50 Books like Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 1

Twelve Years a Slave

by Solomon Northup • 2013

Drugged and chained, a free New York violinist begins twelve years as a Louisiana slave.

4.23

126k+

🎋 American Slavery ⛓️ Slave Narratives 📜 Abolitionist Literature 🕯️ Survival Under Bondage 🩸 Plantation Brutality

Twelve Years a Slave 95%

Drugged and chained, a free New York violinist begins twelve years as a Louisiana slave.

by Solomon Northup 2013

4.23

126k+ ratings

🎋 American Slavery ⛓️ Slave Narratives 📜 Abolitionist Literature 🕯️ Survival Under Bondage 🩸 Plantation Brutality

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

by Frederick Douglass • 2004

A former slave's firsthand account of how literacy unlocked his escape from bondage.

4.13

138k+

📜 Slave Narratives ⛓️ American Slavery 🔓 Self-Emancipation 📚 Literacy And Freedom ✊ Abolitionist Literature

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Summary

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass 95%

A former slave's firsthand account of how literacy unlocked his escape from bondage.

by Frederick Douglass 2004

4.13

138k+ ratings

📜 Slave Narratives ⛓️ American Slavery 🔓 Self-Emancipation 📚 Literacy And Freedom ✊ Abolitionist Literature

The Psychology of the Child

by Jean Piaget • 1972

His master warned that literacy would ruin him. He learned anyway, and it did.

3.87

1k+

📖 Slave Narratives ⛓️ American Slavery 📚 Self-Education 💪 Physical Resistance 🙏 Religious Hypocrisy

The Psychology of the Child 93%

His master warned that literacy would ruin him. He learned anyway, and it did.

by Jean Piaget 1972

3.87

1k+ ratings

📖 Slave Narratives ⛓️ American Slavery 📚 Self-Education 💪 Physical Resistance 🙏 Religious Hypocrisy

The Autistic Brain

by Temple Grandin • 2013

A free Black man is sold into slavery; a single smuggled letter holds his escape.

4.1

11k+

🔗 American Slavery 📜 Slave Narratives ⛓ Kidnapping And Captivity 🏚️ Plantation Life 🛡️ Survival And Resistance

The Autistic Brain 93%

A free Black man is sold into slavery; a single smuggled letter holds his escape.

by Temple Grandin 2013

4.1

11k+ ratings

🔗 American Slavery 📜 Slave Narratives ⛓ Kidnapping And Captivity 🏚️ Plantation Life 🛡️ Survival And Resistance

Up from Slavery

by Booker T. Washington • 1900

Born a slave. Built a college. His philosophy of racial progress still divides America.

4.11

36k+

🔗 Slave Narratives 🛠️ Self-Reliance 👷 Dignity Of Labor 🔧 Practical Education 👔 Black Leadership

Up from Slavery 92%

Born a slave. Built a college. His philosophy of racial progress still divides America.

by Booker T. Washington 1900

4.11

36k+ ratings

🔗 Slave Narratives 🛠️ Self-Reliance 👷 Dignity Of Labor 🔧 Practical Education 👔 Black Leadership

Mark Twain

by Ron Chernow • 2025

America's greatest humorist was a grief-haunted gambler who saved his darkest truths for the grave.

4.18

8k+

📖 Literary Biography 🏛️ Gilded Age America 💔 Grief And Loss 🎭 Public Persona 💸 Business Failure

Mark Twain 92%

America's greatest humorist was a grief-haunted gambler who saved his darkest truths for the grave.

by Ron Chernow 2025

4.18

8k+ ratings

📖 Literary Biography 🏛️ Gilded Age America 💔 Grief And Loss 🎭 Public Persona 💸 Business Failure

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid

by Bill Bryson • 2006

His superpower was vaporizing teachers. The decade was 1950s America at its richest, weirdest peak.

