Biography & Memoir

Patti Smith’s latest memoir begins in Santa Cruz at the Dream Inn early on the morning of New Year’s Day, 2016. The book is hypnotic and dreamy, weaving in and out of what’s real and what’s not real but is still true, often with no warning. This is a book about the loss of dear friends, about aging, the political landscape, and drinking lots of coffee. Anything is possible on a strange and beautiful journey with Patti Smith. - Trey

Saeed Jones has written a memorable, powerful coming-of-age memoir, with his keen awareness of the intersection of multiple identities: to be black, to be gay, to know that being both of these can be deadly in this world. It is as much a testament to surviving the world as it is to surviving one’s own self, as Jones demonstrates with his compelling writing. Even more, it is an ode to single motherhood, an account of the determination it takes to change one’s life, and what one’s life can look like after being changed. - Billy

A deep look into one of the most iconic and influential female writers, Susan Sontag. This captivating narrative describes the radical and groundbreaking achievements in her personal life and her professional career. It includes archives not shared before that give a fascinating look at the lesser known details of her most significant accomplishments. Her life spanned some of the world’s biggest conflicts and her perspective directly challenges social norms and calls for change. Susan Sontag’s story is inspirational and reminds us to live as our authentic selves and stand up for what we believe in. - SC

Jonathan Van Ness has been serving so much kindness and a dedication to authentic living for years on Queer Eye that I’m beyond excited to get my hands on his upcoming biography. Even if you don’t know him from his work on the hit Netflix show, his story of overcoming every adversity and challenge with love and grace in his heart will inspire you. - Jax

In the Dream House is an incredible follow-up to the glorious Her Body and Other Parties. Carmen Maria Machado has written an honest and harrowing memoir about her psychologically abusive relationship. Machado contrasts her memories with true examples of oppression in queer history and with narrative tropes. A beautiful exploration of the reality of abuse in queer relationships and a necessary account that subverts any idea of what a memoir can be. - Natalie O.

Friends, it’s Tegan and Sara! These twins, Canadian indie pop bandmates and LGBTQ icons, have been creating revelatory music together since the late ’90s, and now they’ve turned to the page, writing a bracing memoir that sends them (and us!) back to high school and all the powerful emotions that lie therein. Told in alternating chapters, each explores her own path of emerging identity and sexuality, isolation, ferocity, and joy, and finally their unifying passion for music. High School is at once deeply personal and achingly universal, just like their songs. - Melinda

Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winner Edmund Morris has written “an outstanding biography” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) of one of history’s most prolific inventors, Thomas Edison. “Writing in amusing, literate prose that’s briskly paced despite a mountain of fascinating detail, Morris sets Edison’s achievements against a color portrait of his splendid eccentricity. An engrossing study of a larger-than-life figure who embodied a heroic age of technology.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

Reading this book felt like looking directly into Jenny Slate’s soul. I have a lot of respect for any comedian who is able to open up about the darker, less humorous aspects of themself, and Slate does that here. In many small vignettes, Slate uses dreams, metaphors, and lyrical language to unspool her recent struggles and try to come to terms with them. - Jade

Julie Andrews begins her second memoir where her first, Home, left off, with her Hollywood entrance and the quick succession of Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music. Writing with heart, candor, and an authentic invitation into her world of hard work, show business, family, and self, Andrews has crafted the most considerate tell-all possible, taking care with her reader as well as with the movies and experiences that have made her life so extraordinary. It is a delight to spend time with her, practically perfect in every way. - Melinda

Carrie Fisher’s legacy is complex and intriguing. A champion of mental health and nerddom, she wasn’t a perfect person, but she was so cool, famous for always being herself. This book is a love letter to Carrie. It also gives a deep look into the Hollywood royalty with whom she grew up. It is the perfect homage to our foul-mouthed space princess. I loved every dramatic minute of it. - Ivy