Best Biographies and Memoirs
Educated is the best memoir of the past decade — Tara Westover's account of growing up in a survivalist family in rural Idaho without formal education, and her eventual path to Cambridge, is extraordinary in both the story it tells and the intellectual honesty with which it's told. It's best for readers who want a memoir that functions as serious literary nonfiction. The tradeoff: Born a Crime is funnier, warmer, and more immediately enjoyable, making it the better starting point for readers who want memoir as entertainment.
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Quick Comparison
| # | Book | Best For | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Educated by Tara Westover | Best Memoir of the Decade / Most Intellectually Honest | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 | Born a Crime by Trevor Noah | Funniest / Most Entertaining | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 | The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls | Best Readable Memoir / Most Propulsive | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 | Becoming by Michelle Obama | Best for Inspiration / Most Widely Read | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 | When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi | Most Moving / Best on Mortality | Buy on Amazon |
Full Reviews
1. Educated
by Tara Westover
Westover grew up in a family that didn't believe in education, doctors, or government, and her eventual path to a PhD at Cambridge involved lying to herself about what she experienced before she could be honest about it. The honesty about her own unreliable memory is what elevates this above the genre average.
Skip this if: Skip this if family dysfunction and childhood neglect content is too difficult right now.
2. Born a Crime
by Trevor Noah
Noah's account of growing up mixed-race in apartheid South Africa — his existence was literally a crime. The humor is extraordinary and the love story between Noah and his mother is the emotional spine of the book. The most enjoyable memoir on this list.
Skip this if: Skip this if you want dark, difficult memoir — this is warm, funny, and remarkably light despite serious subject matter.
3. The Glass Castle
by Jeannette Walls
Walls's account of growing up with brilliant but deeply irresponsible parents who moved constantly, lived in poverty, and refused the conventional markers of stable family life. The lack of bitterness in the writing is its most remarkable quality.
Skip this if: Skip this if neglect narratives are difficult for you — Walls's parents were genuinely neglectful, though she writes about them without bitterness.
4. Becoming
by Michelle Obama
Michelle Obama's memoir from Chicago's South Side to the White House. Graceful and controlled, it reveals the personal cost of public life while maintaining the warmth that made her the most popular First Lady in polling history. Best for readers who want inspiration alongside story.
Skip this if: Skip this if you want literary risk-taking — Becoming is more warmth and accessibility than literary ambition.
5. When Breath Becomes Air
by Paul Kalanithi
A neurosurgeon diagnosed with terminal cancer at 36 writes about what makes life meaningful when life is ending. Kalanithi died before completing the book and his wife wrote the epilogue. The most direct and honest exploration of mortality in memoir form.
Skip this if: Skip this if grief is too present right now — this is a memoir about dying.
What to Consider Before You Buy
Know the darkness level
The Glass Castle and Educated involve serious childhood trauma. Born a Crime is light despite its context. When Breath Becomes Air is a death memoir. Choose appropriately.
Literary ambition
Educated and When Breath Becomes Air are the most literarily ambitious memoirs on this list. The others prioritize story and access over prose.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best memoir ever written?
Educated for the best recent memoir. Mary Karr's The Liar's Club and Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes for classics of the genre.
Is Educated true?
Westover is transparent about the limitations of memory and about disputes with her family over specific events. She writes about truth and memory as problems to be engaged rather than resolved.
Our Verdict
Educated is the essential recent memoir. Born a Crime is the most enjoyable. When Breath Becomes Air is the most profound.