25 Memoirs to Read Before You Die
Our goal with every 25 Books to Read Before You Die list (this edition marks our fourth!) is to call attention to books that readers may have overlooked. When we set our sights on memoirs this year, it occurred to us that many standouts are already well-represented in school curricula (The Diary of a Young Girl, Black Boy, The Woman Warrior, to name a few). We opted to leave such classroom staples off our list. That gave us extra room for some underappreciated memoirs that we earnestly believe everyone should read. All of the books on our list have two qualities in common: exceptional writing and a willingness to divulge both the beauty and the ugliness of one’s experiences. We hope you enjoy our selections.