Biographies and Memoirs

Biographies and Memoirs

Do the accounts of extraordinary peoples' lives inspire your own life?  Can the fortitude of individuals drive how you live your own life?  Our authors in the Biographies and Memoirs genre bring you the stories of people who have survived and grown through the most difficult of situations.  Their stories will move you to tears, to action, and to new levels in your own life. They will always do this for you on eBookHounds for free or for a discount.

 

Definition of the "Biographies and Memoirs Genre": Ebooks in both the Biographies and Memoirs genres focus on the life experiences of a single person.  Biographies are generally broader in the subject matters of a person's life experiences, while memoirs are more honed into the memories of that person.  However, there is very little difference between the two categories, which is why they are combined in a single genre. Ebooks in the Biographies and Memoirs genre also typically have a significant element of inspiration, as the stories which drove the writing of these ebooks are tremendously moving.

 

Examples of bestselling ebooks in the Biographies and Memoirs genre are Cheryl Strayed (Wild), Chris Kyle (American Sniper), Laura Hillenbrand (Unbroken), and Donna Mabry (Maude).

Love Wars: Clash of the Parents, A True Divorce Story - Memoir

by Matthew A. Tower


Nate and Vanessa started The War, but only their son Matthew can end it!

Young Matthew’s world shatters when his parents split up and put him in the middle of their custody battle. Desperate to escape their never-ending conflicts, Matthew imitates his hero, Luke Skywalker, and launches an against-all-odds mission to stop Mom and Dad’s war of vengeance! Will Matthew’s little brother Thomas Rabbit help blow up the Divorce War Death Star, or will he hide and play with his bunnies?

Love Wars: Clash of the Parents is a true story of youthful bravery that will inspire readers of all ages, and a wacky account of one family’s wretched yet hilarious nuclear meltdown . . . with an unexpected and unforgettable ending.
Filled with beautiful illustrations created by renowned artist Tsuneo Sanda, Matthew Tower’s memoir is a page-turner for readers of all ages, whether or not they have been affected by divorce and family discord.

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Life Hikes: Walking Through Loss to What Comes After

by Renée Brown Harmon MD


A powerful and hopeful essay collection exploring grief, courage, and the healing power of nature.


In October 2018, Dr. Renée Brown Harmon lost her husband, Harvey, to younger-onset Alzheimer’s disease when he was only fifty-eight years old. After Harvey’s passing and nearly a decade of caring for him, Harmon found solace in hiking, nature, and travel—discovering that even when she felt frozen in her grief, her feet would keep her moving.

With 
Life Hikes, a memoir in three parts, Harmon shares her journey of self-discovery in the wake of loss with authenticity, candor, and grace. From an encounter with gigantic Galápagos tortoises to the 19,000-foot summit of Mount Kilimanjaro to the mythology-steeped Greek island of Ithaca, she explores the parts of herself and the edges of her grief that will ultimately bring her through it.

Like Harmon’s acclaimed first memoir, 
Surfing the Waves of Alzheimer’s, this collection is a triumphant tale of finding a new and authentic life through kindness, community, mindfulness, and the knowledge that the search for lost strength can sometimes reveal new and more powerful versions of ourselves.

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The Threads of Becoming: A Memoir in Poems

by Tamara Hill


"Tamara is the kind of woman you quietly hope to become one day: graceful, grounded, and soulfully resilient. The Threads of Becoming is a lived, felt, and fiercely earned life rendered in verse. Each page reveals the courage it takes to heal, the tenderness it takes to love again, and the clarity it takes to choose yourself." -Pinar Demirdag, cofounder and CEO of Cuebric

 

A debut poetry collection that offers an intimate exploration of modern womanhood.

As a single mother, successful businesswoman, and global traveler, Tamara Hill doesn't back down from hardship. In the face of sorrow, she's become only more resilient and creative. In The Threads of Becoming, Tamara shares her hard-earned life lessons through a poetic lens that reflects on love and loss. "I have carved a life that is wholly mine," she writes. "I am not waiting for rescue."

At once triumphant and vulnerable, this memoir in poems describes Tamara's journey through surviving childhood neglect, becoming a mother, navigating grief, reaching new heights in her career, and ultimately, discovering herself. Lyrical and inspiring, The Threads of Becoming is a beautiful gift book to empower women to embark on their own journeys to become who they are meant to be.

