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Listopia

Best Memoir / Biography / Autobiography

NOTE: This list is for non-fiction only.

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Score

A book’s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book.

All Votes Add Books To This List

101	The Pianist: The Extraordinary Story of One Man's Survival in Warsaw, 1939–45 by Władysław Szpilman 4.25 avg rating — 79,932 ratings score: 5,256, and 57 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
102	The Girl Behind the Painted Smile: My battle with the bottle by Catherine Lockwood (Goodreads Author) 3.76 avg rating — 1,304 ratings score: 5,237, and 59 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
103	Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World by Tracy Kidder 4.20 avg rating — 87,856 ratings score: 5,197, and 56 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
104	Diana: Her True Story in Her Own Words by Andrew Morton (Goodreads Author) 3.84 avg rating — 28,917 ratings score: 5,166, and 58 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
105	That Bear Ate My Pants!: Will Boy Become Man? Or Will Boy Become Breakfast... by Tony James Slater (Goodreads Author) 3.91 avg rating — 4,218 ratings score: 5,157, and 55 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
106	Beneath the Surface: Killer Whales, SeaWorld, and the Truth Beyond Blackfish by John Hargrove 4.20 avg rating — 7,382 ratings score: 5,139, and 55 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
107	The League: How Five Rivals Created the NFL and Launched a Sports Empire by John Eisenberg (Goodreads Author) 4.17 avg rating — 1,998 ratings score: 5,103, and 54 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
108	Look Me in the Eye by John Elder Robison (Goodreads Author) 3.92 avg rating — 69,276 ratings score: 4,982, and 55 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
109	Walden or, Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau 3.77 avg rating — 201,824 ratings score: 4,882, and 54 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
110	A Year in Provence (Provence, #1) by Peter Mayle really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 82,018 ratings score: 4,806, and 53 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
111	The Life of Elizabeth I by Alison Weir 4.03 avg rating — 32,706 ratings score: 4,799, and 55 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
112	Tesla: Inventor of the Modern by Richard Munson (Goodreads Author) 3.79 avg rating — 2,135 ratings score: 4,672, and 47 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
113	Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia by Marya Hornbacher 4.03 avg rating — 33,903 ratings score: 4,616, and 49 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
113	The Life of Senna : The Biography of Ayrton Senna by Tom Rubython 3.90 avg rating — 1,474 ratings score: 4,616, and 49 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
115	Confessions by Augustine of Hippo 3.99 avg rating — 72,077 ratings score: 4,563, and 50 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
116	Naked by David Sedaris 4.10 avg rating — 271,633 ratings score: 4,530, and 51 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
117	Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby 3.77 avg rating — 43,351 ratings score: 4,413, and 49 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
118	Sliding on the Snow Stone by Andy Szpuk (Goodreads Author) 3.71 avg rating — 1,216 ratings score: 4,295, and 44 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
119	Truman by David McCullough 4.17 avg rating — 90,634 ratings score: 4,223, and 46 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
120	A Girl Named Zippy: Growing Up Small in Mooreland, Indiana by Haven Kimmel 3.80 avg rating — 37,445 ratings score: 4,113, and 45 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
121	Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia by jean-sasson 4.03 avg rating — 39,092 ratings score: 4,090, and 46 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
122	Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy 3.97 avg rating — 29,724 ratings score: 4,085, and 45 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
123	Open by Andre Agassi 4.32 avg rating — 141,829 ratings score: 4,036, and 44 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
124	The Diary of a Single Parent Abroad by Jill Pennington (Goodreads Author) 3.63 avg rating — 1,041 ratings score: 4,029, and 44 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
125	Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell 4.09 avg rating — 98,507 ratings score: 4,020, and 45 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
126	Glass Half Full by Sarah Jane Butfield (Goodreads Author) 3.78 avg rating — 195 ratings score: 4,001, and 45 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
127	The Death of Ayrton Senna by Richard Williams 3.81 avg rating — 1,551 ratings score: 3,860, and 43 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
128	Papillon by Henri Charrière 4.23 avg rating — 74,581 ratings score: 3,852, and 43 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
129	Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand 4.23 avg rating — 167,531 ratings score: 3,827, and 45 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
130	The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin 3.85 avg rating — 90,473 ratings score: 3,823, and 42 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
131	In Cold Blood by Truman Capote 4.09 avg rating — 715,118 ratings score: 3,803, and 45 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
132	I'm with the Band: Confessions of a Groupie by Pamela Des Barres 3.70 avg rating — 21,160 ratings score: 3,801, and 43 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
