly weaves many personal details of her life as the daughter of Korean immigrants with topics like intersectionality and artistic expression. There’s plenty of enlightening history, too, including on activist Yuri Kochiyama . Her writing demonstrates her self-awareness; she even challenges many of her own thoughts. It’s a fascinating, essential read.

Jennette McCurdy "I’m Glad My Mom Died" (2022)

In what was arguably the most talked-about memoir of the past year, actor and writer/director Jennette McCurdy details what went on behind the scenes in her life before, during, and after making the hit Nickelodeon show iCarly . She bears it all—discussing her eating disorder and the toxic relationship she had with her mother—while using pitch perfect humor, in a memoir that’s hard to stomach at times. But it’s worth it to see how she ultimately takes back control of her life.

Chanel Miller "Know My Name" (2019)

You might remember Chanel Miller as Emily Doe. After being sexually assaulted by Brock Turner on the Stanford University campus in 2015, she wrote a victim impact statement under this name that reverberated around the world. In this profound memoir, she reclaims her real name and reveals the frustrating truths surrounding victimhood and the criminal justice system. But her writing also divulges her incredible strength—it’s a powerful read that this writer finished in one sitting.

Michelle Zauner "Crying in H Mart" (2021)

Maybe you know Michelle Zauner best as the lead singer of renowned alt-pop group Japanese Breakfast. But here, in this recently penned memoir, she recounts taking care of—and ultimately losing—her mother, who was given a terminal cancer diagnosis when Zauner was 25. It’s a complicated, very moving account of the experience that poetically touches on identity and grief. Interspersed within these memories are mouth-watering descriptions of Korean foods that only make readers more greatly feel both the love and the loss.

Carrie Fisher "The Princess Diarist" (2016)

In her final book, actress and writer Carrie Fisher gives fans a peek behind the curtain of her time on set of the first Star Wars movie . She hilariously commentates on excerpts from her diary during that time, recalls her crush on Harrison Ford , and delves into how complicated it can be to navigate the world of celebrity—especially as the face of such an iconic character.

Read More about Carrie Fisher

Roxane Gay "Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body" (2017)

Widely recommended as one of the best books of 2017, Hunger is Roxane Gay’s raw and powerful memoir about her own self-image and our society’s obsession with appearance. There’s a reason Gay is such a prolific writer today, whether you follow her musings on Twitter or her New York Times column; she is incredibly inquisitive and can make any reader question the status quo. Hunger is no exception.

Saeed Jones "How We Fight for Our Lives" (2019)

Saeed Jones, an award-winning poet, writes with such a distinct style in this searing memoir about coming of age as a young, black, gay man from the South. He writes about grief, about identity in a world that makes it hard to find one, and about acceptance. It’s a short read in length (at 192 pages) but leaves a memorable impression.

Ysolt Usigan is a lifestyle writer and editor who has created share-worthy content for publishers like Shape , What To Expect , Cafe Mom , TODAY , CBS News , HuffPo , The Bump , Health , Ask Men , and BestGifts . A working mom of two, her editorial expertise in shopping, parenting, and home are rooted in her everyday life. Her passion is hunting for the best products and sharing them with the masses, so others don't have to waste time and money.

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Best Biographies

Discover the lives of remarkable individuals through the best biographies, chosen from a wide array of reputable literary sources and biography enthusiasts. these compelling reads offer intimate portraits and have earned accolades across numerous literary discussions..

50 Must-Read Biographies

Find your next favorite biography with this list of 50 must-read best biographies featuring people from literature, science, history, and more.

Rebecca Hussey

Rebecca holds a PhD in English and is a professor at Norwalk Community College in Connecticut. She teaches courses in composition, literature, and the arts. When she’s not reading or grading papers, she’s hanging out with her husband and son and/or riding her bike and/or buying books. She can't get enough of reading and writing about books, so she writes the bookish newsletter "Reading Indie," focusing on small press books and translations. Newsletter: Reading Indie Twitter: @ofbooksandbikes

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The best biographies give us a satisfying glimpse into a great person’s life, while also teaching us about the context in which that person lived. Through biography, we can also learn history, psychology, sociology, politics, philosophy, and more. Reading a great biography is both fun and educational. What’s not to love?

Below I’ve listed 50 of the best biographies out there. You will find a mix of subjects, including important figures in literature, science, politics, history, art, and more. I’ve tried to keep this list focused on biography only, so there is little in the way of memoir or autobiography. In a couple cases, authors have written about their family members, but for the most part, these are books where the focus is on the biographical subject, not the author.

The first handful are group biographies, and after that, I’ve arranged them alphabetically by subject. Book descriptions come from Goodreads.

Take a look and let me know about your favorite biography in the comments!

All We Know: Three Lives by Lisa Cohen

“In  All We Know , Lisa Cohen describes their [Esther Murphy, Mercedes de Acosta, and Madge Garland’s] glamorous choices, complicated failures, and controversial personal lives with lyricism and empathy. At once a series of intimate portraits and a startling investigation into style, celebrity, sexuality, and the genre of biography itself,  All We Know  explores a hidden history of modernism and pays tribute to three compelling lives.”

Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly

“Set amid the civil rights movement, the never-before-told true story of NASA’s African-American female mathematicians who played a crucial role in America’s space program. Before Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, a group of professionals worked as ‘Human Computers,’ calculating the flight paths that would enable these historic achievements. Among these were a coterie of bright, talented African-American women.”

The Life You Save May Be Your Own: An American Pilgrimage by Paul Elie

“In the mid-twentieth century four American Catholics came to believe that the best way to explore the questions of religious faith was to write about them – in works that readers of all kinds could admire.  The Life You Save May Be Your Own  is their story – a vivid and enthralling account of great writers and their power over us.”

The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester

“As definitions were collected, the overseeing committee, led by Professor James Murray, discovered that one man, Dr. W. C. Minor, had submitted more than ten thousand. When the committee insisted on honoring him, a shocking truth came to light: Dr. Minor, an American Civil War veteran, was also an inmate at an asylum for the criminally insane.”

The Wives of Henry VIII by Antonia Fraser

“In a sweeping narrative, Fraser traces the cultural, familial and political roots of each of Henry’s queens, pushes aside the stereotypes that have long defined them, and illuminates the complex character of each.”

John Adams by David McCullough

“In this powerful, epic biography, David McCullough unfolds the adventurous life-journey of John Adams, the brilliant, fiercely independent, often irascible, always honest Yankee patriot — ‘the colossus of independence,’ as Thomas Jefferson called him.”

A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea: One Refugee’s Incredible Story of Love, Loss, and Survival by Melissa Fleming

“Emotionally riveting and eye-opening,  A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea  is the incredible story of a young woman, an international crisis, and the triumph of the human spirit. Melissa Fleming shares the harrowing journey of Doaa Al Zamel, a young Syrian refugee in search of a better life.”

At Her Majesty’s Request: An African Princess in Victorian England by Walter Dean Myers

“One terrifying night in 1848, a young African princess’s village is raided by warriors. The invaders kill her mother and father, the King and Queen, and take her captive. Two years later, a British naval captain rescues her and takes her to England where she is presented to Queen Victoria, and becomes a loved and respected member of the royal court.”

John Brown by W.E.B. Du Bois

“ John Brown is W. E. B. Du Bois’s groundbreaking political biography that paved the way for his transition from academia to a lifelong career in social activism. This biography is unlike Du Bois’s earlier work; it is intended as a work of consciousness-raising on the politics of race.”

Invisible: The Forgotten Story of the Black Woman Lawyer Who Took Down America’s Most Powerful Mobster by Stephen L. Carter

“[Eunice Hunton Carter] was black and a woman and a prosecutor, a graduate of Smith College and the granddaughter of slaves, as dazzlingly unlikely a combination as one could imagine in New York of the 1930s ― and without the strategy she devised, Lucky Luciano, the most powerful Mafia boss in history, would never have been convicted.”

Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang

“An engrossing record of Mao’s impact on China, an unusual window on the female experience in the modern world, and an inspiring tale of courage and love, Jung Chang describes the extraordinary lives and experiences of her family members.”

Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff

“Her palace shimmered with onyx, garnet, and gold, but was richer still in political and sexual intrigue. Above all else, Cleopatra was a shrewd strategist and an ingenious negotiator. Though her life spanned fewer than forty years, it reshaped the contours of the ancient world.”

Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson

“Einstein was a rebel and nonconformist from boyhood days, and these character traits drove both his life and his science. In this narrative, Walter Isaacson explains how his mind worked and the mysteries of the universe that he discovered.”

Enrique’s Journey: The Story of a Boy’s Dangerous Odyssey to Reunite with His Mother by Sonia Nazario

“In this astonishing true story, award-winning journalist Sonia Nazario recounts the unforgettable odyssey of a Honduran boy who braves unimaginable hardship and peril to reach his mother in the United States.”

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

“After stumbling upon a hidden trove of diaries, New Yorker writer David Grann set out to solve ‘the greatest exploration mystery of the 20th century’: What happened to the British explorer Percy Fawcett & his quest for the Lost City of Z?”

Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire by Amanda Foreman

“Amanda Foreman draws on a wealth of fresh research and writes colorfully and penetratingly about the fascinating Georgiana, whose struggle against her own weaknesses, whose great beauty and flamboyance, and whose determination to play a part in the affairs of the world make her a vibrant, astonishingly contemporary figure.”

Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik Ping Zhu

“Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg never asked for fame she was just trying to make the world a little better and a little freer. But along the way, the feminist pioneer’s searing dissents and steely strength have inspired millions. [This book], created by the young lawyer who began the Internet sensation and an award-winning journalist, takes you behind the myth for an intimate, irreverent look at the justice’s life and work.”

Wrapped in Rainbows: The Life of Zora Neale Hurston by Valerie Boyd

“A woman of enormous talent and remarkable drive, Zora Neale Hurston published seven books, many short stories, and several articles and plays over a career that spanned more than thirty years. Today, nearly every black woman writer of significance—including Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, and Alice Walker—acknowledges Hurston as a literary foremother.”

Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life by Ruth Franklin

“ Shirley Jackson  reveals the tumultuous life and inner darkness of the literary genius behind such classics as ‘The Lottery’ and  The Haunting of Hill House .”

The Path to Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson by Robert A. Caro

“This is the story of the rise to national power of a desperately poor young man from the Texas Hill Country. The Path to Power reveals in extraordinary detail the genesis of the almost superhuman drive, energy, and ambition that set LBJ apart.”

The Life of Samuel Johnson   by James Boswell

“Poet, lexicographer, critic, moralist and Great Cham, Dr. Johnson had in his friend Boswell the ideal biographer. Notoriously and self-confessedly intemperate, Boswell shared with Johnson a huge appetite for life and threw equal energy into recording its every aspect in minute but telling detail.”

Barbara Jordan: American Hero by Mary Beth Rogers

“Barbara Jordan was the first African American to serve in the Texas Senate since Reconstruction, the first black woman elected to Congress from the South, and the first to deliver the keynote address at a national party convention. Yet Jordan herself remained a mystery.”

Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo by Hayden Herrera

“This engrossing biography of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo reveals a woman of extreme magnetism and originality, an artist whose sensual vibrancy came straight from her own experiences: her childhood near Mexico City during the Mexican Revolution; a devastating accident at age eighteen that left her crippled and unable to bear children.”

Florynce “Flo” Kennedy: The Life of a Black Feminist Radical by Sherie M. Randolph

“Often photographed in a cowboy hat with her middle finger held defiantly in the air, Florynce ‘Flo’ Kennedy (1916–2000) left a vibrant legacy as a leader of the Black Power and feminist movements. In the first biography of Kennedy, Sherie M. Randolph traces the life and political influence of this strikingly bold and controversial radical activist.”

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

“In 1986, a shy and intelligent twenty-year-old named Christopher Knight left his home in Massachusetts, drove to Maine, and disappeared into the forest. He would not have a conversation with another human being until nearly three decades later, when he was arrested for stealing food.”

The Lady and the Peacock: The Life of Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma by Peter Popham

“Peter Popham … draws upon previously untapped testimony and fresh revelations to tell the story of a woman whose bravery and determination have captivated people around the globe. Celebrated today as one of the world’s greatest exponents of non-violent political defiance since Mahatma Gandhi, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize only four years after her first experience of politics.”

Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo”   by Zora Neale Hurston

“In 1927, Zora Neale Hurston went to Plateau, Alabama, just outside Mobile, to interview eighty-six-year-old Cudjo Lewis. Of the millions of men, women, and children transported from Africa to America as slaves, Cudjo was then the only person alive to tell the story of this integral part of the nation’s history.”

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

“Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells—taken without her knowledge—became one of the most important tools in medicine.”

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin

“Acclaimed historian Doris Kearns Goodwin illuminates Lincoln’s political genius in this highly original work, as the one-term congressman and prairie lawyer rises from obscurity to prevail over three gifted rivals of national reputation to become president.”

The New Negro: The Life of Alain Locke by Jeffrey C. Stewart

“A tiny, fastidiously dressed man emerged from Black Philadelphia around the turn of the century to mentor a generation of young artists including Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and Jacob Lawrence and call them the New Negro — the creative African Americans whose art, literature, music, and drama would inspire Black people to greatness.”

Warrior Poet: A Biography of Audre Lorde by Alexis De Veaux

“Drawing from the private archives of the poet’s estate and numerous interviews, Alexis De Veaux demystifies Lorde’s iconic status, charting her conservative childhood in Harlem; her early marriage to a white, gay man with whom she had two children; her emergence as an outspoken black feminist lesbian; and her canonization as a seminal poet of American literature.”

Thurgood Marshall: American Revolutionary by Juan Williams

“Thurgood Marshall stands today as the great architect of American race relations, having expanded the foundation of individual rights for all Americans. His victory in the Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954, the landmark Supreme Court case outlawing school segregation, would have him a historic figure even if he had not gone on to become the first African-American appointed to the Supreme Court.”

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

“In April 1992 a young man from a well-to-do family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. His name was Christopher Johnson McCandless. He had given $25,000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burned all the cash in his wallet, and invented a new life for himself.”

The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life and Times of Harvey Milk by Randy Shilts

“ The Mayor of Castro Street  is Shilts’s acclaimed story of Harvey Milk, the man whose personal life, public career, and tragic assassination mirrored the dramatic and unprecedented emergence of the gay community in America during the 1970s.”

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

“The most famous poet of the Jazz Age, Millay captivated the nation: She smoked in public, took many lovers (men and women, single and married), flouted convention sensationally, and became the embodiment of the New Woman.”

How to Live: A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at An Answer by Sarah Bakewell

This book is “a vivid portrait of Montaigne, showing how his ideas gave birth to our modern sense of our inner selves, from Shakespeare’s plays to the dilemmas we face today.”

The Silent Woman: Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes by Janet Malcolm

“From the moment it was first published in The New Yorker, this brilliant work of literary criticism aroused great attention. Janet Malcolm brings her shrewd intelligence to bear on the legend of Sylvia Plath and the wildly productive industry of Plath biographies.”

Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley   by Peter Guralnick

“Based on hundreds of interviews and nearly a decade of research, [this book] traces the evolution not just of the man but of the music and of the culture he left utterly transformed, creating a completely fresh portrait of Elvis and his world.

Mrs. Robinson’s Disgrace: The Private Diary of a Victorian Lady by Kate Summerscale

“Kate Summerscale brilliantly recreates the Victorian world, chronicling in exquisite and compelling detail the life of Isabella Robinson, wherein the longings of a frustrated wife collided with a society clinging to rigid ideas about sanity, the boundaries of privacy, the institution of marriage, and female sexuality.”

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

“A young man from a small provincial town moves to London in the late 1580s and, in a remarkably short time, becomes the greatest playwright not of his age alone but of all time. How is an achievement of this magnitude to be explained?”

The Invisible Woman: The Story of Charles Dickens and Nelly Ternan by Claire Tomalin

“When Charles Dickens and Nelly Ternan met in 1857, she was 18: a professional actress performing in his production of  The Frozen Deep . He was 45: a literary legend, a national treasure, married with ten children. This meeting sparked a love affair that lasted over a decade, destroying Dickens’s marriage and ending with Nelly’s near-disappearance from the public record.”

Sojourner Truth: A Life, A Symbol by Nell Irvin Painter

“Slowly, but surely, Sojourner climbed from beneath the weight of slavery, secured respect for herself, and utilized the distinction of her race to become not only a symbol for black women, but for the feminist movement as a whole.”

The Black Rose by Tananarive Due

“Born to former slaves on a Louisiana plantation in 1867, Madam C.J. Walker rose from poverty and indignity to become America’s first black female millionaire, the head of a hugely successful beauty company, and a leading philanthropist in African American causes.”

Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow

“With a breadth and depth matched by no other one-volume life, [Chernow] carries the reader through Washington’s troubled boyhood, his precocious feats in the French and Indian Wars, his creation of Mount Vernon, his heroic exploits with the Continental Army, his presiding over the Constitutional Convention and his magnificent performance as America’s first president.”

Ida: A Sword Among Lions by Paula J. Giddings

“ Ida: A Sword Among Lions  is a sweeping narrative about a country and a crusader embroiled in the struggle against lynching: a practice that imperiled not only the lives of black men and women, but also a nation based on law and riven by race.”

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

“But the true saga of [Wilder’s] life has never been fully told. Now, drawing on unpublished manuscripts, letters, diaries, and land and financial records, Caroline Fraser—the editor of the Library of America edition of the Little House series—masterfully fills in the gaps in Wilder’s biography.”

Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Her Daughter Mary Shelley by Charlotte Gordon

“Although mother and daughter, these two brilliant women never knew one another – Wollstonecraft died of an infection in 1797 at the age of thirty-eight, a week after giving birth. Nevertheless their lives were so closely intertwined, their choices, dreams and tragedies so eerily similar, it seems impossible to consider one without the other.”

Virginia Woolf by Hermione Lee

“Subscribing to Virginia Woolf’s own belief in the fluidity and elusiveness of identity, Lee comes at her subject from a multitude of perspectives, producing a richly layered portrait of the writer and the woman that leaves all of her complexities and contradictions intact.”

Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention by Manning Marable

“Of the great figures in twentieth-century American history perhaps none is more complex and controversial than Malcolm X. Constantly rewriting his own story, he became a criminal, a minister, a leader, and an icon, all before being felled by assassins’ bullets at age thirty-nine.”

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

“On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared. It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane’s bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard. So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War.”

Want to read more about great biographies? Check out this post on presidential biographies , this list of biographies and memoirs about remarkable women , and this list of 100 must-read musician biographies and memoirs .

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25 Best Biographies: The Life Stories Every Man Should Read

Read them. Learn from them. Return to them.

Nothing tells us more about how to be alive now than learning from those who have gone before. And nothing captures their triumphs and disasters better than a book. We invited 25 writers to recommend a biography they love. Here are their picks of 25 lives well lived, 25 lives well told. Read them. Learn from them. Return to them.

1 | How To Live: A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty-One Attempts at an Answer by Sarah Bakewell (Vintage, 2010)

Recommended by Nick Hornby:

Sarah Bakewell’s book is a biography with a difference. Like every great life in the arts, Montaigne’s is hundreds of years long. He happens to have died in 1592, but his influence is everywhere: in Hamlet’s soliloquies, in every newspaper, on every blog. Montaigne, for better or for worse, invented the personal essay — really — and this singular book explores some of the ideas these essays raised, and traces Montaigne’s survival from generation to generation.

There’s a more conventional biography in here, too, but Bakewell manages to thread it into a philosophical self-help book about grief, conviviality, work, originality and a lot of other subjects that Montaigne wanted us to think about. As a consequence, How To Live is original, accessible, thoughtful, useful, and more fun than you’d ever have thought a 16th-century essayist could be.

I’d like to read a similar book about Elvis, or Shakespeare, or Dickens, or Jane Austen; sometimes the true greatness only emerges years, centuries even, after the last breath has been drawn.

Funny Girl by Nick Hornby is out now (Viking)

2 | Becoming a Poet: Elizabeth Bishop with Marianne Moore and Robert Lowell by David Kalstone (University of Michigan, 1989)

Recommended by Colm Tóibín:

Becoming a Poet by David Kalstone, is the story of the relationship between three poets: Elizabeth Bishop, Robert Lowell and Marianne Moore. Using letters and drafts of poems, he shows how Lowell and Moore did everything they could to influence and help and often patronise Elizabeth Bishop. Moore and her eccentric mother even rewrote one of Bishop’s poems for her, just as Lowell made one of Bishop’s stories into a poem, and later, without her permission, one of her letters into a sonnet.