 

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JOB JUNKY

by Rudy Ridolfo


 

“A funny, delightful, and incisive tour of working odd jobs.” —Kirkus
“Wild… Reading this book is a ride.” —Independent Book Review
“Fast, matter-of-fact, and full of memorable moments.” —San Francisco Book Review
“Insightful, humorous, and engaging.” —The US Review of Books

Job Junky is a bare-bones memoir of work, survival, and everything in between. Told in short, raw chapters, it reads more like a barstool confession than a polished life story.

Rudy Ridolfo worked over 50 jobs while chasing a creative dream—from managing shady bars and moving trucks to airport tarmacs, martial arts dojos, and indie film sets. Along the way, he crossed paths with unforgettable coworkers, chaotic bosses, and even icons like Al Pacino and Robert Redford—learning not from their fame, but from how they worked.

There’s no tidy arc or grand revelation here. Just true stories from the grind—gritty, absurd, and unexpectedly funny.

If you’ve ever clocked in, burned out, or wondered what the hell you’re doing with your life—this one’s for you.

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Emo Reality: The Biography of Teenage Borderline Personality Disorder

by Jerold Daniels


Lina had the idyllic childhood—until descending into mental chaos.

Caught in a chaotic world of her own making, Lina resorts to recording her teenage thoughts to make sense of her anguish. She shares the details of her life obsessively with her sister and her friends, in millions of words eventually found by their father.

Lost in the dark, Lina navigates the childhood evidence later found in her archives. But will her research 
open a pathway to love—or help her continue down the path of blame, false memories, and spite?

The past and present events are Lina’s direct experience through her eyes and words, faithfully condensed by her father. The future events—Lina’s therapy and mature reflections—were projected by the author and a senior psychologist with access to the source material.

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Wise Gals: The Spies Who Built the CIA and Changed the Future of Espionage

by Nathalia Holt


From the New York Times bestselling author of Rise of the Rocket Girls comes the never-before-told story of a small cadre of influential female spies in the precarious early days of the CIA—women who helped create the template for cutting-edge espionage (and blazed new paths for equality in the workplace) in the treacherous post-WWII era.

In the wake of World War II, four agents were critical in helping build a new organization that we now know as the CIA. Adelaide Hawkins, Mary Hutchison, Eloise Page, and Elizabeth Sudmeier, called the “wise gals” by their male colleagues because of their sharp sense of humor and even quicker intelligence, were not the stereotypical femme fatale of spy novels. They were smart, courageous, and groundbreaking agents at the top of their class, instrumental in both developing innovative tools for intelligence gathering—and insisting (in their own unique ways) that they receive the credit and pay their expertise deserved.
     Throughout the Cold War era, each woman had a vital role to play on the international stage. Adelaide rose through the ranks, developing new cryptosystems that advanced how spies communicate with each other.  Mary worked overseas in Europe and Asia, building partnerships and allegiances that would last decades. Elizabeth would risk her life in the Middle East in order to gain intelligence on deadly Soviet weaponry. Eloise would wield influence on scientific and technical operations worldwide, ultimately exposing global terrorism threats. Through their friendship and shared sense of purpose, they rose to positions of power and were able to make real change in a traditionally “male, pale, and Yale” organization—but not without some tragic losses and real heartache along the way.   
     Meticulously researched and beautifully told, Holt uses firsthand interviews with past and present officials and declassified government documents to uncover the stories of these four inspirational women. Wise Gals sheds a light on the untold history of the women whose daring foreign intrigues, domestic persistence, and fighting spirit have been and continue to be instrumental to our country’s security.

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The Three Kitties That Saved My Life

by Michael Meyer


A true romance memoir. "This is like drinking tea and honey on a cold day." When tragedy struck, I thought for sure that my own life was at an end. I was wrong. This is the true story of how two stray rescue cats and a woman named Kitty, whom I finally met after a wild ride of internet dating, brought love, romance, and laughter back into my life.


Love was then.
Love is now.
Love is forever.

WINNER of the 2018 Stephen Memorial Award
FINALIST for the 2014 RONE AWARD

If you love reading feel-good memoirs, then don't miss THE THREE KITTIES THAT SAVED MY LIFE, where "Mike Meyer pens a tender tale of love, loss, and renewal. The depth of emotion is palpable...The Three Kitties will tug at readers' heartstrings, as they ride through the emotional highs and lows of Mike Meyer's remarkable story." - InD'tale Magazine

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Whispers Across a Sea: A Novel of Victorian Ireland

by Christina Holloway


​Whispers Across a Sea
 is a sweeping novel that follows three generations of the Anglo-Irish Young family in Victorian Ireland, where Irish desire for independence from Britain is building. How will the family evolve in the ever-changing social and political landscape of the country they call home?


