Biography, Autobiography, Memoir discussion
Biography, Autobiography, and Memoir read in 2025
Mod
Mod
5 stars
Such a sweet man, who served during World War 2 and met the love of his life, only to lose her when he returned home. He did marry someone else, who barely rated a mention in the book. She passed away before the book was written but I wondered what his children thought about the book. When he was an elderly man, he went in search of his first love. It would be spoiler to say how that turned out. I will say it was sad and touching at the same time. I'm sure Ken has passed on now, as he would be 100 years old. I hope he was reunited with Delphine in the afterlife.
Damn Glad to Meet You: My Seven Decades in the Hollywood Trenches
Tim Matheson
4/5 stars
I have always admired Tim Matheson and have enjoyed his work in the movie industry. In this book he talks about his life as an actor, director and his family! Biographies and Memoirs
Just finished Matthew McConaughey's "Greenlights." An engaging memoir that I enjoyed very much. Check out prose and cons for a complete review and critique.
Mod
4 stars
Sex, drugs and rock and roll. If you don't know a lot about The Beach Boys, this memoir will surprise you. Far from the wholesome surfer dudes they portray, there was a lot of in-fighting and even a connection to Charles Manson. Mike tells his side of the story, which at times contradicts some stories that have gone around. I think if you read autobios from different members of this band you will get different sides of the story.
Koren wrote: "Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy by Mike Love4 stars
Sex, drugs and rock and roll. If you don't know a lot abou..."
I'd better not read it, because already it's souring some of their music. I've learned that other than Sissy Spacek, Donny Osmond and a few others, it's better not to know too much about about many celebrities because it then spoils their performances for me.
Mod
3 stars
Cute dog stories but I had one issue with this book. All of the dogs except one were obtained from breeders and obvious puppy mills, but the author felt it was her duty to rescue them and then spend outrageous amounts of money on trainers because of their poor behavior. Otherwise, the stories were heartwarming and entertaining.
Mod
3 stars
Super short book with pictures of dogs from shelters and a few paragraphs about each one. It was sad because quite a few of the dogs couldn't be rehomed and had to be euthanized.
In My Father's House: A New View of How Crime Runs in the Family, by Fox Butterfield4 stars!
A great read about a family constantly in trouble with the law, generation after generation. The author ties in the interview content with specific individuals to scientific research that attempts to explain how whole families go wrong, marry their kids off to members of similar families and have even more kids that go wrong. Fascinating despite the feeling I was left with, that what the author found is only scratching the surface. Many biographies in here, all gripping.
Mod
3 stars
I had a hard time deciding if this was fiction or nonfiction. The hard life of shelter dogs was true, but assuming what the dogs were thinking or had been through made it seem more like fiction. That said, it is important to know that shelter life is hard for dogs and hard for the volunteers, who are so needed.
Koren wrote: "Run With Me: A story of two shelter dogs by Sarah Jo Randolph3 stars
I had a hard time deciding if this was fiction..."
I find it annoying when nonfiction books insert fiction like that. It's one of many drawbacks in Women in White Coats: How the First Women Doctors Changed the World of Medicine which I gave two stars. I don't blame the writer as much as the editors at Harlequin who are mostly likely the ones who inserted the inane comments about their hair and what they must have been thinking, etc, because the authors periodical credentials indicate that couldn't possibly be her normal way of writing. There were other flaws in the book, though; not sure how much was her and how much was the editors.
Mod
4 stars
I think everyone contemplating bariatric surgery should read this book. While everyone's journey isn't as traumatic as the author's, the basic message is it is not an easy answer to all of your problems. From complications during and after the surgery to having more surgeries for excess skin problems and not taking care of all her self-esteem issues, it was a long journey, although the author feels it was worth it in the end.
Koren wrote: "You Have Such a Pretty Face: A Memoir of Trauma, Hope, and the Joy that Follows Survival by Kelly Gunter4 stars
[bookcover:You Have Such a Pretty Face: A Memoir of Trauma, Hope, an..."
