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I love a good memoir. For some reason, true stories stick in my mind better than fictional ones. Here are 10 memoirs I've read and loved recently. I tried to pick books about a variety of people, so hopefully there's something here for every reader.
😍 Best Memoirs To Read 💭
RANGER CONFIDENTIAL: LIVING, WORKING, AND DYING IN THE NATIONAL PARKS BY ANDREA LANKFORD
Nature
For twelve years, Andrea Lankford lived in the biggest, most impressive national parks in the world, working a job she loved. She chaperoned baby sea turtles on their journey to sea. She pursued bad guys on her galloping patrol horse. She jumped into rescue helicopters bound for the heart of the Grand Canyon. She won arguments with bears. She slept with a few too many rattlesnakes.
Hell yeah, it was the best job in the world! Fortunately, Andrea survived it.
In this graphic and yet surprisingly funny account of her and others’ extraordinary careers, Lankford unveils a world in which park rangers struggle to maintain their idealism in the face of death, disillusionment, and the loss of a comrade killed while holding that thin green line between protecting the park from the people, the people from the park, and the people from each other. Ranger Confidential is the story behind the scenery of the nation’s crown jewels—Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Great Smokies, Denali. In these iconic landscapes, where nature and humanity constantly collide, scenery can be as cruel as it is redemptive.
Why I recommend it: Since I work at a state park, I thought reading this book would be stressful. It was! I picked it up and put it down so many times. It's a book full of worst-case scenarios. I mean, this quote is in the introduction:
"In the United States, a park ranger is more likely to be assaulted in the line of duty than is any other federal officer."
Fun times. Let's quickly move on.
Andrea Lankford spent twelve years as a ranger in various national parks. This book includes all the behind-the-scenes stuff that park visitors don't see. The author writes about the accidents and deaths, the brutal work schedule, and the crappy living conditions for the staff. Her writing style is surprisingly funny. She has the gallows humor that seems to be common among park employees.
If you want to work in parks, I highly recommend this book. It'll give you a realistic view of all the bad things that happen. But, the job isn't all bad. You get to see bizarre and beautiful things that (often) make the pain worth it.
DESTINATION TRUTH: MEMOIRS OF A MONSTER HUNTER BY JOSH GATES
Travel
World adventurer and international monster hunter Josh Gates has careened through nearly 100 countries, investigating frightening myths, chilling cryptozoological legends, and terrifying paranormal phenomena. Now, he invites fans to get a behind-the-scenes look at these breathtaking expeditions.
Follow Gates from the inception of his groundbreaking hit show (at the summit of Kilimanjaro) to his hair-raising encounters with dangerous creatures in the most treacherous locations on earth.
Why I recommend it: Josh Gates is the host of several TV shows on the Travel/Discovery/SyFy Channels. He's one of my favorite humans because I love his sense of humor and his curiosity. He always seems like he's having a good time on his travels, which makes them fun to watch.
Josh's TV shows (and his book, honestly) are captivating because they're not overly organized. He just goes to a place and hopes to find interesting things. It leads to a lot of humor. One of the funniest moments in the book is when Josh's team finds a possible bigfoot footprint. They have no idea what to do about the print because they never expected to find actual evidence of the monsters they were hunting. They thought they were just making TV.
Like most celebrity memoirs, this one is probably only worth reading if you're already a fan of the celebrity. You won't get much out of it if you haven't seen Destination Truth. If you're already a fan, I recommend the book!
After The Eclipse: A Mother's Murder, A Daughter's Search by Sarah Perry
True Crime
When Sarah Perry was twelve, she saw a partial eclipse of the sun, an event she took as a sign of good fortune for her and her mother, Crystal. But that brief moment of darkness ultimately foreshadowed a much larger one: two days later, Crystal was murdered in their home in rural Maine, just a few feet from Sarah’s bedroom.