Kalstone, who died in 1986, three years before the book was published, was a scholar with a light touch, a critic with a real interest in what lay behind poetic influence and inspiration. The book manages to tell the story of three sensibilities, and then shows us Bishop’s efforts to float away from her two mentors by writing slowly and meticulously about her childhood in Nova Scotia — some poems took her more than twenty years to complete — and then about Key West, where she lived for a decade, and then later her life in Brazil.

Kalstone’s style is elegant: he manages to make careful and sober judgements. His book is one of the great biographies.

Nora Webster by Colm Tóibín is out now (Viking)

3 | Rebel Yell: The Violence, Passion, and Redemption of Stonewall Jackson by SC Gwynne (Scribner, 2014)

Recommended by Richard Ford:

I’m generally bored rigid by the Civil War. A boyhood in Mississippi will do that to you (or else turn you into a Republican). But SC Gwynne’s superb biography of Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson is a revelation — as is Jackson himself.

Gwynne is an especially informed and felicitous writer, while Jackson poses a challenge to the most resourceful student of human character. Jackson was a compendium of glaring opposites: a pious and uxorious homebody and failed science teacher, who transformed himself (in an absurd and bad cause) into the fiercest and most ingenious of battlefield generals.

A biography of his life, then, needs to, if not reconcile Jackson’s incongruities then at least to get them into the shapely sentences, yet Gwynne is truly remarkable at this.

Don’t let the title throw you off: this is a riveting book.

Let Me Be Frank With You by Richard Ford is now (Bloomsbury)

4 | Elia Kazan: A Life by Elia Kazan (Da Capo, 1988)

​Recommended by John Lahr:

Elia Kazan’s autobiography A Life is my favourite book on American theatre.

Kazan was a dynamo. Scratch anywhere in modern American theatre and you’ll find him. As an actor with The Group Theatre, he shouted “Strike, Strike, Strike!” in Clifford Odets’s Waiting for Lefty , the polemical anthem which launched Odets and The Group into stardom in the Thirties.

As a director, his psychological insight and sense of narrative structure helped to shape the most important plays of mid-century theatre: Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth , Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof ; Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman .

As if that weren’t enough, he co-founded the Actors Studio, which revolutionised acting, and was the first co-artistic director of Lincoln Centre. All the forces in American theatre come together, one way or another, in him.

At the centre of this furious energy and appetite for life was a combative outsider’s rage. His memoir is unique for its honesty, intimacy, and insight into all the great talents with whom he worked and into his own legendary struggle to be an artist and to be true to his political principles.

The scope of Kazan’s influence, the complexity of his personality and his psychological acumen place this memoir in a class by itself.

Nobody in 20th-century theatre had Kazan’s career, and no memoirist has left a more unabashed witness to the brilliance and barbarity of American individualism.

Tennessee Williams: Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh by John Lahr is out now (Bloomsbury)

5 | The Life of Samuel Johnson LLD by James Boswell (1791)

Recommended by Adam Gopnik:

When it comes to biographies, I always return, in a shamelessly unimaginative spirit, to James Boswell’s The Life of Samuel Johnson .

The most unoriginal of choices, this dramatic biography of the life of a miscellaneous journalist remains the most original of books — in many ways the most original (and still inimitable) book in all the English language.

Instead of the slow-crawl, dutiful chronicling of the life of a great man, piety after piety and year after year, it is a collection of hyper-dramatised vignettes, sometimes comic — “I asked Dr. Johnson whether he thought any man of a modern age could have written such poems? Johnson replied, ‘Yes, Sir, many men, many women, and many children’” — sometimes passionate — “‘I am afraid I may be one of those who shall be damned’ (looking dismally). Dr. Adams: ‘What do you mean by damned?’ Johnson: (passionately and loudly) ‘Sent to Hell, Sir, and punished everlastingly’” — but always utterly alive.

I’ve been reading in it every night for 30 plus years, and never get even slightly bored, though I’ve sometimes wondered why Boswell’s dramatic technique remains so rarely imitated, even in biographies written by intimates of their subjects.

Winter by Adam Gopnik is out now (Quercus)

6 | Wilfred Owen by Dominic Hibberd (W&N, 2002)

Recommended by Philip Hoare:

In 2014 we were bombarded with more books about the World War I than bombs that fell in the trenches, so I dug out Dominic Hibberd’s brilliant Wilfred Owen .

Building on Jon Stallworthy’s wonderful first biography of 1974 (sadly, Stallworthy died last year), Hibberd brings a startling, if not counterfactual, new focus to bear on our most celebrated war poet. In 1914, Owen was a perfume salesman in Bordeaux, sporting a floppy fringe and hanging out with decadent anarchist poets. When he did enlist, the following year, it was not to fight for his country, but for poetry.

Hibberd’s biography was the first to deal openly with Owen’s sexuality. He shows that the power of Owen’s poems lies in his passion for the men under his command. Like many of my generation, Owen’s was the authentic voice of protest.

Indeed, his poems only became widely popular in the Sixties, when they were evoked in the opposition to Vietnam. Until Jane Potter’s much-anticipated edition of Owen’s letters emerges later this year, the anniversary of the Great War will have not produced any account so compelling as Owen’s verse, or as revealing as Hibberd’s prose.

The Sea Inside by Philip Hoare is out now (Fourth Estate)

7 | Chapter and Verse by Bernard Sumner (Bantam, 2014)

Recommended Irvine Welsh:

A biography should be able to spring surprises, even if you know the subject.

Bernard Sumner’s Chapter and Verse contained poignantly rendered family tragedies, told with warm humour and without a hint of self-pity, that the wider world and even close friends were often previously unaware of.

As well as showing a life saved and made by rock’n’roll, it illustrates somebody almost effortlessly negotiating the rapids of success and stardom, armed only with street smarts and laconic Manc wit.

The passage on a bitter council co-worker’s view on weight gain alone makes it essential. It's a must-read for all Joy Division and New Order fans.

A Decent Ride by Irvine Welsh is out 16 April (Cape)

8 | The Perfect Stranger by PJ Kavanagh (Carcanet, 1966)

​Recommended by David Nicholls:

I’ve read some wonderful memoirs over the years, from Blake Morrison’s classic And When Did You Last See Your Father? to, more recently, Damian Barr’s frank and touching Maggie and Me . But if I had to choose one, I think I’d go for The Perfect Stranger by PJ Kavanagh.

It’s a classic coming-of-age story following the young writer’s adventures from a Butlin’s holiday camp to Paris, Korea, Barcelona and Oxford, where he meets the “perfect stranger” of the title.

Funny, poetical, ultimately heartbreaking, it’s a lost classic, out of print for many years but due for republication soon.

Us by David Nicholls is out now (Hodder & Stoughton)

9 | Ever, Dirk: The Bogarde Letters edited by John Coldstream (W&N, 2008)

​Recommended by David Thomson

This is a life as told through the letters of Dirk Bogarde: a great actor, a fair writer of novels and memoirs, a man with a natural talent for gardens and houses and a seething enthusiasm for gossip and friendship.

He was gay (but not inclined to admit it), yet some of his most stimulating friendships were with women he adored. As edited (superbly) by John Coldstream, this book gives you the sound of his voice, the pleasure of having him as your host and the fascination of witty, personal letters that are hideously misspelled!

Yet through all the gaiety and humour, you perceive someone always acting and trying to hide a chill and a loneliness that emerge in real biographies of him. Instead, he wanted to be good company and “ever, Dirk”.

What more do you expect from a true biography than a sense of the act he was putting on? I’m not sure honesty makes for good biography or great actors.

Why Acting Matters by David Thomson is out on 23 April (Yale)

10 | Edie: An American Biography by Jean Stein (Cape, 1982)

Recommended by Andrew O'Hagan:

I find it hard to choose my favourite biography because I love so many. It could easily be James Boswell’s Life of Johnson , a deathless book filled with drama and comedy. (It’s a classic because it makes you realise what the art of biography means.) But what about Richard Ellmann’s biography of Oscar Wilde, Fred Laurence Guiles’ of Marilyn Monroe, Hilary Spurling’s two-volume masterpiece on Matisse, or Miranda Carter’s account of the lives of Anthony Blunt?

Whatever it is that makes a great biography, the element is in short supply. Yet the book I’ve decided to choose is different from most biographies; it’s more edited than authored, and it happens to be about a person who is quite marginal.

Edie by Jean Stein is the story of Andy Warhol’s associate Edie Sedgwick as told by those who knew her. Edie was a beautiful young socialite who made a splash in the underground art scene before dying of a drug overdose at the age of 28. It might not sound like much of a life, but great biographies are often a record of a period as much as a person, and Stein’s book is a brilliant book about the Sixties.

It also cuts to the core of what we now understand to be a general obsession with celebrity. The book is the first and best of what is called “oral biography”: the story is told through hundreds of interviews and is orchestrated with terrific brio.

The Illuminations by Andrew O’Hagan is out on 5 February (Faber)

11 | A Strong Song Tows Us: The Life of Basil Bunting by Richard Burton (2013, Infinite ideas)

Recommended by Iain Sinclair:

A culture, at any given time, can be judged by its poets. And by the way those poets are appreciated or ignored. In the ground beside a Quaker Meeting House, near Sedbergh, is the plain stone that serves as a memorial to the Northumbrian poet Basil Bunting. Bunting did not look for a biography. He kept predatory academics and gossipmongers at arm’s length. He burnt letters. The story, in so far as he wanted to tell it, was a single poem, Briggflatts: the myth of self as a memory-song or river echo. “Descant on Rawthey’s madrigal.”

But we want the mystery unpacked and explained. Richard Burton, in A Strong Song Tows Us , has been diligent. Bunting in prison as a conscientious objector during the First World War. Carousing with Hemingway in Paris. Hanging out with Ezra Pound in Rapallo. Diplomat and spy in Persia. Rescued from newspaper drudgery by young Tom Pickard. Feted by Allen Ginsberg. A man acclaimed, then reforgotten. Here is a life that covers most of the 20th century. It comes back in the end, to the sound heard in Briggflatts: the mason’s mallet spelling out a name for a gravestone.

London Overground: A Day’s Walk Around the Ginger Line by Iain Sinclair is out on 4 June (Hamish Hamilton)

12 | Anyone Who Had a Heart: My Life and Music by Burt Bacharach with Robert Greenfield (Harper, 2013)

Recommended by Mick Brown:

“I Say A Little Prayer”, “Walk on By”, “The Look of Love”, “This Guy’s in Love With You” – Burt Bacharach has been responsible for writing and producing some of the most memorable, and romantic, songs in post-war popular music, but he is also a highly entertaining, and surprisingly candid, raconteur. The Broadway lyricist Sammy Cahn once said of Bacharach that he was the only songwriter who didn’t look like a dentist. Rather, he was the epitome of cool, an urbane ladykiller as smooth as his orchestral arrangements, who plied his trade in a world of rapacious agents, self-destructive singers, broads, highballs and frequent dinners at Italian joints “where Sinatra liked to hang out”. This autobiography is vividly illuminating on the craft of the songwriter, Bacharach’s oddly distanced relationship with his lyricist Hal David, and the hurly-burly of life around New York's Brill Building — a kind of hit factory of Sixties pop music. It also spares nothing of an energetic love life featuring such walk-on players as the wonderfully named Slim Brandy (real name Shirley Orenstein), who danced in the line at the Sands Hotel in Vegas, and Tracy Fisher, a showgirl who owned a poodle named Killer and who, Bacharach notes laconically, “eventually wound up living with some low-level hood, who killed her on a boat.” Bacharach floats across the pages, radiating charm and talent as seemingly effortless as his melodies.

Tearing Down The Wall of Sound: The Rise and Fall of Phil Spector by Mick Brown is out now (Bloomsbury)

13 | Félix Fénéon, Aesthete and Anarchist in Fin-de-Siecle Paris by Joan Ungersma Halperin (Yale, 1989)

Recommended by Tom McCarthy:

This is an extraordinary biography (it took 25 years to write) of an extraordinary person. Félix Fénéon was an immaculately-dressed man-about-the-boulevards; a brilliant art critic who championed the Post-Impressionists at a time when the Academy dismissed them as irrelevant; editor of several literary magazines; and bomb-throwing anarchist who liked planting incendiary devices in flowerpots on the windowsills of restaurants packed with politicians and diplomats. When put on trial for acts of which he was self-evidently guilty, he charmed his way off the hook, and even had the jury rolling in their chairs (”It is alleged that I was seen talking with the German terrorist Kampfmeyer ‘behind a lamppost?’ But a lamp-post is round…”). Here is the outline of his “psychological novel” The Muzzled Woman : 1st Part: Uh! 2nd Part: Two purplish butterflies alight on Jacqueline’s zygomatic muscle. 3rd Part: Paul's Sa’s bed. 4th Part: The menacing eye of the lewd druggist. Did he actually write it? Of course not. Who needs to when the outline is that good? Later in life, he pioneered the three-line news-haiku, otherwise known as fait divers: It was his turn at nine-pins when a cerebral haemorrhage felled M. André, 75, of Levallois. While his ball was rolling, he ceased to be.

Satin Island by Tom McCarthy is out on 12 March (Vintage)

14 | The Years of Lyndon Johnson by Robert A Caro (1982- Knopf)

Recommended by Mark Lawson:

Most biographers devote a short part of their own life to a long stretch of somebody else’s, but US writer Robert A Caro has achieved more than a 1:1 ratio. President Lyndon Baines Johnson had a 32-year political career, culminating in the White House after JFK’s assassination; and Caro has so far spent four decades describing that CV. Starting work shortly after LBJ’s death in 1973, he published the first volume, The Path to Power , in 1982 and three more have appeared at intervals of roughly a decade, with the concluding fifth book (presidency and post presidency) currently under-way. The cumulative result is the greatest work ever written about the motives, tactics and consequences of elective power. Anyone contemplating taking a position from tennis club treasurer to Mayor of London should read the third book, <Master of the Senate>, a riveting account of beguiling rivals and opponents to do what you want. And, although there had been thousands of accounts of the Kennedy assassination by the time that Caro published The Passage of Power in 2012, his version, told from the viewpoint of Johnson on the floor of the following car, is the most intense and affecting. Caro never denies the vulgarity and corruption that were a part of LBJ but also shows that he did more to shape American society than JFK had. The Deaths by Mark Lawson is out now (Picador)

15 | Isak Dinesen: The Life of a Storyteller by Judith Thurman (St Martins, 1995)

Recommended Adam Thirlwell:

So often I’m distrustful of biography as a form, and especially the biographies of writers — all those novels reduced to psychosomatic neuroses! But I love Judith Thurman’s of Isak Dinesen. Now, I understand, Dinesen is not — not any more — the most famous of names. She was the author of the memoir Out of Africa , and a sequence of Gothic tales that’s unlike any other fiction in the 20th century. But then, Dinesen was unlike any other author. She was born into the Danish aristocracy. Her real name was Karen Dinesen; she published fiction in English as Isak Dinesen, then in Danish as Karen Blixen – which is also the name on her tombstone. But she was known in Denmark simply as Baronessen, the Baroness. And you need to read this biography not only for the outré details – like the dinner she once had with Carson McCullers, Arthur Miller, and Marilyn Monroe (Monroe, she said, reminded her of a lion cub) – but for the elegance of Thurman’s composition, which transforms a life into a patterned process. And that, amigos, is what biography should be.

Lurid and Cute by Adam Thirlwell is out now (Cape)

16 | Clothes Clothes Clothes, Music Music Music, Boys Boys Boys by Viv Albertine (Faber, 2014)

Recommended by Mark Ellen:

This is the most gripping and evocative rock memoir I’ve ever read. It opens like a black and white movie about a broken-home childhood in the late-Fifties, becomes a Grimm’s Fairy Tale of outrageous teenage adventure, then a punk pantomime with her game-changing all-girl band The Slits, then a brutally honest attempt to make sense of marriage, motherhood and middle-age with clothes, music and boys the three irresistible forces that steer her path and fire her imagination. Every split-second is so vivid and powerfully observed: the less than fragrant sex (Pistols, Mick Jones, Johnny Thunders), the head-warping drug episodes, the emotional highs and menstrual miseries of being a girl in a ballet dress playing electric guitar. Here’s a taste, Viv has run away with a friend to Amsterdam and is about to spend the night with a junkie (it’s 1970, she’s 15): “Out of the gloom a double mattress begins to materialise and, lounging on it, languishing behind a veil of smoke from a joint like the caterpillar in Alice In Wonderland , is an angelic boy with long golden ringlets. He looks us over and smiles.” That’s nothing: wait till she’s on tour with The Clash...

Rock Stars Stole My Life!: A Big Bad Love Affair With Music by Mark Ellen is out in paperback on 8 May (Coronet Books)

17 | Ball of Fire by Fred Trueman (Aldine, 1976)

Recommended by Richard Benson:

For a sport that prides itself on its chivalry, fair play and liking for cucumber sandwiches, cricket produces an awful lot of autobiographies with dodgy exposes and anger-management issues. Who can forget, for example, Ian Botham’s Eighties masterpiece Don’t Tell Kath , or Kevin Pietersen’s KP last year? Fred Trueman’s Ball of Fire, written with a ghost writer in 1976, is the snorty king of them all, a spectacular 150-page venting of arrogance, resentment, and Yorkshire chippiness. Trueman, active between 1949 and 1968, was arguably England’s greatest-ever fast bowler, controversial and aggressive. He later enjoyed a successful TV career as presenter and pundit. Ball of Fire features great anecdotes from his cricketing career, several blood-soaked, since this was a man who settled scores by breaking opponents’ jaws with bouncers. But it’s the drama (sample chapter titles: “The Curse of the Truemans”, “The White English Bastard”, “I Could Have Been Skipper!”) and furious showing off (“I bowled faster over a longer period than anyone else on earth”; “Some of those old-timers talked a load of old cock!”) that make it. Reading like a combination of Morrissey and Roy Keane, it’s as good an antidote to bland sports autobiographies as you’ll ever read. The Valley: A Hundred Years in the Life of a Family by Richard Benson is out now (Bloomsbury)

18 | James Joyce by Richard Ellmann (Oxford, 1959)

Recommended by Kevin Maher:

Over 800 pages of clear-cut analysis and no-nonsense insight, this is the book for anyone who’s made it as far as the third chapter of James Joyce’s Ulysses , glared at the opening words, “Ineluctable modality of the visible..”, and thought, “You know what? Fuck this!”

Because Ellmann’s biography of Joyce is not just a ten-years-in-the-making masterwork in its own right, described by Anthony Burgess as, “the greatest literary biography of the 20th century.” It is also the great calmative that approaches the work of Joyce without pretension, and makes it entirely comprehensible by simply rooting it back into the life of an affable Irish overachiever who once boasted of Ulysses, “I’ve put in so many enigmas and puzzles that it will keep the professors busy for centuries.”

Highlights here include a high-stakes 1902 face-off between Joyce and the much older (and more famous) WB Yeats in a Dublin café (think Michael Mann’s Heat, but with extra rhetorical flourishes) in which the younger man dismisses his elder as a pompous relic. Or the many wildly intimate letters sent between Joyce and eventual wife Nora Barnacle in which the writer expresses his desire to, in so many words, let her do pee-pee and poo-poo all over him.

But mostly what Ellmann gives you is a gorgeous portrait of an artist who was determined to transform his life into literature. And by documenting that life in dense, breathtaking detail, Ellmann brings the literature alive and, thankfully, finally, takes the enigmas and the puzzles to pieces.

Last Night on Earth by Kevin Maher is out on 2 April (Little, Brown)

19 | Penelope Fitzgerald by Hermione Lee (Chatto & Windus, 2013)

Recommended by Alan Hollinghurst:

Penelope Fitzgerald presents a special kind of problem for a biographer.

Known now as one of the finest English novelists of the Seventies and Eighties, she didn’t publish her first book till she was 59, and her last and greatest, The Blue Flower , until she was nearly 80.

For much of her long and difficult life, she was a genius in waiting, and in her famous old age became something of a tease about her own history. She wrote glancingly about her marriage and career in the novels she produced at first at the rate of one a year, and all fans of her fiction will have longed to know more.

In Hermione Lee she has found the supreme biographer, not only tirelessly interested in every detail of Fitzgerald’s life, but with a profound sense of the imaginative compulsions which produced her utterly original novels.

This is a masterpiece worthy of its subject.

