Memoirs are a form of non-fiction writing in which an author recounts anecdotes, significant events, and defining experiences from their own personal life, making for an excellent, immersive reading experience! Writers of memoir typically choose to focus on a specific emotion, period, or theme; unlike autobiography (which often covers a person’s entire life), a memoir will delve into particular intimate moments from a deeply personal, unique perspective.
The seven memoirs showcased here are renowned and highly praised for their insight, truth, and relatable self-reflection; each one brought to our bookshelves by some of the greatest women writers to have ever graced our pages! This article is sure to have a recommendation for every memoir-lover. From the philosophically profound to the hilariously whimsical, you’re sure to find your next memoir TBR here!
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion is the deeply moving account of the year following the death of her husband, fellow writer John Gregory Dunne, and her subsequent attempts to understand her grief while also tending to the severe illness of her adoptive daughter, Quintana. This is an especially poignant memoir, renowned for its raw emotional honesty and its unflinching depictions of bereavement, loneliness, and the irrationality of loss.
This memoir by Joan Didion had an immense impact, popularizing uncomfortable, even taboo, discussions about mourning — exposing just how multifarious and complex a period it can be and highlighting that there is not just one way to handle the loss of a loved one. The memoir won the National Book Award for Nonfiction and was a well-deserved finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2006. This is a highly resonant read for anyone who has ever experienced bereavement, and it will stay with you long after you finish. For any fans of Joan Didion’s work already, her essay collection Slouching Towards Bethlehem is also a go-to (and a personal favourite of mine!)
Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton
Everything I Know About Love is a memoir by Dolly Alderton that reflects on her experiences navigating romantic relationships, the pressures of career progression, and the positive impact female friendships have had on her life. It is a humorous and relatable account of a woman’s search for a place in the world, where her most stable touchstones of identity and security lie in her connections with other women.
The memoir, partly inspired by Dolly Alderton’s dating advice column in The Sunday Times Style, covers a range of themes — from dating mishaps and first heartbreaks to bad job experiences and, ultimately, the process of learning to accept and love yourself for who you are. Everything I Know About Love (2022) was adapted into an amusing and deeply resonant comedy-drama series by the BBC, which is also definitely worth checking out. Dolly Alderton is the unapologetically millennial, real-life Bridget Jones Agony-Aunt that every young woman simply NEEDS to read.
Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? by Jeanette Winterson
From Jeanette Winterson, critically acclaimed author of the semi-autobiographical novel Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, comes Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? This memoir explores Winterson’s difficult upbringing in a strict, religious, emotionally abusive household, and her subsequent struggle towards finding self-acceptance and a sense of belonging outside of toxic family relationships. The memoir’s title, a direct quote from her adoptive mother, perfectly encapsulates the central conflict explored throughout the book: the overwhelming pressure to conform to societal norms versus the desire and longing to embrace one’s true, authentic self.
The memoir explores key themes of religious control, the complexity of love, the power of storytelling, the challenges of being queer, and the pursuit of happiness in the face of persisting shame and coercion. This is a must-read memoir for anyone who can relate to the issues the book seeks to examine, as well as any readers who love Jeanette Winterson’s unique writing style. The sentiment that happiness and fulfillment are an aspirational journey rather than merely a state of being is not new, but Winterson truly shines here and offers a highly relatable read for anyone who has ever felt different.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Content Warning: This book contains details of Racism. Please read trigger warnings and exercise personal care before reading.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a titular reference to a poem that Maya Angelou wrote for her 1969 autobiography of the same name. This moving, highly relevant memoir tells the story of Angelou’s early life, from age three to 16, and details her experiences with racism and trauma. The title uses the metaphor of a caged songbird to aptly represent the struggles endured by Black people in a racially segregated society, highlighting the need for equality, freedom, and self-expression.
The memoir examines themes of racial identity, the power of language, and the importance of spiritual strength and resilience in the fight for liberation. Angelou’s work in spotlighting the challenges faced by Black women and girls in particular makes this an incredibly powerful and important book that everyone should read if they have the opportunity. If you take nothing else from these recommendations, take I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
Just Kids by Patti Smith
Just Kids by singer-songwriter Patti Smith is a memoir recounting her intimate relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe in 1960s and ’70s New York City. The book reflects on their individual and collaborative artistic journeys, their struggles to gain celebrity in a bohemian subculture, and their soul connection as they navigate poverty, network amongst fellow eccentrics, and rise to escalating prominence in their respective careers.
This is a story about friendship, the power of art, and the colourful, often chaotic, New York setting that shaped their identities along with the trajectory of their entire lives. The book also delves into the impact of the AIDS crisis and the enduring shadow the tragedy has left over queer history and its survivors. Just Kids is well worth reading for its captivating portrayal of city life, its intimate exploration into platonic love and unorthodox relationships, and its compelling self-awareness about artistic passion and ambition.
Educated by Tara Westover
Educated is an incredible memoir by Tara Westover detailing her personal journey from a survivalist Mormon upbringing in rural Idaho to earning a PhD from Cambridge University in England. The book contemplates themes of identity versus family life, the impact of trauma and abuse, the immensely transformative power of education, and the conflict that arises between traditions of the past and one’s future goals and aspirations.
The memoir also explores the instability of memory and the dangers of marketing religious extremism in an alluring way. Tara Westover teaches a highly valuable lesson in the importance of challenging one’s own beliefs, spotlighting this skill as a fundamental part of growing as an individual in the journey to becoming a better person. Using her impressively acute insight, she relates a coming-of-age story that feels both intimate and universal — thus striking directly at the heart of what education is and can do: the ability to see the perspective of others to make the world a kinder, more accepting place.
Know My Name by Chanel Miller
Content Warning: This book contains details of Sexual Assault. Please read trigger warnings and exercise personal care before reading.
Know My Name is a powerful memoir by Chanel Miller recounting her experience as a survivor of sexual abuse, and the subsequent legal battle that ensued following her violent assault by Brock Turner on the Stanford University campus. The book seeks to reflect upon the trauma of the assault, along with the challenges of navigating the criminal justice system, as part of her journey towards healing and reclaiming her identity. This is an especially moving story that critiques the way that society under the patriarchy continues to protect perpetrators, blame victims, and handle sexual assault cases in a way that is dehumanizing to survivors.
This memoir offers a nuanced account of sexual assault and seeks to challenge and dismantle the ways we typically understand notions of trauma and justice. It is not merely a story of assault and legal processes, however, but more importantly, a story about the indomitable spirit, bravery, and resilience of survivors, and a testament to the importance of reclaiming the narrative over one’s own life.
To conclude, the seven memoirs showcased here offer us unique, moving, and extremely valuable insights into the personal experiences of women around the world. Their contributions to the literary sphere and to social understanding, more broadly speaking, are truly insurmountable. The recommendations featured in this article are just a minuscule glimpse into the rich world of memoirs available by women’s writers, so I urge you all to get reading!
To feel safe at all times is a fundamental human right; let’s work to make this world physically and mentally safe for everyone.
Help is available at the National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673
Want some more incredible memoir recommendations? Read our other article: 5 Memoirs by Undocumented Immigrant Women.
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