The best audiobook memoirs offer an immersive reading experience. These true stories are best heard in the author’s own words. They will make you laugh, cry, and think. Find your next great “listen” below.
List of The Best Audiobook Memoirs of All Time
TOP 3 PICKS
Educated: a shocking tale of survival and learning both informally and formally
Know My Name: a thought-provoking argument against sexual assailants and for survivors
When Breath Becomes Air: an emotional story of a dying doctor
Read By the Author
- Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
- Educated by Tara Westover
- From Scratch by Tembi Locke
- Know My Name by Chanel Miller
- Late Migrations by Margaret Renkl
- The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton
- Truth & Beauty by Ann Patchett
Read by a Narrator
- Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb
- Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
- When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
TIPS
- Great memoir books make for unputdownable books on audio. Listening an author’s own story is especially immersive, so these are often the the best books to improve your reading habits.
- These memoirs are different than the best celebrity memoirs, which I consider to be a different genre.
Reviews of Memoirs Best Read as Audiobooks
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
Description: Crying in H Mart is a book of grief by an indie rockstar about her mother’s terminal cancer diagnosis and death. It’s the story of a complex mother/daughter relationship — one more Korean and the other more American, and how the mother’s death forever changes the daughter.
While the author struggled growing up due to her mother’s high expectations of her and her status as one of the only Asian Americans at her school, when her mother was later diagnosed with cancer, she savored the time they had left together and found a new appreciation for the Korean culture her mother gave her.
Review: This book is both heartbreaking and unforgettable. The author is unflinchingly raw in relaying what it’s really like to bear witness to daily life with a terminal cancer diagnosis, as well as the death of a parent. It’s a flawless portrait of grief and self-reflection that leaves no stone uncovered and keeps the memory of the author’s mother alive through her spoken words.
Educated by Tara Westover
Description: Educated is by a woman raised in the mountains of Idaho as a member of a survivalist Mormon family. They didn’t believe in doctors, and they barely conducted homeschooling. She began educating herself as a teen, and she first stepped foot into a classroom as a college student. She later studied at Harvard.
As she grew up and left the confines of her home, she was torn between choosing her dysfunctional family and finding herself, which simply could not co-exist.
Review: This non-fiction book leaves you with so many questions, the biggest of which is, “What is an education?” It earns its place here based on shock value alone. This book is a jaw-dropper in Westover’s own voice, and to date, it’s one of the few books I still think about regularly.
Related Post: Educated Review
From Scratch by Tembi Locke
Description: From Scratch is told by a Black American actress about her husband, Saro, whom she met while studying in Florence, Italy. Saro was a Sicilian chef whose family disapproved of him marrying her. After the couple moves to Los Angeles and adopts a baby girl, Saro is diagnosed with cancer and dies.
It chronicles the three summers that Locke spends in Sicily, Italy, with her daughter as they try to piece together their lives without Saro. Sicily is a place of comforting food, as well as forgiveness, growth, grief, healing, and strength.
Review: This audiobook left me teary-eyed. Locke (as the narrator) captures her emotions in a way that makes you deeply empathize with her story of grief and resilience. This book makes you feel.
Tip: The Netflix adaptation is also fantastic.
Know My Name by Chanel Miller
Description: Know My Name is the heart-stopping memoir of the Stanford sexual assault victim, who gained notoriety when her victim impact statement at the sentencing of her assailant went viral.
Review: This memoir forces you to think differently and incites change. Miller speaks with exquisite analytical depth, the likes of which I haven’t read before. She settles for nothing less than making you question everything you thought you knew about sexual assault. Her spoken words offer an especially persuasive argument. It’s one of the best books of the 21st century.
Late Migrations by Margaret Renkl
Description: Late Migrations shares snippets of the author’s (formerly Reese Witherspoon’s English teacher) life, including larger and smaller moments, primarily during her upbringing in Alabama in the 1960s. Her prose encompasses short micro-essays that connect to major themes of nature, love, loss, the value of memories, and the meaning of life.
Review: Late Migrations remains special in my heart as it’s the book I discussed with Jenna, Hoda, and the author on The Today Show! The rich language and poetic lyricism of these essays felt especially indulgent and beautiful on audio. They are soulful and they are bittersweet, exploring a complex range of universal emotions: love, joy, sadness, and darkness.
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb
Description: Maybe You Should Talk to Someone is a memoir about a therapist who seeks therapy after a breakup. She also offers therapy to a handful of memorable patients in unique circumstances.
Review: Since the subject includes the most private of topics, listening to it on audiobook is an especially emotional experience. You feel like you are sitting in on therapy sessions as the patients learn and grow. You will undoubtedly leave this book thinking about them and feeling for them.
Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
Description: Shoe Dog is the memoir of Nike’s founder. It reveals the very long decades of ups and downs, unknowns, and sacrifices it takes to be a business owner.
Review: As my husband says, it’s not just about the business of Nike, it’s also a genuinely good story. This makes it especially impactful on audio. This book was very emotional and contained unexpected, tragic events as well. So much happened over decades to potentially cause the Nike business to crumble that I had to ask myself, was Phil Knight (the author) totally crazy or absolutely genius for sticking with his dream?
Tip: The movie adaptation is also excellent.
The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton
Description: The Sun Does Shine begins in 1985, when Hinton was arrested and charged with two counts of capital murder in Alabama. Stunned, confused, and only 29 years old, Hinton knew that it was a case of mistaken identity and believed that the truth would prove his innocence and ultimately set him free. He spent 30 years on Death Row before his release from prison.
Review: The Sun Does Shine has always been popular with readers of The Literary Lifestyle. I recommend it on audio because of the connection it creates and the shock it conveys when hearing this firsthand story of grave injustice. It will undoubtedly leave a mark on you.
Truth & Beauty by Ann Patchett
Description: Truth & Beauty is the famous author’s very real and raw, yet beautiful, story of the often difficult friendship she had with another writer, Lucy Grealy, who was disfigured and also struggled with such problems as addiction.
Review: Ann Patchett is one of my favorite authors, and I couldn’t put down (er, pause) this audiobook in her soothing voice. She writes every “character,” herself included, with a multitude of complex layers, and offers life lessons from which everyone can learn by way of her unique relationship.
Related Post: Best Ann Patchett Books
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
Description: The premise of When Breath Becomes Air is simple yet deeply philosophical. A 36-year-old neurosurgeon diagnosed with terminal cancer questions the meaning of life in the face of his own mortality.
Review: This is the audiobook that made me a longtime listener. It makes you both think and feel about life and death with exquisite depth. As the title suggests, it takes your breath away.
Recap
3 BEST AUDIOBOOK MEMOIRS
Remembering the past isn’t just about nostalgia, it’s about learning from the experiences of those who came before us, understanding the roots of our present, and shaping a better future. It’s about honoring the struggles and sacrifices that paved the way for the privileges we enjoy today. The past serves as a compass, guiding us through the complexities of the present. It humbles us, reminding us that progress is a collective effort. It encourages empathy, as we step into the shoes of those who walked before us.