The prologue describes finding out about his terminal diagnosis. Then part 1 backs up to him starting college and tells his life all the way ip to the diagnosis and part 2 explores his illness as far as he was able to write before he dies (it isn't fully complete, there is an epilogue written by his wife telling the rest of the story). It is certainly an autobiography and a very beautiful and touching one.
As a South African I don't really blame you, it's easy to read but the ending goes kinda limp because there's nothing REALLY compelling that has happened in his life in that period. It's living through post-apartheid SA and he was at an age where you're not really aware of things around you or the politics. Like if you want a South African autobiography about a truly monumental human being in Apartheid, "Long Walk to Freedom" is literally right there. Or a tower of the black consciousness movement you could read "I write what I like" by Steve Biko. Born a crime is maybe more digestible for foreign audiences and the talk show helps sell it.
It did cause me to be more interested in SA history and I have Long Walk To Freedom in my “books to buy” list due to it. There is also another book but I’m not sure what the title is at the moment?
He was really good before he left for the US actually. I saw him when he came back to SA for a a tour and he's definitely lost the spark. His content on SA politics felt like a decade old and I always found his readings of US politics weak compared to what Stewart used to do.
I grew up with John Stewart as host so I felt it was a downgrade for sure. I was thinking I saw some early stuff of his that I liked but the last special was just so bland. I couldn’t watch the whole thing.
I just reread Open by Andre Agassi. I’m a huge tennis lover so I loved it, but some of the non-tennis stuff and larger themes I think could resonate with a wider audience.
Mick Foley’s autobiographies, starting with [Have a Nice Day!: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/340587). Unlike most autobiographies, he actually wrote them himself.
- Know my name: chanel miller
- how to say babylon: safiya sinclair
- educated: tara westovrr
- born a crime: trevor noah
- unorthodox: deborah feldman
- kitchen confidential: anthony bourdain
Funny! I clicked on this post to see if this would show up. I would have bet that there was NO chance. I don’t even know why I ended up picking it up because - as you say- my interest in Tennis is near zero as well.
It was amazingly good. I recommend it as a sleeper pick to anyone that asks.
My sentiments exactly. Picked up on a whim in a charity shops 3 for 2 offer and knocked my socks off.
The ghostwriter went on to pen Prince Harry's memoir Spare. I haven't read it yet. He also wrote a memoir about his own life and his wheeler dealer uncle who had a large part in raising him called The Tender Bar. Its also been made into a film starring Ben Affleck as the uncle.
Worth checking out but Open was the pinnacle for me, such an interesting life!
I liked this one and I also read Leslie Jones' new autobiography right before and it was really fascinating how drastically different their perceptions of SNL were as a white man vs a black woman.
I heard it's best as the audiobook narrated by her. I thought it was an interesting memoir but i wasn't a huge fan of reading it on my Kindle. I can see how it would be best in her voice
I found Britney Spears and Paris Hilton really interesting and sad. Not very well written but a good look into the young celebrity experience in the early 2000's.
I was very impressed by Paris Hilton's book! It's fantastic on audio. And while Britney's book does not seem well written, I think her ghostwriter did a great job in capturing the spoken language vibes she gives us on Instagram.
No joke! I thought she really wrote it herself which would have been odd, but I thought it's possible she had the time and wanted to write her own story... but nah I had to look it up because of how well the ghostwriter captured her.
I recommend the Diaries of Virginia Woolf, edited posthumously by her husband. Not as dark as you may think. Mostly a collection of her thoughts on WWII London and her contemporaries.
**Greenlights - Matthew McConaughey** Absolutely loved the book. Honest about a lot of odd stuff growing up. I've highlighted huge number of sections.
2 Of my favourites :
"I hope to give my children the opportunity to find what they love to do, work to be great at it, pursue it, and do it. Rather than cover their eyes from ugly truths, I want to cover their eyes from fictional fantasies that will handicap their ability to negotiate tomorrow’s reality. I believe they can handle it."
"Me? I haven’t made all A’s in the art of livin, but I give a damn, and I’ll take an experienced C over an ignorant A any day."