The Stranger’s Child by Alan Hollinghurst is out now (Picador)

In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences by Truman Capote (Random House, 1966)

Recommended by David Vann:

I’ve written a portrait of a school shooter, a mass murderer, so I’m biased, but Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood is still the biography I remember most.

It was in some ways a life-destroying act of empathy, and maybe that’s what biography demands: the erasure of the author. I know that I will never write about another murderer.

He’s become a part of my life, made my view of America and of men much darker, and if I could go back, I would not have written the book. And I wasn’t very good at it. I became impatient, wanted him out of my life, and finished the book quickly after writing the initial article for Esquire in the US.

What Capote did was remain immersed in that dark place for years. He went beyond any safety. And because of that, what we can find in his book is a part of our humanity, a recognition. This is rare.

In Dave Cullen’s bestselling book, Columbine , by contrast, we have the great lie of American heroes overshadowing any willingness to look at ourselves. He spent ten years, but all wasted.

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The best biographies to read in 2023

• Nik Rawlinson

Discover what inspired some of history’s most familiar names with these comprehensive biographies

The best biographies can be inspirational, can provide important life lessons – and can warn us off a dangerous path. They’re also a great way to learn more about important figures in history, politics, business and entertainment. That’s because the best biographies not only reveal what a person did with their life, but what effect it had and, perhaps most importantly, what inspired them to act as they did.

Where both a biography and an autobiography exist, you might be tempted to plump for the latter, assuming you’d get a more accurate and in-depth telling of the subject’s life story. While that may be true, it isn’t always the case. It’s human nature to be vain, and who could blame a celebrity or politician if they covered up their embarrassments and failures when committing their lives to paper? A biographer, so long as they have the proof to back up their claims, may have less incentive to spare their subject’s blushes, and thus produce a more honest account – warts and all.

That said, we’ve steered clear of the sensational in selecting the best biographies for you. Rather, we’ve focused on authoritative accounts of notable names, in each case written some time after their death, when a measured, sober assessment of their actions and impact can be given.

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Best biographies: At a glance

• Best literary biography: Agatha Christie: A Very Elusive Woman by Lucy Worsley | £20
• Best showbiz biography: Let’s Do It: The Authorised Biography of Victoria Wood | £6.78
• Best political biography: Hitler by Ian Kershaw | £14

How to choose the best biography for you

There are so many biographies to choose from that it can be difficult knowing which to choose. This is especially true when there are several competing titles focused on the same subject. Try asking yourself these questions.

Is the author qualified?

Wikipedia contains potted biographies of every notable figure you could ever want to read about. So, if you’re going to spend several hours with a novel-sized profile it must go beyond the basics – and you want to be sure that the author knows what they’re talking about.

That doesn’t mean they need to have been personally acquainted with the subject, as Jasper Rees was with Victoria Wood. Ian Kershaw never met Adolf Hitler (he was, after all, just two years old when Hitler killed himself), but he published his first works on the subject in the late 1980s, has advised on BBC documentaries about the Second World War, and is an acknowledged expert on the Nazi era. It’s no surprise, then, that his biography of the dictator is extensive, comprehensive and acclaimed.

Is there anything new to say?

What inspires someone to write a biography – particularly of someone whose life has already been documented? Sometimes it can be the discovery of new facts, perhaps through the uncovering of previously lost material or the release of papers that had been suppressed on the grounds of national security. But equally, it may be because times have changed so much that the context of previous biographies is no longer relevant. Attitudes, in particular, evolve with time, and what might have been considered appropriate behaviour in the 1950s would today seem discriminatory or shocking. So, an up-to-date biography that places the subject’s actions and motivations within a modern context can make it a worthwhile read, even if you’ve read an earlier work already.

Does it look beyond the subject?

The most comprehensive biographies place their subject in context – and show how that context affected their outlook and actions or is reflected in their work. Lucy Worsley’s new biography of Agatha Christie is a case in point, referencing Christie’s works to show how real life influenced her fiction. Mathew Parker’s Goldeneye does the same for Bond author Ian Fleming – and in doing so, both books enlarge considerably on the biography’s core subject.

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1. Let’s Do It: The Authorised Biography of Victoria Wood by Jasper Rees: Best showbiz biography

Price: £6.78 | Buy now from Amazon

It’s hardly surprising Victoria Wood never got around to writing her own autobiography. Originator of countless sketches, songs, comedy series, films, plays, documentaries and a sitcom, she kept pushing back the mammoth job of chronicling her life until it was too late. Wood’s death in 2016 came as a surprise to many, with the entertainer taking her final bow in private at the end of a battle with cancer she had fought away from the public eye.

In the wake of her death, her estate approached journalist Jasper Rees, who had interviewed her on many occasions, with the idea of writing the story that Wood had not got around to writing herself. With their backing, Rees’ own encounters with Wood, and the comic’s tape-recorded notes to go on, the result is a chunky, in-depth, authoritative account of her life. It seems unlikely that Wood could have written it more accurately – nor more fully – herself.

Looking back, it’s easy to forget that Wood wasn’t a constant feature on British TV screens, that whole years went by when her focus would be on writing or performing on stage, or even that her career had a surprisingly slow start after a lonely childhood in which television was a constant companion. This book reminds us of those facts – and that Wood wasn’t just a talented performer, but a hard worker, too, who put in the hours required to deliver the results.

Let’s Do It, which takes its title from a lyric in one of Wood’s best-known songs, The Ballad of Barry & Freda, is a timely reminder that there are two sides to every famous character: one public and one private. It introduces us to the person behind the personality, and shows how the character behind the characters for which she is best remembered came to be.

Key specs – Length: 592 pages; Publisher: Trapeze; ISBN: 978-1409184119

Let's Do It: The Authorised Biography of Victoria Wood

2. the chief: the life of lord northcliffe, britain’s greatest press baron by andrew roberts: best business biography.

Lord Northcliffe wasn’t afraid of taking risks – many of which paid off handsomely. He founded a small paper called Answers to Correspondents, branched out into comics, and bought a handful of newspapers. Then he founded the Daily Mail, and applied what he’d learned in running his smaller papers on a far grander scale. The world of publishing – in Britain and beyond – was never the same again. The Daily Mail was a huge success, which led to the founding of the Daily Mirror, primarily for women, and his acquisition of the Observer, Times and Sunday Times.

By then, Northcliffe controlled almost half of Britain’s daily newspaper circulation. Nobody before him had ever enjoyed such reach – or such influence over the British public – as he did through his titles. This gave him sufficient political clout to sway the direction of government in such fundamental areas as the establishment of the Irish Free State and conscription in the run-up to the First World War. He was appointed to head up Britain’s propaganda operation during the conflict, and in this position he became a target for assassination, with a German warship shelling his home in Broadstairs. Beyond publishing, he was ahead of many contemporaries in understanding the potential of aviation as a force for good, as a result of which he funded several highly valuable prizes for pioneers in the field.

He achieved much in his 57 years, as evidenced by this biography, but suffered both physical and mental ill health towards the end. The empire that he built may have fragmented since his passing, with the Daily Mirror, Observer, Times and Sunday Times having left the group that he founded, but his influence can still be felt. For anyone who wants to understand how and why titles like the Daily Mail became so successful, The Chief is an essential read.

Key specs – Length: 556 pages; Publisher: Simon & Schuster; ISBN: 978-1398508712

The Chief: The Life of Lord Northcliffe Britain's Greatest Press Baron

3. goldeneye by matthew parker: best biography for cinema fans.

The name Goldeneye is synonymous with James Bond. It was the title of both a film and a video game, a fictional super weapon, a real-life Second World War plan devised by author Ian Fleming, and the name of the Jamaican estate where he wrote one Bond book every year between 1952 and his death in 1964. The Bond film makers acknowledged this in 2021’s No Time To Die, making that estate the home to which James Bond retired, just as his creator had done at the end of the war, 75 years earlier.

Fleming had often talked of his plan to write the spy novel to end all spy novels once the conflict was over, and it’s at Goldeneye that he fulfilled that ambition. Unsurprisingly, many of his experiences there found their way into his prose and the subsequent films, making this biography as much a history of Bond itself as it is a focused retelling of Fleming’s life in Jamaica. It’s here, we learn, that Fleming first drinks a Vesper at a neighbour’s house. Vesper later became a character in Casino Royale and, in the story, Bond devises a drink to fit the name. Fleming frequently ate Ackee fish while in residence; the phonetically identical Aki was an important character in You Only Live Twice.

Parker finds more subtle references, too, observing that anyone who kills a bird or owl in any of the Bond stories suffers the spy’s wrath. This could easily be overlooked, but it’s notable, and logical: Fleming had a love of birds, and Bond himself was named after the ornithologist James Bond, whose book was on Fleming’s shelves at Goldeneye.

So this is as much the biography of a famous fictional character as it is of an author, and of the house that he occupied for several weeks every year. So much of Fleming’s life at Goldeneye influenced his work that this is an essential read for any Bond fan – even if you’ve already read widely on the subject and consider yourself an aficionado. Parker’s approach is unusual, but hugely successful, and the result is an authoritative, wide-ranging biography about one of this country’s best-known authors, his central character, an iconic location and a country in the run-up to – and immediately following – its independence from Britain.

Key specs – Length: 416 pages; Publisher: Windmill Books; ISBN: 978-0099591740

Goldeneye: Where Bond was Born: Ian Fleming's Jamaica

4. hitler by ian kershaw: best political biography.

The latter portion of Adolf Hitler’s life, from his coming to power in 1933 to his suicide in 1945, is minutely documented, and known to a greater or lesser degree by anyone who has passed through secondary education. But what of his earlier years? How did this overlooked art student become one of the most powerful and destructive humans ever to have existed? What were his influences? What was he like?

Kershaw has the answers. This door stopper, which runs to more than 1,000 pages, is an abridged compilation of two earlier works: Hitler 1889 – 1936: Hubris, and Hitler 1936 – 1946: Nemesis. Yet, abridged though it may be, it remains extraordinarily detailed, and the research shines through. Kershaw spends no time warming his engines: Hitler is born by page three, to a social-climbing father who had changed the family name to something less rustic than it had been. As Kershaw points out, “Adolf can be believed when he said that nothing his father had done pleased him so much as to drop the coarsely rustic name of Schicklgruber. ‘Heil Schicklgruber’ would have sounded an unlikely salutation to a national hero.”

There’s no skimping on context, either, with each chapter given space to explore the political, economic and social influences on Hitler’s development and eventual emergence as leader. Kershaw pinpoints 1924 as the year that “can be seen as the time when, like a phoenix arising from the ashes, Hitler could begin his emergence from the ruins of the broken and fragmented volkisch movement to become eventually the absolute leader with total mastery over a reformed, organisationally far stronger, and internally more cohesive Nazi Party”. For much of 1924, Hitler was in jail, working on Mein Kampf and, by the point of his release, the movement to which he had attached himself had been marginalised. Few could have believed that it – and he – would rise again and take over first Germany, then much of Europe. Here, you’ll find out how it happened.

If you’re looking for an authoritative, in-depth biography of one of the most significant figures in modern world history, this is it. Don’t be put off by its length: it’s highly readable, and also available as an audiobook which, although it runs to 44 hours, can be sped up to trim the overall running time.

Key specs – Length: 1,072 pages; Publisher: Penguin; ISBN: 978-0141035888

5. Stalin’s Architect: Power and Survival in Moscow by Deyan Sudjic: Best historical biography

Boris Iofan died in 1976, but his influence can still be felt today – in particular, through the architectural influences evident in many mid-century buildings across Eastern Europe. Born in Odessa in 1891, he trained in architecture and, upon returning to Russia after time spent in Western Europe, gained notoriety for designing the House on the Embankment, a monumental block-wide building containing more than 500 flats, plus the shops and other facilities required to service them.

“Iofan’s early success was based on a sought-after combination of characteristics: he was a member of the Communist Party who was also an accomplished architect capable of winning international attention,” writes biographer Deyan Sudjic. “He occupied a unique position as a bridge between the pre-revolutionary academicians… and the constructivist radicals whom the party saw as bringing much-needed international attention and prestige but never entirely trusted. His biggest role was to give the party leadership a sense of what Soviet architecture could be – not in a theoretical sense or as a drawing, which they would be unlikely to understand, but as a range of built options that they could actually see.”

Having established himself, much of the rest of his life was spent working on his designs for the Palace of the Soviets, which became grander and less practical with every iteration. This wasn’t entirely Iofan’s fault. He had become a favourite of the party elite, and of Stalin himself, who added to the size and ambition of the intended building over the years. Eventually, the statue of Lenin that was destined to stand atop its central tower would have been over 300ft tall, and would have had an outstretched index finger 14ft long. There was a risk that this would freeze in the winter, and the icicles that dropped from it would have been a significant danger to those going into and out of the building below it.

Although construction work began, the Palace of the Soviets was never completed. Many of Iofan’s other buildings remain, though, and his pavilions for the World Expos in Paris and New York are well documented – in this book as well as elsewhere. Lavishly illustrated, it recounts Iofan’s life and examines his work in various stages, from rough outline, through technical drawing, to photographs of completed buildings – where they exist.

Key specs – Length: 320 pages; Publisher: Thames and Hudson; ISBN: 978-0500343555

Stalin's Architect: Power and Survival in Moscow

6. agatha christie: a very elusive woman by lucy worsley: best literary biography.

Agatha Christie died in 1976 but, with more than 70 novels and 150 short stories to her name, she remains one of the best-selling authors of all time. A new biography from historian Lucy Worsley is therefore undoubtedly of interest. It’s comprehensive and highly readable – and opinionated – with short chapters that make it easy to dip into and out of on a break.

Worsley resists the temptation to skip straight to the books. Poirot doesn’t appear until chapter 11 with publication of The Mysterious Affair at Styles, which Christie wrote while working in a Torquay hospital. Today, Poirot is so well known, not only from the books but from depictions in film and television, that it’s easy to overlook how groundbreaking the character was upon his arrival.

As Worsley explains, “by choosing to make Hercule Poirot a foreigner, and a refugee as well, Agatha created the perfect detective for an age when everyone was growing surfeited with soldiers and action heroes. He’s so physically unimpressive that no-one expects Poirot to steal the show. Rather like a stereotypical woman, Poirot cannot rely upon brawn to solve problems, for he has none. He has to use brains instead… There’s even a joke in his name. Hercules, of course, is a muscular classical hero, but Hercule Poirot has a name like himself: diminutive, fussy, camp, and Agatha would show Poirot working in a different way to [Sherlock] Holmes.” Indeed, where Holmes rolls around on the floor picking up cigar ash in his first published case, Poirot, explains Worsley, does not stoop to gather clues: he needs only his little grey cells. Worsley’s approach is thorough and opinionated, and has resulted not only in a biography of Christie herself, but also her greatest creations, which will appeal all the more to the author’s fans.

As with Matthew Parker’s Goldeneye, there’s great insight here into what influenced Christie’s work, and Worsley frequently draws parallels between real life events and episodes, characters or locations in her novels. As a result of her experiences as a medical volunteer during the First World War, for example, during which a rigid hierarchy persisted and the medics behaved shockingly, doctors became the most common culprit in her books; the names of real people found their way into her fiction; and on one occasion Christie assembled what today might be called a focus group to underpin a particular plot point.

Worsley is refreshingly opinionated and, where events in the author’s life take centre stage, doesn’t merely re-state the facts, but investigates Christie’s motivations to draw her own conclusions. This is particularly the case in the chapters examining Christie’s disappearance in 1926, which many previous biographers have portrayed as an attempt to frame her husband for murder. Worsley’s own investigation leads to alternative conclusions, which seem all the more plausible today, when society has a better understanding of – and is more sympathetic towards – the effects of psychological distress.

Key specs – Length: 432 pages; Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton; ISBN: 978-1529303889

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25 Biographies Every Man Should Read

KING OF THE WORLD by David Remnick (1998)

The greatest boxer of all time got treatment from a narrative-journalism heavyweight. The Champ had been written about as much as any athlete ever. But David Remnick did more than tell a story narrowly focused on Ali's individual experiences with victory and vice. Rather, he crafted a broad social and political narrative, then placed the boxer within it. It's a biography of a man as much as it is a biography of a myth"an American myth," Remnick writes, "who has come to mean many things to many people: a symbol of faith, a symbol of conviction and defiance, a symbol of beauty and skill and courage, a symbol of racial pride, of wit and love."

OPEN by Andre Agassi (2009)

This is the psychologist-couch confessional (that's really how Agassi and his collaborator, J. R. Moehringer, worked through it) that all great sports books strive to be. The abuse of youth training; the depths of disappointment and heights of ecstasy, recounted with acuity; the comings-clean of celebrity dating and crystal meth. (It will put you at ease that you were never the star athlete you'd hoped you'd be.) This would be a crazy book from any athlete; that it's from one of the most talented and popular tennis players in history makes it all the more irresistible.

SANDY KOUFAX

SANDY KOUFAX: A LEFTY'S LEGACY by Jane Leavy (2002)

It will make you fall back in love with baseball. In addition to being unflappable in demeanor, insurmountable in technical talent, and impenetrable in his personal privacy, Sandy Koufax pitched arguably the greatest game of all time. And it's the interplay of these braided narrativesthe life story of one of the best-ever lefties and the granular ticktock of his perfect outing in September 1965that gives Jane Leavy's bio cinematic lift. Koufax was a model of high-order talent and humility, and this book is a blueprint for living a life driven by both those virtues.

WHEN PRIDE STILL MATTERED by David Maraniss (1999)

He's the best-known football coach of all time. But his brand of leadership transcended his profession. At times he sounded like a general, a lawyer, a priest, and he might've been any of those, too. That universality lifted him to the status of deitythe most quoted and misquoted sports figure ever. This book roots him in his rightful place. Come for the football; stay for the nuanced "everything" that "winning isn't."

I AM ZLATAN by Zlatan Ibrahimovi (2012)

No book serves as a more efficient gateway drug to soccer fandom than this one. If Andre's is the shrink-couch confessional, Zlatan's is the barstool confessional. Ibrahimovi is one of the world's best soccer playersand easily its most colorful. Born in a Swedish housing project, he's a brutish attacker with unmatched instincts for goal-scoring. As well, he loves fast cars, reggae, body tats, trash-talking, calling things "advanced bullshit," and speaking in the third person. Even more fantastic is the fact that he put out the book when he was mid-career. He divulged all his secrets and burned all his bridges, even though he'd have to cross back over them again. He'd be your favorite athlete if he lived in America (which really could be his next stop).

JOE DiMAGGIO by Richard Ben Cramer (2000)

Joe DiMaggio was the ultimate ballplayer during the two decadesthe '30s and '40swhen the national gravitation toward baseball and the wattage of its stars was greater than the current-day NFL, NBA, and Hollywood combined. (And then he went ahead and married Marilyn Monroe.) It doesn't take an extraordinary writer and researcher to make Joe DiMaggio's crazy mix of public-private come off, but Richard Ben Cramer happens to be one.

EVERY LOVE STORY IS A GHOST STORY by D. T. Max (2012)

More than any other recent writer, DFW will go down as having influenced writers of future generations. As intelligent and inventive as any practitioner of both fiction and non-, he was purposefully enigmatic, some combination of glowing and wounded, prone to both witheringly awkward interviews and fantastic retorts. Wallace wrote about himselfmore than he probably meant tobut he could only stare in the mirror so long before turning away, or worse. D. T. Max, his first of surely many biographers, picked up the pieces and turned the mirror into a window. We'll long be looking through it, seeking a glimpse.

DE KOONING by Mark Stevens and Annalyn Swan (2004)

De Kooning's toilsome life defies all the stereotypes of what it means to be a "modern master." Sure, aspects of the Abstract Expressionist's life fit the bill of an artist's biographyhe made the scene at the Cedar Tavern with Rothko, Kline, and Rauschenberg, kept up an intense rivalry with Pollock, drank himself into the gutter, and swapped out lovers like painting aprons. But everything else about his story will force you to revise the way you think genius works. Learn to be great, but mostly learn to be patient. He'd grunt and scrape at his canvases for months at a time, painstakingly inching his way toward immortality.

OUT OF SHEER RAGE by Geoff Dyer (1998)

This is the least conventional biography on the list. It's not really even a bio, is it? A book about the extraordinary English writer D. H. Lawrence, it's as much about Geoff Dyer's inability to write that book. We hear you; that sounds like an abysmal premise. But Dyer is in much greater and fantastically entertaining control than he lets on. What he finds in the gaps between his own life and his subject's yields writing on the kinds of human Q's & A's he (Lawrence) and he (Dyer) share with each other and any reader.