3.94

69k+

🏛️ Mid-Century America 🧒 Childhood Memoir 😂 Humorous Memoir 💰 Postwar Prosperity 🏘️ Small-Town Life

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid Summary

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid 91%

His superpower was vaporizing teachers. The decade was 1950s America at its richest, weirdest peak.

by Bill Bryson 2006

3.94

69k+ ratings

🏛️ Mid-Century America 🧒 Childhood Memoir 😂 Humorous Memoir 💰 Postwar Prosperity 🏘️ Small-Town Life

The Washingtons of Wessyngton Plantation

by John F. Baker Jr. • 2009

A classroom photograph sent a man searching for his enslaved ancestors on a Tennessee plantation.

4.24

131

🪶 American Slavery 🏚️ Plantation Life 🎙️ Oral Histories 🧬 Genealogical Research 💔 Family Separation

The Washingtons of Wessyngton Plantation Summary

The Washingtons of Wessyngton Plantation 90%

A classroom photograph sent a man searching for his enslaved ancestors on a Tennessee plantation.

by John F. Baker Jr. 2009

4.24

131 ratings

🪶 American Slavery 🏚️ Plantation Life 🎙️ Oral Histories 🧬 Genealogical Research 💔 Family Separation

Personal Memoirs Personal Memoirs Personal Memoirs

by Ulysses S. Grant • 1885

Cancer-ridden and bankrupt, a president writes the war he won, racing death to save his family.

4.14

10k+

🏛️ Civil War Campaigns 🎖️ Military Memoir 🗺️ Strategic Command 🚂 Military Logistics 💡 Military Realism

Personal Memoirs Personal Memoirs Personal Memoirs Summary

Personal Memoirs Personal Memoirs Personal Memoirs 90%

Cancer-ridden and bankrupt, a president writes the war he won, racing death to save his family.

by Ulysses S. Grant 1885

4.14

10k+ ratings

🏛️ Civil War Campaigns 🎖️ Military Memoir 🗺️ Strategic Command 🚂 Military Logistics 💡 Military Realism

Pryor Convictions

by Richard Pryor • 1995

Brothel childhood. Cocaine addiction. Self-immolation. Richard Pryor's life, before the punchline.

4.05

2k+

🎤 Stand-Up Comedy 😢 Childhood Trauma 💊 Addiction And Recovery 🇺🇸 Race In America 🔥 Surviving Catastrophe

Pryor Convictions 90%

Brothel childhood. Cocaine addiction. Self-immolation. Richard Pryor's life, before the punchline.

by Richard Pryor 1995

4.05

2k+ ratings

🎤 Stand-Up Comedy 😢 Childhood Trauma 💊 Addiction And Recovery 🇺🇸 Race In America 🔥 Surviving Catastrophe

Cobb's Anatomy

by Irvin S. Cobb • 1912

A 1912 comic anatomy of everything that aches, sheds, swells, or embarrasses you in public.

3.78

✍️ Humorous Essays 🤡 Self-Deprecating Humor 🫃 Body Humor 🎭 Social Satire 🇺🇸 American Humor

Cobb's Anatomy 90%

A 1912 comic anatomy of everything that aches, sheds, swells, or embarrasses you in public.

by Irvin S. Cobb 1912

3.78

60 ratings

✍️ Humorous Essays 🤡 Self-Deprecating Humor 🫃 Body Humor 🎭 Social Satire 🇺🇸 American Humor

Bruce Lee

by Bruce Lee • 2001

A basement jersey gave a boy superpowers. His mission: vaporize every adult who ruined the fun.

4.21

1k+

🏙️ Midcentury America 🧒 American Childhood 📷 Nostalgia Memoir ☢️ Cold War Culture 🚬 Teenage Rebellion

Bruce Lee 90%

A basement jersey gave a boy superpowers. His mission: vaporize every adult who ruined the fun.

by Bruce Lee 2001

4.21

1k+ ratings

🏙️ Midcentury America 🧒 American Childhood 📷 Nostalgia Memoir ☢️ Cold War Culture 🚬 Teenage Rebellion

Growing Up Laughing

by Marlo Thomas • 2010

Comedy giants sat at her father's table. Their lessons helped break television's rules for women.

