2024 brought Kelly Bishop’s memoir The Third Gilmore Girl: A Memoir, Jaycee Duggar’s memoir A Stolen Life: A Memoir, and Stay True by Hsu Hsu. These memoirs rocked the book community and brought insight into — in most cases — very public affairs. As memoirs so often do, their writings detailed little-known experiences that were inflated or manipulated by the public eye. They brought peace to unrest and gave voice to those living similar lifestyles.
Much as the collections before them, the 2025 memoir list does this very thing. The memoirs bring to light many experiences that were exposed to the public eye. In their very personal storyteller’s writing, these memoirs bring humanity to taboo and triumph to heartbreak. In honor of National AIDS Awareness Month, many of the new memoirs pay tribute to queer voices, especially those who lived through the wreckage brought on by the AIDS epidemic.
The House of My Mother by Shari Franke
Written by Shari Franke, the memoir is an exposé of the life of children in a family vlog home. Shari Franke is a daughter of the infamous 8 Passengers YouTube family vlog channel, which recently came to a horrific end when Ruby Franke (the mother and owner of the channel) pleaded guilty to charges of child abuse. This memoir will cover Shari’s relationship to the ongoing trend of family channels and her experience growing up under her mother’s roof. The memoir is set to come out January 7, 2024.
Cher: The Memoir, Part Two by Cher
The first of this two-part memoir released in November of this year, which covered the childhood, eventual fame, and marriage of Cher in the early stages of her career. With a plot kept closely under wraps, Cher: The Memoir, Part Two is presumed to cover the events that ended her marriage to the present day. Much like the details of the second memoir, the release date has yet to be revealed. Cher: The Memoir, Part Two, has been announced to release in 2025.
Inside the AIDS Fight: Memoir of an Epidemiologist at the Pandemic Front Lines by Harry W. Haverkos
Dr. Harry Haverkos was one of those fighting the front lines of the AIDS epidemic in the late ’80s. He, alongside his colleagues, fought against time, disease, and discrimination to find a cure for a devastating illness. His memoir, coming out next year, brings readers to the reality of these efforts and places them in the shoes of Dr. Haverkos as he had to navigate both medical redlines and social redlines to fight for a community of people. The memoir brings both profession and passion together in a truly detailed work of the heart.
Theater Kid: A Broadway Memoir by Jeffrey Seller
The Broadway producer Jeffrey Seller explores the world of his youth and the gay community as he reflects on his adoption and sexuality in his new memoir, Theater Kid. Touching on his upbringing and his woes with exploring his sexuality, Seller faces larger trouble when he moves to New York to start his career on Broadway at the height of the AIDs epidemic. While navigating the new world of a community, he’s a part of. Seller finds success and community on the biggest stages in the US. The memoir will be released on May 6, 2025.
The Motherload: Episodes from the Brink of Motherhood by Sarah Hoover
Written by culture critic Sarah Hoover, The Motherload takes a candid look at the role of mothers and the reality of motherhood. Hoover navigates her own funny and deeply personal moments by sharing her own experiences from the life-altering role of becoming a mother. Hoover’s revelations go beyond that of her relationship with her child and explore how becoming a mother altered her relationship with her husband and with her own body. A truly deep and fun read, the memoir will be released on January 14, 2025.
We Already Have A Woman We Like: My Life in the CIA by Lucy Kirk
Kirk started working for the CIA in a difficult era for the United States: the 1960s. Her memoir dives into the world she knew of the CIA before working at the agency and then after. Gravitating toward the secret world that goes on in the government agency, Kirk relates the sexism she faced through her own position in the department. The memoir will be available on November 4, 2025.
Love in Exile by Shon Faye
Told through the eyes of a trans woman, Shon Faye’s Love In Exile explores how we define self-worth and love. The book details Faye’s relationships with cis men and the deep emotions she felt through her journey of self-discovery. Faye bears her most personal relationships to bring some understanding to the reader’s experiences. Instead of chastising herself or her readers for failed relationships, Faye takes time to identify moments of love, understanding, and growth. The memoir will be available on May 13, 2025.
Be sure to support voices that amplify education and sympathy during National AIDS/ HIV Awareness Month.
Interested in queer books to read but don’t know where to start? No worries! Discover Authentic Queer and Disability Rep With Bookstagrammer Haley!
Absolutely craving something poetic? Pick a poetry book from Bookstr’s For the Love of Poetry collection.