Interesting. I just learned that a newer friend of mine had bariatric surgery 22 years ago--I had no idea she used to be 185 lbs heavier. She once put on 100 lbs during a time of major stress (I didn't ask, but am guessing it surrounded her divorce from her first husband) but is back to looking and feeling well. She is very happy she did it, because she's healthy and energetic (runs her own business that involves physical things.)
All surgery has risks, and when you're heavy enough to qualify for this type of surgery they are higher.
Mod
4 stars
[bookcover:You Have Such a Pretty Face: A Memoir of Tr..."
Yes. At over 400 lbs. her health was not good to begin with.
Mod
3 stars
If you like James Herriot, you will likely enjoy this book of stories by a veterinarian.
I forgot to come here after I read the memoir/conversion story (it's both), Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity by the late Nabeel QureshiI'm Christian not Muslim, but was very disappointed in this book.
I'm not going to get into theology or all of this stuff about visions, or was he-was he not a Muslim and so on, but the much of the book wasn't well done. I was hoping to like this much better based on reviews I've read.
I was saddened to learn that he died in 2017.
Mod
5 stars
Interesting look at what it's like to live with epilepsy from a young age and into adulthood, medical school and starting a family.
Mod
5 stars
I think Cass Elliot had one of the best voices ever. This bio by her daughter was very interesting. Spoiler alert...she did not die from choking on a ham sandwich. How sad to lose your mother at only 7 years old. I did not know the Mama's and the Papa's only lasted two years. Mama's and Pappa's fans will enjoy this book.
Koren wrote: "My Mama, Cass: A Memoir by Owen Elliot-Kugell5 stars
I think Cass Elliot had one of the best voices ever. This bio by her daughter w..."
I read that - it was very good!
Mod
3 stars
I was so excited to see this book about one of my favorite true crime authors that I bought it on the spot. But I was a little disappointed that this was not so much about Ann Rule as it is about the author. Granted, the beginning of the book is about Ann's younger years and the end of the book focuses on her last several years and her health issues, but in-between there is a long story about Diane Downs, the lady who shot her 3 children, murdering one, with only a mention here and there of Ann Rule. Ann wrote, I believe, somewhere in the neighborhood of 37 books, but this is the only case the author focused on, mostly because she could insert herself in the story. The story about meeting Charles Manson when she was a child seemed totally disconnected to the subject of the book, other than the author said that Ann knew Ted Bundy and she also had met a killer, but that story went on way too long. At the end of the book, the author states that Ann Rule's daughter is also working on a biography of her mother. Maybe that one be more about Ann.
Mod
3 stars
This was a quick read. Labeled as nonfiction, I found the believable parts interesting, but there were too many situations where an ER doctor couldn't possibly know about the backgrounds of their patients or what they were thinking when they were in a coma. The last chapter was overly dramatic, describing an elderly woman's thoughts as she was dying and not conscious. I also thought it was strange that in ER doc in a trauma situation would notice what a person was wearing, right down to shoes and jewelry. I think if this was a longer book, I wouldn't have stuck with it until the end. There was too much fictionalization for me.
Mod
5 stars
Interesting story about a boy whose father dies when he is a young boy and he is left to be raised by a crazy mother who is super religious. After he is kicked out of the house at 18, he lives on the street and meets a variety of characters. So many bizarre things happen to him that you start to think that this couldn't all be happening to one person.
Mod
by David DiBenedetto
3 stars
Listened to this on Audible. This is a collection of stories written by various people who have owned dogs. None of the stories particularly stand out to me and after a while they all started to sound the same. At times I had to check to see if my phone hadn't started the book over because I thought I had already heard it. At times I disagreed with how the author treated his pet. I think I am done reading books about dogs because too many times people bought expensive dogs instead of supporting their local rescues.