In 1920, Ireland stands on the brink of civil war. Lucie returns to her familial home to settle the estate, where she uncovers an abundance of handwritten letters—a lifetime’s worth of cherished memories and guarded secrets between her mother and aunts—as well as her grandfather’s diary. As she reads through her findings, Lucie begins to wonder just how well she knew her relatives and the circumstances of their lives. Norah, a close childhood friend and the daughter of a former family servant, helps her work through the notes, and their conversations remind Lucie that she and Norah live in very different worlds. Norah is Irish; Lucie is Anglo-Irish. As the two women look into the past, it becomes evident that Norah has always known more about Lucie’s life than Lucie has ever understood of Norah’s. And Lucie realizes that she has been unaware of the disquiet in Ireland’s streets—but then again, the elder members of her family, so completely involved in their own lives, didn’t appear to notice either. . . .


Whispers Across a Sea is a compelling novel that traces three generations of Lucie’s Anglo-Irish family as they navigate the nuances of life in their adopted country of Ireland. Within the home, the family’s Irish servants make sure the lives of the Youngs remain comfortable while silently observing their employers’ detachment from the realities of life in Ireland—a country where a lengthy, violent, and divisive struggle is beginning. How long will the Youngs be able to close their eyes to the shifting world outside their door?

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Before I Lose My Own Mind: Navigating Life as a Dementia Caregiver

by Beverly E. Thorn


“This is a book I immediately wanted to give to a friend—and keep a copy for my bookshelf. Wise, clear, well-researched, and helpful.” —Katy Butler, bestselling author of 
Knocking on Heaven’s Door and The Art of Dying Well

When Dr. Beverly E. Thorn became a caregiver for her husband, Walt, she joined a massive army. Worldwide, unpaid dementia caregiving requires the equivalent of forty million full-time workers, and that number will only grow. But navigating dementia caregiving can feel like trying to climb a mountain in the dark—and few resources exist to support caregivers in finding their way.

In 
Before I Lose My Own Mind, Thorn—a psychologist, neuroscientist, and end-of-life doula—provides an honest vision of caregiving that is tender, openhearted, and genuinely useful. Filled with resources and insights on financial planning, advance care directives, clinical trials, support groups, death with dignity, grief, recovery, and more, this book is a roadmap for all caregivers, whether they’re family or friends, spouses or children, professionals or novices.

For those coping with the grief, exhaustion, and loneliness of a challenge they never expected, help is out there. Surviving dementia caregiving is a team effort. Consider this book a part of your support crew.

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Le Mort de Moi: Words of Brutal Honesty to Forge Resilience and Courage

by Lisbeth Lavigne


Le Mort de Moi is a hauntingly raw and poetic exploration of trauma, identity, and the desperate fight for self-reclamation. Lisbeth Lavigne weaves a visceral narrative of survival, confronting the ghosts of the past that linger in the present.

Through fragmented memories and aching prose, this book unearths the silent screams of childhood wounds, the suffocating weight of abuse, and the relentless search for meaning in a world that often turns a blind eye.

Can you truly leave behind the past when it has carved itself into your bones? Or does it haunt you, reshaping every breath, every decision, every hope for something more?

This is not just a memoir—it’s a reckoning. A story for those who have been broken and are still searching for a way to piece themselves back together.

 

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Twice the Family: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Sisterhood

by Julie Ryan McGue


Growing up as an adoptee and identical twin, Julie McGue will take you on her journey for identity and individuality, searching for answers through tragedy and adversity.


“A heartfelt exploration of connection, community, and the unbreakable bond between sisters . . . Her journey beautifully reminds us of the strength we find within ourselves as we seek to uncover where we truly belong.”— Simone Knego, author of The Extraordinary UnOrdinary You

In this coming-of-age memoir, set in Chicago’s western suburbs between the 1960s and ’80s, adopted twins Julie and Jenny provide their parents with an instant family. Their sisterly bond holds tight as the two strive for identity, individuality, and belonging. But as Julie’s parents continue adding children to the family, some painful and tragic experiences test family values, parental relationships, and sibling bonds.

Faced with these hurdles, Julie questions everything—who she is, how she fits in, her adoption circumstances, her faith, and her idea of family. But the life her parents have constructed is not one she wants for herself—and as she matures, she recognizes how the experiences that formed her have provided her a road map for the person and mother she wants to be.

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Elk Love: A Montana Memoir

by Lynne Spriggs O'Connor


Having spent ten summers on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation near Glacier National Park, part of her doctoral fieldwork for a PhD in Native American Art History, forty-two-year-old Lynne Spriggs thinks of Montana as her healing place. When she moves to “Big Sky Country” from the East Coast in a quest to reset her life, she has high hopes for what awaits her.