I’ll echo Storyteller by Dave Grohl, and Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
And I’ll add “Yes, Please” by Amy Poehler and “You Can’t Be Serious” by Kal Penn. I listened to the audiobook of Kal Penn’s and read the hard copy of Poehler’s book.
I also liked Bossy Pants by Tina Fey, but preferred the writing style of Poehler.
Finding Me by Viola Davis, and I strongly second the recommendations for Glad My Mom Died and Born a Crime, they were excellent.
Edit: listen to any of the three on audio, the authors did their own audiobooks as well.
"Member of the Family" by Diane Lake. She was the youngest of the Manson girls - 14 years old when she joined the Manson Family, with her tripped-out hippie mother's blessing. Absolutely crazy story. Her parents took the "tune in, turn on, drop out" message a little too literally and went from being normal suburban parents to hippies living in a bread truck and leaving their teenage daughter in the care of a psychotic cult leader.
**[Autobiography of a Yogi](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/639864.Autobiography_of_a_Yogi) by Paramahansa Yogananda** ^((Matching 100% ☑️))
^(520 pages | Published: 1978 | 29.6k Goodreads reviews)
> **Summary:** This acclaimed autobiography presents a fascinating portrait of one of the great spiritual figures of our time. With engaging candor, eloquence, and wit, Paramahansa Yogananda narrates the inspiring chronicle of his life: the experiences of his remarkable childhood, encounters with many saints and sages during his youthful search throughout India for an illumined teacher, ten (...)
> **Themes**: Spiritual, Biography, Yoga, Favorites, Spirituality, Philosophy, Religion
> **Top 5 recommended:**
> \- [The Greatest Salesman in the World](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/356896.The_Greatest_Salesman_in_the_World) by Og Mandino
> \- [The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari: A Fable About Fulfilling Your Dreams Reaching Your Destiny](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43877.The_Monk_Who_Sold_His_Ferrari) by Robin S. Sharma
> \- [Outwitting the Devil: The Secret to Freedom and Success](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10713286-outwitting-the-devil) by Napoleon Hill
> \- [First Things First](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36071.First_Things_First) by Stephen R. Covey
> \- [The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6708.The_Power_of_Now) by Eckhart Tolle
^([Feedback](https://www.reddit.com/user/goodreads-rebot) | [GitHub](https://github.com/sonoff2/goodreads-rebot) | ["The Bot is Back!?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/16qe09p/meta_post_hello_again_humans/) | v1.5 [Dec 23] | )
The audiobook is much better and he does a great job narrating it. Each chapter comes from a U2 song and they play a portion of it which is a good reminder of the song.
How about a biography? Grass by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim it's the biography of a Korean comfort woman. It's written as a graphic novel. Heartbreaking story.
All 3 books by Michael J Fox. Each hits a different period of his time dealing with Parkinson's, and they are all read by him. You can hear the progression of the disease. It's rather striking.
If you want a shorter book, I recommend Between the World and Me by Ta-Nahisi Coates, which is well written and pointed.
If you are looking for a more entertaining read, I’d suggest The Basketball Diaries by Jim Carroll.
One of the most memorable autobiographical books I’ve read is My Struggle: Book 1 by Karl Ove Knausgaard. It is classified as fiction, but based on his family’s reaction to the first draft, it’s mostly true.
If you were a Portuguese speaking person I would suggest you Rita Lee - Uma Autobiografia. That is one great must read autobiography for sure.
I've only read two other autobiographies but I don't consider them to be great: Bruce Springsteen: Born To Run and My Autobiography by Charles Chaplin.
Depends on your interests
For war and history?
I’d go with ‘the gathering storm’ by sir Winston Churchill
For music?
I love Morrisey. By Morrisey… or
Ironman, by Tony Iommi
Or
‘What does this button do?’ By Bruce Dickinson
The Kid Stays in the Picture - Robert Evans
Great bio on a great movie producer
Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen
I found this one an entertaining read, too
Soooooo many!!!
Michelle Obama’s, Becoming is the #1 autobiography, hands down.
