Past Kindle Book Deals but Still Must Read Books!
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495 past books matching Biographies & Memoirs
Griffin Dunne’s world was pure Hollywood spectacle—star-studded parties, Manhattan dreams with Carrie Fisher, and Scorsese brilliance.
The Friday Afternoon Club
Biographies & Memoirs
Our take
Griffin Dunne’s world was pure Hollywood spectacle—star-studded parties, Manhattan dreams with Carrie Fisher, and Scorsese brilliance. Yet behind the glamour lurked tragedy: the brutal murder of his sister, Dominique, and a justice system that failed. This unforgettable journey traces fame, heartbreak, and resilience, unveiling the untold story of a family forever marked by both triumph and loss.
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Griffin Dunne’s life reads like a wild Hollywood odyssey. At thirteen, he schemed to meet Janis Joplin at a star-studded party hosted by his aunt, Joan Didion. By sixteen, he’d ditched boarding school forever. In Manhattan, his best friend and roommate, Carrie Fisher, was becoming Princess Leia while Griffin juggled popcorn shifts at Radio City. Fame came calling when he starred in Martin Scorsese’s After Hours. But his charmed life turned dark when his sister, Dominique, a rising starlet, was tragically murdered—a crime that transformed their father, Dominick Dunne, into a relentless advocate for justice.
From the bright lights of Tinseltown to the shadow of one of the 1980s’ most notorious trials, Griffin’s story is one of fame, loss, and resilience. What happened next shaped a legacy that endures today.
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Maria Trautman’s journey from abandonment to abuse tests her resilience at every turn.
After All …
Biographies & Memoirs
Our take
Maria Trautman’s journey from abandonment to abuse tests her resilience at every turn. Fleeing a cruel childhood in Portugal for refuge in Canada, she faces new trials and heartbreak. Through unwavering faith, Maria reclaims her life, forging a path to healing and forgiveness. Her powerful memoir shines as a testament to the strength of the human spirit.
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Born into abandonment and raised in love, Maria Trautman’s life shattered when her beloved grandmother passed away. Forced to live with a cruel mother in Portugal, Maria endured years of relentless physical and emotional abuse.
Fleeing to Canada in search of safety, she found refuge with her aunt—only to face further abuse at the hands of her uncle. Trapped in a devastating cycle of violence, Maria’s faith and determination became her only weapons against despair.
Through raw recollections and unflinching honesty, Maria’s memoir chronicles her journey from suffering to hope. Her search for peace transforms into a powerful tribute to resilience, faith, and forgiveness.
This poignant story of survival and redemption is a testament to the unyielding strength of the human spirit.
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In 1969 Brazil, young Catarina trades her family farm for a wealthy São Paulo household.
A Crop Farmer’s Daughter
Biographies & Memoirs
Our take
In 1969 Brazil, young Catarina trades her family farm for a wealthy São Paulo household. As she struggles to bridge the chasm between her life and her employers’ luxuries, she dreams of education as her path to freedom. But with barriers mounting and Rafael on her mind, can she escape poverty’s grip and rewrite her destiny?
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In the winter of 1969, ten-year-old Catarina is forced to leave her family’s rural farm in southern Brazil and become a housemaid in São Paulo. While her wealthy employers revel in luxury, Catarina’s family struggles to survive in their crumbling home. Torn between two worlds, she dreams of breaking free from the cycle of poverty.
With resilience and hope, Catarina vows to defy the odds through education—the only path to a better life. But challenges loom: schools reject her, societal barriers tighten, and thoughts of Rafael, the boy who captivates her, linger in her mind.
Will Catarina rise above her circumstances, or is she destined to live out her family’s struggles? A poignant story of courage, determination, and the power of dreams.
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Dancing on Bones is a vivid account of growing up in Rhodesia during war and unrest.
Dancing On Bones
Biographies & Memoirs
Our take
Dancing on Bones is a vivid account of growing up in Rhodesia during war and unrest. Blending personal trials with glimpses into African history, wild landscapes, and cultural traditions, the author crafts a moving story of resilience and transformation.
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In Dancing on Bones, the author recounts a deeply personal journey of growing up in Rhodesia during a time of war, civil unrest, and life-altering choices. Against this turbulent backdrop, readers are immersed in a vivid portrayal of life in Rhodesia and Zimbabwe, from encounters with wild animals and ancient art to the rhythms of farming, beekeeping, and community traditions.
