Recommendations for Inspiring Biographies and Memoirs

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 10/13/13 at 9:48pm

I have been going through a lot personally lately, and I have found that reading stories of people overcoming challenges in their life, no matter what they are, is very helpful and inspiring. I was wondering if anyone had some recommendations of memoirs that are your favorites. I just finished the new Elizabeth Smart book. I have not read very many nonfiction biographies at all - Jaycee Duggard's book, Nando Parrado's Miracle in the Andes, 90 Minutes in Heaven, and Patti LuPone's memoir are really the only ones I have read! Thank you

Updated On: 10/13/13 at 09:48 PM

[Marianne2]

Posted: 10/13/13 at 10:08pm

If you want really inspirational, try The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. It was written by Jean-Dominique Bauby, who was an editor for the French version of Elle Magazine. Basically, he had a massive stroke and suffered from locked-in syndrome, and only had use of his left eye. With just that eye and someone to write for him, they managed to communicate and write his memoir.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 10/13/13 at 10:22pm

The Measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier

[NYadgal]

Posted: 10/13/13 at 10:26pm

Recent addition to my list:

"I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban"

[dramamama611]

Posted: 10/14/13 at 8:22am

The Glass Castle by Jeanette Wells. Beautifully written.

[GlindatheGood22]

Posted: 10/14/13 at 11:28am

Manic: Terri Cheney
Madness: A Bipolar Life - Marya Hornbacher
The Girl Who Walked Home Alone - Charlotte Chandler's bio of Bette Davis

It's banal but you can't go wrong with The Diary of Anne Frank.

Posted: 10/14/13 at 11:29am

Plain Speaking: An Oral Biography of Harry S Truman

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 10/14/13 at 12:00pm

Ellen Bursytyn's memoir - LESSONS IN BECOMING MYSELF - is extraordinary. I was deeply affected when I first read it, and still share certain parts of with my casts in rehearsal.