Memoirs That You Won't Be Able To Put Down
From tell-all's to cult-like craziness that have left me speechless, and some celebrity memoirs for good measure, I'm sharing memoirs that have struck a chord and I loved!
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I’m in no place to sit in judgement of someone’s life story so I don’t put star ratings on memoirs or autobiographies.
If it’s on this list though it means I liked it well enough (or a ton) to recommend it and there are a couple of them that I have a made a special notation that they’re especially amazing. Gripping, powerful, and I truly had no idea that this person lived through ALL of that because I would have never known or never guessed. Truly, don’t just a book by it’s cover, or in this case the author and what you “think” about that person.
I love audiobooks and listen when I’m running, power walking, at the gym, washing dishes, driving, and and in all of these, the author narrates his or her own story. And the story is just that much better when it comes out of the author’s own mouth, in their accent, dialect, their cadence. Check out Audible and consider getting a package. Books come out to less than $10 buck each if you buy a bundle.
Tell-All
Strangers by Belle Burton (2023)
A haunting and quietly intense memoir, Strangers is a #1 NYT bestseller right now and is on all the cool kids’ TBR lists. It hooks you in immediately because it's a tell all of a woman who's husband of 20 years and 3 kids later just leaves her, unexpectedly, out of left field, no signs, no warning. To add insult to injury, he did it in March 2020 and we all know what was breaking out globally then. So she weathered the pandemic AND her divorce, alone.
I've been divorced, it's an awful time, even in the most amicable of divorces. And what I applaud the author for doing is being brave enough to tell her story with unflinching honesty and with 3 teenage/young adult children, and doing it in front of very privileged (and very judgy) friends and peers onlooking. I couldn't ever be the one to put all my dirty marital and divorce laundry on a page, for all the world to read about, so I really give her props for telling this story that blind-sighted her - she truly did not see it coming, that is very clear.
It also makes me question a lot about marriage, and people in general: how is it possible to not know that your husband of 20 years is going to walk in one day and just leave you? How is it possible to be be so caught off guard? How is it possible for someone to live a double life of sorts, and to not be the person at all you thought you were married to? Very thought provoking book! It's a short read and even shorter audio when you listen at 1.9-2.0x speed like I do, just under 4 hours.
Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams (2025) Free on Kindle Unlimited
Wondering what Facebook is really like? This is a sharp, insider memoir that pulls back the curtain on Facebook’s rise and the ethical compromises behind its global influence. Sarah Wynn-Williams blends personal narrative with whistleblower-style revelations, detailing a workplace culture shaped by power, ambition, and troubling decision-making. It’s an eye-opening and very unsettling read about greed, power, how social media can and has changed society, and reframes how we think about Big Tech and its impact on the world.
Cult-Like Craziness
Educated by Tara Westover (2018)
In Educated, Tara Westover chronicles her journey from an isolated, survivalist childhood where she was mentally, emotionally, and physically abused. It’s a story of triumph and not being chained by our upbringings. She educates herself in a big way, going to a globally prestigious university, while shedding the craziness of her upbringing in the process. Her storytelling is both razor-sharp and deeply emotional, capturing the tension between loyalty to family and the pursuit of self. This memoir is as intellectually compelling as it is profoundly moving.
Her actual life story reminds me so much of Kristin Hannah’s, The Great Alone, because of the crazy, erratic, mentally ill father. I read the two books in close proximity to each other - with the Great Alone being first - and I had to stop and remind myself that Educated is real, the other was fiction!
The Sound of Gravel by Ruth Wariner (2016)
As I said in the opening, I don't feel it's okay to rate someone's life story with stars but if I were going to, this story and the author would get all the praise and accolades and the highest rating! She is a heroine, a champion, a survivor of just about everything. This is a story of a girl growing up in a fundamentalist, polygamist, Mormon cult between border states in the US and northern Mexico. She was the 39th child of her father's 42 children before he was killed by his brother. Her mother remarried a man who had....40+ children. The cycle of poverty, pregnancy, and the overarching beliefs that a woman's place is to make babies and make meals, and to share her husband with many other sister wives was just horrifying that in my childhood, other kids were growing up and this was their world.
I went down a rabbit hole of researching the LeBaron cult and there are many other books on the topic; written by other surviving children who are now adults and other sister wives who (in my opinion) were brainwashed into thinking this whole lifestyle is okay and what God wants. The jaw-dropping, shocking things that happened in the 1970s-80s are just unspeakable but thanks to Ruth Wariner unabashedly sharing her story, I learned more and became more aware. Her story is one of extreme survival, extreme, extreme survival. If you've ever thought your life was hard, it wasn't.
There is just about every kind of trigger warning in this book, but if she lived it, I can read it and honor it. And if you're in the mood for a different memoir with an equally crazy father and family life (although not Mormon), read Educated by Tara Westhover, above.