The killer escaped unseen; it would take the police twelve years to find him, time in which Sarah grew into adulthood, struggling with abandonment, police interrogations, and the effort of rebuilding her life when so much had been lost. Through it all she would dream of the eventual trial, a conviction—all her questions finally answered. But after the trial, Sarah’s questions only grew. She wanted to understand her mother’s life, not just her final hours, and so she began a personal investigation, one that drew her back to Maine, taking her deep into the abiding darkness of a small American town.
Why I recommend it: This is one of the saddest memoirs I've ever read. (If you're more intelligent than me, you probably knew it was sad from the title.)
The author writes beautifully about a horrible subject. The reader really gets to know the author's family, especially her flawed but incredibly loving mother. She's also excellent at writing about grief and people's expectations of it. She had a hard time living with family members after the murder because they expected a sad child. They didn't know what to do with a frightened, angry child.
For me, the most interesting part of the book is the author's observations about how American society uses crime as entertainment. She can't even run on a treadmill without seeing crime on the gym's TVs. She has to pretend she's not bothered by fictional TV shows or by her coworkers discussing whatever murder is in the news. Society's obsession with cops and killers means she can never escape the memory of her mother's death. It made me realize how much crime is in the media I consume. It's on TV commercials, in the headlines when I start my computer, and in the books I read. The author is right. It's a societal obsession that's hard to escape.
OCTOBER SKY BY HOMER HICKAM
(AKA ROCKET BOYS)
Science
It was 1957, the year Sputnik raced across the Appalachian sky, and the small town of Coalwood, West Virginia, was slowly dying.
Faced with an uncertain future, Homer Hickam nurtured a dream: to send rockets into outer space. The introspective son of the mine’s superintendent and a mother determined to get him out of Coalwood forever, Homer fell in with a group of misfits who learned not only how to turn scraps of metal into sophisticated rockets but how to sustain their hope in a town that swallowed its men alive.
As the boys began to light up the tarry skies with their flaming projectiles and dreams of glory, Coalwood, and the Hickams, would never be the same.
Why I recommend it:
The Last Girl: My Story Of Captivity, And My Fight Against The Islamic State by Nadia Murad
War
Nadia Murad was born and raised in Kocho, a small village of farmers and shepherds in northern Iraq. A member of the Yazidi community, she and her brothers and sisters lived a quiet life. Nadia had dreams of becoming a history teacher or opening her own beauty salon.
On August 15th, 2014, when Nadia was just twenty-one years old, this life ended. Islamic State militants massacred the people of her village, executing men who refused to convert to Islam and women too old to become sex slaves. Six of Nadia's brothers were killed, and her mother soon after, their bodies swept into mass graves. Nadia was taken to Mosul and forced, along with thousands of other Yazidi girls, into the ISIS slave trade.
Nadia would be held captive by several militants and repeatedly raped and beaten. Finally, she managed a narrow escape through the streets of Mosul, finding shelter in the home of a Sunni Muslim family whose eldest son risked his life to smuggle her to safety.
Why I recommend it: This memoir will make you want to punch people in the face. There's a quote on the back of the book from The Economist that says "horrific and essential reading." I'd agree with that. Why are genocides still happening in modern times? Why are terrorists using Facebook to sell sex slaves? (Seriously, WTF Facebook? Moderate your content.)
For me, the most interesting part of the memoir is Nadia's observations about people who see problems and choose to ignore them. Here's a paragraph for you:"Maybe, I thought, it was asking too much of a normal family to fight back against terrorists like the men in ISIS, men who threw people they accused of being homosexual off rooftops; men who raped young girls because they belonged to the wrong religion; men who stoned people to death. My willingness to help others had never been tested like that. But that was because Yazidis had never been shielded by their religion, only attacked. Hisham and his family had remained safe in ISIS-occupied Mosul because they were born Sunni and therefore were accepted by the militants. Until I showed up, they'd been content to wear their religion as armor. I tried not to hate them for it, because they were showing me such kindness, but I didn't love them."
This book should be required reading.