133	Truth & Beauty by Ann Patchett 3.97 avg rating — 46,694 ratings score: 3,799, and 42 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
134	Black Boy by Richard Wright 4.09 avg rating — 55,515 ratings score: 3,766, and 44 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
135	The Bookseller of Kabul by Åsne Seierstad 3.77 avg rating — 56,331 ratings score: 3,743, and 41 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
136	Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by Jenny Lawson (Goodreads Author) 3.90 avg rating — 199,256 ratings score: 3,724, and 40 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
137	The Motorcycle Diaries: Notes on a Latin American Journey by Ernesto Che Guevara 3.80 avg rating — 44,552 ratings score: 3,643, and 41 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
138	Leaving Isn't the Hardest Thing by Lauren Hough (Goodreads Author) 3.42 avg rating — 10,447 ratings score: 3,598, and 36 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
139	Speak, Memory by Vladimir Nabokov 4.08 avg rating — 17,504 ratings score: 3,584, and 41 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
140	The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath 4.05 avg rating — 1,172,702 ratings score: 3,550, and 41 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
141	Rupee Millionaires by Frank Kusy (Goodreads Author) 3.62 avg rating — 1,333 ratings score: 3,493, and 40 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
142	Sell the Pig by Tottie Limejuice (Goodreads Author) 3.60 avg rating — 1,061 ratings score: 3,451, and 38 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
143	My Life in France by Julia Child 4.16 avg rating — 92,558 ratings score: 3,444, and 39 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
144	Journey to the West: A Long March from Eastern Dream to Western Reality by Biao Wang 4.27 avg rating — 142 ratings score: 3,400, and 34 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
145	Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela 4.36 avg rating — 92,869 ratings score: 3,380, and 38 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
146	More Ketchup Than Salsa by Joe Cawley (Goodreads Author) 3.48 avg rating — 4,011 ratings score: 3,372, and 39 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
147	Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe 3.87 avg rating — 84,380 ratings score: 3,341, and 41 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
148	Life by Keith Richards 3.89 avg rating — 97,520 ratings score: 3,240, and 38 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
149	Chronicles, Volume One by Bob Dylan 3.98 avg rating — 60,796 ratings score: 3,194, and 37 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
150	Confessions by Jean-Jacques Rousseau 3.59 avg rating — 9,227 ratings score: 3,177, and 34 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
151	A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard 3.97 avg rating — 142,797 ratings score: 3,161, and 34 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
152	French Illusions: My Story as an American Au Pair in the Loire Valley (Book 1) by Linda Kovic-Skow (Goodreads Author) 3.83 avg rating — 1,135 ratings score: 3,153, and 35 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
153	Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis 4.11 avg rating — 99,896 ratings score: 3,148, and 35 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
154	And I Don't Want to Live This Life: A Mother's Story of Her Daughter's Murder by Deborah Spungen 4.11 avg rating — 8,683 ratings score: 3,137, and 38 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
155	Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox 4.07 avg rating — 28,873 ratings score: 3,086, and 35 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
156	Personal History: A Memoir by Katharine Graham 4.09 avg rating — 24,569 ratings score: 2,956, and 33 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
157	Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck 4.08 avg rating — 104,155 ratings score: 2,932, and 35 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
158	Gorillas in the Mist by Dian Fossey 4.15 avg rating — 21,096 ratings score: 2,918, and 36 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
159	John Lennon: The Life by Philip Norman 4.04 avg rating — 12,580 ratings score: 2,902, and 35 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
160	No One Here Gets Out Alive by Jerry Hopkins 3.94 avg rating — 45,966 ratings score: 2,879, and 36 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
161	Not Without My Father: One Woman's 444-Mile Walk of the Natchez Trace by Andra Watkins (Goodreads Author) 3.76 avg rating — 1,605 ratings score: 2,865, and 29 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
162	Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream by Hunter S. Thompson 4.06 avg rating — 372,755 ratings score: 2,850, and 32 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
163	84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff 4.16 avg rating — 94,102 ratings score: 2,845, and 33 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
164	The 231 Club: My Ten Year Journey From Therapist to CIA Courier and Sanctioned Kills - A True Story by J. Bartell (Goodreads Author) 3.72 avg rating — 960 ratings score: 2,800, and 28 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
165	Teacher Man (Frank McCourt, #3) by Frank McCourt 3.76 avg rating — 39,790 ratings score: 2,767, and 33 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
166	All Things Wise and Wonderful (All Creatures Great and Small, #5-6) by James Herriot 4.45 avg rating — 37,267 ratings score: 2,743, and 33 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
167	A Street Cat Named Bob by James Bowen 3.99 avg rating — 59,554 ratings score: 2,740, and 34 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