Queen of All Mayhem: The Blood-Soaked Life and Mysterious Death of Belle Starr, the Most Dangerous Woman in the West
Dane Huckelbridge
4/5 stars
Wonderful non-fiction/biography about Myra Maybelle Shirley better known as Belle Starr, the most dangerous female in the West. I really enjoyed it. Biography
Adirondack Enigma: The Depraved Intellect and Mysterious Life of North Country Wife Killer Henry Debosnys, by Cheri Farmsworth3 stars
A very short read, the first true-crime effort by an author better known for writing books with titles like HAUNTED WOONSOCKET. This is indeed a very mysterious case, centered around the biography of a very mysterious man who may or may not have killed 3 wives. There is even a whiff of the paranormal in this story. For some reason nobody has apparently suggested the most obvious route to clearing up who this man really was. I came away both intrigued and frustrated.
Mod
3 stars
A memoir about a woman who was one of the first female members of the FBI. She worked directly and indirectly with some of the more famous crimes that occurred during her tenure. It was interesting but I would have liked to have seen more about her personal life.
Hands of My Father: A Hearing Boy, His Deaf Parents, and the Language of Love by Myron Uhlberg
4 stars
This is Uhlberg's adult memoir (he also has a version for young readers under a different title) about his time growing up as the eldest of two boys born to two deaf parents. Born in 1933 when there was still a great deal of ignorance about deaf people (not yet called Deaf as in the community; he used the terms from back then). From the age of five he frequently had to translate for his father (less so for his mother) as well has help care for his younger brother from a younger age.
This memoir has an average rating of 4.07, which it deserves.
Reading Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America by Firoozeh Dumas was like going back in time before the Iranian Hostage Crisis, before fear and other complications got in the way of the cultural exchange and recelations sometimes described here.I saw this book in my Goodreads feed, and knew I had to read. I was here in South Texas when the Iranian students were lining up at bus stations at university towns to go back to their country. I discovered Iran because of a crisis. What would be like to discover Iran and it's people without a crisis or without the news feed.
The House on First Street: My New Orleans Story by Julia ReedI wanted to read this memoir because New Orleans is often the focus of attention here on the Gulf (of Mexico) Coast during hurricane season.
Family, friends, and household staff and contractors make up the the heart of the story.
Buying a new house and experiencing and recovering from Hurricane Katrina makes up the focus of this memoir.
A gem.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Mod
5 stars
This book is soooo sad. I cried buckets at the end. As a grandparent myself, I know how hard it is to know your grandchild needs help and not knowing how to help them. I was amazed at how much research he did to find out what happened to his grandson. He traveled across the US to interview friends that hung out with him to try to understand his grandson's addiction. His grandson had a really hard life, living on the road and hopping trains to get from one city to the next. I didn't know people still did that.
Mod
5 stars
Very short bios of every president from Washington to Biden, highlighting their most important accomplishments and foibles, but the most interesting thing was showing us that a lot of what is going on in politics today has happened before. I thought the assessments were unbiased exept for the last chapter.
Deer Creek Drive: A Reckoning of Memory and Murder in the Mississippi Delta, by Beverly Lowry5 stars!
Absolutely engrossing. Combines the group biographies of a number of prominent Mississippi families with the deep South's struggle to desegregate. The central issues, though, are the lingering questions around a hideous murder, plus the author's own tumultuous life in that same time and place. One of the best reads of 2025 for me. Don't miss this one.
Mod
5 stars!
Absolutely engrossing. Combines the group biographies of a number of promine..."
I've had this one sitting on my nightstand for at least a year. Now I will have to get to it.
Dying Out Loud: No Guilt in Life, No Fear in Death by Shawn SmuckerThis is a biography/authobiography, told in first person. Let me explain. It's not about Shawn Smucker, but he travelled to Turkey where he recorded Stan Steward and took some of the photos in the book, but not all, when Steward was dying from late stage cancer (caught very late.) Therefore, most of it is in the first person voice of Steward as transcribed and edited by Smucker.