LIFE by Keith Richards (2010)

Keith. Because: the Stones. Because: Mick Charlie Ronnie Brian Bill & Bobby. Because: Smack Jack & Coke. Because: Ronnie Anita & Patti. Because: Altamont Hyde Park & Nellcte. Because: open G tuning & the blues. Because: Two bars of "Malaguea" and you're in. This is the best book ever written about sexdrugsrocknroll. Keith Richards is its Gabriel, because who else could it be?

I DREAMED I WAS A VERY CLEAN TRAMP by Richard Hell (2013

Punk rock was as much an attitude as a musical genre, and Hell was the man who first articulated the look, the sound, and the feel. He was also as good a writer as he was a musicianthe poet laureate of punk, as proven line by line here. If you're interested in the history of rock 'n' roll, or of downtown New York, or of American cool, you need to read this book as much as you need to hear any of his records.

LAST TRAIN TO MEMPHIS by Peter Guralnick (1994) & CARELESS LOVE by Peter Guralnick (1999)

Elvis is among the most American of all Americansup there with Abe Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., and Henry Fordand after this two-volume masterpiece, nobody needs to write his biography ever again. Just be forewarned: It gets dark. Goddamn, does it get dark. But it's a journey worth taking, because you begin to understand that Elvis is basically American Jesusthe sacrificial lamb who lived our national fall from grace. From guffawing mama's boy to pop king, to an inglorious death facedown in vomit beside the crapper at Graceland.

AUTOBIOGRAPHY by Morrissey (2013)

That voicewarbling, wounded, or spitting acid, and often all three at oncetranslates pitch-perfectly to the page, as Moz, in full-throated lyrical melodrama, relives the afflictions that created him: the knuckle-rapping horrors of Dickensian school days in gray Manchester, the elusive sexual promises of '70s glam and punk, the never-good-enough success of the Smiths, and pinch-me solo fame. Around every mundane corner, misery lurks in the form of judges, suits, and so-called friends as life, it seems, conspires to stifle him. Of course, life didn't.

CHRONICLES: VOLUME ONE by Bob Dylan (2004)

The most written-about songwriter of all time put an end to others' attempts by writing the weirdest, most wonderful version himself. Dozens of writers had tried before, but it took Dylan doing Dylan to get to the heart of it: impressionistic line-writing, fractured chronologies, rivers of metaphor, elliptical anecdotes, andfor those looking for a little more grounding than the poetry providescameo-filled set pieces of the most satisfying sort. Rarely is there a moment when we learn how A led directly to B, but there's a concerted effort to relate not how something was but how something felt/seemed/appeared to have transpired. The sensation inside as a song began to blossom, the bite of winter slipping through his Village floorboards, the thinking made possible by a motorcycle ride along the bayouin the present or in the past or whenever, it's hard to tell. We're never quite fixed in one placeit's one man seeing and feeling kaleidoscopically, the clearest sense yet of the life of that man. Better still: Volume two is still on the slate.

DINO by Nick Tosches (1992)

Dino was the first tell-all about this inscrutable starit's also the best. Tosches pulls no punches in this unauthorized biography, which traces the Rat Packer from his early days as Dino Crocetti, a teenage gambler in Ohio, to Dean Martin, a marquee name with a $500 nose job, a cross-media sensation before "cross-media" was a thing. But Tosches is interested in more than fantastic celebrity; in unsparing detail, he traces Dino's sad, slow decline into a twilight of pills and booze. The result is a lesson in what not to do when you reach the end of your prime.

STORIES I ONLY TELL MY FRIENDS by Rob Lowe (2011)

Hardly any actors pull this off. It takes a lot of nerve to overhype your own celebrity memoir by calling it Stories I Only Tell My Friends. But Rob LoweRob Lowe! the Handsome Guy from DirecTV ads! he was in Tommy Boy !delivers on turning the inside way out. Lowe avoids the Chicken Soup sentimentalities that plague so many celeb memoirs and veers toward unflinching self-reflection and a tabloid reporter's eyehis own tabloid moments included. If every famous person told his tales the way Lowe does, the bookstore section with all the famous faces on the covers would be a much more appealing place to get lost.

ALFRED HITCHCOCK: A LIFE IN DARKNESS AND LIGHT by Patrick McGilligan (2003)

He's the most widely examined director of all time, and he's still wildly misunderstood. McGilligan's book is a master course for anyone interested in moviemaking, a boring-down into the relationships with Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, and company, and a more suitably complex building-out of the 2-D perversions (and stalker accusations) that have come to cloud his legacy in recent decades. It's a hugely big book that never feels longthe definitive take on the master.

THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE by Robert Evans (1994)

Evans wrote the Great Hollywood Memoir. A "half-assed actor" in the '50s, he became the head of Paramount Pictures. _Rosemary's Baby, Love Story, The Godfather, Chinatown_that sort of rap sheet. He was the consummate Hollywood cadkisser-and-teller of Gardners and MacGraws (he's been married seven times), wheeler-dealer of Marlons and Jacks, and film inspiration for Dustin Hoffman in Wag the Dog. He strove to be an unapologetic original, a true north he followed to heights from which he had a singular view of the industry. Today's straight-shooting, publicity-choked middle ground will make you restless once you've tasted this.**

** Listen to This Life

The Kid Stays in the Picture is the perfect book off which to pivot to mention that many of these biographies and memoirs are also exceptional audiobooks. Especially since actors and musicians very often read their own. ( Life, for example, features Keith Richards, Johnny Depp, and musician Joe Hurley.) Still, Evans is the ultimate. For those who don't know, he's got a voice that sounds like eight-millimeter film, swimming-pool chlorine, starlet perfume, and melted-down Oscar gold rolling around together in a dryer. Reading it with the voice in your head seems criminal by comparison.

BORN STANDING UP by Steve Martin (2007)

Steve Martin wrote it, and Steve Martin knows how to produce a flash bomb of comedy. Read it if you remember Martin's stand-up shtick in the '70s, but especially read it if you don't. Before he was a white-haired eminence who fathered brides and cheap dozens and novels about shopgirls, Martin was a hustler of the rarest qualitya showman who cut his teeth at Disneyland (!), who zagged in the face of every easier zig. Who struggled maniacally to perform with originality. That's always the best part of any movie, anyway, isn't it? The gritty hustle up the mountain. By the time sold-out arenas and Hollywood blockbusters roll around, Martin seems less to bask in his successes than be bored by them. It's a good lesson for a career and for a memoir: Get out while it's hot. Martin jams through his set and then drops the mike.

THEODORE REX by Edmund Morris (2001)

Teddy's life was so grandiose that this book, confined to merely his eight White House years, manages to amaze without even covering many of the hoary Roosevelt legends (cowboy days in the Dakotas, a heroic Rough Riders phase, that time he took a bullet to the chest but gave a speech anyway). America's youngest, most unusual president is 42 when he begins warring against Wall Street monopolies, creating national parks, and stretching a canal across Panama. "Don't fritter away your time" and "Get action," the president barks, heeding his own advice.

MALCOLM X: A LIFE OF REINVENTION by Manning Marable (2011)

America in 2015 looks a hell of a lot more like the dire 1964 that Malcolm described in his landmark "The Ballot or the Bullet" speech than the cuddly future Dr. King put forth in "I Have a Dream." Yet what's so striking about Marable's book is how the supposedly rigid beliefs of Dr. King's fiery militant foil were constantly evolving, and how he came to have no allies, just enemieswhich makes this book as suspenseful as a double-agent spy novel.

ANDREW CARNEGIE by David Nasaw (2006)

Of all the robber barons, Andrew Carnegie feels the most modern. The most likable, toothough that may sell him short (which, at five feet, he was as well). He was born a pauper and became, in the words of financier J. P. Morgan, "the richest man in the world." Sure, Carnegie was no saintin the laissez-faire Gilded Age, righteousness was rarely rewarded. He sold crap-ass securities and used an early railroad gig to ink insider deals that set him up in the steel business. He made his first million by 35 but vowed to die penniless and began funding libraries, museums, concert halls, and collegessetting an example that modern plutocrats like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett aspire to today.

A BEAUTIFUL MIND by Sylvia Nasar (1998)

It is terrifying to imagine the turns a life can take. One minute you're a rising stud of American mathematics, the brash young heir to Einstein, perhaps. The next, you're announcing that you've been appointed Emperor of Antarctica, that powers from outer space are speaking to you in coded messages. In the late 1950s, John Nash fell in a flash from genius to madness. Decades were lost. But the voices quieted; Nash re-emerged, began working again. Then they gave him the goddamn Nobel Prize. Sure, things can get pretty bleak. But they can turn around, too.

STEVE JOBS by Walter Isaacson (2011)

It's so very many things at oncea panoramic tribute to a singular American mind; the definitive portrait of the definitive American company; a playbook for engineers, designers, marketers, and managers in tech and in the wider world of anybody making products and selling them for money; an "Idiot's Guide to '70s Start-ups and '00s Revivals"; a manual for megalomania (and veganism); and a best-seller of such magnitude that it's dumb to opt out. We know it's the only book your less readerly bros have read since collegebut don't let that suggest anything other than the fact that Jobs offers up entry points for countless kinds of men.

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The 25 Biographies Every Man Should Read

By: Sean Tirman Published: Sep 23, 2021

If you went to public school, at least in the United States, you’ve probably gotten an extremely brief look at some of the many, many significant historical figures that have popped up throughout human history. However, even the most thorough of professors can really only give a snapshot’s worth of attention to any given one. If you want the full story — or at least a more complete picture — you’re going to have to seek it out yourself.

One of the best, most convenient, and most educational options is by reading biographies. These tomes trend toward illuminating individuals, their stories, and their exploits on a much deeper level even than, say, biographical movies. And they represent some of the best ways to acquire a deeper understanding of any historical figure on a much more intimate level. And while it’s difficult to say that any collection of biographies is more deserving of being read than another, we’re pretty confident that our list represents at least a solid portion of the most worthwhile reads currently available. These are the 25 biographies that every man should read.

Editor’s Note: To the best of our knowledge, these are the correct prices at the time of writing. However, book prices are constantly in flux, sometimes wildly, and different formats often have vastly different prices, and they’re always changing. In fact, some of these books can even be had for no additional cost with a paid subscription to Audible. Just make sure you’re checking that you have the correct format of your choosing and that the pricing is acceptable before you buy.

My Inventions: The Autobiography of Nikola Tesla

To call this an autobiography isn’t a misnomer, but it might be a little misleading. That’s because this relatively short read is actually a collection of serialized essays written by Nikola Tesla for a periodical. That being said, it’s also one of the deepest insights to one of the most incredible minds that humanity has ever known. If you want to see what made Tesla tick, this is the tome for you.

Author: Nikola Tesla Pages: 70 Published: 2018

Purchase: $4+

A perfect counterpoint to Tesla, Edison was also brilliant — although his acumen comes more in the form of cutthroat business dealings than just purely scientific ventures. Regardless of how you feel about him, there’s no denying the impact that Thomas Alva Edison had on American culture and, more importantly, the development of modern technologies — many of which we still use to this day in some form or another. Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edmund Morris, this book is perhaps the best look at one of the most prolific inventors and businessmen in history.

Author: Edmund Morris Pages: 800 Published: 2020

Purchase: $5+

Steve McQueen: The Salvation of an American Icon

Even if you’re familiar with his body of work, there’s a lot more to the King of Cool than you might actually know. But you can acquire a much deeper understanding of this masculine movie, entertainment, and motorsport icon by reading Greg Laurie’s exceptional biography on the entertainer. From McQueen’s humble beginnings as the child of a single mother in 1930s Indiana to his eventual, tragic terminal cancer diagnosis and everything in-between, there simply isn’t a better book out there on this timeless, iconic figure.

Author: Greg Laurie & Marshall Terrill Pages: 240 Published: 2019

Purchase: $7+

Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds

The author of this book, David Goggins, is still the only man in history to complete elite training as a Navy SEAL, Army Ranger, and Air Force Tactical Air Controller. And that’s after he survived poverty, abuse, prejudice, and more. Long story short, his life is an example of both just how strong the human spirit is and how much someone can achieve with perseverance. And he’s distilled all those lessons and more into Can’t Hurt Me . Part autobiography and part inspirational self-help book, this tome is as inspirational as they get.

Author: David Goggins Pages: 364 Published: 2018

Purchase: $8+

Gonzo: The Life of Hunter S. Thompson

It should be clear to anyone with even a modicum of familiarity with the man that Hunter S. Thompson was one of the most bizarre, dedicated, intelligent, and wild journalists of all time. Known for his somewhat unhinged lifestyle — marked by drug abuse, an affinity for firearms , and a unique approach to American freedom — Thompson took on everyone from the Hells Angels biker gang to big-name politicians and everyone in-between. And the only thing more interesting and off-kilter than his “Gonzo” style of journalistic immersion was his own personal life, which is documented tooth-and-nail in this must-read biography.

Author: Jann Wenner & Corey Seymour Pages: 512 Published: 2008

Purchase: $10+

Open: An Autobiography

Andre Agassi will go down in history as one of the best tennis players ever to step foot on the court. However, as is outlined in this autobiography, it wasn’t all trophies and medals. In his private life, Agassi resented his illustrious career — having been forced into it by his father at an early age. Not only is this an outstanding autobiography from cover to cover, but it offers intimate proof that success and, by extension, money and fame do not necessarily equal happiness.

Author: Andre Agassi Pages: 400 Published: 2010

Guy Martin: My Autobiography

Guy Martin is a hell of a character from the world of motorsport , boasting a tremendous racing career and also gaining additional fame as a TV personality and presenter. However, in 2010, his career and, more importantly, his life almost ended when he crashed and his bike exploded during the final race of the Isle of Man TT. By some miracle, however, Martin survived and even rose back to prominence and the podium. This book is a deep dive into his story and, best of all, it’s told in his own words.

Author: Guy Martin Pages: 320 Published: 2015

Ernest Hemingway: A Biography

It’s nearly impossible to have even a modicum of familiarity with American literature and not know the name Ernest Hemingway. In fact, he might be the most significant fiction author of our country’s entire history. Turns out his private life was nearly as exciting and interesting as his stories if this biography is to be believed. Called the “most fully faceted portrait of Hemingway now available” by The Washington Post , this book touches on some of the most intimate details of the tortured artist’s brief existence, and it should be on the bookshelf of anyone that calls themselves an aficionado of American authors.

Author: Mary Dearborn Pages: 752 Published: 2018

Ali: A Life

Muhammad Ali, formerly Cassius Clay, is one of the most recognizable figured in pop culture history and also happens to be one of the greatest boxers of all time. And while his life was certainly marked with tremendous athletic achievements, he also had to contend with an abundance of speedbumps and, often, complete roadblocks — including growing up in segregated Louisville, Kentucky, being labeled a draft-dodger during the Vietnam War, and eventually being diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. This might be the most definitive work on one of the greatest athletes and showmen ever to compete.

Author: Jonathan Eig Pages: 672 Published: 2018

Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life

For the younger crowd, Steve Martin is probably best known as a comedic film star. But, back in the 1970s, he was the biggest star that stand-up comedy had ever seen. In fact, he drew bigger crowds than anyone in comedy history. But in 1981, he quit doing stand-up — ostensibly forever. While he’s since returned to the stage, albeit in a limited capacity and only a couple of times, this book tells the story of why he performed and why, without notice, he quit. It also happens to be one of the best-selling biographies of all time, which should speak to just how riveting it truly is.

Author: Steve Martin Pages: 208 Published: 2008

Purchase: $12+

Einstein: His Life and Universe

Albert Einstein is so synonymous with scientific intelligence that his name is used interchangeably with words like “smart” and “genius.” However, there was far more to this patent-clerk-turned-Nobel-Prize-winner than wild hair, chalkboards, and the Theory of Relativity. If you’ve ever wondered what made one of the most interesting minds in human history tick, you’ll certainly want to pick up this definitive biography — which benefits from knowledge acquired via personal letters to Einstein that were only recently uncovered.

Author: Walter Isaacson Pages: 704 Published: 2008

I Never Had It Made: An Autobiography of Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson was one of the greatest baseball players of all time, but his importance to the game is far bigger than his athletic performances, as it was his entrance in the MLB that marked the end of segregated leagues around the globe. And while he’s now revered as a hero, his experiences while he was alive were a very different story. In Robinson’s own words, this book touches on everything from his early years — including becoming the first-ever our-letter athlete at UCLA — to his post-baseball life as a civil rights activist — when he sparked up friendships with the likes of Martin Luther King, Jr and Malcolm X. If you love baseball and the USA, this isn’t a book to miss.

Author: Jackie Robinson & Alfred Duckett Pages: 320 Published: 2003

Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.

Few people, if any truly exemplify the idea of the American Dream more than John D. Rockefeller, Sr. Chock-full of knowledge taken from Rockefeller’s own private papers, Ron Chernow has masterfully reconstructed the life and experiences of one of the most cutthroat and successful businessmen of American history . Whether you admire his unmatched drive or you’re just trying to get a better insight into the capitalist machine we’re all slaves to today, you’ll find answers in this tome. And you might just learn a thing or two about our collective culture via one of its most colorful, controversial figures in the process.

Author: Ron Chernow Pages: 832 Published: 2004

Purchase: $13+

Best Seat in the House: 18 Golden Lessons from a Father to His Son

There are many ways to garner knowledge from historical figures, ranging from piecemeal recreations of their lives via archival documents to self-told autobiographical tomes. However, few accounts are more intimate and personal than the tales told from their children’s perspective, which is what we are offered in Jack Nicklaus II’s Best Seat in the House . Framed through the sport that permeated his and his father’s life, this is a book about golf as much as it’s a book about love and family, passion and sport, and how they’re all sometimes at odds with one another. Even if you’re not familiar with the Golden Bear and his long, successful career, this is a book full of lessons worth heeding.

Author: Jack Nicklaus II & Don Yeager Pages: 224 Published: 2021

Evel: The High-Flying Life of Evel Knievel: American Showman, Daredevil, and Legend

The word “daredevil” is synonymous with the name Evel Knievel, at least in American culture. But, as is so often the case, the real man behind the red-white-and-blue caped jumpsuit was much more complicated and multifaceted than his canyon-jumping public persona. In fact, Knievel had a dark side that was often at odds with his life in the spotlight, which is all detailed in beautiful prose amongst the pages of this tome. There was nobody quite like Evel Knievel and there might never be again, but, whether that’s a good or bad thing, all you need to know and probably a bit more can be found in this masterfully-penned biography.

Author: Leigh Montville Pages: 432 Published: 2012

Purchase: $14+

When Pride Still Mattered: A Life Of Vince Lombardi

Vince Lombardi was so important to the development of American football and the NFL as an organization that the sport’s championship trophy to this day is still called the Lombardi. The man was such an imposing figure, in fact, that every football coach since has been judged by his example. Known for his work ethic, innovation, and — perhaps most surprisingly — his compassion for his players, Vince Lombardi was a giant of a man when he was alive and his stature has only increased in the time since his death. If you want to get to know this man, myth, and legend, this book needs to be on your shelf.

Author: David Maraniss Pages: 544 Published: 2000

My Brief History

When speaking of sheer intellect, Einstein’s name is usually followed by a mention of this man, Stephen Hawking. And while his rise to academic prominence and worldwide fame is certainly interesting, it is also bookended by what some might call tragedy in the form of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) — more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. This book charts that journey from boyhood in postwar London to how his life changed after his diagnosis and everything in between, this is the perfect companion piece to Hawking’s A Brief History of Time , especially for those who already appreciate his contributions to science.

Author: Stephen Hawking Pages: 144 Published: 2013

Pappyland: A Story of Family, Fine Bourbon, and the Things That Last

Old Rip Van Winkle distillery produces some of the most sought-after bourbons on the planet. But the label wouldn’t even exist if it wasn’t for Julian Van Winkle III and his family. This book tells the story of how the aforementioned man “fought to protect his family’s heritage and preserve the taste of his forebears.” And if you’ve ever enjoyed even a single sip of Pappy Van Winkle, it’s a story you should know. For those that appreciate whiskey, especially American varieties, this is a must-read.

Author: Wright Thompson Pages: 256 Published: 2020

Purchase: $15+

Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography

What’s really interesting about Steve Jobs, at least in part, is how much of a household name he became when, in truth, most people know very little about this prolific businessman apart from his involvement as the mad genius behind Apple — or at least the Apple we know today. Well, if you’ve ever wanted to know more about what makes an enigma like Jobs tick, this book is easily the best method for obtaining said information. Based on over 40 interviews with the man himself — as well as interviews with over 100 family members, friends, colleagues, and even rivals — this is the definitive book on the turtleneck-wearing tech guru.