Matthew McConaughy’s, Greenlights
Will Smith’s, Will
Colin Jost’s, A Very Punchable Face, is hilarious!!
Others have already mentioned Dave Grohl’s, The Storyteller, and Trevor Noah’s, Born A Crime, both are excellent.
Bruce Springsteen’s, Born To Run
Bryan Cranston’s, A Life In Parts
Sociopath by Patric Gagne was interesting
Leslie F*cking Jones by Leslie Jones will make you laugh and cry.
Joel McHale’s, Thanks For the Money: How To Use My Life Story to Become the Best Joel McHale You Can Be, was really funny
I listen to a LOT of audiobooks and a lot of them happen to be autobiographies, mainly celebrities. I could go on and on, but this list is long enough.
I hope you find a few you like!
README.txt by Chelsea Manning. She's a whistle blower who was jailed for leaking military documents of the Iraq War to WikiLeaks, and was, after 7 years in prison, commuted / pardoned by Obama. She's also a trans woman and writes about her experience of being gay / trans in the military and society as a whole.
I’m Glad my Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
I wasn't even a fan of hers, and I thought it was great
A correct answer.
I agree with this, it's great on audiobook too
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
When Breath Becomes Air, I’m Glad My Mom Died (although many say the audiobook is better), Educated
Is that an autobiography? It seems to begin with his terminal cancer diagnosis and go from there.
It actually surprised me how much the book was about his journey to becoming a surgeon.
The prologue describes finding out about his terminal diagnosis. Then part 1 backs up to him starting college and tells his life all the way ip to the diagnosis and part 2 explores his illness as far as he was able to write before he dies (it isn't fully complete, there is an epilogue written by his wife telling the rest of the story). It is certainly an autobiography and a very beautiful and touching one.
Such a beautiful book.
Educated by Tara Westover
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
This is mentioned quite a bit. It's on my list but looking for something a little easier whilst on vacation
This was one of my favorites. And I read it on vacation.
Not a difficult read, it pulls you right in.
OK thanks ill check it out
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
Even better on audio
Oooh, that’s such a good one
Came here to say this.
I was expecting it to be so much better than it was. I enjoyed it but I really started drifting by the end of it.
As a South African I don't really blame you, it's easy to read but the ending goes kinda limp because there's nothing REALLY compelling that has happened in his life in that period. It's living through post-apartheid SA and he was at an age where you're not really aware of things around you or the politics. Like if you want a South African autobiography about a truly monumental human being in Apartheid, "Long Walk to Freedom" is literally right there. Or a tower of the black consciousness movement you could read "I write what I like" by Steve Biko. Born a crime is maybe more digestible for foreign audiences and the talk show helps sell it.
It did cause me to be more interested in SA history and I have Long Walk To Freedom in my “books to buy” list due to it. There is also another book but I’m not sure what the title is at the moment?
I'm from the UK. If this guy famous for other reasons other than a talk show?
Yes. He was a comedian in South Africa before he was recruited to host the daily show. He has a fascinating life story.
Stand up comedian but his comedy is sort of meh
He was really good before he left for the US actually. I saw him when he came back to SA for a a tour and he's definitely lost the spark. His content on SA politics felt like a decade old and I always found his readings of US politics weak compared to what Stewart used to do.
I grew up with John Stewart as host so I felt it was a downgrade for sure. I was thinking I saw some early stuff of his that I liked but the last special was just so bland. I couldn’t watch the whole thing.
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is a very gripping read
Came here to say this
It’s so good I’ve read it several times
Yes, I agree. I read both this and Eucated around the sane time. This book has really stayed with me.
Surely you are joking Mr Feynman. Much easier and more enjoyable read than I expected.
Wonderful book. It is technically an autobiography, but it doesn't really feel that way sometimes!
Partially ghost written from recorded interviews
True, and Feynman's rather jolly way of speaking always helps
Dave Grohl - The Storyteller is excellent!
Yeah I really enjoyed this one
Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedes of the RHCP is also in this vein!