Stan, his wife and two children were missionaries in Turkey--and by missionaries I mean they respected the local culture and customs and made many close friends there even though no one converted. However, when his kids were basically grown up (one was in college in the US) he was diagnosed he decided the best thing he could do was to die with hope and peace because he felt that the one thing his Muslim friends lacked was hope. The book ends when he dies, but being true to the nature of it, doesn't write about the results (these can be seen on a video online) which was that it led to conversions.
However you feel about religion or conversions, the story is remarkable for how this family became part of the lives of others, and even learned to live as a community in a way foreign to Americans (there everything is a community decision, eg they once ended up using tile they didn't care for in a bathroom because the group liked it the best.)
At times this book is a tear jerker, particularly because Stan and his wife, Ann, were very close to each other and with their kids, but there are also times where I could see how frightening some of the situations they were in as they travelled to areas near the border of Iran but also how heartwarming many of their interactions were.
Sean Smucker writes many different books; I have no idea if I'll read more by him, but if a book came up and I didn't remember his name, I'd check out his page and see I've read this and think he writes well.
Original Review:
5 stars and a heart
I'm Elle Steward, and I'm a missionary kid from Turkey. Five weeks ago I left my parents, Stand and Ann, and my little brother, Stanley, in Istanbul and came here to attend...college. In Turkey, I live among the people you call terrorists: anti-American, anti-Christian, Muslim.
I call them family.
excerpt from a speech by Elle Steward which is quoted in full in this book.
I will say from the outset, that this was a difficult book for me in some ways, despite my liking it so very much. It was difficult, because the title comes from the fact that Stan Steward chose to live out his remaining months with terminal cancer (found at stage 4) in Turkey with his Christian family and his Turkish friends and "family" where there was no hospice, not as much advanced pain medication, and where the culture is such where you don't do things alone, especially not dying.
And yet I found myself liking this book a great deal. True, it's not a literary masterpiece, but was co-written by Stan and writer Shawn Smucker. And make no mistake, it is a testimony and a call to service, but it's also a heart-warming account of a loving family who were embraced by a kind and compassionate people among whom they lived nearly eight years before Stan's death. Not that things were lovely all of the time, since they travelled along the silk road where, aside from quiet villages, there are also war lords, smugglers, the border to Iran and many dangers. But I will say no more, since if this sort of book appeals to you, then I strongly recommend it.
Spitfires: The American Women Who Flew in the Face of Danger During World War II
Becky Aikman
5/5 stars
I loved this book about the 25 women fliers in World War 2 who risked their lives for their country. If you like women's history you will definitely like this book! Non-Fiction
Hungry: Lessons Learned on the Journey from Fat to Thin by Allen Zadoff3 stars
This is a memoir about Zadoff's eating disorder, which wasn't called that when he was younger. It's about all of the things that didn't work, what he did that lost him 150 pounds (won't work for everyone, apparently, and don't read it looking for a diet) and has kept it off.
I could relate to one thing, but not due to an eating disorder but a desire to primarily eat healthy food. When I could still eat them, I never bought bags of chips or certain other things, because once I opened the bag, I ate the entire bag. However, I don't have trigger foods.
Mod
4 stars
Not really what I expected from the title, but interesting anyway. I expected it was going to be dishing dirt on the True Crime television industry, but it was more a memoir of her experience, and not a tell-all of the industry itself. This gal is gutsy and goes after what she wants and has a lot of luck along the way. She was a producer of the show 48 hours. I was not aware that producers were out in the field, sitting in courtrooms and going after interviews themselves and sometimes even placing themselves in danger. Fans of True Crime TV will be interested.
hello friends, I am new here. I would like to share my autobiography here. please check it out! :) Available on Amazon if you search "Where You Left Me Brayden Quinn EvansWhere You Left Me is the story of what happened after everything I thought I was shattered in an instant. I was seventeen years old — fearless, fast, and fully alive in a world that made sense to me: the racetrack. I lived for the pounding hooves beneath me, the wind in my face, the raw connection between rider and horse. That life was my identity, my escape, my purpose. But one brutal moment changed everything.