3.85

2k+

🌟 Celebrity Memoir 🎭 Comedy History 🎬 Hollywood Memoir 🎤 Women In Comedy ✊ Feminist Memoir

Growing Up Laughing 90%

Comedy giants sat at her father's table. Their lessons helped break television's rules for women.

by Marlo Thomas 2010

3.85

2k+ ratings

🌟 Celebrity Memoir 🎭 Comedy History 🎬 Hollywood Memoir 🎤 Women In Comedy ✊ Feminist Memoir

A Childhood

by Harry Crews • 1978

By age six he had lived a lifetime. The writing was just aftermath.

4.34

3k+

🏚️ Rural Poverty 🌾 Southern Memoir 🩸 Childhood Trauma 🗣️ Oral Tradition 🦴 Southern Gothic

A Childhood 90%

By age six he had lived a lifetime. The writing was just aftermath.

by Harry Crews 1978

4.34

3k+ ratings

🏚️ Rural Poverty 🌾 Southern Memoir 🩸 Childhood Trauma 🗣️ Oral Tradition 🦴 Southern Gothic

Bad Boy

by Walter Dean Myers • 2001

He missed his own high school graduation. No arrest, no dropout. He simply stopped showing up.

3.73

3k+

🧠 Intellectual Coming Of Age ✊🏾 Racial Identity 🏙️ Harlem Life 🥊 Urban Violence 🌧️ Depression Memoirs

Bad Boy 90%

He missed his own high school graduation. No arrest, no dropout. He simply stopped showing up.

by Walter Dean Myers 2001

3.73

3k+ ratings

🧠 Intellectual Coming Of Age ✊🏾 Racial Identity 🏙️ Harlem Life 🥊 Urban Violence 🌧️ Depression Memoirs

Alex Haley

by Robert J. Norrell • 2015

Family porch tales became the Roots miniseries seen by 85% of Americans. Then came the lawsuits.

3.48

🔖 Literary Biography 📜 African American History 🗣️ Oral Tradition 🌳 Genealogical Research ⚖️ Plagiarism Controversies

Alex Haley 90%

Family porch tales became the Roots miniseries seen by 85% of Americans. Then came the lawsuits.

by Robert J. Norrell 2015

3.48

89 ratings

🔖 Literary Biography 📜 African American History 🗣️ Oral Tradition 🌳 Genealogical Research ⚖️ Plagiarism Controversies

The Beautiful Struggle

by Ta-Nehisi Coates • 2008

Between Black Panther discipline and Baltimore's street code, a boy fights to write his own story.

4.08

11k+

🏙️ Urban Memoir 🖤 African American Memoir 🌱 Coming Of Age Memoirs ✊ Black Nationalism 🎤 Hip-Hop Culture

The Beautiful Struggle 90%

Between Black Panther discipline and Baltimore's street code, a boy fights to write his own story.

by Ta-Nehisi Coates 2008

4.08

11k+ ratings

🏙️ Urban Memoir 🖤 African American Memoir 🌱 Coming Of Age Memoirs ✊ Black Nationalism 🎤 Hip-Hop Culture

Never Caught, the Story of Ona Judge

by Erica Armstrong Dunbar • 2019

In 1796, Ona Judge walked out of George Washington's house and onto a ship. She never returned.

3.97

2k+

🏛️ Early American Republic ⛓️ American Slavery 🪶 Enslaved Women 🏃🏿‍♀️ Fugitive Slave Stories 🏘️ Free Black Communities

Never Caught, the Story of Ona Judge Summary

Never Caught, the Story of Ona Judge 90%

In 1796, Ona Judge walked out of George Washington's house and onto a ship. She never returned.

by Erica Armstrong Dunbar 2019

3.97

2k+ ratings

🏛️ Early American Republic ⛓️ American Slavery 🪶 Enslaved Women 🏃🏿‍♀️ Fugitive Slave Stories 🏘️ Free Black Communities

Grant

by Ron Chernow • 2017

Failed farmer, rumored drunk. How Ulysses Grant won the Civil War and fought the Klan as president.