168	Seven Years in Tibet by Heinrich Harrer 4.10 avg rating — 26,166 ratings score: 2,703, and 31 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
169	The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band by Tommy Lee 4.14 avg rating — 48,514 ratings score: 2,687, and 33 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
170	Nicholas and Alexandra: The Classic Account of the Fall of the Romanov Dynasty by Robert K. Massie 4.23 avg rating — 29,604 ratings score: 2,655, and 32 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
171	What Is the What by Dave Eggers 4.15 avg rating — 86,730 ratings score: 2,640, and 28 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
172	Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris 4.11 avg rating — 287,231 ratings score: 2,637, and 30 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
173	Ayrton Senna: The Whole Story by Christopher Hilton 3.71 avg rating — 1,123 ratings score: 2,588, and 29 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
174	The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen 4.06 avg rating — 19,977 ratings score: 2,586, and 32 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
175	Why They Stay: Sex Scandals, Deals, and Hidden Agendas of Eight Political Wives by Anne Michaud (Goodreads Author) 4.29 avg rating — 12,511 ratings score: 2,538, and 26 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
176	Magical Thinking: True Stories by Augusten Burroughs (Goodreads Author) 3.96 avg rating — 57,175 ratings score: 2,525, and 28 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
177	When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi 4.41 avg rating — 776,537 ratings score: 2,502, and 28 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
178	Seriously Mum, Where's that Donkey? by Alan Parks (Goodreads Author) 3.60 avg rating — 1,522 ratings score: 2,497, and 29 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
179	Me: Stories of My Life by Katharine Hepburn 3.81 avg rating — 16,057 ratings score: 2,494, and 28 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
180	Goodbye to All That by Robert Graves 3.93 avg rating — 15,377 ratings score: 2,492, and 30 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
181	Finding Me: A Decade of Darkness, a Life Reclaimed - A Memoir of the Cleveland Kidnappings by Michelle Knight 4.18 avg rating — 30,283 ratings score: 2,487, and 26 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
182	Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamist Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs by Elissa Wall 3.95 avg rating — 31,334 ratings score: 2,480, and 27 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
183	Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow 4.22 avg rating — 196,296 ratings score: 2,477, and 29 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
184	The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath by Sylvia Plath 4.28 avg rating — 25,733 ratings score: 2,453, and 28 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
185	Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup 4.23 avg rating — 123,664 ratings score: 2,443, and 29 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
186	Anne Frank Remembered: The Story of the Woman Who Helped to Hide the Frank Family by Miep Gies 4.30 avg rating — 66,261 ratings score: 2,441, and 28 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
187	Driving Over Lemons: An Optimist in Andalucía by Chris Stewart 3.84 avg rating — 18,210 ratings score: 2,413, and 27 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
188	Surviving the Fourth Cycle by Nathan Daniels (Goodreads Author) 3.64 avg rating — 988 ratings score: 2,400, and 24 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
189	The Lord God Made Them All (All Creatures Great and Small, #7) by James Herriot 4.44 avg rating — 29,582 ratings score: 2,391, and 28 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
190	A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway 4.02 avg rating — 164,080 ratings score: 2,376, and 28 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
191	Marie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser 3.94 avg rating — 38,207 ratings score: 2,371, and 27 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
192	The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times by Michelle Obama (Goodreads Author) 4.27 avg rating — 95,677 ratings score: 2,356, and 24 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
193	The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures by Anne Fadiman 4.20 avg rating — 87,976 ratings score: 2,352, and 27 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
194	Not Without My Daughter by Betty Mahmoody 4.18 avg rating — 38,139 ratings score: 2,340, and 26 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
195	Up from Slavery by Booker T. Washington 4.11 avg rating — 35,763 ratings score: 2,335, and 27 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
196	My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands by Chelsea Handler 3.79 avg rating — 111,473 ratings score: 2,301, and 25 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
197	Illegal by John Dennehy (Goodreads Author) 3.73 avg rating — 1,156 ratings score: 2,300, and 23 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
198	The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson 3.94 avg rating — 67,648 ratings score: 2,226, and 26 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
199	James Dean: The Mutant King: A Biography by David Dalton 3.76 avg rating — 1,420 ratings score: 2,222, and 24 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
200	The Tender Bar: A Memoir by J.R. Moehringer 3.99 avg rating — 44,799 ratings score: 2,200, and 24 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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5,755 books · 6,280 voters · list created July 13th, 2008 by Heather (votes) .