Through humorous moments and harrowing challenges, the narrative offers a window into African history, ethnic cultures, religious practices, and political intrigue, weaving the author’s experiences with a broader exploration of a land and its people.
Heartfelt and richly detailed, Dancing on Bones presents an unforgettable perspective on a nation’s history and a man’s life shaped by conflict, culture, and resilience.
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A sharp fit for readers drawn to memoirs about family, race, resilience, religion, and finding humor under oppressive circumstances.
Born a Crime
Biographies & Memoirs
Our take
A number one New York Times bestseller, Trevor Noah’s memoir recounts his childhood in apartheid and post-apartheid South Africa, where his birth to a Black mother and white father was evidence of a crime. Told through stories both humorous and painful, the book centers his resourceful mother and the relationship that shaped him, with a 4.5-star average from more than 839,000 Goodreads ratings. A sharp fit for readers drawn to memoirs about family, race, resilience, religion, and finding humor under oppressive circumstances.
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#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • More than one million copies sold! A “brilliant” (Lupita Nyong’o, Time), “poignant” (Entertainment Weekly), “soul-nourishing” (USA Today) memoir about coming of age during the twilight of apartheid
“Noah’s childhood stories are told with all the hilarity and intellect that characterizes his comedy, while illuminating a dark and brutal period in South Africa’s history that must never be forgotten.”—Esquire
Winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor and an NAACP Image Award • Named one of the best books of the year by The New York Time, USA Today, San Francisco Chronicle, NPR, Esquire, Newsday, and Booklist
Trevor Noah’s unlikely path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show began with a criminal act: his birth. Trevor was born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison. Living proof of his parents’ indiscretion, Trevor was kept mostly indoors for the earliest years of his life, bound by the extreme and often absurd measures his mother took to hide him from a government that could, at any moment, steal him away. Finally liberated by the end of South Africa’s tyrannical white rule, Trevor and his mother set forth on a grand adventure, living openly and freely and embracing the opportunities won by a centuries-long struggle.
Born a Crime is the story of a mischievous young boy who grows into a restless young man as he struggles to find himself in a world where he was never supposed to exist. It is also the story of that young man’s relationship with his fearless, rebellious, and fervently religious mother—his teammate, a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence, and abuse that would ultimately threaten her own life.
The stories collected here are by turns hilarious, dramatic, and deeply affecting. Whether subsisting on caterpillars for dinner during hard times, being thrown from a moving car during an attempted kidnapping, or just trying to survive the life-and-death pitfalls of dating in high school, Trevor illuminates his curious world with an incisive wit and unflinching honesty. His stories weave together to form a moving and searingly funny portrait of a boy making his way through a damaged world in a dangerous time, armed only with a keen sense of humor and a mother’s unconventional, unconditional love.
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Best for readers who want candid memoirs about Appalachian life, family survival, faith, and resilience.
Run, Girls
Biographies & Memoirs
Our take
Run, Girls is Jenny Cafaro’s memoir of growing up amid addiction, violence, foster care, poverty, and repeated upheaval as she and her sisters try to stay together and break a generational cycle, with a 4.17-star average from more than 2,300 Goodreads ratings. Best for readers who want candid memoirs about Appalachian life, family survival, faith, and resilience.
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In this raw and unflinching memoir, Jenny Cafaro lays bare the inspiring story of her harrowing upbringing in the Appalachian foothills of Kentucky. Raised by a determined mother and a violent stepfather, Cafaro brings readers deep into a world marked by poverty, domestic abuse, and emotional scars that run generations deep. She reveals her faith honestly — not from a pulpit, but from the trenches of real life.
From the first page, Run, Girls refuses to sugarcoat. Instead, Cafaro tells the truth—the hard, often heartbreaking truth—through scenes that feel both cinematic and intimate. In one unforgettable moment, a shotgun blast transforms a wall into a flurry of shredded wallpaper—chaos made strangely beautiful, like much of her childhood.
Despite the darkness, what shines through is the resilience of a family fighting to survive. Cafaro’s mother, wielding hammers against rodents and bravery against bullets, emerges as a true warrior figure—gritty, flawed, and unyielding. The children, especially the four daughters, face the unthinkable yet cling to each other and to slivers of hope.