Celebrity & Pop Culture
Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten (2024)
I grew up watching Ina Garten on the Food Network and in some way, women like Rachel Ray, Giada, and Ina may have quietly steered me into my career as a food blogger. I loved Ina the most, especially her relationship with Jeffery that we would see glimpses of on her cooking shows.
Ina Garten’s memoir is as warm, inviting, and thoughtful as her cooking, blending personal stories with reflections on career, marriage, and reinvention. She shares her path with honesty (spoiler alert, life with Jeffrey and her marriage were not always perfect) and a grounded sense of gratitude, emphasizing preparation as the foundation for “luck.” I really appreciated the behind-the-scenes glimpses of her life, especially the Paris connection. And I just bought tickets for her new book tour when she’s going to be in San Diego in the fall!
Spare by Prince Harry (2023)
I’ve never been a person obsessed with British royalty and all the drama, gossip, and stories behind the curtain. However, if that’s you, you’re going to love this memoir. Because it had me super intrigued and captivated! Spare offers an intimate and often raw look at Prince Harry’s life within and beyond the British royal family. With candor and vulnerability, he reflects on grief, identity, and the pressures of public life. The memoir is both deeply personal and culturally revealing, sparking conversation about tradition, trauma, and autonomy.
What I related to the most was not really feeling valued in one’s family of origin for being who one is. And that what he was doing wasn’t enough, wasn’t good enough, and he was always in the shadow of his older brother no matter what he did for a father and a monarchy that was largely unpleaseable - and you’re never enough. How many of us can relate to that! I wish he would have gotten more into the drama (and spilled more tea) between he and his brother and their two wives but there’s enough and I was hanging on every word.
Full Out by Monica Aldama (2021)
If you ever watched the Netflix show Cheer, you know who Queen Monica is! I started watching Cheer years ago because my daughter started cheering when she was 3 years old and by default, I became a cheer mom. Going to all the competitions, the events, and her team even went to World’s at Walt Disney World in Orlando when she was in grade school and it’s a lifelong, cherished memory, for both of us. My daughter cheered all through high school and was the captain of her team, and I was sad when she didn’t want to cheer in college, but she also wanted to ‘have a life other than cheer’ as she said which I completely understand and respect since it’s a year-round sport with just May off. Cheerleaders are some of the hardest working athletes out there - flipping their bodies around into the air, taking hard falls (both my daughters arms and elbow had both been broken by the time she was 6 years old), and doing it with a SMILE, grace, and a full face of makeup. Not for the faint of heart.
Full Out combines Monica Aldama’s personal story with leadership lessons drawn from her success as a championship cheer coach. She emphasizes discipline, resilience, and the power of high standards, offering insights that extend far beyond the mat. She is a heroine for me, on every level, professionally, personally, athletically, and in her relationship with her husband, her adult children, and in her faith. She expects the best of herself and her athletes, on every level; always. There is no half-assing it.
As she says,“You keep going until you get it right. And then you keep going until you can’t get it wrong.” Amen, Queen.
Paris: The Memoir by Paris Hilton (2023) Free on KindleUnlimited!
This woman and memoir are among the most under appreciated in Hollywood, or anywhere. There were truly jaw dropping moments in this book: abuse on every level, being tortured at school, and telling her parents who didn’t believe her; the actual literal physical strength it took her to escape some of the places where she was sent, honestly just shocking, truly shocking.
Moving far beyond tabloid caricatures to reveal a more complex and vulnerable self, she addresses past trauma, the realities of fame, and the intentional creation of her public persona with surprising depth. The book is both a personal reckoning and a sharp commentary on celebrity culture. I honestly do not know how she has forgiven her parents for what she has outlined in this book.
She also proves that while her birthright’s namesake comes with ultimate privilege, she is an extremely intelligent businesswoman, shrewd, hard working to the core, an extremely dedicated wife and mother. Whatever you think about her going in, I promise there is so much more than meets the eye. Her narration is amazing, too!
Love, Pamela by Pamela Anderson (2023) Free on KindleUnlimited!
A deeply personal memoir that reveals a more introspective and thoughtful side of Pamela Anderson. So much more than the blonde Playmate and Baywatch star many of us watched three decades ago (wow, time flies).
Told in a mix of prose and diary-like reflections, it traces her rise to fame, relationships, and efforts to reclaim her identity on her own terms. The result is a surprisingly tender and self-aware portrait that challenges long-held public perceptions.
What I really appreciate about Pamela Anderson today is that she is an activist, speaking out about everything from animal rights to human rights, and she has the platform to do it. Secondly, she is 58 years old, and has not fallen into the Hollywood trap of “anti-aging” treatments, facial plastic surgery, never ending Botox and fillers, and has embraced an aging gracefully attitude, which I commend her, it takes internal strength to just shun all of that when your cohorts are doing everything and anything to look younger and ‘better’.
Here are some other book review posts to check out!