4.50

45k+

📖 Civil War History 🏛️ Presidential Biography 📜 Military Strategy 🔄 Revisionist History 🔗 Emancipation

Grant 90%

Failed farmer, rumored drunk. How Ulysses Grant won the Civil War and fought the Klan as president.

by Ron Chernow 2017

4.50

45k+ ratings

📖 Civil War History 🏛️ Presidential Biography 📜 Military Strategy 🔄 Revisionist History 🔗 Emancipation

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

by Maya Angelou • 1969

After an assault at eight, she went mute for five years. Then books taught her to speak.

4.30

586k+

📖 Literary Memoir 🌱 Coming Of Age Memoir 🏚️ Jim Crow South 💔 Childhood Sexual Abuse 🎤 Finding Your Voice

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings 90%

After an assault at eight, she went mute for five years. Then books taught her to speak.

by Maya Angelou 1969

4.30

586k+ ratings

📖 Literary Memoir 🌱 Coming Of Age Memoir 🏚️ Jim Crow South 💔 Childhood Sexual Abuse 🎤 Finding Your Voice

How Not to Get Rich

by Alan Pell Crawford • 2014

Before he was America's most beloved author, Mark Twain was its most disastrous investor.

3.63

123

🏦 Financial Biography 🎩 Gilded Age ✍️ Literary Biography 📉 Business Failures 🎲 Speculation

How Not to Get Rich 89%

Before he was America's most beloved author, Mark Twain was its most disastrous investor.

by Alan Pell Crawford 2014

3.63

123 ratings

🏦 Financial Biography 🎩 Gilded Age ✍️ Literary Biography 📉 Business Failures 🎲 Speculation

Education of a Felon

by Edward Bunker • 1999

A career criminal's brutal education behind bars, and how literature gave him a way out.

4.14

2k+

⛓️ Prison Memoir 💰 Career Criminal 🔪 Prison Survival 🔄 Recidivism 🧒 Juvenile Injustice

Education of a Felon 89%

A career criminal's brutal education behind bars, and how literature gave him a way out.

by Edward Bunker 1999

4.14

2k+ ratings

⛓️ Prison Memoir 💰 Career Criminal 🔪 Prison Survival 🔄 Recidivism 🧒 Juvenile Injustice

The Autobiography Of Malcolm X

by Malcolm X • 1965

He enters prison a street hustler and leaves with a dictionary, a new name, and a mission.

4.37

293k+

🏛️ Political Autobiography ✊🏾 Civil Rights Era 🇺🇸 Black American History 📖 Prison Education 🔄 Conversion Narrative

The Autobiography Of Malcolm X 89%

He enters prison a street hustler and leaves with a dictionary, a new name, and a mission.

by Malcolm X 1965

4.37

293k+ ratings

🏛️ Political Autobiography ✊🏾 Civil Rights Era 🇺🇸 Black American History 📖 Prison Education 🔄 Conversion Narrative

Harpo Speaks!

by Harpo Marx • 1961

He went silent onstage after one review, then charmed the Algonquin wits and the Soviet Union.

4.23

4k+

🎭 Vaudeville Roots 🎬 Hollywood Golden Age 🤹 Physical Comedy 🍸 Algonquin Round Table 📜 Comedy History

Harpo Speaks! 89%

He went silent onstage after one review, then charmed the Algonquin wits and the Soviet Union.

by Harpo Marx 1961

4.23

4k+ ratings

🎭 Vaudeville Roots 🎬 Hollywood Golden Age 🤹 Physical Comedy 🍸 Algonquin Round Table 📜 Comedy History

The Facts

by Philip Roth • 1988

A master of fiction tries to write the straight truth about his life, and discovers why he cannot.

3.70

1k+

🖋️ Literary Memoir ✍️ Writers On Writing ✡️ Jewish Identity 🔄 Metafiction 🗽 Artistic Freedom

The Facts 89%

A master of fiction tries to write the straight truth about his life, and discovers why he cannot.

by Philip Roth 1988

3.70

1k+ ratings

🖋️ Literary Memoir ✍️ Writers On Writing ✡️ Jewish Identity 🔄 Metafiction 🗽 Artistic Freedom

Walt Whitman

by Justin Kaplan • 1980

A failed journalist shattered poetry's rules, then spent the Civil War comforting dying soldiers.