American Radical: Inside The World Of An Undercover Muslim FBI Agent by Tamer Elnoury & Kevin Maurer
War
It's no secret that federal agencies are waging a broad, global war against terror. But for the first time in this memoir, an active Muslim American federal agent reveals his experience infiltrating and bringing down a terror cell in North America.
A longtime undercover agent, Tamer Elnoury joined an elite counterterrorism unit after September 11. Its express purpose is to gain the trust of terrorists whose goals are to take out as many Americans in as public and as devastating a way possible. It's a furious race against the clock for Tamer and his unit to stop them before they can implement their plans. Yet as new as this war still is, the techniques are as old as time: listen, record, and prove terrorist intent.
Why I recommend it: The author is an Egyptian-American Muslim immigrant who speaks Arabic and was working as a detective. Then 9/11 happened, and the FBI recruited him to infiltrate a terrorist group.
This book is intense, like a real-life thriller novel. I love the insights into how undercover operations work. They’re exhausting for the detectives who have to stay in character for months, and there’s a ton of legal red tape, especially when law enforcement agencies from different countries are involved. Things get messy. I also liked learning about Islamic terrorist groups. They’re messy too. The terrorists come from different parts of the world and have different morals and grievances. It’s hard to get everybody to agree on a murder plan.
The best part of the book is when the author talks about himself. He’s a Muslim who spends months with extremists who use his religion as an excuse to hurt people. He’s always tempted to “save” them or talk sense into them, but he can’t because he’ll blow his cover and possibly be killed. It’s exhausting for him and fascinating to read about.
BECOMING BY MICHELLE OBAMA
Politics
In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. As First Lady of the United States of America—the first African-American to serve in that role—she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world, dramatically changing the ways that families pursue healthier and more active lives, and standing with her husband as he led America through some of its most harrowing moments.
Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it—in her own words and on her own terms.
Why I recommend it: It’s not all politics! Michelle Obama talks about perfectionism, infertility, health problems, money troubles, life-altering career switches, and the struggles of balancing work and family.
I was surprised at how much I could relate to this memoir. From the outside, it seems like I’d have nothing in common with Michelle Obama. She’s wealthy and famous. I’m broke, and being famous involves way too much human contact for me. Michelle is a Black woman who spent her life in various cities. I’m a white woman who narrowly avoided getting trampled by a deer while listening to Michelle Obama’s audiobook. I was surprised at how engaging I found her story.
Becoming is full of behind-the-scenes information about political campaigns and life in the White House. I was especially interested in the chapters about White House security. It’s intense. The people who live in the White House can’t even step onto their own balcony without informing the Secret Service. Going outside is a massive ordeal that disrupts everyone and everything. Spontaneous trips outdoors are discouraged. My favorite part of the book is when the White House is lit up like a pride flag to celebrate the legalization of gay marriage. Michelle wanted to go outside and see the lights, but the Secret Service wouldn’t let her because there were too many tourists around. She ended up sneaking out of the house so she could stand on the lawn and look at the lights.
This book lives up to the hype. Michelle doesn’t gloss over the difficult parts of her history, but her story is hopeful and encouraging. I’d especially recommend it to working parents with young children.
HEY, KIDDO: HOW I LOST MY MOTHER, FOUND MY FATHER, AND DELT WITH FAMILY ADDICTION BY JARRETT J. KROSOCZKA
Graphic Memoir
In kindergarten, Jarrett Krosoczka's teacher asks him to draw his family, with a mommy and a daddy. But Jarrett's family is much more complicated than that. His mom is an addict, in and out of rehab, and in and out of Jarrett's life. His father is a mystery—Jarrett doesn't know where to find him, or even what his name is. Jarrett lives with his grandparents—two very loud, very loving, very opinionated people who had thought they were through with raising children until Jarrett came along.
Jarrett goes through his childhood trying to make his non-normal life as normal as possible, finding a way to express himself through drawing even as so little is being said to him about what's going on. Only as a teenager can Jarrett begin to piece together the truth of his family, reckoning with his mother and tracking down his father.