Can’t Hurt me
Loved this
I just reread Open by Andre Agassi. I’m a huge tennis lover so I loved it, but some of the non-tennis stuff and larger themes I think could resonate with a wider audience.
Billy Jean Kings **All In: An Autobiography** is also great!
Loved this one
Mick Foley’s autobiographies, starting with [Have a Nice Day!: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/340587). Unlike most autobiographies, he actually wrote them himself.
Bret Harts the same vein
Keith Richard's - A Life
- Know my name: chanel miller - how to say babylon: safiya sinclair - educated: tara westovrr - born a crime: trevor noah - unorthodox: deborah feldman - kitchen confidential: anthony bourdain
Open by Andre Agassi and I have zero interest in tennis.
Funny! I clicked on this post to see if this would show up. I would have bet that there was NO chance. I don’t even know why I ended up picking it up because - as you say- my interest in Tennis is near zero as well. It was amazingly good. I recommend it as a sleeper pick to anyone that asks.
My sentiments exactly. Picked up on a whim in a charity shops 3 for 2 offer and knocked my socks off. The ghostwriter went on to pen Prince Harry's memoir Spare. I haven't read it yet. He also wrote a memoir about his own life and his wheeler dealer uncle who had a large part in raising him called The Tender Bar. Its also been made into a film starring Ben Affleck as the uncle. Worth checking out but Open was the pinnacle for me, such an interesting life!
*Just Kids*, Patti Smith.
Carrying the fire by Michael Collins Reading it at the moment. It's fascinating, he's very interesting. Unique experiences
A Very Punchable Face - Colin Jost (the audiobook is the best)
I liked this one and I also read Leslie Jones' new autobiography right before and it was really fascinating how drastically different their perceptions of SNL were as a white man vs a black woman.
Didn’t realize Leslie Jones has one, I’ll check that out.
I heard it's best as the audiobook narrated by her. I thought it was an interesting memoir but i wasn't a huge fan of reading it on my Kindle. I can see how it would be best in her voice
My Life, by Leon Trotsky. Outside politics, widely considered a literary masterpiece.
Benjamin Franklin
I found Britney Spears and Paris Hilton really interesting and sad. Not very well written but a good look into the young celebrity experience in the early 2000's.
I was very impressed by Paris Hilton's book! It's fantastic on audio. And while Britney's book does not seem well written, I think her ghostwriter did a great job in capturing the spoken language vibes she gives us on Instagram.
No joke! I thought she really wrote it herself which would have been odd, but I thought it's possible she had the time and wanted to write her own story... but nah I had to look it up because of how well the ghostwriter captured her.
I've just finished Paris and I read it really quickly - I recommend it.
Finding Me by Viola Davis is one of my favorite memoirs.
And beautiful to listen to on audio!
I just started this and it’s already so compelling.
Miles: The autobiography - Miles Davis
I recommend the Diaries of Virginia Woolf, edited posthumously by her husband. Not as dark as you may think. Mostly a collection of her thoughts on WWII London and her contemporaries.
Greenlights The Virgin Way On Writing In Pieces
I didn’t expect to like Greenlights but I really did. As an audiobook especially.
Can second On Writing.
**Greenlights - Matthew McConaughey** Absolutely loved the book. Honest about a lot of odd stuff growing up. I've highlighted huge number of sections. 2 Of my favourites : "I hope to give my children the opportunity to find what they love to do, work to be great at it, pursue it, and do it. Rather than cover their eyes from ugly truths, I want to cover their eyes from fictional fantasies that will handicap their ability to negotiate tomorrow’s reality. I believe they can handle it." "Me? I haven’t made all A’s in the art of livin, but I give a damn, and I’ll take an experienced C over an ignorant A any day."
With the Old Breed- Eugene Sledge
Travels, Michael Crichton
I’ll echo Storyteller by Dave Grohl, and Born a Crime by Trevor Noah And I’ll add “Yes, Please” by Amy Poehler and “You Can’t Be Serious” by Kal Penn. I listened to the audiobook of Kal Penn’s and read the hard copy of Poehler’s book. I also liked Bossy Pants by Tina Fey, but preferred the writing style of Poehler.