Tags: autobiographies, autobiography, best, biographies, biography, memoir, memoirs, non-fiction

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Comments Showing 1-50 of 76 (76 new)

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message 1: by Raelle (new)

Jun 28, 2009 03:56PM

PATRON SAINT OF USED CARS AND SECOND CHANCES
by MARK MILLHONE

Beautiful, honest memoir that appeals to both men and women which is so rare. It is very funny, but have your kleenex near by and the phone numbers of family members handy to tell them you love them and value them

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message 2: by Ryann (last edited Oct 02, 2009 01:06PM) (new)

Oct 02, 2009 01:05PM

FYI: "What is the What" is not a memoir. Nor is "Sarah's Key." Both are great books, but they're fiction.

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message 3: by Julie (new)

Feb 27, 2010 01:18PM

add:Time To Be In Earnest: A Fragment Of Autobiography|3831], P. D. James

This is fabulous. six stars

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message 4: by Pia (new)

Feb 27, 2010 03:15PM

Never forget Anne Frank.

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message 5: by Jaliyah (new)

May 20, 2010 03:09PM

this was a good book..going to read more like this !

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message 6: by Kelsey (new)

Aug 17, 2010 10:09PM

The Lovely Bones isn't a memoir or biography.

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message 7: by Xenophon (new)

Aug 27, 2010 04:02AM

Hannibal by Thomas Harris and Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller are both fiction, and I removed them.

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message 8: by Sue (new)

Jan 21, 2011 04:01PM

Wow, I'm seeing a lot of fiction on this list.

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message 9: by Linda (new)

Apr 08, 2011 07:17PM

Sue T wrote: "Wow, I'm seeing a lot of fiction on this list."

Can we get them removed? One of the reasons I came to look at this list was to find good biographies to add to my TBR list, so I want to be sure I'm not reading a book I think is a biography then discover it was fiction.

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message 10: by Sarah (new)

Apr 11, 2011 11:33AM

Linda wrote: "Sue T wrote: "Wow, I'm seeing a lot of fiction on this list."

Can we get them removed? One of the reasons I came to look at this list was to find good biographies to add to my TBR list, so I want ..."

Please don't remove them - even those are fiction-biography books, this list is still gorgeous.

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message 11: by Elle (new)

Apr 12, 2011 07:38AM

Praise God for Tattered Dreams by E.E. Laine

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message 12: by Darbi (new)

May 06, 2011 10:22AM

Thank you so much for creating this list Heather! I have been looking for 'Oh the Glory of it all." for years but I couldn't remember the name, thought I knew I would recognize the cover. I found it on your list and now I can read it again! Your awesome!

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message 13: by Janet (new)

May 15, 2011 05:22PM

"Good Grief" is fiction.