Cafaro’s prose is direct, emotional, and deeply rooted in place. Her Appalachian voice is strong and clear, guiding readers through scenes of violence, grit, and occasional grace. Though often heavy, the memoir is balanced by moments of laughter, love, and a stubborn belief that better days might come.
Run, Girls is not for the faint of heart—but for readers who crave real stories of survival, faith, and perseverance, this memoir delivers.
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A whirlwind of love, loss, and late-night revelations, Everything I Know About Love is Dolly Alderton’s unforgettable memoir of messy twenties and hard-won wisdom.
Everything I Know About Love
Biographies & Memoirs
Our take
A whirlwind of love, loss, and late-night revelations, Everything I Know About Love is Dolly Alderton’s unforgettable memoir of messy twenties and hard-won wisdom. From wild romances to heartbreak, drunken missteps to unshakable friendships, she paints life’s chaos with humor and heart. Raw, relatable, and wickedly insightful, this is a portrait of growing up—and learning you’re already enough.
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Love and chaos collide in Dolly Alderton's wickedly funny memoir, Everything I Know About Love.
Dolly shares the messy, marvelous moments of navigating her twenties—falling for the wrong people, fumbling through jobs, and discovering that no one holds a candle to her best girlfriends. With her wit as sharp as her heartbreaks are raw, she captures the comedy and calamity of becoming an adult who feels anything but grown-up.
But life isn’t all quirky anecdotes. Behind every disaster is a deeper lesson: grappling with loneliness, facing loss, and learning that "enough" isn’t about perfection—it’s about self-acceptance.
Hilarious and poignant, this memoir asks the big question: when everything’s a mess, what’s really worth holding onto? Prepare to laugh, cry, and call your best friend.
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Mira Bartók’s life was shaped by her mother’s brilliance—and her descent into schizophrenia.
The Memory Palace
Biographies & Memoirs
Our take
Mira Bartók’s life was shaped by her mother’s brilliance—and her descent into schizophrenia. Years after severing ties for safety, a traumatic accident and her mother’s dying wish lead Mira to a bittersweet reconciliation. Unearthed family treasures and haunting memories reveal the indelible bond of love and forgiveness, even in the face of loss and pain.
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At her mother’s memorial service, Mira Bartók hears a stark truth: “People have abandoned loved ones for much less.” Her mother, Norma Herr, once a piano prodigy, fell into schizophrenia, transforming love into fear and obsession. Mira and her sister, desperate for safety, changed their names and severed ties, but the past never stayed silent.
Years later, a car accident leaves Mira grappling with a traumatic brain injury and a fractured sense of self. In her search for healing, she reconnects with her dying mother, uncovering a storage unit filled with memories—family photos, childhood keepsakes, fragments of a life once vibrant.
Through extraordinary reconciliation and haunting discoveries, Mira is forced to confront the unbreakable bond between mother and daughter. Can love endure even the deepest wounds?
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Library Journal called it “A fascinating work that reads like a novel.” Roma Ligocka recounts her childhood as a Jewish girl in Nazi-occupied Poland and the trauma she…
The Girl in the Red Coat
Biographies & Memoirs
Our take
Library Journal called it “A fascinating work that reads like a novel.” Roma Ligocka recounts her childhood as a Jewish girl in Nazi-occupied Poland and the trauma she confronted after recognizing herself in the red-coated child depicted in Schindler’s List, with a 4.0-star average from more than 3,700 Goodreads ratings. This will appeal to readers seeking Holocaust memoirs focused on memory, identity, survival, and trauma’s lasting effects.
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"This poignant [Holocaust memoir] does honor to all children bewildered by horror and injustice." —Thomas Keneally, author of Schindler's List
When she first saw Schindler's List—to whose premiere in Germany she was invited—Roma Ligocka suddenly realized she was witnessing a part of her own life. She felt instinctively that the little girl in the red coat—the only spot of color in the film—was her. When she had lived in the Krakow ghetto during the Second World War she had worn a strawberry-red coat given to her by her grandmother. Unlike the girl in Spielberg's film, however, Roma survived the war. Startled by this eerie conjunction of art and reality, Ligocka determined to write the story of her own life, to find out what had become of the little girl, and to measure who she now was.
From a harrowing childhood under the Nazis, described with a simplicity and innocence that lends it even greater power, through the trials of living in Communist Poland, to a career in the theater and film (an artistic struggle paralleling that of her cousin, Roman Polanski), Ligocka traces her struggle for self-definition and happiness. The Girl in the Red Coat is a courageous and moving story of survival and triumph.