Author: Walter Isaacson Pages: 656 Published: 2011

Purchase: $16+

Empire of the Summer Moon

Indigenous history is American history, period. And to really understand the United States , understanding the people that were here before our country was even an idea is not only a good idea, it’s something we’d love to see better integrated into public schooling on a widespread basis. And while a single book isn’t going to do the trick, it’s definitely a start — especially because this book tells the story of chief Quanah Parker, as well as the rise and fall of the Commanches, the most powerful Indian tribe in American history. If you think you know all there is to know about US history and you haven’t read this book, it’s time to reconsider that stance.

Author: S. C. Gwynne Pages: 384 Published: 2010

Purchase: $18+

A Great and Terrible King: Edward I and the Forging of Britain

Edward I is probably best known, at least in popular culture, as the brutal tyrant that faced off against the noble William Wallace in Braveheart . And while we wouldn’t exactly call Edward a good man, the western world as we know it probably wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for this complicated ruler. That’s because facing off with the Scots was actually the end of Edward I’s campaign to unite all of Britain under a single flag — meaning he helped create the UK as we know it today. He’s no hero, to be sure, but he’s also not the villain we’ve all come to believe he is — or at least he’s a good deal more complex and important than we’ve been led to believe.

Author: Marc Morris Pages: 480 Published: 2016

Churchill: Walking with Destiny

Clocking in at over 1,000 pages, Churchill: Walking with Destiny is the most densely packed biography on our entire list. However, it’s the appropriate length for a historical figure as multifaceted and complicated as Winston Churchill. After all, it was Churchill’s leadership that helped England survive the Blitz to go on and help win WWII for the Allies. If you have an appreciation for war and/or political history, this is a tome worth investing your time in — and you might just garner a greater appreciation for the cigar-smoking, smart-mouthed Prime Minister that protected the UK from the nazis.

Author: Andrew Roberts Pages: 1,152 Published: 2018

Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography

Technically, this book doesn’t come out for another week — and while that might be jumping the gun, we have plenty of reason for including it on this list. For starters, this book was created to celebrate the life and influence of perhaps the most prolific and significant modern culinary and travel journalist, Anthony Bourdain — who we lost to suicide in 2018. But, more importantly, it was penned by Laurie Woolever, Bourdain’s longtime collaborator (she even worked with him on his best-selling cookbooks), and is comprised of stories and recollections as shared by his closest friends and colleagues. And who better to illuminate such a man’s significance than those who were most immediately affected by him?

Author: Laurie Woolever Pages: 464 Published: 2021

Purchase: $24+

Miyamoto Musashi: His Life and Writings

Though the majority of the biographies on our list are from people that lived closer to our time, there are some figures from history that, regardless of how much time has passed since their life, are too big and significant to ignore. Miyamoto Musashi is one such figure, a prolific Japanese ronin (a masterless, wandering samurai) whose writings — specifically The Book of Five Rings —  are still used in business strategy to this day. Known as an unmatched duelist, the inventor of a two-sword fighting style, and one of the most thoughtful swordsmen ever, Musashi’s story is one that needs to be read to be believed.

Author: Kenji Tokitsu Pages: 528 Published: 2006

Purchase: $25+

The World of Charles and Ray Eames

It could be said that good design speaks for itself. And while that might be true, it belittles the people behind some of the greatest designs of all time and, in our opinion, the two simply cannot be separated. Perhaps nowhere is that more true than in the works of Charles and Ray Eames, as outlined in this tome. Not only does this book touch on the couple’s most significant creations, including the legendary Eames Lounge, but it also illuminates their lives as humans and beautifully illustrates their long and loving relationship as husband and wife. For lovers of design, this is probably the most important biography on our list.

Author: Su Blackwell Pages: 320 Published: 2016

Purchase: $50

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Success Mindset

15 best autobiographies everyone should read at least once.

Autobiographies of famous people might be more of a self-help book than a simple account of someone’s life. There are times in our lives when we lose our focus and  feel overwhelmed in life . Getting inspired by real-life stories from some of the best autobiographies can really motivate us.

Reading about other people’s diverse viewpoints and life experiences can provide us with a better perspective towards life and widen our horizon.

“Autobiography is a wound where the blood of history does not dry.” [1]

And this is right. The life lessons from these autobiographies can always inspire us to think and live differently.

15 Best Autobiographies You Need to Read

Here’re some of the best autobiographies for your perusal.

1. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin

Understand Benjamin Franklin's past even if you did not live it.

Through Writing, Franklin creates a place where his memories can live on in perpetuity, separate from his physical body, as part of collective memory.

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is an intentional attempt to rewrite his past in a way that readers – including his son and American society – will understand, even if they did not fully live it.

Franklin’s lifelong pursuit of self-improvement began at a young age. Franklin’s desire for perfection led him to devise a plan to achieve it in just 13 weeks by eliminating bad habits and acquiring the 13 virtues he considered most important.

In addition, he laid out a day in which each necessary task was given the appropriate amount of time.

2. Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela

Mandela’s struggles and feats make his autobiography one of the most inspiring ones of all time.

An excerpt from Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela’s Autobiography, Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom , depicts the battle for black liberation in South Africa. It is one of the best autobiographies if you are looking for inspiration.

First Black President Nelson Mandela was sworn into office on May 10, 1994, ending more than three centuries of white dominance in South Africa. In the country’s first democratic elections, his party took 252 of the 400 seats up for grabs.

The opening ceremony was held in the Union Buildings amphitheater in Pretoria, which was attended by many dignitaries and political personalities from numerous countries.

Affirming his country’s invulnerability to such oppression, Mandela greeted the assembled dignitaries with a polite bow during his speech.

As the country’s first black president, he founded democracy and vowed that no one would be discriminated against, regardless of race, color, creed, or ethnicity.

That the government will treat everyone equally and with respect was a promise he made many times again. Mandela’s struggles and feats make his account one of the most inspiring autobiographies of all time.

3. The Story of My Experiments with Truth by Mahatma Gandhi

Freedom fighter and activist Mohandas Gandhi led India to independence after a long and arduous struggle.

In his book “ An Autobiography: My Life and My Experiences with the Truth ,” he recounts his experiences fighting against English colonialism and spreading his philosophy, known as “Satyagraha.”.

It is, indeed one of the most popular autobiographies through the course of education in India and many countries.

Most people can’t claim Gandhi’s level of moral and ethical commitment. Despite this, he tells us of his own mistakes and how he has grown because of them.

However, these quotations illustrate Gandhi’s devotion to doing what he believes is good, from honesty to vegetarianism, from keeping commitments to self-denial. Morality is the foundation of his worldview, including the experiments that guide his daily activities.

One can even say that in the entire list this one is one of the good autobiographies that will guide you throughout your lives.

4. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

During World War II, Anne Frank was a teenage Jewish girl who wrote a diary while her family hid from the Nazis. The Diary of a Young Girl is one of the best autobiographies of all time.

She and seven others stayed in Amsterdam’s “Secret Annex” for two years before being captured and deported to German concentration camps. In 1945, Anne died in the Bergen-Belsen detention camp.

Frank’s father was the last survivor of the family. He decided to publish Anne’s diary, which details her thoughts, feelings, and observations while hiding.

It has been a best-seller worldwide and a staple of Holocaust teaching programs for decades. Her legacy is honored by several humanitarian groups, and hers is one of the best autobiographies, read in several languages by people all around the world.

5. Chronicles, Vol 1 by Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan began his incredible musical career when he landed in New York City in the early 1960s. Dylan’s own words present an intimate glimpse of Dylan’s motives, difficulties, and astonishing creativity in Chronicles, Vol 1.

On the surface, Dylan’s memoir comprises of three chapters on his childhood and youth, which are surrounded by two chapters about

Dylan’s experiences while working on two completely unappreciated albums. The literary aspect of this work is what first grabs the reader’s attention.

So it was wise to arrange the two chapters focusing on an older, more broken self between the three chapters on an artist who is still striving to find his voice, so the dreams witnessed in the latter can be seen refracted, half-lit, but are still present.

The book’s title is also relevant, as this is a work that deals a lot with debts.

6. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

The poem compares the features of a caged bird and a free bird, with a focus on the caged bird. The poem opens by describing the freedom of the free bird, which can fly wherever and whenever it wants because there are no other birds to compete with.

As a metaphor for a white person, the free bird follows the tide of air movement. In the sun’s orange light, it appears to be dipping its wings. It appears to be seizing the entire sky as it soars into the air.

Angelou also published one of the most inspiring autobiographies called I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings . As the title of her whole backstory, it is clear that this title meant a lot to Angelou.

This is what she talked about in her autobiography. She talked about how hard it was to be a black author and poet. She thought that people didn’t hear her because of her skin color.

She thought that, in some ways, she was still being enslaved. People in Angelou’s time were free, but there were still many rules in society that made many black people not feel independent.

7. The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X

The Autobiography of Malcolm X talks a lot about Malcolm’s experiences with racism, and “perception” is used a lot. Malcolm says that people thought of black people in a bad way when he was growing up.

There, Malcolm says that black and white people would not be able to live together in peace because of the idea of perception, which is the main reason he wants to keep them apart.

Malcolm also talks about religion in this book. Malcolm was a big fan of Islam, and he talks about religion in this text. He says Islam is better because it doesn’t support racism.

He says that “America needs to understand Islam because this is the only religion that removes race from its society.” Indeed deserving to be added to the group of truly readable and good autobiographies.

8. Agatha Christie: An Autobiography by Agatha Christie

Unless it’s a sleazy tell-all, you’d better skip the details and get straight to the dirt; the best autobiographies of all time strike a balance between the charming and the indulgent.

Agatha Christie’s Autobiography isn’t a sleazy tell-all (a Dame wouldn’t say such things anyhow), but she does it with enough charm and humor to make it worthwhile.

It wasn’t published until 1977, a year after Agatha Christie’s demise at 85 years old when she penned her autobiography.

Christie is one of the world’s best-known mystery writers, yet the author remained a mystery for many fans of Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple.

Christie was a private person who rarely spoke to the media, never did interviews, and even disappeared for some time. Despite this, she had a long and successful career as a writer.

Christie fans finally had a chance to discover more about their favorite mystery author thanks to the release of one of the most inspiring autobiographies.

9. Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi

Although some may disagree that Andre Agassi was the greatest tennis player of all time, it is clear the Las Vegas native was the most successful at attracting attention. The tome is one of the best autobiographies for sports fanatics all over the globe.

He first appeared on the pro tour in the 1980s, wearing a flamboyant outfit sponsored by Nike. It included stone-washed denim, skintight compression shorts called “Hot Lava,” and dark sunglasses that looked like they belonged on a roulette wheel at midnight.

Many were fooled by the granite consistency of Agassi’s game

Tennis star Andre Agassi is widely regarded as one of the greatest players.

Andre’s father, who was emotionally and physically abusive, was a driving force in Andre’s early development as a gymnast.

In the book Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi , Tennis star Andre won his first grand slam at the tender age of twenty-two, which details his sporting career and personal connections with Barbara Streisand and Brook Shields.

Andre Agassi College Prep Academy in Las Vegas, Nevada, was founded due to his philanthropic endeavors, as detailed in his autobiography.

10. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

Rarely has a book about writing been so simplistic, useful, and illuminating as this one has been.

Author Stephen King’s childhood and early focus on writing to tell stories are recounted in On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft ‘s first chapter in one of his top autobiographies.

Readers will gain a new and often hilarious perspective on the development of a writer from the author’s vivid memories of his formative years in high school-college and the years leading up to his debut novel, Carrie.

Next, King discusses the essential tools of the writer’s profession, including how to use them to their full potential and keep them handy at all times.

Readers are taken on a journey through a wide range of topics, from plotting and character development to work habits and rejection, by the author.

It is a poignant tale of how King’s intense drive to write propelled him to recovery and brought him back to his life, which was serialized in the New Yorker to great acclaim.

11. A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

A Movable Feast  is one of Ernest Hemingway’s best-known works of fiction. Mary Hemingway, the author’s widow, published the memoir after her husband’s death in the 1950s, based on entries from Hemingway’s diaries from the 1920s.

The writer and his little son, Jack, lived in Paris during this time with his first wife, Hadley.

When Ernest Hemingway was a young American writer in Paris (1921–26), with his first wife Hadley Richardson, he wrote a collection of anecdotes called A Moveable Feast.

Hemingway worked as a journalist while pursuing his dream of becoming a full-time novelist in a modest apartment on Paris’s artsy Left Bank.

Several of the artists and authors mentioned in the sketches were also American ex-pats living in Paris at Hemingway’s writings. Drawing from various perspectives, the sketches show the progression of events rather than following a strict timeline.

12. Autobiography of Mark Twain by Mark Twain

Famous American author Mark Twain shares his life story with young readers in one of his best autobiographies of all time. The Autobiography of Mark Twain , as well as insights into the mind of an author and the United States when it was young and hopeful.

The period covered by Mark Twain’s Autobiography ranges from 1835 to 1910, which is a significant one in the history of the US.

Twain’s wit and insight give readers a unique perspective on the Civil War, slavery and race relations, the settlement of the American West, globe travel in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and major literary and historical works.

Twain was widely recognized as a brilliant storyteller throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and readers eagerly awaited his memoirs.

13. I Am Ozzy by Ozzy Osbourne

Through the pages of one of his popular autobiographies, the world gets to meet Ozzy Osbourne. For the first time, Ozzy reveals the details of his life to the public. After filming a TV show, he’s now released an entire book about his family’s privacy invasion. Take a tour through the life of Ozzy Osbourne.

He recalls everything from his childhood to the present day throughout his life. I Am Ozzy is Ozzy’s way of telling you about the things that have shaped him into who he is now and the things that have made him laugh. As a result, Ozzy divided his book into two parts.

“Starting Over” is what he calls the second section of the book. But he makes an intriguing choice in how to divide up a book and name the parts. He has chapters inside each portion.” At the outset of his autobiography, he says that no one expected him to write it, yet he did.

From his working-class childhood, his decision to leave the factory job for music, how his band was formed, why he is notorious for biting off bats and fowl heads, drug and alcohol problems, near-death encounters with STDs, and the realities of becoming a grandfather.

14. Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler wrote the Mein Kampf book, which translates to “My Struggle” in English. One volume was published in 1925, followed by another in the following year. It is one of the most popular autobiographies in the world.

Being one of the best autobiographies to read, the book explains Hitler’s political theory, including his views on the state, politics, and race.

In the early 1930s, Hitler amassed a small fortune thanks to the popularity of his book, Main Kampf.

After Hitler became chancellor, the book was made required reading for most Germans, and it served as a means of spreading Nazi ideology and principles throughout the country.

For instance, the book was provided to newlywed couples by the German government as a marriage gift during Hitler’s leadership in Germany.

Additionally, it was made available to all German troops serving in the field throughout World War II. Mein Kampf had sold more than 10 million copies in Germany by the end of World War II and translated them into 11 languages.

As a picture of fascism and Nazism in Germany at the time, it is still relevant today.

15. Dreams from my Father by Barack Obama

Among other things, Barack Obama was an author before he became a politician. Dreams from My Father  is a refreshing and insightful depiction of a young man pondering the big concerns of identity and belonging.

It was an emotional journey for Obama, born to an African-American father and an American mother. When his mother’s family relocated from Kansas to Hawaii, he followed in their footsteps and grew up in Indonesia.

When he finally gets to Kenya, he faces the painful truth of his father’s death and finally makes peace with his father’s two estates.

Final Thoughts

Biographies and autobiographies can improve your life by allowing you to reading others’ words and apply their knowledge and experience to your own life.

Just let these best autobiographies mentor you. You will be able to learn valuable life lessons without having to experience the same things as these famous people.

Featured photo credit: Unsplash via unsplash.com

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25 Inspiring Biographies Everyone Should Read

By Anca Nicolescu

Published on January 22, 2023

Reading about people’s lives from different generations and backgrounds is always eye-opening. The world has seen some pretty impressive individuals that lead fascinating lives. From Gandhi to Steve Jobs, all of these individuals are noteworthy for contributions they made to the world as we know it today.

These stories are not only entertaining and keep you up wanting for more, but they might also teach you something. At the very least, they are informative.

We cannot talk about every single biography that was ever written, so we narrowed down the list to the ones we consider the most notable at the moment.

Here are 25 inspiring biographies that you will surely enjoy reading, take our word for it. Or don’t, but still grab the ones that capture your interest, you won’t regret it.

• 25. The Crusades of Cesar Chavez: A Biography by Miriam Pawel

One of the best written biographies of all times, this fairly recent work depicts the life of Cesar Chavez, one of the most influential Latinx figures in American history.

The author writes about the man’s journey from migrant worker to his rise as a movement leader. His remarkable mind and life story makes for a great read.

• 24. John Adams by David McCullough

The portrait of the second president of the United States is painted with an in-depth look into Adam’s early life and through his presidency. His marriage to Abigail is also given its own merit, which shifts the bookès focus from being a solely political review.

Their love story was based on loyalty and respect, and the book was made into an HBO series by the same name .

• 23. Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation by Kate Bornstein and S.Bear Bergman

The follow-up to Kate Bornstein’s groundbreaking memoir that talked about her transformation from man to woman, this is a collection of biographies worth a read. The book includes essays and stories of many creatives and artists from across the trans spectrum.

A touching book that is eye-opening and teaches us about gender identity.

• 22. Heartbeat of Struggle: The Revolutionary Life of Yuri Kochiyama by Diane Carol Fujino

We’ve all heard of Malcolm X. But not many heard of Yuri Kochiyama, the woman who was by his side when he was assassinated. Her life story is intriguing, and the author did extensive research that portrays her experiences.

We also learn what led her to become one of the most involved activists that tried to build solidarity between Asian and Black communities in the US.

• 21. John Brown by W.E.B. Du Bois

There’s more to American history than you learn in history class. John Brown was a white activist that fought for black people’s rights and fought against the institution of slavery.

While the book was originally published in 1909, it was ahead of our times. Browne fought to abolish slavery based on his own personal values. An interesting biography worth a read.

20. Notorious RBG : The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Carmon & Shana Knizhnik

Presented in a different format than your average biography, you get a glimpse of the powerful mind the former US Supreme Court Judge possessed. A well-researched tale, the book contains quotes from one of the best justices the US has ever encountered.

It is not only very informative, but makes a very entertaining read as well.

• 19. Eleanor Roosevelt by Blanche Wiesen Cook

Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady who contributed more to the country than party-plan and stood by her man. The book talks about her early years as a child born in a wealthy family that was destroyed by alcoholism and the early death of both her parents.

Her struggles early on in life made her what she became later on. Up to today, she is still considered the greatest First Lady the country has seen.

18. Prince : A Private View by Afshin Shahidi

Written by the superstar’s private photographer after his untimely death back in 2016, this biography is mostly a compilation of the best photographs taken since 2000. Prince’s personality can be noticed through the photographs, which speak a thousand words.

This snapshot of his public and private life is a great book to own, especially if you were a great fan of the artist’s music.

• 17. Diana: Her True Story – In Her Own Words by Andrew Morton

The most controversial and popular member of the British royal family, Princess Diana is the first to openly speak of the British Monarchy. With the cooperation of Andrew Morton, she opened up about her unhappy marriage, her hopes she had going into the royal family, and her unique relationship with the Queen.

If you love anything to do with the most popular family in the world, this book is an eye-opener.

• 16. Alice Walker: A Life by Evelyn C. White

Award-winning author Alice Walker is the first black woman to ever win a Pulitzer Prize in literature for her masterpiece The Color Purple. The biography, written by Evelyn C White, is an extensive description of Walker’s life and her brilliant works.

The author portrays her early years, her struggles as a black woman in a mostly white and male-dominated culture, and the brilliant writer that she became. A must read.

• 15. A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar

If you’re not familiar with the 1998 Pulitzer Prize finalist mathematician John Nash, you should grab this biography and devour it. The movie adaptation with the same name is based on this book, which portrays the man’s prestigious career and his battle with schizophrenia.

Beautifully written, this moving story will show you a glimpse into a mastermind’s interior battles, both professionally and personally.

• 14. Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson

From the author who also wrote Steve Jobs’ biography comes another great read, that of the man behind the genius that was Albert Einstein. The book focuses on the man as a human, not mainly as a physicist, and talks at length about his rocky interpersonal relationships.