Great Falls, a farming and military town in central Montana, is 
not what Lynne imagined when she decided to leave city life behind. But her dream of being more connected to nature in the American West comes alive when she meets Harrison, a handsome rancher thirteen years her senior. Wary but curious, with her dog Willow by her side, she leans into the seasonal rhythms of Harrison’s hidden valley and opens her heart to a wild language that moves beyond words. In a modern world where listening is rare, Elk Love explores an intimate place where loneliness gives way to wonder, where the natural world speaks of what matters most.

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The Order of Things: A Memoir About Chasing Joy

by Sarah Gormley


Sometimes nothing is more unexpected than joy.

What happens when a marketing executive leaves San Francisco to care for her dying mother on their family farm in Ohio? A Hallmark heroine would fall in love with her high school sweetheart during a snowstorm—but this is no Hallmark movie. Sarah Gormley spent most of her life trying to outrun the persistent self-loathing that plagued her from childhood, convinced that self-worth was something she had to earn by doing rather than being.

When she returned to Salt Creek Farm at age forty-five, Gormley had no idea that detaching from the success she believed defined her, untangling the complicated relationship with her mother, and continuing the hard work of therapy would lead to a wildly transformed life. Told with exceptional candor and humor, 
The Order of Things is a story about how one woman learned to let go of the patterns of her past to create a future she never imagined.

Ultimately, Gormley’s book is about hope, with a powerful message that will inspire you to think about the possibility of change in your own life.

“A beautifully written testament to doing the hard work of changing your circumstances and opening your heart to a more meaningful life filled with hope and love. . . . Gormley’s a towering talent and a writer to watch!” —Christie Tate, 
New York Times bestselling author of Group and B.F.F.

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Blackbird: A Mother’s Reflections on Grief, Loss, and Life After Suicide

by Betsy Thibaut Stephenson


Is grief on a dial or a switch? Both.


Over six short weeks in 2022, Betsy Thibaut Stephenson lost her son to suicide, mother-in-law to dementia, and family dog to cancer. Rather than succumb to grief’s darkness, Betsy chose to face her losses head-on, accepting grief as an uninvited yet permanent companion in her revised life.


Blackbird is a memoir composed in real time, a concise and brutally honest look at the emotional, physical, and spiritual impact of deep despair. By unflinchingly pulling back the curtain on fear and shame, Betsy’s story inspires important conversations about mental health, grief resilience, and creating a path toward healing.

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True Hospitality: Lessons Learned from Behind the Concierge Desk

by Jamie Cooperstein


"Everything points back to the uniformed girl at the podium in the lobby of the Rittenhouse."

 

At twenty-two Jamie Cooperstein dreamed of becoming a successful sports journalist. She never expected that putting on a concierge uniform and stepping into the lobby of the Five Diamond-rated Rittenhouse Hotel would lead to anything more than a paycheck.

 

Written with wit and humor, True Hospitality is a story of finding an unexpected calling behind the concierge desk. Through personal anecdotes of outlandish guest requests, lavish weddings and parties, celebrity stays, and smoke-filled lobbies, Cooperstein takes an honest look at the true meaning of hospitality and how it came to define her.

 

True Hospitality is a fascinating memoir of one woman's journey to find her way in the world of luxury hospitality.

 

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Women's Crusader: Catharine Beecher's Untold Story

by R. Lee Wilson


A true story of love, loss, and the pioneering fight for women’s education in America.

Catharine (Kate) Beecher was a crusader for women’s education, bestselling author, and unique feminist thinker in the nineteenth century. Yet many today have never even heard of her. Kate’s fame was eclipsed by that of her younger sister, abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Women’s Crusader reveals the untold tale of romance and grief that launched Kate on a new path as an advocate for American women. Biographer R. Lee Wilson combed through unpublished letters, manuscripts, and diary entries to discover the secrets of Kate and Alexander Fisher, an unlikely couple. Kate was a fun-loving extrovert, while Alexander was an introverted math prodigy and brilliant Yale professor. But they were brought together by a piece of her published poetry and their joint love for music. After a tragic shipwreck tore them apart, Kate’s life dramatically shifted focus. She waged a battle against misogyny to help provide women with the education they deserved. Compelling and meticulously researched, Women’s Crusader is the inspiring turning-point story of an important yet little-known woman in US history.
 
 
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Hero Redefined: Profiles of Olympic Athletes Under the Radar

by Doug Levy


What does it mean to be a hero—in sports and in life?