3.94

326

📚 Literary Biography 📜 American Poetry 🎩 19th Century America ⚔️ Civil War America 🌿 Transcendentalism

Walt Whitman 89%

A failed journalist shattered poetry's rules, then spent the Civil War comforting dying soldiers.

by Justin Kaplan 1980

3.94

326 ratings

📚 Literary Biography 📜 American Poetry 🎩 19th Century America ⚔️ Civil War America 🌿 Transcendentalism

Seldom Disappointed

by Tony Hillerman • 2001

Wounded infantryman, journalist, 45-year-old professor: the unlikely path to the Navajo mysteries.

4.01

794

✍️ Writer's Memoir 📝 Craft Of Writing 🏹 Native American Culture 🌐 Writing Across Cultures 🪖 Greatest Generation

Seldom Disappointed 89%

Wounded infantryman, journalist, 45-year-old professor: the unlikely path to the Navajo mysteries.

by Tony Hillerman 2001

4.01

794 ratings

✍️ Writer's Memoir 📝 Craft Of Writing 🏹 Native American Culture 🌐 Writing Across Cultures 🪖 Greatest Generation

The Pioneers

by David McCullough • 2019

Before the Constitution, one land deal doubled the country and banned slavery in every future state.

3.82

28k+

🇺🇸 Early American Republic 🪓 Frontier Settlement 🌄 Westward Expansion 🏛️ Nation Building 🏕️ Frontier Life

The Pioneers 89%

Before the Constitution, one land deal doubled the country and banned slavery in every future state.

by David McCullough 2019

3.82

28k+ ratings

🇺🇸 Early American Republic 🪓 Frontier Settlement 🌄 Westward Expansion 🏛️ Nation Building 🏕️ Frontier Life

Bitita's Diary

by Carolina Maria de Jesus • 1960

Seven years old, Black, and poor in rural Brazil: learning to read became her revenge.

4.49

10k+

🇧🇷 Brazilian Literature 🏚️ Childhood Poverty ✍🏾 Black Women Writers 📖 Literacy As Liberation ⚖️ Racial Inequality

Bitita's Diary 89%

Seven years old, Black, and poor in rural Brazil: learning to read became her revenge.

by Carolina Maria de Jesus 1960

4.49

10k+ ratings

🇧🇷 Brazilian Literature 🏚️ Childhood Poverty ✍🏾 Black Women Writers 📖 Literacy As Liberation ⚖️ Racial Inequality

Old Rage

by Sheila Hancock • 2022

Sheila Hancock, 89, plans her funeral, rages at Brexit, and finds the pandemic strangely stoic.

4.06

984

🇬🇧 British Memoirs 🎭 Celebrity Memoirs 🗳️ Political Commentary 🕯️ Quaker Spirituality ⚒️ Class Consciousness

Old Rage 89%

Sheila Hancock, 89, plans her funeral, rages at Brexit, and finds the pandemic strangely stoic.

by Sheila Hancock 2022

4.06

984 ratings

🇬🇧 British Memoirs 🎭 Celebrity Memoirs 🗳️ Political Commentary 🕯️ Quaker Spirituality ⚒️ Class Consciousness

Windswept & Interesting

by Billy Connolly • 2021

A Glasgow welder walked onstage with a banjo. The man who walked off was someone else.

4.40

11k+

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scottish Memoir 🎤 Comedian Memoir 🃏 Humor As Survival 💪 Sobriety Journey 🎨 Creative Reinvention

Windswept & Interesting 89%

A Glasgow welder walked onstage with a banjo. The man who walked off was someone else.

by Billy Connolly 2021

4.40

11k+ ratings

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scottish Memoir 🎤 Comedian Memoir 🃏 Humor As Survival 💪 Sobriety Journey 🎨 Creative Reinvention

The Filthy Truth

by Andrew Dice Clay • 2014

The most banned comic in America on the Hollywood machine that tried to destroy him.