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message 14: by Janet (new)

May 15, 2011 05:27PM

"The Friday Night Knitting Club" is fiction. Why do people put fiction titles on non-fiction lists??

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message 15: by Guy (new)

Nov 23, 2011 05:18PM

Here's a real fun wild and crazy memoir about the movie biz and about finding true love...please vote for this cover - Kiss Me Quick Before I Shoot :)

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message 16: by John (new)

Nov 25, 2011 10:18AM

Khaled Hosseini's Books (Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns) are Fiction.

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message 17: by Sadi (new)

Dec 30, 2011 02:05PM

Without moving from the first page there are at least three fiction novels on this.

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message 18: by Missy J (new)

Apr 03, 2012 06:03AM

"Eat, Pray, Love" ranks higher up than "First they killed my father"?

The world is ending...

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message 19: by Atticus (new)

Jun 28, 2012 04:32PM

No one even mentioned A Playboy Virgin's Manifesto by Atticus Rockefellar. Oh, the humanity!

http://www.amazon.com/Playboy-Virgins...

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message 20: by Ben (last edited Sep 14, 2012 12:25PM) (new)

Sep 14, 2012 12:21PM

The following are fiction:

#113 A Thousand Splendid Suns
#128 Memoirs of a Geisha

Shall I delete? Any others that need to go?

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message 21: by Ben (new)

Sep 14, 2012 12:23PM

I added a list description:

NOTE: This list is for non-fiction only.

Hopefully, this will stop the tide of fiction.

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message 22: by Jean (new)

Nov 10, 2012 11:00AM

The Agony and the Ecstacy is fiction.

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message 23: by Julie (new)

Nov 12, 2012 03:47PM

Too bad one can only have 100 books on a list. I've read so many more great ones than are on my list.

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message 24: by Julie (new)

Nov 12, 2012 03:48PM

Not really sure if I'd classify Torey Hayden's books as memoirs but they all are great.

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message 25: by William (new)

Jan 07, 2013 12:04AM

how can i print out a list of just the title and author

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message 26: by I-love-reading (new)

Feb 16, 2013 03:24AM

A million little pieces was later proved to be fiction

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message 27: by Dorothy (new)

Feb 21, 2013 08:40AM

A number of the books on the list are fiction, for example, Winds of War

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message 28: by Xenophon (new)

Jun 09, 2013 06:51PM

Morgan wrote: "a thousand splendid suns is fiction..." Deleted.

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message 29: by Dorothy (new)

Jun 10, 2013 07:52AM

Memory Keeper's daughter is fiction

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message 30: by Dorothy (new)

Jun 10, 2013 08:01AM

Also Brick Lane and Pope Joan are novels as well. Laura Ingallss Wilder's books are generally classified as fiction

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message 31: by Dorothy (new)

Jun 10, 2013 08:07AM

one more. A tree grows in Brookly is fiction as well.

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message 32: by Cherie (new)

May 21, 2014 08:07AM

How can we search for specific titles on this list?

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message 33: by John (last edited May 21, 2014 11:30AM) (new)

May 21, 2014 08:30AM

I call "stupid" or "a--hole" on every single one of the people putting fiction on this list.

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message 34: by Lesley (new)

May 31, 2014 07:56AM

Three cups of tea is fiction.

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message 35: by Xenophon (new)

May 31, 2014 09:59AM

Lesley wrote: "Three cups of tea is fiction."

It's marketed as a memoir.

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message 36: by Lesley (new)

May 31, 2014 11:41AM

Amazon has added: 'From Viking Press
In regards to the 60 Minutes episode that aired April 17, 2011: "Greg Mortenson’s work as a humanitarian in Afghanistan and Pakistan has provided tens of thousands of children with an education. 60 Minutes is a serious news organization and in the wake of their report, Viking plans to carefully review the materials with the author."'

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message 37: by Xenophon (new)

May 31, 2014 03:04PM

If we start judging memoirs and biographies on their truthfulness, it will open a huge can of worms, and so far as I know, librarians haven't been given any guidance on the issue.

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message 38: by Mitchell (new)

Jul 11, 2014 05:25PM

this list could use a minimum number of ratings - like 1000 - to avoid author spam.

