41 Memoirs Everyone Should Read

In relation to World Book Day, Reader's Digest came up with a list of 41 memoirs they believe everyone should read at least once.

Some of these may not be everyone's cup of tea; it entirely depends on who people want to read about

21. A River Could Be a Tree by Angela Himsel

-The author grew up in one of those unique doomsday cults, where the people believe the world is ending and need to be prepared. She was raised to believe that eye makeup was a sin. She navigated to New York, where she converted to Judaism. She maintained a strong bond with her family. Some of her siblings remained in the cult, along with her parents. This 2018 memoir is filled with love, wisdom and humor

22. Once We Were Sisters by Sheila Kohler

-Sheila Kohler grew up in South Africa, but that was not enough to stop her sister from being in an abusive relationship. Her sister died at 39 in a suspicious car accident, and despite the evidence pointing almost directly at her heart surgeon husband, he walked free. Kohler shines a light on the special bond she had with her sister as she talks about a life cut short before she knew it. This 2017 memoir reminds readers that women are at risk for domestic violence, no matter what part of the world they live in

23. The Liar's Club by Mary Karr

-This 1995 memoir shines a light on the author's life growing up with an alcoholic father and mother in 1960s Texas. She includes dark humor and courage as she talks about her family's dark secrets

24. Beloved Strangers by Maria Chaudhuri

-Written in 2014, this memoir tells the story of Maria Chaudhuri's life growing up in Bangladesh. How she obtained education in New England and her search for the balance between the two cultures she knows. She turns everything she says into the most beautiful poetry while moving her story into the future

25. All Over But the Shoutin' by Rick Bragg

-This 1998 memoir tells the story of Rick Bragg growing up dirt poor in Alabama. His father was a hard drinking, violent man and his mother who didn't buy a new dress for 18 years just so she could have money to buy her kids clothing. He never loses sight of his roots, as he tells what it was like in that world

26. Stuffed: Adventures of a Restaurant Family by Patricia Volk

-Many memoirs seem to focus on the bad times and dysfunction of people. This 2002 memoir focuses on a loving, quirky, restaurant-owning family. Patricia Volk's grandfather introduced pastrami to the US in 1888 while her dad stayed in the restaurant business in New York until 1988

27. The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen

-Peter Matthiessen was a literary legend who died in 2014. He left behind a wealth of work, both fiction and non fiction. His book, The Snow Leopard, released in 1978, is considered legendary. It tells of his journey in 1972 to the deep heart of the Himalayas in search of the mysterious Asian snow leopard. He's also on a journey to search for who he is

28. Still Points North: One Alaskan Childhood, One Grown-Up World, One Long Journey Home by Leigh Newman

-Leigh Newman takes her 2013 memoir and tells readers about growing up in Alaska and includes bits about travel and finding a sense of home. She was on a quest for courage, connection and the deepest adventures to be found

29. Full Body Burden: Growing Up in the Nuclear Shadow of Rocky Flats by Kristen Iversen

-Author Kristen Iversen recounts in her 2013 memoir what it was like to grow up near a top secret nuclear weapons plant in Colorado. She worked there later on and became increasingly worried by all of the risks to safety and health, especially as people started getting sick at a breakneck pace. She uses her memoir to tell about environmental peril and the dark secrets her family kept hidden

30. Warrenpoint by Denis Donoghue

-Denis Donoghue grew up Catholic in a largely Protestant area of Northern Ireland. This 2013 memoir reflects personal adventure, theology and looking back at the past for the relationship between father and son

31. Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt

-This 1996 memoir recounts the days of when Frank McCourt grew up in poverty in Ireland and suffered a cruel childhood. The author, sadly, died in 2009

32. When I Was Puerto Rican by Esmerelda Santiago

-The author uses her 1993 memoir to tell what it is like to grow up in Puerto Rico and move to Brooklyn, New York. How she would translate Spanish for her mother at the welfare office. How she graduated with honors from Harvard

33. About Alice by Calvin Trillin

-This is certainly the shortest book anyone will read, at 78 pages. It's a love letter to Calvin Trillin's late wife, who died in 2001. It's tender and loving, with good humor thrown in for good measure

34. Bald in the Land of Big Hair by Joni Rodgers

-Joni Rodgers was only 32 and raising two kids with her husband when she got a bad diagnosis-she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. While there have been many cancer-based memoirs released since this 2001 memoir, this one is special because Rodgers manages to infuse her stories of cancer treatment with laugh out loud humor. And, as the old saying goes, laughter is the best medicine. Rodgers is alive and well to this day

35. The Faraway Nearby by Rebecca Solnit

-This 2013 memoir starts out with Rebecca Solnit's mother's descent into Alzheimer's Disease. Readers are then taken on a journey that branches off onto various paths, such as fairy tales and myths to a vacation in Iceland and the birth of Frankenstein

36. In Pharaoh's Army: Memories of the Lost War by Tobias Wolff

-Published in 1995, this memoir tells the story of Tobias Wolff and his time in Vietnam during the Tet offensive. The book takes readers back to the time of the Vietnam War, giving readers an insight into the bloodbath that some of those battles became. A look at a war that never should have happened

37. The Boy He Left Behind: A Man's Search for His Lost Father by Mark Matousek

-Author Mark Matousek was 38 when hired a detective to find his long lost father, who abandoned him when he was 4. He remembers the childhood he had, the reconstruction of his parents lives and being an HIV-positive man. This 2000 memoir is different from other dysfunctional family memoirs

38. The Mistress's Daughter by A.M. Holmes

-A.M. Holmes was a well known author in her 30s when she met her birth parents. What she found both surprised and unsettled her. This sent her on a journey deep into her genealogy. This 2007 memoir is not only about adoption, but personal and family identity

39. The Memory Palace by Mira Bartok

-When author Mira Bartok suffers a traumatic brain injury, she joins her sister in trying to reconnect with their mother, who is suffering from severe mental illness. They had not seen her in 17 years. The story of reconciliation makes for a powerful read. Also toss in the discovery of a locker containing things that the mother kept, which can answer many questions. This book, published in 2011, mixes words with graphic novel-like imagery

40. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

-Published in 1969, this book about legendary author Maya Angelou brings her wonderful life into this book

41. Just Jerry: How Drawing Shaped My Life by Jerry Pinkney

-Jerry Pinkney is a children's book author who takes readers on a trip through postwar Philadelphia, where segregation was an everyday thing and drawing and illustration offered an escape from the chaos. With more than 100 books to his name, this book chronicles his life in a series of illustrations. Published on January 17, 2023, the author sadly passed in 2021. The book is filled with original sketches and drawings. Despite this book being written mostly for kids, adults will enjoy it too. It's even inspiration for aspiring artists. And a cool fact is that Jerry Pinkney suffered dyslexia as a child, and the font used in the book is designed for dyslexic readers. So if anyone who has dyslexia reads this book, they'll be able to read it without difficulty