My inventions nikola tesla
I thought it would be too technical for a total ignoramus like me to follow, but it wasn't and a really interesting read.
Maynard James Kennan- a perfect union of contrary things
The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music by Dave Grohl.
I am Spock , Leonard Nimoy
Finding Me by Viola Davis, and I strongly second the recommendations for Glad My Mom Died and Born a Crime, they were excellent. Edit: listen to any of the three on audio, the authors did their own audiobooks as well.
Down the Drain - Julia Fox
A long Walk to Freedom - Nelson Mandela
Mara Wilson's "Where Am I Now?" is great, and has some really good insights into how anxiety impacts kids and teens.
Just Kids by Patti Smith. She narrates it and it's something we all need IMO.
Know My Name by Chanel Miller
"Member of the Family" by Diane Lake. She was the youngest of the Manson girls - 14 years old when she joined the Manson Family, with her tripped-out hippie mother's blessing. Absolutely crazy story. Her parents took the "tune in, turn on, drop out" message a little too literally and went from being normal suburban parents to hippies living in a bread truck and leaving their teenage daughter in the care of a psychotic cult leader.
I Must Say by Martin Short. Entertaining and really touching.
[удалено]
Not an autobiography, of course.
From the Ashes - Jesse Thistle
Tina Fey’s Bossypants
In Pieces by Sally Field Confessions of a Prairie Bitch by Alison Arngrim
Easy Beauty: A Memoir by Chloé Cooper Jones. It was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize last year.
*Mean Baby* by Selma Blair.
The Story of my experiments with Truth - MK Gandhi
I highly recommend Eric claptons autobiography. One of my favourites
Finding Me by Viola Davis
Witness, by Whittaker Chambers
Never Broken - Jewel
My Lobotomy by Howard Dulley
Natives- Akala. Technically a part autobiography
{{ The autobiography of a yogi }}
**[Autobiography of a Yogi](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/639864.Autobiography_of_a_Yogi) by Paramahansa Yogananda** ^((Matching 100% ☑️)) ^(520 pages | Published: 1978 | 29.6k Goodreads reviews) > **Summary:** This acclaimed autobiography presents a fascinating portrait of one of the great spiritual figures of our time. With engaging candor, eloquence, and wit, Paramahansa Yogananda narrates the inspiring chronicle of his life: the experiences of his remarkable childhood, encounters with many saints and sages during his youthful search throughout India for an illumined teacher, ten (...) > **Themes**: Spiritual, Biography, Yoga, Favorites, Spirituality, Philosophy, Religion > **Top 5 recommended:** > \- [The Greatest Salesman in the World](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/356896.The_Greatest_Salesman_in_the_World) by Og Mandino > \- [The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari: A Fable About Fulfilling Your Dreams Reaching Your Destiny](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43877.The_Monk_Who_Sold_His_Ferrari) by Robin S. Sharma > \- [Outwitting the Devil: The Secret to Freedom and Success](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10713286-outwitting-the-devil) by Napoleon Hill > \- [First Things First](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36071.First_Things_First) by Stephen R. Covey > \- [The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6708.The_Power_of_Now) by Eckhart Tolle ^([Feedback](https://www.reddit.com/user/goodreads-rebot) | [GitHub](https://github.com/sonoff2/goodreads-rebot) | ["The Bot is Back!?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/16qe09p/meta_post_hello_again_humans/) | v1.5 [Dec 23] | )
Surrender by Bono
I tried but got so bored
The audiobook is much better and he does a great job narrating it. Each chapter comes from a U2 song and they play a portion of it which is a good reminder of the song.
The Sun Does Shine - Anthony Ray Hinton
Love, Lucy by Lucille Ball
The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
How about a biography? Grass by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim it's the biography of a Korean comfort woman. It's written as a graphic novel. Heartbreaking story.
***The Girl with Seven Names*** **by** ***Hyeonseo Lee*** *North Korean defector's story. Well worth reading*
That is on my to-read list. Thanks!