Why I recommend it: The art is so pretty! Drug addiction isn't the main focus of the story. It's mostly about the author and his love/hate relationship with his grandparents. If you come from a messy chaos family (like I do), then the book is extremely relatable. I definitely saw myself in the author. (He's way more successful than me, though. That's why he has a beautifully illustrated graphic memoir, and I have . . . a blog with memes I steal from Pinterest.)
Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover
Religion
Her father forbade hospitals, so Tara never saw a doctor or nurse. Gashes and concussions, even burns from explosions, were all treated at home with herbalism. The family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education and no one to intervene when one of Tara's older brothers became violent.
Then, lacking any formal education, Tara began to educate herself. She taught herself enough mathematics and grammar to be admitted to Brigham Young University, where she studied history, learning for the first time about important world events like the Holocaust and the civil rights movement. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge. Only then would she wonder if she'd traveled too far, if there was still a way home.
Even though the author’s childhood was very different from mine, I still found parts of her story weirdly relatable. I can relate to feeling like I’m living in a different reality from my family. It’s unsettling to discover that you have different values or that you remember events differently from the people around you. It makes you question your own sanity.
Born A Crime: Stories From A South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
Humor
A collection of eighteen personal stories, Born a Crime tells the story of a mischievous young boy growing into a restless young man as he struggles to find his place in a world where he was never supposed to exist. Born a Crime is equally the story of that young man's fearless, rebellious and fervently religious mother—a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence and abuse that ultimately threatens her own life.
This book is both accessible and insightful. I learned about South Africa in school, but a memoir made it real for me. You feel like you’re there with the author while he’s being thrown out of a moving car or (accidentally) burning down a white family’s home. While you’re reading about the author’s personal experiences, you’re also learning about South Africa’s history, culture, and flawed legal system. It’s a compelling book.
Even if you’ve never seen Trevor Noah’s comedy shows, you should read this book. I promise you’ll be entertained while you're learning.
I enjoy a good memoir and I actually haven't read any of these, so I'll have to check them out further!
ReplyDeleteThe Last Girl sounds like one that maybe I should read but I honestly don't want to put myself through it. Becoming has been on my TBR for so long. I admire Michelle Obama so much.
ReplyDeleteHi AJ - I loved Trevor Noah's book - I lived in SA for 14 years late 70s to early 90s ... and it's like that - so true. Also I did thoroughly enjoy Michelle Obama's 'Beloved' ... well worth a read. While one or two others you've mentioned I'll make a plan to read. I did enjoy reading Wilbur Smith's memoir 'On Leopard's Rock' - mainly as it tells the story about various parts of Africa - and he tells a swashbuckling story - yet these will give a flavour of the various countries - which from a learning experience is worth knowing about. Thanks - I'm going to pass on this post to a blogging friend who is in California ... she comes from Germany - cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteI have read few memoirs (Tina Fey, Bill Bryson - both for reading challenges). Sounds like you have read a bunch that made some big impressions. Sarah Perry's sounds heartbreaking.
ReplyDeleteYou've reminded me that I've wanted to read October Sky for probably 20 years, but I never think about picking it up when I wonder what to read next. And here's another reminder of why it's good to purchase a book and put it on the shelf--so that you'll actually see it when you're looking for something to read.
ReplyDeleteFrom your list I've read Born a Crime, Belonging, Hey Kiddo, and Educated, which are all excellent! I've heard the audiobook of Born a Crime is exceptional. I'm not a big memoir reader, but these ones really were wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy memoirs and a lot to choose from here. I think "The Last Girl" and "After the Eclipse" sound both horrific and "essential". Thanks for the reviews.
ReplyDeleteI still need to read the Trevor Noah book, yikes am I the last one? I agree: Michelle's Becoming book was very good. And I'm curious about the American Radical book ... which sounds pretty scary.
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