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message 39: by Sue (new)

Dec 19, 2015 06:45AM

"The Shack" is NOT memoir

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message 40: by Devorah (new)

Jan 26, 2016 12:51PM

When G-D Asks Me; When God Asks Me by Devorah Kalani

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message 41: by Dorothy (new)

Jan 26, 2016 01:12PM

Winds of War and the Bell Jar are both fiction

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message 42: by Dorothy (new)

Jan 26, 2016 01:25PM

She's Come Undone, Great Expectations and Uncle Tom's Cabin are all fiction.

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message 43: by Keston (new)

Apr 19, 2016 09:38AM

Saving Delaney

Laugh, Cry and be INSPIRED by this amazing little warrior!

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message 44: by Donna (last edited Jun 13, 2016 11:39AM) (new)

Jun 13, 2016 10:42AM

Removed for being children's fiction: Little House on the Prairie

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7...

NONE of the "Little House" series is autobiography. When confronted by a journalist about the scene in one of the books in which a family member is chased by ravenous wolves, which of course is not something wolves do to humans, LIW replied with great dignity that she had not intended to write history; she intended to write stories for children.

This author does have an actual memoir, but it doesn't, at least in my opinion, hold the charm and interest level that her children's series commands.

Oh wow...I'm going to find that whole series here, aren't I? Removed from #124, see above, Farmer Boy:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8...

..and less than 1 minute later, I find the entire series in one boxed set; I wasn't so clairvoyant as to see it coming, but expected to find it one title at a time...and likely I still will. Anyway, gone from #194:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

From #466 On the Banks of Plum Creek:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7...
Also from page 5, The Long Winter:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7...

P.6 Little Town on the Prairie
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7...

Also from p6 Those Happy Golden Years

and The First Four Years
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7...

p. 10, By the Shores of Silver Lake:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

#744, removed for being fictional, Great Expectations:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

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message 45: by Donna (last edited Jul 01, 2016 07:56PM) (new)

Jul 01, 2016 07:24PM

#221, removed for being fictional, Sherman Alexie's Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...

Travel book removed from #209:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

Removed:
The Winds of War, fiction:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

and Good Grief, also fiction:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

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message 46: by Cheryl (new)

Aug 16, 2016 02:41PM

The ones by McCullough on Truman and John Adams are not memoirs. They are extremely well researched biographies. A memoir is a non -fiction book written from personal experience. Or a written account of one's memory of certain events or people. One could write a memoir of a person to whom one is or was very close as a spouse, or child. I agree - a lot of fiction on this list as well!

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message 47: by Donna (last edited Aug 16, 2016 03:46PM) (new)

Aug 16, 2016 03:42PM

Cheryl wrote: "The ones by McCullough on Truman and John Adams are not memoirs. They are extremely well researched biographies. A memoir is a non -fiction book written from personal experience. Or a written accou..."

Take another look at the title of the listopia. Memoir, biography, autobiography. McCullough is dull as dirt, imho, but his books are clearly within the parameters of the listmaker.

If you see fiction and want me to pull it, give me titles and tell me what page each is on, and I'll be happy to do it. I have a little time right now and will check the list to see what jumps out at me.

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message 48: by Donna (new)

Aug 16, 2016 04:38PM

Humorous guinea pig book is not a memoir:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

Removed from #319.

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message 49: by C.E. (new)

Aug 21, 2016 03:33PM

Can someone help me find the name of this memoir I read once? (I was expecting to find it on this list)
It was a memoir by an Iranian?-I think- woman who was imprisoned and coerced into marrying her prison guard for a while and now lives in Canada. I wanted to show my mum it, but I can't remember the name of it. I recall it had a picture of a woman looking off a building on the front cover. If anyone can help that'd be awesome. Thanks.

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message 50: by Donna (new)

Sep 14, 2016 10:00AM

Jean wrote: "please add my book. country life. true story in my own words. full of shocks? & surprises! please share it. click here new on kindle--https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_......"

This constitutes spam, and is inappropriate for a Goodreads listopia discussion. I have flagged the comment.

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