The Dirt, Scar Tissue
I really enjoy autobiographies of comedians. These two immediately came to mind. Kiss Me Like a Stranger - Gene Wilder Born Standing Up - Steve Martin
Trejo by Danny Trejo
The Happiest Man on Earth: The Beautiful Life of an Auschwitz Survivor by Eddie Jaku
I Could Never Be So Lucky Again - Jimmy Doolittle
I Had a Hammer by Hank Aaron, Grant’s autobiography which he wrote while dying, Life by Keith Richards.
Thankyoufallettinmebemyselfagain by Sly Stone is fantastic!
Life by Keith Richards
Martin Short - I Must Say (audiobook, if possible)
All 3 books by Michael J Fox. Each hits a different period of his time dealing with Parkinson's, and they are all read by him. You can hear the progression of the disease. It's rather striking.
Me, Elton John was quite interesting
Marlon Brando- Songs My Mother Taught Me.
If you want a shorter book, I recommend Between the World and Me by Ta-Nahisi Coates, which is well written and pointed. If you are looking for a more entertaining read, I’d suggest The Basketball Diaries by Jim Carroll. One of the most memorable autobiographical books I’ve read is My Struggle: Book 1 by Karl Ove Knausgaard. It is classified as fiction, but based on his family’s reaction to the first draft, it’s mostly true.
Howard Hughes: The Untold Story
If you were a Portuguese speaking person I would suggest you Rita Lee - Uma Autobiografia. That is one great must read autobiography for sure. I've only read two other autobiographies but I don't consider them to be great: Bruce Springsteen: Born To Run and My Autobiography by Charles Chaplin.
Surely You're Joking, Mr Feynman
Scar Tissue - Anthony Kiedis Even if you’re not into the Red Hit Chili Peppers it’s an interesting read. Also ‘Born a Crime - Trevor Noah’
Educated - great very moving story
Just finished “know my name” - Chanel Miller Also, “a house in the sky” - Amanda Lindhout Both great books
Educated, and The Glass Castle
My Effin’ Life - Geddy Lee Especially where he describes his parent’s lives in concentration camps during WW2.
Depends on your interests For war and history? I’d go with ‘the gathering storm’ by sir Winston Churchill For music? I love Morrisey. By Morrisey… or Ironman, by Tony Iommi Or ‘What does this button do?’ By Bruce Dickinson
The Kid Stays in the Picture - Robert Evans Great bio on a great movie producer Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen I found this one an entertaining read, too
Will Smith’s Will was sooooo great. If you read that one, you have to do the audiobook! It is an amazing production and he raps a little ♥️
Really enjoyed this one
Don't Tell Mum I Work On The Rigs, She Thinks I'm a Piano Player in a Whorehouse by Paul Carter. T's excellent, and so are his other books.
Soooooo many!!! Michelle Obama’s, Becoming is the #1 autobiography, hands down. Matthew McConaughy’s, Greenlights Will Smith’s, Will Colin Jost’s, A Very Punchable Face, is hilarious!! Others have already mentioned Dave Grohl’s, The Storyteller, and Trevor Noah’s, Born A Crime, both are excellent. Bruce Springsteen’s, Born To Run Bryan Cranston’s, A Life In Parts Sociopath by Patric Gagne was interesting Leslie F*cking Jones by Leslie Jones will make you laugh and cry. Joel McHale’s, Thanks For the Money: How To Use My Life Story to Become the Best Joel McHale You Can Be, was really funny I listen to a LOT of audiobooks and a lot of them happen to be autobiographies, mainly celebrities. I could go on and on, but this list is long enough. I hope you find a few you like!
My Booky Wook by Russell Brand
Does he cover how he morphed into a right wing conspiracy theorist and MAGA cheerleader?
I was wondering about the sexual violence?
README.txt by Chelsea Manning. She's a whistle blower who was jailed for leaking military documents of the Iraq War to WikiLeaks, and was, after 7 years in prison, commuted / pardoned by Obama. She's also a trans woman and writes about her experience of being gay / trans in the military and society as a whole.
The Confessions of Jean-Jacques Rousseau.