The 10 Best Memoir & Biography Books | Get Inspired

The best memoirs and biography

Memoirs and biography books offer a unique opportunity to step into someone else’s world. 

A biography is an account of an influential person's life written by another author. Often drawing on extensive research or interviews, biography books give insight into the events and achievements that helped define them. 

Memoirs are first-person accounts that focus on particular themes or moments in a person's life. They offer an intimate perspective that only they, as the main subject, can provide.  

Spanning politics, sport, culture and personal history, these are the best biography books and memoirs that reveal the real people behind the headlines. 

Get inspired by these powerful memoirs and biographies

Unbreakable by Jelena Dokic and Jess Halloran 

Considered one of the most gifted tennis players of her generation, Jelena Dokic rose to world number four by the age of nineteen. Unbreakable traces her journey as a refugee from war-torn Yugoslavia to playing at Wimbledon and the hardships she faced both on and off the court, including poverty, displacement, racism and abuse at the hands of her father. Jelena's story is a powerful account of determination and survival.  

Spare by Prince Harry 

In Spare, Prince Harry reflects on a life lived in the public eye, shaped by loss, duty and intense scrutiny. Beginning with the death of his mother, Princess Diana, the memoir traces his experiences growing up within the Royal Family and serving in the military, where he navigated periods of uncertainty, including mental health struggles. It also delves into his relationship with Meghan and the choices they made together as they sought a different future for their children. Told with rare honesty, it’s a story about identity and forging your own path.

A Different Kind of Power by Jacinda Ardern

What does it mean to lead with kindness? Jacinda Ardern spent her time as New Zealand's Prime Minister answering that question in real time. In her book, she reflects on her upbringing in a small town and her path to becoming one of the world's most recognisable political leaders. She went on to guide the nation through moments of national and global crisis, all while becoming a first-time mother. Blending personal stories with insights on public service, she discusses what shaped her approach while encouraging readers to think differently about leadership. 

My Story by Julia Gillard  

Three years and three days. That is how long Julia Gillard served as Australia's 27th Prime Minister and its first woman to hold the office. In My Story, she contemplates that turbulent time with striking candour, detailing the political battles and personal costs of leading a hung parliament in the face of relentless opposition and an often hostile media. Sharp and occasionally wry, this is not a memoir that shies away from mistakes. It’s the full story of what it truly took to govern, told by the woman who lived it.

Becoming by Michelle Obama 

From a childhood on the South Side of Chicago to eight years in the White House as the First Lady, Michelle Obama's story is one of accomplishment and quiet determination. In Becoming, she tells it with warmth and a lively wit, sharing the experiences that informed her life, such as ambition, marriage, motherhood and the weight of living so publicly for so long.

A Promised Land by Barack Obama 

In A Promised Land, Barack Obama looks back on the years that took him from aspiring politician to the 44th President of the United States. Recollecting his historic first term, he takes readers inside the responsibilities, obstacles, doubts and defining moments of his time in office. Introspective yet candid, Obama’s memoir also explores democracy and the realities of decision-making at the highest level, while offering a revealing portrait of the people and events that shaped his presidency.

The Whole Truth by Jackie O 

For more than three decades, Jackie O (Jackie Henderson) has been one of Australia's most beloved voices on the airwaves. But behind the public persona and years in the spotlight, there is a story she has never fully told. In her book, Jackie O goes beyond the gossip and sets the record straight on her relationships, her health, her career and the parts of her life she has fiercely guarded from public view, offering a deeper understanding of the woman behind the microphone.

Nobody’s Girl by Virginia Roberts Giuffre 

Virginia Roberts Giuffre spent years fighting to have her voice heard. Speaking out against Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell required immense courage, and her testimony helped bring the two serial abusers to justice. Nobody's Girl is her story, told entirely in her words and published as she wished following her death in April 2025. Filled with unimaginable trauma and a fierce advocacy for others, it’s the account of a woman who refused to be silenced and the legacy she leaves behind.

Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy

Arundhati Roy is one of the most powerful and provocative writers of her generation. In her first memoir, she turns that gift inward. Mother Mary Comes to Me is a deeply revealing account of her life, from her childhood in Kerala to the present, defined by her complex, consuming relationship with her mother, Mary. A portrait of the thorny love and the long shadow a parent can cast, it’s written with the same depth as her fiction and the passion of her essays. 

A Hymn to Life by Gisèle Pelicot 

One day, Gisèle Pelicot was called to a police station. What she learned there would shatter everything she thought she knew about her life and the man she had loved for fifty years. Her decision to waive her right to anonymity during the trial that followed made global headlines and transformed the conversation around sexual violence. A Hymn to Life is her story in full. Though devastating, it’s a testament to defiance and the courage it takes to insist that shame belongs with the perpetrators, not the victims. 

Read more personal stories 

The best memoirs and biographies remind us that the human spirit can push through adversity and make a lasting impact.

For more thoughtful or revealing reads, browse our selection of non-fiction books or discover more of our top books across every genre.