It mentions his insolent personality and attitude, which at the time was considered weird, and how he related to his colleagues, friends, and loved ones.

• 13. Gandhi: The Years That Changed The World by Ramachandra Guha

This revolutionary man is somewhat of an enigma to many, even though he did so many amazing things in his life. While we may be aware of his remarkable achievements, it is eye-opening to learn about his personal life.

Historian Ramachandra Guha depicts not only the great man’s life, but also illuminates us on India’s complex social structures we all should learn about. A fascinating read!

• 12. Hidden Figures: The American Dream by Margot Lee Shetterly

The movie based on the group of African American mathematicians that played an important role in Nasa’s history was inspired by this book written by Margot Lee Shetterly.

Before the story was told, not many were aware of the importance these three women played in the space program. They were the ones that calculated the flight paths by hand, which earned them the nickname “The Human Computers”.

• 11. Vera (Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov) by Stacy Schiff

Whether you read Lolita or not, you’ve surely heard of the novel that is one of the most controversial books of all time . He became famous because of this book, but what about his wife, the woman behind the famed author?

She is portrayed in this biography as one of the best humored women that was Nabokov’s partner, editor and translator. She played an important role in the writer’s life, as many incredible women behind powerful men are known to be.

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

This is a gripping biography of Olympic runner Louis Zamperini and the ordeal he went through when he was twenty-six. His US Army bomber crashed and burned in the middle of the Pacific ocean.

Along with two other men, he survived the disaster for forty-seven days afloat a raft. After all that, they were captured as prisoners of war by the Japanese Navy and were tortured for over two years. A heart wrenching story, but one that shows his recovery and redemption.

• 9. Napoleon: A life by Andrew Roberts

Napoleon is notorious for being a tyrant, yet this biography is truly fun to read. The author decided to tell the story with deference, so you see a more positive side to him.

As a decorated scholar, Andrew Roberts studied Napoleon’s life extensively, which can be noticed in this work. Napoleon’s confusing and complicated relationship with his wife is something many didn’t learn from history books, but it compliments his sharp and near flawless military instincts.

• 8. Mao: The Unknown Story by Jung Chang

The power-hungry emperor Mao Zedong made history because he founded the People’s Republic of China as we know it today. There’s more to his story than we learned in history books, and this biography depicts the emperor’s desire to preserve communism at all costs.

Although he was also responsible for more than 70 million deaths that occurred during peaceful periods, he also did some good for the country. His ideologies and motivations are explained in a story that is worth a read.

• 7. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Henrietta Lacks is one of the first African-American women who left an important mark on the modern medical world. Her story is fascinating, and you’ll have a hard time putting the book down.

Her cancer cells were taken without her knowledge by her doctors and used for medical testing. The HeLa cell line research changed the trajectory of modern medicine. It is a very downhearted story that will surely move every reader.

• 6. Frida: A Biography Of Frida Kahlo by Hayden Herrera

One of the most recognizable names in modern art, Frida Kahlo was a brilliant artist who had a pretty hard life. From her accident when she was only 18 years old through the numerous affairs her husband had, her pain is evident.

But that’s only part of her fascinating life. The mark she left due to her artistic brilliance is the main focus of the book. The self-taught artist explored issues of race, gender, and class in Mexican society. A very interesting read, especially if art is one of your favorite subjects.

• 5. Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario

Young boy Enrique marked history with his courage and determination he achieved by following his mother from Honduras to the United States. Although many might have not heard of him, his story is so interesting and captivating.

When he was only five years old, his mother went to the United States in search of a better life for them with the promise she’ll return soon. He was sixteen when he decided to go in search of her.

It is a devastating account of devotion and love that many immigrant families face every day in the United Stated even today.

• 4. Churchill: A Life by Martin Gilbert

The UK’s most popular and greatest prime minister ever was a colorful character, to say the least. Winston Churchill left quite a legacy that up to this day no other prime minister that followed ever measured up.

The book contains in-depth research into his life from the time he led Britain through World War II all the way to his death. A mercurial man, he was one of the most prominent and important men you will enjoy reading about.

• 3. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

The co-founder and CEO of Apple was a creative genius that changed our lives forever. The legend, as many people in the world think of him, was a very flawed man. While extremely intelligent, his social skills left something to be desired.

Isaacson portrayed a true picture of the myth behind the man. From his early days working from his garage to becoming the leader of the largest tech companies in the world, the book is an interesting read.

The author divulges some details of Jobs’ childhood that were previously unknown, which gives readers an insight into the person behind the public eye.

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

Shakespeare is a bit of a mystery that not many succeeded in uncovering. Although he is one of the most famous and popular authors to have ever lived, many details of his life are still unknown today.

Stephen Greenblatt made it his life work’s mission to learn as much about the man as possible, and he does an incredible job relating what he’s learned.

From insights on how political and social ideals of the time influenced him to reenactments of his writing process, it is a book anyone should read.

• 1. Elizabeth the Queen: the Life of a Modern Monarch by Sally Bedell Smith

While many believe the Monarchy might not be as great as the media portrays it, Queen Elizabeth’s life as the longest reigning monarch to have ever lived makes for a very interesting read.

The biography is written by Sally Bedell Smith, who already wrote two previous biographies of members of the royal family. Queen Elizabeth II was a legend who was constantly in the public eye.

She was a woman who had one of the most important jobs in the world from a very young age, and that alone is impressive to read about in its own right.

We hope we influenced you to pick up any of these 25 biographies we know you’ll enjoy reading . Which one of these figures are the ones that inspired and intrigued you the most? Let us know in the comments section below.

• 20. Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Carmon & Shana Knizhnik
• 18. Prince: A Private View by Afshin Shahidi

About Anca Nicolescu

With a bachelor’s degree in Sociology, Anca was always interested in a variety of topics, although she never actually worked in her field. She has a deep love for books and a passion for learning new things and exploring new subjects. Learn more about Luxatic's Editorial Process .

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10 Autobiographies You Should Read At Least Once In Your Life

By Marilynn McLachlan

10th May 2022

Whether you’re keen to chill this winter or you’re in search of thrills, embrace all that winter has to offer with Macca’s®. Click here to order through the MyMacca’s® app and elevate your next chill or thrill this season.

Sometimes there are stories inside that are bound to be told. And, thankfully, great people, hurt people, vulnerable people and people who have had their lives transformed—for better or worse—have jotted down their compelling stories so that we can all be touched by them.

Autobiographies are a window into the soul and sometimes they are so powerful they can change the reader. Here are our top picks of the 10 you should read at least once in your life.

Wild | Cheryl Strayed

In a powerful journey from lost to found, this is the compelling autobiography of Cheryl Strayed. At 26 she had lost everything—her mother to cancer, her marriage and her home. She decided to take the empowering step of walking eleven hundred miles along the East Coast of America—alone. It is a brave and harrowing decision that sees Strayed pushed to her physical, mental and emotional limits. But in the wilderness there are no parties or drugs to escape within and so slowly and surely she begins to confront her past, forgive herself and dream of a future that isn’t self-destructive.

“How wild it was, to let it be,” she writes.

While many know the movie starring Reese Witherspoon, Wild  is also worth putting on your must-read list. Wild is raw, true and ultimately heart-warming.

The Diary Of A Young Girl | Anne Frank

With the threat of WWII breathing down her neck, Anne Frank received a diary for her 13th birthday. Little did she know that she would spend two years in hiding with her parents and sister and record every brave, terrified and beautiful moment they spent together. Written in Dutch, it was later translated into English with much acclaim.

“It’s difficult in times like these: ideals, dreams and cherished hopes rise within us, only to be crushed by grim reality. It’s a wonder I haven’t abandoned all my ideals, they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them because I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart,” she writes.

Later, Anne and her family were caught and sent to a concentration camp and she sadly died of typhus. But her insights and her words in The Diary of a Young Girl  continued to touch hearts long after her last breath.

The Long Hard Road Out Of Hell | Marilyn Manson

Full disclosure: this book will shake you to the core. There are parts that are revolting, sexist and chilling. That said, you won’t be able to put it down. From his Christian upbringing, Manson takes the reader deep into his life—from backstage at rock concerts to jail and beyond. It’s a compelling read about the man who shook the world. At his peak, an atheist and an elitist, Manson was feared by many. He was accused of being at least somewhat responsible for influencing Klebold and Harris, who were the deadly killers of 13 souls at Columbine High School.

“I walked away exhilarated by my success, because there's nothing like making a difference in someone's life, even if that difference is a lifetime of nightmares and a fortune in therapy bills,” he writes in The Long Hard Road Out Of Hell.

It’s a book that will take you places you’d rather not go. Indulge if you have morbid curiosity, but be warned, you’ll remember it long after you’ve put it down—even when you’d rather forget.

The Anti Cool Girl | Rosie Waterland

The Anti Cool Girl is another book that will take you down the rabbit hole that is the dark side of humanity. If anyone had a rough start in life, it is Rosie Waterland. In this book she doesn’t hold back from abuse, alcoholism and battling weight issues. Spending her life trying to fit in, one day she has an epiphany and decides to live her life as she really is—an anti cool girl.

Her claim to fame was writing pithy recaps of the Bachelor series but expect none of this in this book. There literally is no subject that she won’t hold back on, even if it is shitting the bed.

It’s a book that will have you horrified one moment and then laughing out loud at the next.

Long Walk To Freedom | Nelson Mandela

The face of peace for multiple generations, Long Walk To Freedom chronicles Nelson Mandela’s early years and the 27 years he spent in prison in South Africa. Winning the hearts the world over, a Nobel Peace Prize and the presidency of South Africa, he is one of the most memorable people of our time.

“I always knew that deep down in every human heart, there is mercy and generosity. No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite,” he writes. “Even in the grimmest times in prison, when my comrades and I were pushed to our limits, I would see a glimmer of humanity in one of the guards, perhaps just for a second, but it was enough to reassure me and keep me going. Man’s goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never extinguished.”

At 700 pages, this isn’t a light read, but Long Walk To Freedom is a book that everyone should read at least once.

The Year Of Magical Thinking | Joan Didion

One of America’s most iconic writers, including writing for Vogue, novels and non-fiction books, she turned her pen towards grief in the year following the death of her husband, John Dunne. In the days before Christmas, 2003, the pair watched as their adopted daughter, Quintana, fell ill with what seemed like the ‘flu. But, it soon turned from pneumonia to septic shock and she was placed on life support in an induced coma.

“Life changes in the instant,” she writes. “The ordinary instant.”

And then, the night before New Year’s Eve, Dunne suffers a fatal heart attack and Didion’s world is changed forever.

While their daughter did pull through, a short time later, a slip resulted in a brain bleed. The Year Of Magical Thinking is Didion’s way of clawing through the grief and trying to make sense of all that has happened to her. A powerful insight into mourning, it has been criticized for its lack of raw emotion, but it doesn’t make it any less rewarding of a book.

Daring To Drive: A Saudi Woman’s Awakening | Manal Al-Sharif

While most Western women take advantage of the right to drive, there are millions around the world who are not afforded this luxury. And so it was with Manal Al-Sharif. Growing up a religious radical (she even went so far as burning her brother’s cassettes because the music was forbidden), her feelings changed when she trained as a computer security engineer and she began to see hypocrisy all around her.

“How odd it is that we judge a woman by her clothes and the place she eats lunch and the subjects she talks about with her colleagues on her coffee break, yet we don’t judge a man if he doesn’t grow his beard or if he works with women or speaks to them,” she writes.  “Why do Saudi women allow subjugation to a man and adhere to men’s rules and conditions? Why did I?”

Challenging the status quo, Daring To Drive , tells Al-Sharif’s rise to accidental activist as she fought for the right for women to drive—and won.

On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft | Stephen King

Whether you’re a budding writer or an avid reader, On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft is a must read. The author of more than 50 books that have sold more than 350 million copies worldwide, King is a master storyteller. But, not just any stories—his writing has sent chills down spines and led to many a nightmare. Beginning with his childhood, King recounts his battle with drugs and alcohol and the incident that almost killed him while he was writing the book. In the second half, he moves into the craft of writing, encouraging people to stop overthinking, forget the blocks and just do it. More than a book on writing, this is a book about life.

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings | Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou’s talent for words will have you swept—uncomfortably and completely—into her childhood, growing up in the Southern states of America. From living with her grandmother in a small town, to being raped by a much older man at the age of eight, Angelou doesn’t hold back from revealing the trauma she endured. It worsened when she told her mother of the rape and later the rapist was killed and she blamed herself. Fearful, she became a selective mute and turned to great literary works to fill her mind.

“To be left alone on the tightrope of youthful unknowing is to experience the excruciating beauty of full freedom and the threat of eternal indecision,” she writes. “Few, if any, survive their teens. Most surrender to the vague but murderous pressure of adult conformity. It becomes easier to die and avoid conflict than to maintain a constant battle with the superior forces of maturity.”

Graduating ahead of her year group and setting the stage for what would become one of the greatest literary voices, Angelou’s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings  is a must read.

Open: An Autobiography | Andre Agassi

From one of the most talented people to ever set foot on a tennis court comes an autobiography that is both compelling and shocking. His rise to success was not without a cost. His training started as a young child and at age 13 he was at a Florida tennis camp—which he hated. Rebellious, the talented teenager became a pro at the tender age of 16 and he writes of his professional and personal heartbreaks before winning Wimbledon in 1992.  A force of nature both on and off the court, he writes candidly about his relationship with Brooke Shields and later his loss of confidence.

“Life will throw everything but the kitchen sink in your path, and then it will throw the kitchen sink. It's your job to avoid the obstacles,” he writes. “If you let them stop you or distract you, you're not doing your job, and failing to do your job will cause regrets that paralyze you more than a bad back.”

But Open: An Autobiography is a tale of resurrection—he made a comeback to tennis as the eldest number one player in history.

Looking for more book inspo? Here are 10 books that will change the way you think. 

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The 15 Most Amazing Biographies That Everyone Should Read

For centuries, we have written books and read them too. They contain stories with different themes. Examples of these are horror, comedy, romance, mystery and drama. Sometimes, books can be written about the lives of people. In a case where someone writes a book about their own life, it is known as an autobiography. If the book is written by someone else, it is a biography. There are many books of this nature which are available for us today. They tell us the life stories of current and past influential people. By reading them, we can learn a lot and apply some of their lessons in our own lives. Here are the 15 best biographies and autobiographies everyone should read in their life time.

The story of My Experiments with Truth by Mahatma Gandhi  

One of the most admired autobiographies in the world is this one by Mahatma Gandhi. The legendary freedom fighter from India wrote his book to express himself, his spirituality and moral code too. Explaining his 4 decades in India, the autobiography depicts political incidents, historical accounts and Gandhi's personal philosophy of peaceful protest. It is a must-read autobiography.

The Biography of Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson

Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama

Written by the 44th president of the United States of America, Dreams From My Father is a book that explores race relations in the society and the halls of political power. Barack Obama was born in Hawaii. His mother was American and his father Kenyan. He grew up in Indonesia and Hawaii. The books explores his experiences while living in these parts of the world and how he came to terms with his roots in Kenya after his father's death. This autobiography has been recognized by Times Magazine as one of the top 100 books written in English since 1923. It is a must read treatise.

Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela

The late Nelson Mandela is a man that the world will never forget. His autobiography contains his story from being a child in South Africa, growing up and joining the freedom movement, spending more than two decades in prison and rising to become free South Africa's first president. The book contains thoughts, muses and hope for the nation in his own words.

Suggested Reading :  15 Key Traits and Habits of Mentally Strong People

12 Years a Slave by Solomon Northup

Recently adapted into an Oscar nominated movie, 12 Years a Slave is the autobiography of Solomon Northup. He tells the story of how he was born a free man in New York State and was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the South. He languished under the lash of a number of slave owners and observed their cruelty and cowardice. For more than a decade, Solomon survived slavery and eventually achieved freedom once more. It is a hard read that truly depicts the horrors of slavery. This autobiography is a timeless classic. 

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

Synonymous with hope and innocence amid the turmoil of war, The Diary of a Young Girl is a book that captures how life was as a girl during Nazi occupation. In it, Anne expresses her daily life, academics, crushes, friendships, loneliness, fear and the opinions of those around her. Anne and her family hid in their apartment from the Nazi regime for 2 years until eventually, they were found. Though she died in a concentration camp, Anne Frank lives on in her autobiography.

Suggested Reading :  The 20 Most Inspirational and Motivational Movies Ever Made (With trailers)

Jack: A Life by George Sayer

C.S. Lewis is one of the most famous and respected authors in history. Thanks to his achievements and depth of his work, scores of authors have written about him. However, none of them has written as personally as George Sayer. This is because they were very close friends and spent a lot of time together. In this biography, George does not shy away from writing about Lewis' controversial times. As such, Jack: a Life is one of the most candid biographies ever written.

Eisenhower in War and Peace by Jean Edward Smith

President Dwight Eisenhower is remembered as the one who finally ended World War 2. He is lesser known for being the main force behind the prevention of further nuclear warfare, the end of the Korean war and did the most to shorten the Vietnam war. Not only is he a briliant strategist, Jean Edward Smith depicts him in this biography as a genius politician who made it look easy to be president.

Chronicles Vol 1 by Bob Dylan

Legendary musician and award winning artiste, Bob Dylan has legions of fans across the world. He gives us all an insight into his life and the workings of his mind in this autobiography. The book depicts life in 1961 New York and his experiences during the recording of his first album. It went on to become a massive global hit. Despite its immense success, Bob indicates in the book that he still had a lot of love for his two lesser albums.

Lives of the Caesars by Suetonius

Written in 121AD, this is a biography of written by the personal secretary of Emperor Hadrian. Suetonius observed the lives of 12 caesars and wrote about how they conducted themselves in and out of the public eye. At the time, Roman Caesars were all powerful and their actions were unlimited. Suetonius captures their most honorable moments to their most decadent ones. If you have ever wondered about Julius Caesar and his all-powerful compatriots, this is the book to read.

Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas

The Nazi era spawned quite a collection of books and narratives. This one is bound to be one of the most intriguing. It is the story of a German pastor who was anti-Nazi. He believed that the regime was inhumanly killing innocents. So Pastor Bonhoeffer got into a plot to kill Chancellor Hitler. This biography is written by Eric Metaxas and indicates the rise of Hitler to power and the moral, devotional and marty-like thoughts of Pastor Bonhoeffer. It is a page turning biography that shows how one man can seek to do right when thousands are doing wrong. 

All the Great Prizes: The Life of John Hay, From Lincoln to Roosevelt by John Taliaferro

 Is it possible to see and live through half a century of the political history of a country? John Hay proves that it is. Having began his career as a young legal assistant in the office of Abraham Lincoln, John completed his illustrious career as the Secretary of State for presidents William McKinley and Theodore Rossevelt. His legal and political career spanned the Civil War all the way to World War 1. Written expertly by John Taliaferro, the biography of John Hay is an accurate depiction of the history of the United States of America.

The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert A. Caro

This is a biography of the former parks commissioner of New York. Written expertly by Mr. Caro, it depicts in detail how Robert Moses arrived in New York and saw how power was and what it could do for you. He loved it, acquired as much of it as he could and it transformed him. Robert A. Caro explains what power can turn you into and how to avoid the pitfalls that marred the legacy of Robert Moses.

Totto Chan - The Little Girl at the Window by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi

Having sold 5 million copies in Japan, this biography of Totto-Chan is a cult classic in the nation of the Rising Sun. In her home country, Totto-Chan is a major celebrity who has her own magazine and news show too. Having grown up in the world before World War 2, Totto suffered from attention disorder, had "too much energy" and was generally misunderstood by everyone around her. Tetsuko Kuroyanagi writes that one day she met a school principle who changed everything for the better. It is a biography worth your time.

The Important Take Away

Biographies and autobiographies allow us to see into the lives, hearts and minds of great leaders and inspirational figures of the world. From presidents to authors, this genre of writing gives us a glimpse into what it was like to be these people. Some of the best ones ever are indicated above. Take the time to read some of them to expand your perspective on life and the world at large.

Don't forget to let us know which one's your favourite of all and which ones are missing on this list!

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We all love a good story.

Stories transport us to other times and places, they teach important lessons, they inspire us and show us what we have in common.

And while fiction is wonderful and valuable, stories are all the more compelling if they’re true.

It’s impossible to compile a definitive list of best biographies and autobiographies—you could probably spend a lifetime reading well-written tales of inspiring people—but here are a few we think are worth your time.

Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas

The story of a German pastor and anti-Nazi who got involved with a plot to kill Hitler is interesting in and of itself, but Eric Metaxas broadens the story, showing the history of Hitler’s rise to power and weaving in Bonhoeffer’s writing and thoughts. The result is a fascinating narrative that is both informative and, in ways, devotional. While Bonhoeffer’s Ethics and The Cost of Discipleship have become classics, the thoughts behind them are even more rich in the context of the what the writer himself had to sacrifice. More than just a look into the mind of one of the great theologians of the 20th century, Bonhoeffer is a story of one man’s dedication to following Christ’s leading amid the changing morals of pre-WWII Germany.

Jack: A Life of C.S. Lewis by George Sayer

With its insertions of personal conversations with the author and descriptions of his life and times from real memories, Jack: A Life may be the best “gateway biography” for any Lewis enthusiast. This is the most personal of Lewis’ biographies, with an intimate feel that cannot be emulated by Lewis’ other biographers who did not know him as a friend. Ask yourself who you would choose to write your own biography: a friend who knew you behind closed doors, or a scholar 30 years on, full of Freudian ideas of the subconscious, and working only on your books, correspondence, and others’ recollections and impressions of you. Granted, other biographies of Lewis are valuable because they are distant from him, but Sayer’s friendship with Lewis does not make him shy away from the controversial issues surrounding the author’s life. He faces them head on and judges fairly.

The Long Loneliness by Dorothy Day

The Long Loneliness , Dorothy Day’s story of conversion and dedication to the Catholic Worker’s Movement, is a challenge to all Christians to love as Christ loved. Although her early adult life was spent as an iconoclast and a socialist, including stints in jail and an abortion, she began feeling the tug of the Holy Spirit. Upon the birth of her first child, Day joined the Catholic Church and eventually met Peter Maurin, with whom she would found the Catholic Worker Movement. Day’s approach to the faith was at once orthodox and unconventional, deeply influenced by the teachings of Christ about the poor and oppressed—those on the fringes of society Day felt the Church had become complacent toward. In spite of Day’s controversial character, The Long Loneliness is a must-read “spiritual autobiography” with broad appeal across religious denominations, political affiliations and social views.

John Adams by David McCullough

Along with being a fascinating story of one of our country’s founding fathers, John Adams is one of the few biographies on anyone to cross into the realm of beautiful writing and nearly perfect prose. It is not only a well-researched, well-paced biography, it is fine literature and can be as compelling and moving as any fiction. McCullough’s portraits of 18th century Philadelphia, London, Paris, New York and Washington and the personalities inhabiting those cities are just that, masterful portraits painted with a careful “brush.” What sets McCullough apart from other biographers is his impeccable choice of detail. He knows just when to describe a meal, a suit of clothes, or a weather forecast for a particular day. McCullough is to biography what Tolkien is to high fantasy—a towering genius unmatched by most of his imitators.

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom

Although it’s an autobiography, Corrie Ten Boom’s The Hiding Place is really the story of a whole family and their dedication to serving Christ in Holland during WWII. The Ten Booms, a humble and simple family, risked their lives to hide Jews in their home. As a critical component of the Dutch resistance movement, the family is forced to make difficult and often morally ambiguous choices that ultimately land them in Dutch and German concentration camps. The Hiding Place is not an easy read—it plumbs the depths of despair, hopelessness and doubt. Yet there’s intense victory in the darkness, owing to a hidden Bible and the unwavering desire of Corrie and her sister to share Christ’s love with the other prisoners and their Nazi captors. This is a biography that resonates long after the final page is turned.

12 Years a Slave by Solomon Northup

Even if you’ve already seen Steve Mcqueen’s Oscar-nominated film adaptation, this autobiography is well worth reading. The story of a free black man in the North who’s kidnapped and sold into slavery, 12 Years a Slave is a rare, heartbreaking look into what life was like for slaves in the South. Northup shows the cruelty and cowardice of the slave owners he witnessed with a fair hand, and keeps a hopeful tone even while depicting the horrors of slave life. While it’s not an easy read (you may want to keep a box of tissues nearby), it’s an important one.

Chronicles of Wasted Time by Malcolm Muggeridge

Malcolm Muggeridge earns his place as the post-Chestertonian voice of Christian reason in Chronicles of Wasted Time —an autobiography cited by many as the single best of the 20th century. The work follows the journalist, intellectual, spy and onetime atheist and communist sympathizer from his early life through his conversion to Christianity. Chronicles is the rare work full of literary depth, social critique and brilliant humor in equal measure, with references to a variety of characters from Churchill to Chanel. What makes it essential reading, however, is Muggeridge’s life story, which spans nearly the entirety of the 20th century and captures the wholeness of his conversion: from Stalin sympathizer to fierce critic, from hedonist to ascetic, from lifelong agnostic to Christian in his sixties. It’s a thrilling adventure that proves, in Muggeridge’s own words, that “Every happening, great and small, is a parable whereby God speaks to us—and the art of life is to get the message.”

Son of a Preacher Man: My Search for Grace in the Shadows by Jay Bakker

Sex, lies, drugs and greed: they sound like sketchy nouns reserved for scandalous TV shows or celebrity tabloids. But how does the narrative of those words change when they’re all intertwined with the family of a…preacher?

You may or may not have heard of Jim Bakker. A famous televangelist in the 80’s, Bakker would be convicted of defrauding loyal followers of his “PTL (Praise the Lord)” ministry. His family was ravaged by drug abuse, adultery and, tragically the unabashed condemnation of other famous Christian leaders at the time.

In this book, Jim Bakker’s son Jay does more than offer a glimpse into the Bakker family: he rips down the entire curtain to show all the flaws and tribulations of a pastor, his wife, and their children. Despite the pain and shame felt by all members of the Bakker family, Jay shares just how God’s love and grace redeemed him and his family.

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51 Best Autobiographies Every Writer Should Read

Are you looking for the best autobiographies to add to your reading list? Take a look at a few suggestions in our guide!

If you are interested in learning about the life of a famous person, consider reading their autobiography. An autobiography is a great way to learn more about their life, some of the challenges they had to overcome, and their impact on the world. The list can be long with so many famous historical figures publishing autobiographies, but some autobiographies are better than others.

So, what are some of the top autobiographies you should consider exploring? See if you can learn some lessons from their lives that you can apply to your own. And, if you are wondering what’s the difference between autobiographies and memoirs, check out our article on the most  famous memoirs  to find out!

1. The Collected Autobiographies of Maya Angelou, 2004

2. the diary of a young girl by anne frank, 1945, 3. becoming by michelle obama (2018), 4. the autobiography of benjamin franklin, 1909, 5. long walk to freedom by nelson mandela, 1994, 6. an autobiography by agatha christie, 1997, 7. i am malala: the girl who stood up for education and was shot by the taliban by malala yousafzai, 2013, 8. narrative of the life of frederick douglass, 1845, 9. autobiography of an androgyne by earl lind, 1918, 10. the autobiography of malcolm x by malcolm x, 1965, 11. autobiography of a yogi by paramahansa yogananda, 1946, 12. autobiography of mark twain, volume 1 by mark twain, 2010, 13. living for change: an autobiography by grace lee boggs, 1998, 14. becoming a visible man by jamison green, 2004, 15. an american life by ronald reagan, 1999, 16. chronicles volume 1 by bob dylan, 2004, 17. cash: the autobiography by johnny cash, 1997, 18. always running: la vida loca: gang days in l.a. by luis j. rodríguez, 1993, 19. flying free: my victory over fear to become the first latina pilot on the us aerobatic team by cecilia aragon, 2020, 20. a full life by jimmy carter, 2016, 21. courage to soar: a body in motion, a life in balance by simone biles, 2016, 22. dreams from my father: a story of race and inheritance by barack obama, 2004, 23. a funny life by michael mcintyre, 2021, 24. the happiest man on earth: the beautiful life of an auschwitz survivor by eddie jaku, 2021, 25. an autobiography (toward freedom) jawaharlal nehru by jawaharlal nehru, 1936, 26. open: an autobiography by andre agassi, 2009, 27. beyond the story: 10-year record of bts by bangtan sonyeondan (bts), 2023, 28. the year of magical thinking by joan didion, 2005, 29. redefining realness: my path to womanhood, identity, love, and so much more by janet mock, 2014, 30. wings of fire by a. p. j. abdul kalam and arun tiwari, 1999, 31. the story of my experiments with truth by mahatma gandhi, 1929, 32. wild swans: three daughters of china by jung chang, 1991, 33. life (richards’ book) by james fox and keith richards, 2010, 34. madly, deeply: the diaries of alan rickman, 2022, 35. here, right matters: an american story by alexander vindman, 2021, 36. bossypants by tina fey, 2011, 37. belonging: the autobiography by alun wyn jones, 2021, 38. stories i only tell my friends by rob lowe, 2012, 39. i am ozzy by ozzy osbourne, 2009, 40. american sniper: the autobiography of the most lethal sniper in us military history by chris kyle, jim defelice, and scott mcewen, 2012, 41. the autobiography of eleanor roosevelt by eleanor roosevelt, 1961, 42. love, lucy by lucille ball, 1996, 43. born to run by bruce springsteen, 2016, 44. e.a.r.l.: the autobiography of dmx by dmx and smokey fontaine, 2002, 45. yeager: an autobiography by chuck yeager, 1985, 46. total recall: my unbelievably true life story by arnold schwarzenegger and peter petre, 2012, 47. butterfly: from refugee to olympian by yusra mardini, 2018, 48. mein kampf (my struggle) by adolf hitler, 1925, 49. assata: an autobiography by assata shakur, 1987, 50. born a crime: stories from a south african childhood by trevor noah, 2016, 51. i came as a shadow: an autobiography by john thompson and jesse washington, 2020, what is the top-selling autobiography, how many pages are in the longest autobiography ever written, is autobiography or biography better.

Undoubtedly, any list of the greatest autobiographies of all time has to start with  The Collected Autobiographies of Maya Angelou . This is one of the most famous memoirs of all time. This remarkable collection provides insight into the minds of one of the greatest authors of all time. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“She said that I must always be intolerant of ignorance but understanding of illiteracy. That some people, unable to go to school, were more educated and even more intelligent than college professors.” Maya Angelou, The Collected Autobiographies of Maya Angelou

This is one of the greatest autobiographies of all time.  The Diary of a Young Girl  is known worldwide and is a collection of writings from Anne Frank. During the two years, she hid with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. She shares intimate details regarding the Nazi occupation, what her life was like growing up, and the heart-breaking impacts of WWII. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“I’ve found that there is always some beauty left — in nature, sunshine, freedom, in yourself; these can all help you.” Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl

Some people would instead call  Becoming  by Michelle Obama a Memoir, but it is, in fact, an autobiography. This book is divided into three parts, giving people some insight into her life history and how she has tackled some of the world’s biggest challenges. It also lets people know the tremendous responsibility she shouldered over the years and what she sacrificed for others. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“Now I think it’s one of the most useless questions an adult can ask a child—What do you want to be when you grow up? As if growing up is finite. As if at some point you become something and that’s the end.” Michelle Obama, Becoming

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin  was written between 1771 and 1790 but was not published until the early 1900s. It focuses on his early life and unique adulthood, particularly his role as a founding father of the United States. He also attempted to follow 13 virtues to achieve moral perfection. His suggestions for leading a viable life are as valid today as they were back then. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“If you wish information and improvement from the knowledge of others, and yet at the same time express yourself as firmly fix’d in your present opinions, modest, sensible men, who do not love disputation, will probably leave you undisturbed in the possession of your error.” Benjamin Franklin, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

Nelson Mandela was one of the leading activists against the apartheid movement in Africa. He was arrested numerous times and spent decades in prison, but eventually rose to become the first black president of South Africa. His autobiography gives people an inside look at what his life was like, his formal education, and what his time in prison meant to him. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom

Any fan of mysteries is likely a fan of Agatha Christie. Her autobiography looks at what it takes to become one of the most prolific mystery writers ever. This autobiography accounts for her life through to the age of 75. It is more than 500 pages long but reads like a conversation with the author herself. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“It is a curious thought, but it is only when you see people looking ridiculous that you realize just how much you love them. ” Agatha Christie, Agatha Christie: An Autobiography

Never underestimate the power of one voice and how it can change the world. That is exactly what  I Am Malala  seeks to communicate. She is a rare person in society, immediately recognizable by a single name. She ignited the promise of activism among the young generation and has already driven tremendous change worldwide. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“We realize the importance of our voices only when we are silenced.” Malala Yousafzai, I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban

Frederick Douglass was one of the leading abolitionists, and he helped countless enslaved people escape the horrible shackles of slavery. His autobiography,  Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass , gives people a first-hand look at his harrowing childhood and adventurous adulthood. Even though it is difficult to grapple with some of the darker sides of American History, it is critical to take a closer look at his experience. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence.” Frederick Douglass

This autobiography was written in 1918, and the  Autobiography of an Androgyne  is unique. It has clear prose and serves as a guide for those seeking to transcend the binary state of the world. It is considered to be a groundbreaking book in the world of transgender literature. It is also a reminder of how far the world has come and how far the world has to go. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“This should be sufficient to show that homosexuality was discussed among the Romans and Greeks, and it is well known that the Bible is not quiet about it.” Earl Lind, Autobiography of an Androgyne

The Civil Rights Movement is still alive and well to this day, and Malcolm X is widely seen as one of the most outstanding civil rights leaders in the history of the United States. This autobiography was written in conjunction with Alex Haley and contained a lot of interviews with Malcolm X and excerpts from his writing. Unfortunately, Malcolm X was tragically assassinated, but his fight for racial justice lives on in current times. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“I’m for truth, no matter who tells it. I’m for justice, no matter who it is for or against.” Malcolm X, The Autobiography

Yoga has become incredibly popular during the past few decades, but the  Autobiography of a Yogi  by Paramahansa Yogananda has been in print for over 75 years. It has been estimated that this book has been printed over four million times and has been widely credited for sparking the popularity of yoga in the United States. This autobiography guides readers on how they can cultivate their inner strength. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“Live quietly in the moment and see the beauty of all before you. The future will take care of itself……” Yogananda, Autobiography of a Yogi

Samuel Clemens, better known by his pen name Mark Twain, is one of the most prolific writers ever. A master of the written word, his autobiography allows people to look at what it takes to become one of the greatest writers. His autobiography was not published until 100 years after he had passed away. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“In this Autobiography I shall keep in mind that I am speaking from the grave. I am literally speaking from the grave, because I shall be dead when the book is published.” Mark Twain, Autobiography of Mark Twain

If you want to see what life was like for someone who lived more than 100 years,  Living for Change  is an autobiography worth exploring. Grace Lee Bloggs played an integral role in numerous social movements, and this autobiography details her life as an intellectual, activist, and partner alongside some of the leading social justice warriors of the past century. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“Look on yourself as a citizen in a kingdom of persons, he advised. Act always as if the maxim of your action could become a universal law, always treating mankind, as much in your own person as in that of another, as an end, never as a means.” Grace Lee Boggs, Living for Change: An Autobiography

Jamison Green is an educator, author, and civil rights activist. His autobiographical account provides an inside look at what life is like as someone who has transitioned from female to male. Becoming A Visible Man  mixes theory, activism, and personal stories to provide a riveting look at what life is like as a marginalized community member. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“Being true to oneself creates the integrity and self-respect we need to have if we are to extend that respect to others.” Jamison Green, Becoming a Visible Man

Ronald Reagan is remembered as the president who brought the Cold War to an end, and his eight years serving as president of the United States caused a lot of change in the country. This autobiography,  An American Life , looks at the mindset behind his decisions and his impact on the country and the world. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“For more than five years, I’d made little progress with my efforts at quiet diplomacy—for one thing, the Soviet leaders kept dying on me.” Ronald Reagan, An American Life

Bob Dylan has won various Grammy awards for his contributions to music, but his autobiography also won a Quill Award alongside a Nobel Prize in literature. He is a gifted storyteller, which is certainly something that shines through in this autobiography. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“Some people seem to fade away but then when they are truly gone, it’s like they didn’t fade away at all.” Bob Dylan, Chronicles: Volume One

Cash: The Autobiography by Johnny Cash lets people inside one of the most talented and darkest musical minds in history. It tells a story regarding some of his most pivotal musical moments, his life on stage, and his impact on pop culture. This book is a unique opportunity to dive into his mind. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“They’re powerful, those songs. At times they’ve been my only way back, the only door out of the dark, bad places the black dog calls home.” Johnny Cash, Cash

This is a classic autobiography, and it is frequently listed among banned books.  Always Running  talks about what life is like in a Los Angeles gang. It provides an inside look at his battles, what he had to do to survive, and the impact gang life had on himself, his family, and Los Angeles. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

When you win, we win; but when you go down, you go down alone.” Luis J. Rodríguez, Always Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A.

Cecilia Aragon grew up as a shy, bullied girl. In her autobiography,  Flying Free: My Victory over Fear to Become the First Latina Pilot on the US Aerobatic Team , she talks about what she had to do to soar above it all. She had a special strength in math, and she was eventually introduced to flying. It eventually clicks everything into place for her, and she works hard to accomplish her dreams. This story lets the reader walk along her unique path with her, from a bullied girl to a triumphant success. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“This was my first real job, one that might even lead to a career, and I had to hang onto it. I wanted to hang onto it. I had to succeed at something.” Cecilia Aragon, Flying Free: My Victory over Fear to Become the First Latina Pilot on the US Aerobatic Team

Even though Jimmy Carter may not be remembered as the greatest president, he is one of the greatest people ever to hold the Oval Office. Of course, many problems marked his presidency, but his autobiography is about much more than just his career in the Oval Office. His impact on Habitat for Humanity cannot be overstated, and A Full Life looks at what he has meant to the world. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“I have one life and one chance to make it count for something… My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can with whatever I have to try to make a difference.” Jimmy Carter

Simone Biles is widely seen as the most accomplished gymnast of all time, but she also struggled with various mental health issues. Nevertheless, her impact on society is significant, and  Courage to Soar: a Body in Motion, a Life in Balance  provides everyone with a look at her journey. The autobiography has a friendly, generous, and soothing voice as it describes all the challenges she had to overcome. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“I would hope I would inspire kids everywhere to know that you can do anything you put your mind to.” Simone Biles, Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, a Life in Balance

Originally published in 1995 to spearhead his political campaign,  Dreams from My Father  delves into the president’s journey to learn more about his biracial identity. It also highlights how African-American literature can help answer race, class, and identity questions. The autobiography focuses on Barack Obama’s younger self in Chicago, Honolulu, and Harvard. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“My identity might begin with the fact of my race, but it didn’t, couldn’t end there. At least that’s what I would choose to believe.” Barack Obama, Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance

A Funny Life  is about Michael McIntyre’s funny but serious recounts of his steps to reach success. In the book, he shares his naivete when he started in the show industry, his desperation for success, and his desire to stay one of the most sought-after comedians. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“Comedy provides an escape from the horrors of real life.” Michael McIntyre, A Funny Life

Eddie Jaku’s  The Happiest Man on Earth  tells the story of a Holocaust survivor and his search for life’s meaning. Throughout the book, he shares the wisdom he learned in the 100 years he lived. In it, he underscores the importance of striving to live life to the fullest. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“Life can be beautiful if you make it beautiful. It is up to you.” Eddie Jaku, The Happiest Man on Earth

The world learned Jawaharlal Nehru as one of the most famous Asian leaders through his imprisonment during World War II. Arrested for refusing to cooperate with the British government, he stood his ground for an independent India. He was released and helped Gandhi ask the British to leave the country. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“The policy of being too cautious is the greatest risk of all.” Jawaharlal Nehru, An Autobiography

In  Open: An Autobiography , Andre Agassi shares his journey to stardom and life as a tennis prodigy. Spurred by the pressure to be the best, he talks about his successes and struggles. This includes his views of his court rivals and his battle against drugs. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“It’s no accident, I think, that tennis uses the language of life. Advantage, service, fault, break, love, the basic elements of tennis are those of everyday existence, because every match is a life in miniature.” Andre Agassi, Open: An Autobiography

Beyond the Story  records the decade-long true story of the most successful boyband, even heralded on the same status quo as The Beatles. It narrates BTS’s struggles as a group and as individuals on and off the stage. The book includes behind-the-scenes of their milestone achievements, challenges with toxic media, and their critical decisions about disbanding or continuing to work together. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“These seven strangers had come from all over the country to Seoul and become each other’s family. Inside the most commercial system of the Korean music industry, where incredible amounts of capital, human resources, marketing, and technology converge, BTS — ironically enough — found a family in each other.” BTS, Beyond the Story: 10-Year Record of BTS

The Year of Magical Thinking  details Joan Didion’s state after the death of her husband. This grief and her need to care for her ill daughter make the book an intimate and vulnerable account of one’s mourning. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“We are imperfect mortal beings, aware of that mortality even as we push it away, failed by our very complication, so wired that when we mourn our losses, we also mourn, for better or for worse, ourselves. As we were, as we no longer, as we will one day not be at all.” Joan Didion, The Year of Magical Thinking

Image caption: Janet Mock is a transgender rights activist, host, and author.

