The Best Memoir & Biography of 2024, chosen by Multcolib staffLike this list

33 items

• A Black Girl in the Middle

  Essays on (allegedly) Figuring It All Out

  Golding, Shenequa,

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  Short, insightful, and humorous essays about being a Black woman in the U.S. as well as a first generation Jamaican American from an immigrant family. Talks about micro and macro aggressions with humor. -Alicia T.

• A Woman in the Polar Night

  Ritter, Christiane,

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  I am not friends with the cold, but she painted the Arctic so beautifully that I am pining for it. -Heather E.

• Alphabetical Diaries

  Heti, Sheila, 1976-

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  I will never not think of this and its organization when making a journal entry. -Heather E.

• Bits and Pieces

  My Mother, My Brother, and Me

  Goldberg, Whoopi, 1955-

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  Whoopi is a great storyteller which made this memoir a page turner. A wonderful love letter to her mother and brother--I didn't want it to end. -Laural W. Very relatable, especially when it comes to family, grief and loss. She is such a big…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Black Friend

  Essays

  Ziwe,

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  Ziwe does hilarious interviews that can be quite confrontational and tackles difficult subjects in a way that brings a lot of joy. - Lilly J.

• Dirty Laundry

  Why Adults With ADHD Are So Ashamed and What We Can Do to Help

  Pink, Richard (Writer on attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder),

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  A humorous and insightful book about a couple's struggle with ADHD diagnosed late in life. Very readable and designed to address specific challenges and solutions. -Bruce J.

• Dolly Parton Behind the Seams

  My Life in Rhinestones

  Parton, Dolly,

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  In this amazing book you will find the most beautiful and gorgeous dresses, boots, notes and quotes, bright like only Dolly does. And of course the book is big and PINK!! -Mara B.

• Doppelganger

  a Trip Into the Mirror World

  Klein, Naomi, 1970-

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  A fascinating journey of being perpetually confused with someone else on social media (Naomi Klein with Naomi Wolf). Also a great exposé of how a person's politics can shift over time in a toxic way. -Dave R.

• Fat Off, Fat on

  a Big Bitch Manifesto

  Kent, Clarkisha,

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  The author's coming of age was as hilarious as it was tragic. You watch her navigating fat phobia and learning the importance of therapy. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys comical and inspirational stories combined with social criticism. -Lanel…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Gaytheist

  Coming Out of My Orthodox Childhood

  Mann, Lonnie,

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  Coming of age and coming out in an Orthodox home is not easy. This memoir will make you pause, reflect, and reconsider what other people have gone through to get where they are today. - Matt S.

• If You Can't Take the Heat

  Tales of Food, Feminism, and Fury

  DeRuiter, Geraldine,

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  Whether she's writing an essay about the cinnamon rolls recipe in Mario Batali's terrible sexual-harassment apology letter or one about the most horrible restaurant experience ever, this author is hilarious and charming, and just as furious as…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• In the Jingle Jangle Jungle

  Keeping Time With the Brian Jonestown Massacre

  Gion, Joel,

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  An insider's view into 90's indie rock up and down the West Coast. Great writing and stories. -Larry L.

• Journal of a Black Queer Nurse

  Daniels, Britney,

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  Black LGBTQ+ emergency room nurse from a working class background decides to keep a daily diary to deal with the trauma and systemic racism she sees in the healthcare system. -Lanel J.

• Leslie F*cking Jones

  a Memoir

  Jones, Leslie, 1967-

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  An honest and interesting account of her life. -Carlyn B.

• Living With Inattentive ADHD

  Climbing the Circular Staircase of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

  Hammer, Cynthia,

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  The author's story of living with late-diagnosed Inattentive ADHD offers a valuable look at a brain disorder that many doctors believe is largely undiagnosed, particularly among girls. -Bruce J.

• Loud

  Accept Nothing Less Than the Life You Deserve

  Afualo, Drew, 1995-

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  Afualo’s ability to weave humor and relatability into her writing is outstanding. It feels like a conversation with a trusted friend or who has been through the trenches and has come out stronger on the other side. -Kaeli A.

• Loving Sylvia Plath

  a Reclamation

  Van Duyne, Emily,

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  New access to old letters mean more information for hungry Plath fans. -Heather E.

• Medgar & Myrlie

  Medgar Evers and the Love Story That Awakened America

  Reid, Joy-Ann, 1968-

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  Among the assassinations of black activists in the US, we tend to know the least about Medgar Evers and his family. Reid does a great job sharing this love story which includes love for a true democracy. -Heidi H.

• Men Have Called Her Crazy

  a Memoir

  Tendler, Anna Marie, 1985-

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  A lot of people were mad she didn't talk about her marriage to her famous ex, but they missed the more important stuff, how promises of the patriarchy are false and devastating, but how one can learn to be sturdier. -Sarah M.

• Molly

  Butler, Blake,

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  Harrowing and beautiful. A heartbreaking read about loss, beautifully rendered and full of twists. - Larry L. Intense, gutting, but so good. -Heather E.