A devastating accident left me with a traumatic brain injury that stole more than just my memories — it stole me. I woke up in a world that felt foreign, trapped in a body I didn’t recognize, surrounded by people who knew me when I didn’t even know myself. And that’s where my story begins — not in the fall, but in the wreckage that followed.
This book is about what it means to survive something that rewrites who you are. It’s about waking up every day in the shell of a life you can’t remember, aching for answers, for familiarity, for something to hold on to. It’s about the grief no one talks about — the grief of losing yourself. The rage. The numbness. The shame. The way people say “you’re lucky to be alive” while you secretly wonder if that’s true.
I take you inside the most painful moments — the isolation, the suicidal thoughts, the unbearable silence that follows trauma. I show you what it looks like to try to rebuild when every mirror reflects a stranger. I don’t sugarcoat any of it. Because healing, for me, was not graceful. It was chaotic and angry and often hopeless. There were times I wanted to die. Times I did everything I could to disappear. Times I hated the girl I used to be and the ghost I’d become.
But Where You Left Me isn’t just about the fall or the pain. It’s about what came next. It’s about fighting my way back to life, even when I didn’t believe I could. It’s about the people who stayed, the horses who saved me, and the moments — rare and fleeting at first — where I started to feel something like me again. It’s about the long, messy road to remembering not just who I was, but who I could still become.
This book is for anyone who’s ever felt broken beyond repair. For anyone who’s been told they should be “grateful” when they’re still drowning. For anyone who’s had to piece their life back together with shaking hands and a heart full of cracks. I wrote it because I needed to know I wasn’t alone. I published it in case you need to know that too.
Because even in the aftermath — even in the ashes — there’s still a spark. And sometimes, surviving is the bravest thing we’ll ever do.
Hello friends, I am new here. I would like to share this autobiography with you. It's available on Amazon if you search Where You Left Me && my name Brayden Quinn Evans :)--Where You Left Me is the powerful true story of a life shattered in a single instant — and the long, harrowing journey of piecing it back together.
At just seventeen years old, I was fearless, fast, and fully alive in a world that made perfect sense: the racetrack. Horses weren’t just a passion — they were an identity, an escape, a purpose. But a devastating accident changed everything. A traumatic brain injury stole not only my memories, but the very sense of self I once clung to. And when the world no longer feels like your own, surviving becomes its own kind of war.
This memoir begins not in the fall, but in the wreckage that follows. It explores what it means to survive trauma that rewrites who you are — to wake up in the shell of a life you can’t remember, haunted by questions, pain, and silence. It speaks to the invisible grief of losing yourself. The numbness. The rage. The unbearable loneliness. And the quiet desperation of hearing, “You’re lucky to be alive,” while wondering if it’s even true.
I share every raw, unfiltered moment — from the isolation and suicidal thoughts to the angry, chaotic, nonlinear road toward healing. There’s no sugarcoating here. No neat ending tied up with a bow. Only the brutal honesty of what it looks like to rebuild a life when the reflection in the mirror feels like a stranger.
But Where You Left Me isn’t just about the darkness. It’s about the fight to live again. The people who refused to give up. The horses that became lifelines. The flickers of self that returned slowly, stubbornly, like sunlight after a storm. It’s about rediscovery, identity, and the fragile hope that even in the aftermath of unspeakable loss, something new can still rise.
This book is for anyone who has ever felt broken beyond repair. For anyone who’s been told to be grateful when they’re still barely breathing. For anyone who’s had to rebuild from nothing but scars and stubbornness. Where You Left Me is a voice for the voiceless and a light for those still crawling through the dark.
Because even after everything burns down — there’s still a spark. And sometimes, survival is the most radical thing a person can do.
Uncultured: A Memoir, by Daniella M. Young3 stars
A good memoir that takes the reader through almost every year of the author's life without bogging down or -- despite incredible amounts of trauma, in the cult that raised her and later in the army -- dwelling on the effects of the many terrible experiences she's gone through. It focuses mostly on how she focused on the future and kept moving forward, often without any resources, meaningful support or any real plan. Read this one; you won't be sorry.