Janet Mock set down the quest for her authentic self in  Redefining Realness . Her transparent take on identity and her journey to womanhood make this book a must-read for anyone facing the same hurdles and challenges. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“Those parts of yourself that you desperately want to hide and destroy will gain power over you. The best thing to do is face and own them, because they are forever a part of you.” Janet Mock, Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love, and So Much More

In  Wings of Fire , India’s Missile Man, Abdul Kalam, shares the adversities he had to conquer since his youth. In this autobiography, he highlights the importance of having a close-knit family, helpful relatives, and supportive friends to break down the walls that keep individuals from realizing their dreams. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“A big shot is a little shot who keeps on shooting, so keep trying.” A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, Wings of Fire

Recognized as one of the most important spiritual literature of the 20th century,  The Story of My Experiments with Truth  aims to expand Gandhi’s philosophy and life calling. The book begins with his boyhood and continues through 1921, where he shares his thoughts on pacifism and the desire to help the struggling Indian population. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“Service without humility is selfishness and egotism.” Mahatma Gandhi, The Story of My Experiments with Truth

Wild Swans  is the captivating tale of three Chinese generations, demonstrating the years’ transformation. Jung Chang, although now living in London, proudly shares her grandmother and mother’s life alongside hers to showcase their family history. Although the book is a success, with over 10 million copies sold, it’s banned in her home country, China. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“If you have love, even plain cold water is sweet.” Jung Chang, Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China

In the award-winning bestselling book  Life , Richards recounts the prime of the Rolling Stones’ career. With James Fox’s help, he describes how the pinnacle of British rock looks and feels during their heyday. Richards did not hold back on the book, sharing intimate details of how he lived in the era of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“We age not by holding on to youth, but by letting ourselves grow and embracing whatever youthful parts remain.” Keith Richards, Life

Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman  peels back the layers of the outstanding actor. Rickman’s book is a candid retelling of his life at the height of his fame. His witty, gossipy way of narrating will make readers feel as if they’re reading the diary of a close friend. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“I hate it when my head, heart and aspirations are filled to the brim only with career. The rest of me hangs around like a jacket on the back of a doorknob.” Alan Rickman, Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman

In  Here, Right Matters: An American Story , retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel Vindman bravely unfolds his participation in the then-president’s trial and impeachment. Before witnessing this scandal, he recounts his childhood as an immigrant and how he became a part of the national service. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“Resilience enables us to cope with adversity.” Alexander Vindman, Here, Right Matters: An American Story

Bossypants  is a reigning comedy-autobiography book on the New York Times Best Seller list for five weeks. Tina Fey shares her girlhood and bouts as a comedian in this book that sold millions of copies. Many describe it as hilarious, heart-warming literature that readers can relate to. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“There are no mistakes, only opportunities.” Tina Fey, Bossypants

If you want to know how the little boy from Mumbles became the most capped rugby player, read Alun Wyn Jones’  Belonging: The Autobiography . He narrates how he turned from watching the Lions play to becoming the team’s captain. Be inspired by the vulnerable account of his dedication, sacrifices, and how he builds his future. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“Losing hurt, it always hurts, and it should hurt.” Alun Wyn Jones, Belonging: The Autobiography

Although Rob Lowe already lived most of his life in the public eye,  Stories I Only Tell My Friends  provides a funny yet sarcastic and poignant recollection of his life. He shares his experiences as a misunderstood teen idol. Then, a man battling alcohol addiction. In this book, Lowe is candid in his disappointments and accomplishments. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“The best part is not the biggest, it’s the one that’s most memorable.” Rob Lowe, Stories I Only Tell My Friends

I Am Ozzy  tells the story of John Michael Osbourne’s boyhood and rise to metal rock stardom. This rags-to-riches tale includes the good and the bad things he has done throughout his life, making it entertaining but motivational. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“The power of people, when they focus on something positive, never fails to amaze me.” Ozzy Osbourne, I Am Ozzy

American Sniper  is one of the non-fiction books that will leave readers in awe. It resonates with many modern-day heroes who put their lives on the line to protect their country. Chris Kyle chronicles his childhood and experiences on the battlefield and recounts his lost and living teammates in this moving book. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“I signed up to protect this country. I do not choose the wars. It happens that I love to fight. But I do not choose which battles I go to.” Chris Kyle, American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in US Military History

The longest-serving US First Lady’s work,  The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt , gives readers a peek into her outlook on life and her life mission. The book combines three past autobiographies and offers insights into her personality and fight for women and civil rights. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“He who learns but does not think is lost. He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger.” Eleanor Roosevelt, The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt

Love, Lucy  tells the real-life story of the American motion-picture entertainer Lucille Ball. It starts from her early life and her relationship with her family. The book also details her acting career, marriages, and breakups. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“You won’t be happy, whatever you do, unless you’re comfortable with your own conscience.” Lucille Ball, Love, Lucy

Bruce Springsteen explains many things in  Born to Run , including his penchant for shows that extend to up to four hours. The book also mentions his fight with depression despite being a blinding force on stage. It’s a life story told with sincerity. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“We honor our parents by carrying their best forward and laying the rest down. By fighting and taming the demons that laid them low and now reside in us.” Bruce Springsteen, Born to Run

E.A.R.L.: The Autobiography of DMX  unveils Earl Simmon’s life without holding anything back. The book includes his life as an abandoned child living in a shanty neighborhood, addicted to many vices. Despite his great disadvantage at the start of his life, rhyming became his escape, leading to a successful career as a musician. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“Pain is so much easier to deal with when it’s ours, not just yours.” DMX, E.A.R.L.: The Autobiography of DMX

Chuck Yeager’s  Yeager: An Autobiography  takes readers to the edge of danger and discovery. In this book, he doesn’t only share his enthusiasm as a test pilot who dared to try the unknown. He also talks about his dog fights over Europe and the behind-the-scenes of making history. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“You don’t concentrate on risks. You concentrate on results.” Chuck Yeager, An Autobiography

Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story  is an uncensored narration of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s life. The book delves into his accomplishments and doesn’t justify the controversies he’s been caught in. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“My definition of living is to have excitement always; that’s the difference between living and existing.” Arnold Schwarzenegger, Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story

Butterfly: From Refugee to Olympian  reports Yusra Mardini’s fight to achieve her lifelong dream of competing in the Olympics. Her determination will not let her falter, not even when her house was wrecked in the civil war or when she was smuggled and stuck at sea. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“Refugee. An empty shell, barely even human. No money, no home, no background, no history, no personality, no ambition, no path, no passion. Our past, present, future. All of it deleted and replaced by that one devastating word.” Yusra Mardini, Butterfly: From Refugee to Olympian

To read  Mein Kampf  means to show people the complex mind of Hitler that led to the atrocities of World War II. His own life, written in his own words, gives readers insights into what created his political ideology and how his mind operated. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“Religion is ridiculed, ethics and morality represented as outmoded, until the last props of a nation in its struggle for existence in this world have fallen.” Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf

In  Assata: An Autobiography , Assata Shakur, aka JoAnne Chesimard, talks about her political stance and personal life. She also mentions her publicized incarceration and her encounters as an activist. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“Only a fool lets somebody else tell him who his enemy is.” Assata Shakur, Assata: An Autobiography

Trevor Noah’s  Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood  illustrates the life of a biracial child who was born and lived during the apartheid era. The book is a coming-of-age literature with sprinkles of comedy. Many consider it one of the best books to read as it can tackle a serious topic with lighthearted wit. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“My mom did what school didn’t. She taught me how to think.” Trevor Noah, Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood

John Thompson finished  I Came As a Shadow: An Autobiography  shortly before his death. His work contains his struggles with racial segregation, dealing with drug bigwigs, and, of course, his professional basketball career. Check it out on Amazon; click here .

“When people complain about affirmative action, I respond that there’s nothing more unequal than the equal treatment of unequals. “ John Thompson, I Came As a Shadow: An Autobiography

FAQs About the Best Autobiographies

It is difficult to say what the best-selling autobiography is of all time. The most recent best-selling autobiography is Becoming by Michelle Obama. One of the best-selling autobiographies of the past few hundred years is The Autobiography of Benjamin Frankli n. If you are interested in exploring more biographies, check out our round-up of best biography authors . 

The length of pages can vary depending on how it is printed, but the longest autobiography is widely considered to be Finn Kalle Päätalo . It is 26 volumes, and it is considered to be the longest autobiographical narrative in the world. 

One is not necessarily better. A biography provides a different perspective because it is not necessarily written by the main focus of the biography itself. On the other hand, an autobiography may provide you with a better perspective on the mindset of the individual. You may also want to explore essays about autobiographies to learn more. 

Looking for more reading material? Check out our round-up of the best Hemingway books !

10 Biographies Everyone Should Read

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One of the best ways to grow, both as a person and as a Christian, is to learn from the lives of other men and women. What follows is a list of some of the best biographies out there. Some of the biographies are about Christians, others are not. God’s common grace sparkles throughout the entire world, and we would be wise to learn from Christians and non-Christians alike.

The biographies on this list are either ones that I have read personally or have been highly recommended by people I trust. Get reading!

John Adams –   by David McCullough – A brilliant look into one of America’s Founding Father. Pretty long, but well worth the read.

Washington: A Life –  by Ron Chernow – Few men shaped American history like George Washington. This is the go-to biography on the man.

Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy   – by Eric Metaxas – Bonhoeffer was an influential pastor during Hitler’s reign of terror. He even was involved in a plan to assassinate Hitler!

Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther  – by Roland Bainton – What can be said about Martin Luther? He was a Reformer, a fugitive, a writer, a preacher, a Bible translator, and a beer lover. You really should familiarize yourself with Martin Luther.

C.S. Lewis – A Life: Eccentric Genius, Reluctant Prophet  – by Alistair McGrath – I know that some people would recommend Lewis’ autobiography or one of the older biographies, but I enjoyed this one the most.

John G. Paton – The Autobiography of the Pioneer Missionary To The New Hebrides  – by John Paton – He was told he would be eaten by cannibals. He went anyway. Enough said.

Jonathan Edwards: A Life  – by George Marsden – Jonathan Edwards was the greatest theologian produced by North America, and his influence

Steve Jobs  – by Walter Isaacson – Few men have influenced the tech world like Steve Jobs. He was a fascinating man. Driven, obsessive, eccentric, abrasive. This biography is worth the read.

Churchill  – by Paul Johnson – You could read a three volume, massive biography on Churchill, or you could read this concise, yet well written bio.

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption  – by Laura Hillenbrand – Not a biography in the traditional sense, but an incredible story nonetheless. This is absolutely one of my favorite books.

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Here's Why Everyone's Talking About Summit Therapeutics

In this article:.

September has been an exciting time for investors with their fingers on the pulse of cancer drug development. In a nutshell, it looks like the world's top-selling cancer therapy could have a serious competitor.

Sales of Keytruda from Merck reached $25 billion last year thanks to its position as a standard first line of treatment for most patients newly diagnosed with the most common form of lung cancer.

Biotech investors have been buzzing with enthusiasm for Summit Therapeutics (NASDAQ: SMMT) and its lead candidate, ivonescimab. Recently announced results from a clinical trial with frontline lung cancer patients showed ivonescimab reduced their risk of disease worsening by 49% compared to Keytruda monotherapy. That's a big deal for Summit and a pair of companies that are also developing candidates similar to ivonescimab, Instil Bio (NASDAQ: TIL)  and BioNTech (NASDAQ: BNTX) .

Why Instil Bio and BioNTech are along for the ride

Keytruda is an antibody that binds to programmed death receptors (PD-1) on the surface of immune cells. This checkpoint is supposed to keep those cells from destroying healthy tissue, but tumor cells often hijack the system. By displaying a programmed death ligand (PD-L1) on their surface, tumor cells often shut down immune systems before they can do their job.

Keytruda is sometimes dosed in combination with a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitor called Avastin. Instead of delivering two therapies, ivonescimab from Summit Therapeutics, IMM2510 from Instil Bio, and BNT327 from BioNTech are all bispecific antibodies that inhibit VEGF and the PD-1 checkpoint simultaneously.

Table by author. Data sources: Summit Therapeutics, Instil Bio, and BioNTech.

Shares of Instil Bio and BioNTech have risen sharply since Summit shared phase 3 results that show a strong progression-free survival benefit versus Keytruda. While their candidates are similar to Summit's, there are significant differences that could make them more or less effective.

In terms of market value, Instil Bio was circling the drain when Summit began announcing success with its bispecific PD-1/VEGF drug. Since Instil started from such a low point, the clinical-stage biotech's stock price was able to shoot more than 500% higher in response to Summit's news.

Time to buy?

Summit Therapeutics acquired rights to ivonescimab outside of China and Australia. With Keytruda sales up around $25 billion annually, it's not hard to imagine blockbuster sales for a therapy that outperformed it in the important lung cancer setting.

There are a lot of expectations for ivonescimab already baked into Summit Health's stock price. At last glance, it boasted a $22.7 billion market cap that could come crashing down if subsequent data for ivonescimab is anything less than spectacular.

While ivonescimab outperformed Keytruda monotherapy, Merck's drug is usually combined with chemotherapy to treat lung cancer. We still don't know how well ivonescimab stands up to Keytruda and other PD-1 drugs when they're combined with chemotherapy.

Another important uncertainty regarding Summit is ivonescimab's performance versus Keytruda plus Avastin. In theory, a bispecific antibody should be more effective than two traditional antibodies dosed simultaneously, but we can't be certain without another clinical trial.

If investors want to bet on a bispecific PD-1/VEGF antibody, Instil Bio could be the better option. IMM2510 is in a much earlier stage of development, but Instil's market cap of about $456 million at recent prices is tiny for a company that could have a blockbuster lung cancer drug in its pipeline.

Should you invest $1,000 in Summit Therapeutics right now?

Before you buy stock in Summit Therapeutics, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the  10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Summit Therapeutics wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when  Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $729,857 !*

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Cory Renauer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Merck and Summit Therapeutics. The Motley Fool recommends BioNTech Se. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy .

Here's Why Everyone's Talking About Summit Therapeutics was originally published by The Motley Fool

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Founders should do this surprising thing more often in pitches, Daniel Lubetzky, the newest 'Shark Tank' addition, says

• Daniel Lubetzky, founder of snack brand Kind, is joining " Shark Tank" as the show's newest Shark.
• Lubetzky will take a permanent seat on the show after five seasons as a guest.
• Lubetzky told BI that he watches for founders who can be honest about their shortcomings.

Daniel Lubetzky has seen dozens of pitches from founders on the ABC television series "Shark Tank."

But Lubetzky will be hearing even more pitches as he becomes the show's latest new judge — or "Shark" — starting with the show's new season next month.

Lubetzky isn't a stranger to Shark Tank or startups. He's spent five seasons as a "Guest Shark" on the show.

He also founded snack maker Kind in 2004. The brand became known for its snack bars and was acquired by Mars, the company that owns Snickers candy bars and Juicy Fruit chewing gum, in 2020. The deal reportedly valued Kind at $5 billion. Lubetzky retains a financial stake in Kind, though its exact size isn't public.

In an interview with Business Insider, Lubetzky pointed to a quality he looks for in the founders pitching him on Shark Tank.

Founders often pitch with everything that's going well with their business, Lubetzky said. But he also looks for frank assessments of what they're struggling with, he added.

Related stories

The founders of one of Lubetzky's investments, an arepa brand called Toast It, provided an example when they appeared on a Shark Tank episode that aired last year. Sisters Coco and Mafe Cabezas said they came to the US from Venezuela and founded the food brand in their spare time.

It was clear that they had "an enormous amount of passion," Lubetzky told BI. But during the episode, Lubetzky and the other Sharks asked the Cabezas about their plans to improve their company's margins.

Coco and Mafe acknowledged the challenge of making food products profitable. They also pointed to their efforts to cut packaging costs and plans to save money on ingredients.

"When I asked them tough questions and they had some areas where they were not perfect, they said, 'Yeah, this is our area of opportunity,'" Lubetzky told BI. He ended up striking a deal with the sisters, paying $150,000 for a 20% stake in Toast It.

Acknowledging shortcomings like that shows introspection, he said.

"And for me, that's one of the greatest values, not just for an entrepreneur, but for human beings," Lubetzky said. "If you can criticize yourself and evaluate what you're not doing, you can get better."

Season 16 of Shark Tank will premiere on ABC on October 16 at 8 p.m. ET.

Watch: How Sesame Street stays relevant to every generation, according to the brand's marketing head

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Travis Kelce on Chiefs-Bengals Ending: ‘Can’t Put It in the Refs’ Hands'

Jordan foote | 10 hours ago.

• Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs had another win over a conference rival in Week 2, and the victory came with some (unwarranted) controversy attached to it.

With an opportunity to lead a game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter, Kansas City found itself facing a fourth-and-16 as less than a minute remained on the game clock. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw a pass to wideout Rashee Rice that ended up incomplete, but a penalty kept the possession going. The rest is history, with kicker Harrison Butker nailing a field goal from 50-plus yards out as time expired.

The penalty, which is a defensive pass interference call by definition, led social media to criticize the game's outcome. How do the Chiefs feel about it? On a new episode of the " New Heights " podcast with his brother Jason, Travis Kelce's message was simple: Don't let in-game officials have the chance to impact the contest.

"At the end of the day, man, you can't put it in the refs' hands that late in the game," Kelce said. "And that's for both of us, both sides of the ball. Obviously, you want to play physical [and] you want to make sure you make that play but if you're going to put it in the refs' hands, you're playing with fire. It is what it is. You're just playing with fire, man. That's why as an offense, we've got to make sure we don't put ourselves in a position where we have to score at the end of the game.

"Obviously, we still feel comfortable and confident that we can get it done but if we can win the game before that, let's keep it out of the refs' hands. Let's keep it out of the hands of fate or things just not going our way. I think that's the mentality you've got to have. Did we get lucky? Yeah, we got fortunate that they threw the flag on that fourth-and-16. I would love to make sure we don't get ourselves in a situation like that again."

was it the right call? pic.twitter.com/GzRcGhOBB4 — Annie Agar (@AnnieAgar) September 15, 2024

Kelce's words come from a place of experience. Last regular season, the Chiefs had a potential game-winning touchdown against the Buffalo Bills get called back due to an offensive offsides penalty – a very rare one for a wide receiver in the modern NFL. Kelce defended Kadarius Toney's mistake following the outing, so it's clear that he empathizes with game-altering flags being thrown.

He also believes that, in this instance, Kansas City simply should've done more to avoid having to rely on a last-second win in the first place.

"I think we need to f– keep ourselves out of that situation so we don't have to rely on the officials to make that f– call," Kelce said. "But sure enough, they made the call and Harrison Butker comes to save the day yet again. Harry for the win! Absolutely nails a 51-yard field goal. All of us had a lot of confidence in him, but there's always just that lingering feeling, you know? You're just sitting there like, 'Come on, Harry. Come on. You've got to do it again for us, big guy, please.' And sure enough, he came up big for us again, man."

It's been a hectic season for the Chiefs thus far. Week 1 saw Isaiah Likely's late touchdown get reversed due to his toe being past the end zone boundary, and Sunday's triumph over Cincinnati was about as stressful of a win as a team can have. Kansas City has a knack for coming out on the right side of those close calls, but walking the tightrope always leaves less margin for error.

On Sunday Night Football against the Atlanta Falcons this weekend, Kelce and Co. will look to clean things up.

Read More: Chiefs Reportedly Re-Sign Peyton Hendershot to Practice Squad

JORDAN FOOTE

Jordan Foote is the deputy editor of Arrowhead Report on SI.com, covering the Kansas City Chiefs. He also hosts the One Royal Way podcast on Kansas City Sports Network. Jordan is a Baker University alumnus, earning his degree in Mass Media. Follow him on X @footenoted. 

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