3.72

227

🎤 Stand-Up Comedy 🎬 Hollywood Memoir 🎭 Comic Personas 💥 Provocative Comedy 🎰 Gambling Addiction

The Filthy Truth 89%

The most banned comic in America on the Hollywood machine that tried to destroy him.

by Andrew Dice Clay 2014

3.72

227 ratings

🎤 Stand-Up Comedy 🎬 Hollywood Memoir 🎭 Comic Personas 💥 Provocative Comedy 🎰 Gambling Addiction

William Faulkner

by André Bleikasten • 2017

His family, his affair, his South, his demons: Faulkner's novels were his life recast as myth.

4.23

📖 Literary Biography 🌳 Southern Literature 🌀 Stream Of Consciousness 🔧 Narrative Technique 🦇 Southern Gothic

William Faulkner 89%

His family, his affair, his South, his demons: Faulkner's novels were his life recast as myth.

by André Bleikasten 2017

4.23

13 ratings

📖 Literary Biography 🌳 Southern Literature 🌀 Stream Of Consciousness 🔧 Narrative Technique 🦇 Southern Gothic

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

by Dave Eggers • 2000

Orphaned at 21, raising his 8-year-old brother: a grief memoir that knows it's a memoir.

3.69

184k+

🪦 Parental Loss 🖤 Grief Memoir 👬 Brothers 🏠 Unconventional Families 🔄 Meta Memoir

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius Summary

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius 89%

Orphaned at 21, raising his 8-year-old brother: a grief memoir that knows it's a memoir.

by Dave Eggers 2000

3.69

184k+ ratings

🪦 Parental Loss 🖤 Grief Memoir 👬 Brothers 🏠 Unconventional Families 🔄 Meta Memoir

Helen Keller

by Helen Keller • 1902

Before the water pump, words were just shapes. After, they held the world.

3.96

541

🦯 Blindness Memoir 🍎 Transformative Teaching 🌱 Resilience Narratives ⏳ Early 20th Century ✋ Alternative Communication

Helen Keller 89%

Before the water pump, words were just shapes. After, they held the world.

by Helen Keller 1902

3.96

541 ratings

🦯 Blindness Memoir 🍎 Transformative Teaching 🌱 Resilience Narratives ⏳ Early 20th Century ✋ Alternative Communication

Born a Crime

by Trevor Noah • 2016

His birth was a felony. His mother's parenting philosophy was even more illegal.

4.49

819k+

🇿🇦 Apartheid South Africa 🧬 Mixed Race Identity 🗣️ Code Switching 😂 Humor And Adversity 💪 Poverty And Resilience

Born a Crime 89%

His birth was a felony. His mother's parenting philosophy was even more illegal.

by Trevor Noah 2016

4.49

819k+ ratings

🇿🇦 Apartheid South Africa 🧬 Mixed Race Identity 🗣️ Code Switching 😂 Humor And Adversity 💪 Poverty And Resilience

My Losing Season

by Pat Conroy • 2002

Revisiting his worst college basketball season, a novelist finds the writer forged in every loss.

3.91

11k+

⛹️ Sports Memoirs ✍️ Literary Memoirs 🏀 Basketball Writing 👨‍👦 Fathers And Sons 🎖️ Military Education

My Losing Season 89%

Revisiting his worst college basketball season, a novelist finds the writer forged in every loss.

by Pat Conroy 2002

3.91

11k+ ratings

⛹️ Sports Memoirs ✍️ Literary Memoirs 🏀 Basketball Writing 👨‍👦 Fathers And Sons 🎖️ Military Education

Same Kind of Different as Me

by Ron Hall • 2006

An art dealer, a homeless man, and the woman who bound them together. Then cancer came.

