My 5 Favorite Memoirs as a Memoir Ghostwriter
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I’ve written before on the best books about the craft of writing a memoir — but what are some of the best memoirs out there in general?
Getting on my “favorites” list is no easy feat. When I consider which books should rank the highest on my list, I’m thinking about the quality of the storytelling, how compelling the author’s voice is, and if the structure adds an additional element of readability to the book. I also wanted to pick my favorite memoirs across all the different categories, from travel memoirs to “how-to” books that also double as memoirs.
As a writer, it takes a lot for a book to impress me, so these books belong on your nightstand!
Without further ado, here’s the list:
My 5 Favorite Memoirs/Autobiographies as a Memoir Ghostwriter
Memoir #1: On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
“The road to hell is paved with adverbs.”
― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
On Writing was a pivotal book that shaped my early process as a writer. Many writers have written combined “memoir/how-to writing books” as I feel like it’s almost a rite of passage. However, On Writing is one of my absolute favorites, even though I’ll admit that I don’t find King’s fiction work very captivating. (Let’s just say his aversion to outlines feels very obvious to me when I pick up one of his books.)
The reason I like On Writing is that it feels austere compared to his other books. It’s… concise. For Stephen King. Insane. It also hits harder and gives more value to the reader compared to a book like Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic, which feels a little flat compared to King’s perfect distillation of the craft of writing.
If you’re writing a memoir that is a blend of teaching craft and sharing stories from your life, I can’t think of a better autobiography to study than Stephen King’s On Writing.
Memoir #2: Born a Crime: Stories of a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
“We tell people to follow their dreams, but you can only dream of what you can imagine, and, depending on where you come from, your imagination can be quite limited.”
― Trevor Noah, Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood
Very few books have made me laugh out loud as much as Born a Crime by Trevor Noah.
You can tell if a comedian has truly put their stamp on a book — or half-assed the process with an un-funny ghostwriter. I find that most celebrity memoirs are an agonizing process to read. Even though Jenny Slate’s half-memoir, half-experimental poetry book Little Weirds is so clearly written by her (or a very deranged ghostwriter) I couldn’t stand it. There were a few lines and sections I found thoughtful, but the book itself is an absolute hot mess.
So, I was skeptical of this book, but when it popped up on Audible as a book read by Trevor Noah himself, I decided to give it a try.
And I’m so glad I did, because this memoir is heartfelt and hilarious. The mosaic-like structure Noah uses to share his stories of coming-of-age in the twilight of apartheid supports this story beautifully. I felt expanded by this book: I not only got a humorous, enjoyable read about Noah’s childhood, I also understood more about the history of South Africa.
The best memoirs not only entertain — they educate. And Born a Crime does that in a way that not only flies in the face of chronological storytelling, but also in a way that builds some serious empathy with the reader. That’s why this celebrity memoir lands — and it lands hard. I love this book, and recommend it to all of my memoir ghostwriting clients who want to tell a surprising story out-of-order.
Memoir #3: Educated by Tara Westover
“You can love someone and still choose to say goodbye to them,” she says now. “You can miss a person every day, and still be glad that they are no longer in your life.”
― Tara Westover, Educated
When I’m meeting new clients who are looking to hire me as a memoir ghostwriter, a question I sometimes get is: “if I’m not famous, will people still want to read about me?”
The short answer? Of course. Humans love stories. If you’ve got a great story, people will line up to read your book if you can tell it well on the page. Tara Westover’s memoir Educated is a great example of unflinching vulnerability when it comes to telling the story of her challenging childhood growing up in a survivalist Mormon family.
Memoirs must walk a tightrope of tasteful — but brutal — honesty. You can’t use a book to just rag on enemies or complain about what you’ve been through. You have to be healed enough to hold your life story — all imperfect pieces of it — in your mind at once and deliver a nuanced perspective of your life. You have to distill themes in a way that is poetic but rings true.
This is why most people work with memoir ghostwriters like myself: writing a successful memoir requires outside perspective so that your book can be received the way you want it to be by your ideal readers.