Mod
5 stars
Ok. Now I want a greyhound. Comet is so sweet and so smart and Steve sounds like a likeable guy. He has many health issues and he trains Comet to be his service dog because no trainer would take a greyhound. This book was published in 2012 so I'm sure Comet is long gone as she was getting old when the book was published. I hope Steve is doing well.
Mod
5 stars
Not just a travel memoir, this one makes a statement about the environment. The author journeys the length of the Keystone XL pipeline and discovers both the pros and cons of the pipeline but also meets some interesting people along the way, some kind and some not so kind. The book was written several years ago so it would be interesting to find out if things have changed.
Just finished Patriot: A Memoir by Alexei Navalny, a LATE opponent of Putin. Navalny died in prison in 2024.
My short review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Ghost Ship: The Mysterious True Story of the Mary Celeste and Her Missing Crew
Brian Hicks
4/5 stars
Very interesting book about a ship that gone astray and the lengths they went to try and find this ship! I thought this was quite good. Non-Fiction
Question(s): I watched a YouTuber talk about how much she loved a memoir. At the end of the video, she gave the book 3 out of 5 stars. She justified it by saying the childhood trauma the author experienced was too traumatic for her. My question is, is it fair to penalize the author for having a terrible childhood? I understand that we can do whatever we want with our review, but is it fair? Shouldn’t we review books based on the writing style, characters, plot, pacing, etc? Is it just me, or is this wrong? I can’t imagine spending 5 years writing about the worst part of my life, then have someone give it a bad rating because it made them cry. That’s what it supposed to do right 🤷🏾♂️
Mod
Interesting question! For me, anything I learned about the mechanics of writing would have been at least 50 years ago, so I wouldn't be a good judge on writing style, etc. For me, a review is based on if the book made me feel an emotion while reading. If I couldn't put the book down but didn't want it to end that would be a 5 star review for me. As far as the woman you saw on YouTube, my opinion is if she didn't read it or skipped huge chunks of it, how could she review it. She's only reviewing the parts she read.
She read the entire book and said she loved it. She gave it 3 out of 5 stars only because it made her sad. https://youtu.be/CfkBb0iW-mY?si=Dl1Xu...
Mod
https://youtu.be/CfkBb0iW-mY?si=Dl1Xu..."
Oh OK. You said it was too traumatic for her to read. I'll have to check that out. Anything that makes me feel that much emotion sounds like a good book.
Koren wrote: "Nicholas wrote: "She read the entire book and said she loved it. She gave it 3 out of 5 stars only because it made her sad. https://youtu.be/CfkBb0iW-mY?si=Dl1Xu..."
Oh OK. You said it w..."
I see what happened. I first said that she loved the memoir, but then said that it was too traumatic for her to read. I see how this can be confusing. I fixed it. Thanks!
Biography, Autobiography, Memoir
Books mentioned in this topic
Black Bear: My Life Story (other topics)Black Bear: My Life Story (other topics)
I Will Find You: A Reporter Investigates the Life of the Man Who Raped Her (other topics)
The Gas and Flame Men: Baseball and the Chemical Warfare Service during World War I (other topics)
It's Okay to Laugh (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Jim Leeke (other topics)William J. Hall (other topics)
Jeremy Renner (other topics)
John Green (other topics)
Jan Gradvall (other topics)
More...
This month, My Grandmother’s Hands became my top-earning book so far—with two copies sold and the first few pages read through Kindle.
It may not seem like much, but to me, it’s everything.
Because behind every number is a reader.
Someone choosing to spend time with the story of a woman who gave everything she had—and never stopped giving.
Thank you to every reader who has picked up one of my books. Your support means more than I can say.
If you’ve read My Grandmother’s Hands, I’d love to hear your thoughts—or even just a star rating. Every bit helps this story reach someone else who needs it.
With gratitude,
Reginah N.