4.20

93k+

👥 Dual Memoir ⛪ Faith Testimony 🤝 Interracial Friendship 🏚️ Homelessness Narratives ⛓️ Modern-Day Slavery

Same Kind of Different as Me 89%

An art dealer, a homeless man, and the woman who bound them together. Then cancer came.

by Ron Hall 2006

4.20

93k+ ratings

👥 Dual Memoir ⛪ Faith Testimony 🤝 Interracial Friendship 🏚️ Homelessness Narratives ⛓️ Modern-Day Slavery

Pour Me, A Life

by A.A. Gill • 2014

Drunk, dyslexic, and directionless, he walked into a newspaper and found the one language that fit.

4.08

3k+

🍷 Addiction Recovery 🍽️ Restaurant Criticism 📰 New Journalism 😂 Comic Memoir 🎖️ War Correspondence

Pour Me, A Life 89%

Drunk, dyslexic, and directionless, he walked into a newspaper and found the one language that fit.

by A.A. Gill 2014

4.08

3k+ ratings

🍷 Addiction Recovery 🍽️ Restaurant Criticism 📰 New Journalism 😂 Comic Memoir 🎖️ War Correspondence

Writing My Wrongs

by Shaka Senghor • 2013

He shot a man and went to prison. In solitary, he found a pen, and everything changed.

4.25

5k+

🏛️ Mass Incarceration 🔗 Prison Memoir 🕊️ Redemption Narratives 🧸 Childhood Trauma 📓 Journaling For Healing

Writing My Wrongs 89%

He shot a man and went to prison. In solitary, he found a pen, and everything changed.

by Shaka Senghor 2013

4.25

5k+ ratings

🏛️ Mass Incarceration 🔗 Prison Memoir 🕊️ Redemption Narratives 🧸 Childhood Trauma 📓 Journaling For Healing

Q's Legacy

by Helene Hanff • 1985

A professor's lectures led to a London bookshop, twenty years of letters, and accidental fame.

4.05

2k+

🖋️ Literary Memoir 📚 Book Collecting 🎓 Self-Education ✉️ Literary Correspondence 📖 Books As Companions

Q's Legacy 89%

A professor's lectures led to a London bookshop, twenty years of letters, and accidental fame.

by Helene Hanff 1985

4.05

2k+ ratings

🖋️ Literary Memoir 📚 Book Collecting 🎓 Self-Education ✉️ Literary Correspondence 📖 Books As Companions

How the Word Is Passed

by Clint Smith • 2021

From Monticello to Angola Prison, nine American sites where slavery's past has never really ended.

4.70

41k+

📜 American Slavery 🏛️ Public History 🧠 Collective Memory ⛓️ Mass Incarceration 🏚️ Lost Cause Mythology

How the Word Is Passed 89%

From Monticello to Angola Prison, nine American sites where slavery's past has never really ended.

by Clint Smith 2021

4.70

41k+ ratings

📜 American Slavery 🏛️ Public History 🧠 Collective Memory ⛓️ Mass Incarceration 🏚️ Lost Cause Mythology

Silver Screen Fiend

by Patton Oswalt • 2015

A comedian’s movie-a-night obsession was his film school. The theater owner’s question ended it.

3.62

8k+

🎤 Stand-Up Comedy 🎭 Comedian Memoirs ⚠️ Addiction Memoirs 💡 Creative Ambition 🎪 Alternative Comedy

Silver Screen Fiend 89%

A comedian’s movie-a-night obsession was his film school. The theater owner’s question ended it.

by Patton Oswalt 2015

3.62

8k+ ratings

🎤 Stand-Up Comedy 🎭 Comedian Memoirs ⚠️ Addiction Memoirs 💡 Creative Ambition 🎪 Alternative Comedy

The Little Locksmith

by Katharine Butler Hathaway • 1943

A bedridden girl, a visibly different woman: she bought a Maine house and rebuilt herself.