Heroes aren’t just the ones who bring home medals. 
Hero Redefined delves into the lesser-known stories of Olympic athletes—and a couple of special Olympic venues—that challenge the conventional narrative of glory and gold. In riveting personal profiles exploring herculean feats of strength, perseverance, and sportsmanship, award-winning sports journalist Doug Levy offers a new vision of heroism. There is more than one path to greatness, and the extraordinary acts of resilience and personal sacrifice by these athletes have left an indelible mark on the spirit of the Olympic games in quiet but fundamental ways through the ages.

Each chapter reveals a different face of heroism—immense resilience, strength of character, unparalleled sportsmanship, an incredible zeal to compete, and a seemingly superhuman will to 
finish. Throughout, Levy celebrates the heroic human spirit and its relentless drive to carry the torch forward—both inside and outside of the Olympic Games.

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The Stowaway in First Class: A True Story of an Unforgettable Quest to Come to America

by Anthony DeSantis


A family’s legacy is forever changed in this true story of ransom notes, stowaways, and mobsters.

Paris, 1929. Gaetano “Guy” DeSantis is an Italian emigrant with a good life: a stable construction job, a comfortable place to live, and a blossoming relationship with a young waitress, Marie. But Guy dreams of making a future in America, alongside his cousin Frank who immigrated a few years earlier.

So when a mysterious stranger shows up at Guy’s door saying that Frank has paid for a boat ride across the Atlantic, how could Guy refuse? But there’s a catch—he must leave immediately, with no bags and no goodbyes.

With a heart of gold—and the suspense of a classic crime novel—this true story memorializes one man’s split-second decision to chart a new course for generations to come, proving that courage and honor do have the power to make a better life.
 
 
 
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Sim One: A Love and Then-What-Happens Story

by Tom Ahern


Simone sent me an email. The subject line: “Just read.”


Most of us spend our whole lives searching for the 
one. Some of us are lucky enough to find them, even for a moment. And some—like Simone and Tom—were lucky enough to find love, purchase a second home abroad, create a successful business, and build a life together for nearly four decades. But what happens after the love story?

Told through a series of notes and emails, Tom shares his raw, humorous, and heartfelt declarations on what it’s like living, loving, and losing the
one, Sim One, to a disease that no one talks about: cerebral amyloid angiopathy. Sim One is a love letter meets memoir that asks what does it mean to love—and keep loving—when faced with the possibility of losing it all?

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OPAL: Spirit of a Woman

by Kevin Heaton


ON THE DAY SHE WAS BORN, FATE HAD ALREADY DETERMINED HER DESTINY. 
A DESTINY FRAUGHT WITH ABANDONMENTWANT, SERVITUDE, AND REWARD.

SOLD INTO CHILDHOOD SLAVERY BY HER OWN FATHER - SHE REACHED DEEP INSIDE HER HEART AND FOUND A WELL OF STRENGTH, GRIT, FAITH, AND RAW PERSEVERANCE.

OPAL was a proud woman. Not in a haughty way - more like the way someone sets their jaw to stare down a vicious pack of "
Pit Bulls." She'd graduated from the "School of Hard Knocks," and acting self-assured was simply her way of forcing life's challenges to give up some of their ground.

Her eyes were set deeply into the granite-like constitution of her gaze. Not a cold-hearted stare, but translucent; like the serene look of a farm pond at dusk. And, although her shoulders were slightly bent from plain old fashioned hard work, it wasn't an arthritic stoop - more like the resolute position she'd assumed throughout her lifetime to guarantee her own survival.

But you see, this was still "The Great Depression," and the screen door her family was shivering and sweltering behind was that same old door attached to the same old "Sharecropper Shanty" they'd started out in. But for Opal, the decision to head to California during those difficult days or stay and 'tough things out' was what we call nowadays: ‘a no-brainer.’ Some refer to it as ‘frontier spirit,’ or ‘the will to go on.’ Whatever you choose to label it; in her case - those principles were simply the foundation on which she chose to live out her life. Then, after having whisked away all those "Dust Bowl" gales - 
She began to pay all that survivor's grit forward. Time after time through the years; into decades - she answered the call to serve others. Never mind their beliefs or their station in life, so long as the end result was to benefit those who were suffering the most.


“OPAL” is the story of Mary Opal Fetters/George; a courageous woman who lost her mother to childbirth at the tender age of seven, was sold into servitude by a father who no longer wanted her, and forced into child labor in another state for many years. In spite of all the odds stacked against her - she championed a legacy of grace.

 

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