A memoir is a history composed from personal experience and memory as remembered by the writer. A biography is a portrayal of a person's life documented in book form. Below is a list of our most popular biographies and memoirs. They will make you laugh, cry, and experience the full spectrum of emotion.
“It is now Bill Shatner’s universe---we just live in it.”---New York Daily News
After almost sixty years as an actor, William Shatner has become one of the...
"...in front of strangers and risk rejection? There was nothing at all like that in my familyhistory..."
At the age of twenty, an Iranian student named Zarah Ghahramani was swept off the streets of Tehran and taken to the notorious Evin prison, where criminals and...
"...idyllic childhood in a sprawling and affectionate family that prized tolerance and freedom of thought..."
The bestselling author of Blue Latitudes takes us on a thrilling and eye-opening voyage to pre-Mayflower America
On a chance visit to Plymouth Rock, Tony...
"...of popular history and travelogue will be ideal for general readers.—Booklist (starred review) “Irreverent..."
Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before
Two centuries after James Cook's epic voyages of discovery, Tony Horwitz takes readers on a wild ride across...
"...embattled legacy in today’s Pacific. Horwitz, a Pulitzer Prize-winner and author of Confederates..."
Burroughs, the eccentric, brilliant artist who burned the bridge with logic and wrote the classic Naked Lunch, has a court recorder in Victor Bockris. Bockris...
"...and prescient diatribes such as these, remain rich sources of literary history. As Americans we find..."
My new friends have begun to suspect I haven’t told them the full story of my life.
“Why did you leave Sierra Leone?”
“Because there is a war.”
“You mean,...
"...wars are fought now: by children, hopped-up on drugs and wielding AK-47s. Children have become..."
Winner, Arab American National Museum Book Award for Children's/YA Literature, among other awards and honors.
“When a war ends it does not go away,” my...
"...world is shattered by war. With candor and courage, she stitches together memories of her childhood..."
Coming of Age in China During the Cultural Revolution
Most people cannot remember when their childhood ended. I, on the other hand, have a crystal-clear memory of that moment. It happened at night in the summer of...
"...Most people cannot remember when their childhood ended. I, on the other hand, have a crystal-clear memory of that moment. It happened at night in the summer of....
Most people cannot remember when their childhood ended. I, on the other hand, have a crystal-clear memory of that moment. It happened..."
A True Story of Disaster and Survival in the Antarctic, 1910-13
Apsley George Benet Cherry-Garrard has always dreamt of becoming an explorer. So in the spring of 1910, when Captain Robert Falcon Scott offers young “Cherry”...
"...-on, risking life and limb in the name of science. Rife with captivating details of survival in an icy..."
On June 4, 1741, Georg Wilhelm Steller set sail from Avacha Bay in Siberia on the St. Peter, under the command of Vitus Bering. The crew was bound for America...
"...family. The midwife, having tried everything she knew to revive him, packed her bag and departed..."
"Leon's Story is a powerful, wonderful thing!" -- Nikki Giovanni
I remember that as a young boy I used to look in the mirror and I would curse my color, my...
"..., and worse. Much worse. But it is also the story of a strong family and the love that bound them..."
At the time of his famous kite experiment, Benjamin Franklin
was unaware that his theories about electricity had already
made him a celebrity all over...
"...and illustrator of The Longitude Prize, a Robert F. Sibert Honor Book and winner of the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, comes another story of adventure and invention, of one man’s curiosity..."
On August 4, 1940, an unassuming American journalist named Varian Fry made his way to Marseilles, France, carrying in his pockets the names of approximately...
".... The scene Varian witnessed was seared into his memory. The next morning, Varian walked down..."
"'I am only eight years old,' I told myself. 'No little boy of eight has ever murdered anyone. It's not possible.'"
So thought Roald Dahl in 1924 when his...
"...the dormitories. There were glorious times, too, with his big family at home in Wales; on holiday..."
"This true tale of the worst year in the author's life will be a big surprise for his many fans . . .This is a story of mistakes, dues, redemption, and finally...
".... From time to time I wrote down other funny stories and memories about my family and my childhood..."
Wangari Maathai, winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize and founder of the Green Belt Movement, grew up in the highlands of Kenya, where fig trees cloaked the...
"...on recycled paper..
"The 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Wangari Maathai changed the world one seed..."
Pablo Neruda grew up in the rough and wild frontier town of Temuco, Chile. His father was a railroad man and not inclined to draw out the introspective boy....
"...to childhoodbiographies of famous people. This one is outstanding.”—Multicultural Review, Spring 2007..."
"If they had seen what we see, they would have judged as we judge." -- Galileo Galilei
In every age there are courageous people who break with tradition to...
"...times. He had turned the world upside down. In this amazing new book, Peter Sís employs the artist's..."
Marie Curie’s story has fascinated and inspired young readers
decades. The poor Polish girl who worked eight years to be able
to afford to attend the...
"...during WorldWar to establish mobile X-ray units so that wounded French soldiers could get better care..."
In 1841, Japan had been closed to the outside world for 250 years, and anyone who tried to return to the country after leaving it could be executed. So when...
"...In 1841, Japan had been closed to the outside world for 250 years, and anyone who tried to return to the country after leaving it could be executed. So when....
In 1841, Japan had been closed to the outside world for 250 years, and anyone who tried to return to the country after leaving it could..."
In 1634, young Susanna Hutchinson sailed from England with her family to the Massachusetts Bay Colony, where they hoped to practice their religion freely. But...
"...In 1634, young Susanna Hutchinson sailed from England with her family to the Massachusetts Bay Colony, where they hoped to practice their religion freely. But....
In 1634, young Susanna Hutchinson sailed from England with her family to the Massachusetts Bay Colony, where they hoped to practice..."
Captures the artist's life and work
Beatrix Potter's childhood was characterized by a distinctly Victorian mixture of privilege and neglect. Her parents...
"...Captures the artist's life and work Beatrix Potter's childhood was characterized by a distinctly Victorian mixture of privilege and neglect. Her parents....
Captures the artist's life and work Beatrix Potter's childhood was characterized by a distinctly Victorian mixture of privilege and neglect..."