Educated is the book I recommend to my clients who are trying to figure out how to artfully share a traumatic or unusual set of experiences that are outside of the realm of an average person’s understanding or experience. I love this book because it truly makes you care for Tara Westover by showing her struggles — but doesn’t throw her a pity party.
Instead, this memoir delivers powerful right hooks of revelation that leave you breathless.
Educated has this great scene — and a minor spoiler alert for this section — near the end of the book where Westover escapes her survivalist household and is learning for the first time at a university, trying to catch up from many years being homeschooled in extreme conditions. One of her classmates brings up something for a class discussion, and Westover raises her hand to ask the class what they’re talking about, as she isn’t familiar with the topic.
When Westover raises her hand and asks, “what is the holocaust?” The reader gasps with her classmates. It’s a gut-punch of a line, delivered in a way where we, the readers, truly are left with an understanding of how separate and “other” Westover was as she was trying to integrate into the world and get a real education.
Memoir #4: Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl
“Those who have a 'why' to live, can bear with almost any 'how'.”
― Viktor E. Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning
At USC, I took a class called The Science of Happiness. It may sound like some fluff credits, but it ended up being one of my favorite classes because of some of the profound books and concepts that were covered. In it, we read Victor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning.
Some memoirs change your life, and this is one of them. It follows Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl’s lessons for survival and meaning in Nazi death camps, and I recommend it to everyone with a pulse because it’s just that kind of book.
Not only does this book put our daily struggles into perspective, but it also serves as a “how to” book for overcoming our own operating systems in the face of adversity. It’s a classic and a great example of how we can use our own lives to help others.
Memoir #5: Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
“This is a good sign, having a broken heart. It means we have tried for something.”
― Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love
As a digital nomad, I appreciate the impact Eat, Pray, Love has had on women going through breakups who are considering buying plane tickets to find healing. Travel is a beautiful way to open your horizons and find yourself while appreciating the magic other people and cultures have to offer, as I’ve often felt on my travels.
What I love about this memoir is the raw look at how trauma and world-ending events can blossom into a new life. This book is fun and thoughtful, and you learn through Gilbert’s experiences about the places she visits. I was brought back to my time in Italy by her description of how it’s a city driven by the pursuit of pleasure — and gelato.
Eat, Pray, Love is a great reminder for Americans that there’s more out there than just working hard until you die. Other countries and experiences can teach us so much about what it means to live fully — and imperfectly — and appreciate everything in-between.
If you’re feeling restless in your life and are dreaming of learning Italian or having your future read by a healer — this is the book for you. I recommend this read to my clients who are wanting to write their own travel memoir, a subgenre that is one of my personal favorites.
Honorable Mention: Spare by Prince Harry
“(The fonder the memory, the deeper the ache.)”
― Prince Harry, Spare
Ah yes, one of the buzziest memoirs of the year: Spare by Prince Harry.
This book gets an honorable mention because it’s a pretty bold memoir for a Prince to write. I know him and Megan Markle are trying to kickstart their media empire (RIP their Spotify podcast overall deal) so this memoir is part of that play, but I applaud any public figure who puts themself out there and is vulnerable.
What also I find fascinating about this book is how the ghostwriter of this book got dragged into the spotlight as well. I feel like that’s an abnormality, but the gigantic swell of interest around this book seemed to bubble up in many different ways.
This remains an honorable mention because I’m just not as interested in the British royalty. It’s not the vibe for me, but I thought this book was worth including in this list as it’s a well done memoir.
Want to see more of my recommendations for books and other products? You can visit my Amazon storefront here for more.
Hire a Memoir Ghostwriter for Your Book
In the past seven years, I’ve served as a memoir ghostwriter for some pretty impressive people all over the world. My clients have graced the stages of TED, found themselves on bestseller lists, and have gone on to flourish in their careers and lives. Writing a memoir is an honorable way to share the lessons you learned on your journey in this lifetime and a great way for you to pass on your memories to future generations. It’s also a great way to earn passive income (forever!) by sharing your life with others.
You can check out my services here and learn more about my process, or you can read any of the below articles I’ve written on the subject of memoir ghostwriting:
Cheers to living a life worth writing about! 🥂
-Amy