"This is not only a Holocaust memoir but also a story of one woman's quest for contentment."
—Booklist
"A fascinating work that reads like a novel." —Library Journal
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Best for readers who appreciate reflective memoirs about relationships, identity, and personal change.
You Could Make This Place Beautiful
Biographies & Memoirs
Our take
A New York Times bestseller described as “A bittersweet study in both grief and joy” by Time, poet Maggie Smith's memoir examines the breakdown of her marriage and her changing understanding of herself. Told through lyrical vignettes, it explores motherhood, gender roles, forgiveness, and rebuilding a life after divorce. Best for readers who appreciate reflective memoirs about relationships, identity, and personal change.
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INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
“A bittersweet study in both grief and joy.” —Time
“A sparklingly beautiful memoir-in-vignettes” (Isaac Fitzgerald, New York Times bestselling author) that explores coming of age in your middle age—from the bestselling poet and author of Keep Moving.
“Life, like a poem, is a series of choices.”
In her memoir You Could Make This Place Beautiful, poet Maggie Smith explores the disintegration of her marriage and her renewed commitment to herself. The book begins with one woman’s personal heartbreak, but its circles widen into a reckoning with contemporary womanhood, traditional gender roles, and the power dynamics that persist even in many progressive homes. With the spirit of self-inquiry and empathy she’s known for, Smith interweaves snapshots of a life with meditations on secrets, anger, forgiveness, and narrative itself. The power of these pieces is cumulative: page after page, they build into a larger interrogation of family, work, and patriarchy.
You Could Make This Place Beautiful, like the work of Deborah Levy, Rachel Cusk, and Gina Frangello, is an unflinching look at what it means to live and write our own lives. It is a story about a mother’s fierce and constant love for her children, and a woman’s love and regard for herself. Above all, this memoir is “extraordinary” (Ann Patchett) in the way that it reveals how, in the aftermath of loss, we can discover our own power and make something new and beautiful.
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Margaret Renkl’s The Comfort of Crows unfolds across fifty-two meditative chapters that observe nature’s wonders and losses through the seasons.
The Comfort of Crows
Biographies & Memoirs
Our take
Margaret Renkl’s The Comfort of Crows unfolds across fifty-two meditative chapters that observe nature’s wonders and losses through the seasons. With her backyard as a stage, Renkl captures the beauty of birds, blooms, and shifting landscapes, weaving in poignant reflections on family, change, and a world in urgent need of care.
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In The Comfort of Crows, Margaret Renkl crafts a moving literary devotional that celebrates the wonders of her backyard’s flora and fauna. Through fifty-two seasonal chapters, she observes crows at New Year’s, nesting bluebirds in spring, and fading autumn blooms, finding joy in nature’s quiet persistence and sorrow in its decline.
As her grown children depart once more and familiar landscapes change, Renkl reflects on life’s own seasons. Each chapter is a reminder of the beauty and fragility around us, urging a deep commitment to a world in flux.
In a time of loss, Renkl asks: can we nurture hope as the world transforms?
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Justin Lifflander's Cold War dream job in Moscow isn’t spy games but janitorial work at a Russian nuclear site.
How Not to Become a Spy
Biographies & Memoirs
Our take
Justin Lifflander's Cold War dream job in Moscow isn’t spy games but janitorial work at a Russian nuclear site. Surrounded by watchful KGB agents and entangled with Sofia, an alluring “escort” with her own secrets, Justin must navigate humor, intrigue, and forbidden romance in the heart of US-Soviet tensions.
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Justin Lifflander always dreamed of joining the Cold War’s front lines as an intelligence officer. After internships with the State Department and FBI, he finally lands a job at the US Embassy in Moscow. But his role isn’t spycraft—it’s janitorial oversight at a nuclear missile factory in provincial Russia, far from the thrills he imagined.
Assigned to monitor the factory alongside a quirky American team, Justin quickly learns that Russians are as friendly—and as suspicious—as any American. Local KGB agents assign young women, “escorts,” to keep watch, and Justin soon finds himself captivated by Sofia, a beautiful escort caught in her own web of manipulation.
As tensions rise, can Justin navigate his growing feelings without compromising his mission—or himself?
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