3.67

1k+

🩻 Disability Memoir ✍️ Writing Life 🦴 Embodied Difference 🪟 Creative Solitude 🕊️ Self-Acceptance

The Little Locksmith 89%

A bedridden girl, a visibly different woman: she bought a Maine house and rebuilt herself.

by Katharine Butler Hathaway 1943

3.67

1k+ ratings

🩻 Disability Memoir ✍️ Writing Life 🦴 Embodied Difference 🪟 Creative Solitude 🕊️ Self-Acceptance

The Audacity of Hope

by Barack Obama • 2006

Two parties have turned Americans into enemies. One senator's argument that most of us are not.

3.84

170k+

🇺🇸 American Politics 📖 Political Memoir ⚡ Political Polarization 🤝 Bipartisanship 🗣️ Race In America

The Audacity of Hope 89%

Two parties have turned Americans into enemies. One senator's argument that most of us are not.

by Barack Obama 2006

3.84

170k+ ratings

🇺🇸 American Politics 📖 Political Memoir ⚡ Political Polarization 🤝 Bipartisanship 🗣️ Race In America

Short Stories

by Columbus Short • 2020

A pint of whiskey daily to become Little Walter, and the habit that outlasted the role.

3.94

293

🎬 Hollywood Memoirs 🖤 Black Hollywood 💊 Substance Abuse Recovery 🩹 Childhood Trauma 🎭 Race In Entertainment

Short Stories 89%

A pint of whiskey daily to become Little Walter, and the habit that outlasted the role.

by Columbus Short 2020

3.94

293 ratings

🎬 Hollywood Memoirs 🖤 Black Hollywood 💊 Substance Abuse Recovery 🩹 Childhood Trauma 🎭 Race In Entertainment

My Life

by Bill Clinton • 2004

A dead father, a violent stepfather, and an ambition that wouldn't quit: the making of a president.

3.74

50k+

🏛️ Presidential Memoirs 🗳️ Retail Politics 🌱 Political Coming Of Age 🌴 Southern Politics 🪖 Vietnam War Era

My Life 89%

A dead father, a violent stepfather, and an ambition that wouldn't quit: the making of a president.

by Bill Clinton 2004

3.74

50k+ ratings

🏛️ Presidential Memoirs 🗳️ Retail Politics 🌱 Political Coming Of Age 🌴 Southern Politics 🪖 Vietnam War Era

The Princess Diarist

by Carrie Fisher • 2016

She was nineteen, he was a married star. The diaries Carrie Fisher kept on the Star Wars set.

3.70

92k+

🎬 Hollywood Memoir 😂 Comic Memoir 🌟 Fame And Identity 🎭 Behind The Scenes 📝 Diary Memoir

The Princess Diarist 89%

She was nineteen, he was a married star. The diaries Carrie Fisher kept on the Star Wars set.

by Carrie Fisher 2016

3.70

92k+ ratings

🎬 Hollywood Memoir 😂 Comic Memoir 🌟 Fame And Identity 🎭 Behind The Scenes 📝 Diary Memoir

Black Like Me

by John Howard Griffin • 2003

A white journalist crossed the color line in 1959. The South stripped him of innocence.

4.11

70k+

🎭 Racial Passing 🏚️ Jim Crow South 📝 Participatory Journalism 👤 White Privilege ✊ Civil Rights Era

Black Like Me 89%

A white journalist crossed the color line in 1959. The South stripped him of innocence.

by John Howard Griffin 2003

4.11

70k+ ratings

🎭 Racial Passing 🏚️ Jim Crow South 📝 Participatory Journalism 👤 White Privilege ✊ Civil Rights Era

I Can't Make This Up

by Kevin Hart • 2017

Belts from mom, drugs from dad, shortest in class. He turned every punchline into a paycheck.

4.10

38k+

🎤 Stand-Up Comedy 🎭 Comedian Memoirs 🔨 Self-Made Success 💡 Creative Entrepreneurship 👀 Observational Comedy

I Can't Make This Up 89%

Belts from mom, drugs from dad, shortest in class. He turned every punchline into a paycheck.

by Kevin Hart 2017

4.10

38k+ ratings

🎤 Stand-Up Comedy 🎭 Comedian Memoirs 🔨 Self-Made Success 💡 Creative Entrepreneurship 👀 Observational Comedy

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