The 56 Most Popular Memoirs of the Past Decade

If you’ve acquired a taste for memoirs, then you already know how engrossing this particular format can be. The book-length first-person narrative is inherently fascinating, somehow. It’s the story of a life, by the person who lived it, usually delivered in some interesting and artful way.
 
We’ve gathered here the most popular memoirs on Goodreads from the past 10 years, in order from the top down. In other words, these are the memoirs most read, rated, and reviewed by your fellow Goodreads regulars over the past decade. Each has earned an overall rating of 3.5 stars or better.
 
You’ll find some dishy celebrity memoirs here, along with more literary books that have broken through to the pop culture mainstream. The memoir is a famously flexible format, and many of the authors here introduce bold variations on the standard autobiography.
 
Some spotlight items, in no particular order: Author and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates’ incisive Between the World and Me blends memoir elements with American history, all formatted as an extended letter to his son. Michelle Zauner won a Goodreads Choice Award in 2021 for Crying in H Mart, concerning grief, indie rock, and Korean food. Nature lovers will want to read up on Helen Macdonald’s deeply spiritual and utterly unique H is for Hawk.
 
Another cool thing is that you’ll find some of the planet’s funniest people on this list. Amy Poehler, Trevor Noah, Ali Wong, and the late, great Matthew Perry bring humor to even the darkest moments of life—a difficult and inspirational thing to do.
 
Click on the book cover images for more details about each title, and add any good leads to your Want to Read shelf.


 

Have a great memoir recommendation for your fellow readers? Be sure it share it in the comments below!