Biography & Memoir
Browse our collection of biography & memoir book reviews
Unbroken: Life Outside the Lines
Adriene Cat ()
Adriene Caldwell’s memoir, Unbroken: Life Outside the Lines, chronicles a childhood characterized by trauma. Born to a schizophrenic mother who beat her, neglected her, and eventually surrendered her to the state, Caldwell endures sexual assault, the drowning death of a friend, homelessness, extreme poverty, and a sadistic foster mother she dubs “The Bitch from Hell.” She claws toward stability through academic excellence and a transformativ...
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Foster Freddy Wants a Family
Christina J Donato (Left-handed Author Publishing)
Christina J Donato’s Foster Freddy Wants a Family is the heartfelt true story of a comically mismatched beagle-basset stray who spends nearly three years navigating foster care before finding his forever home. Author Christina J. Donato brings Freddy into her life as her first foster dog, expecting an easy companion and instead receiving a headstrong, medically fragile “bagel” with a dislocated knee, Cushing’s disease, recurrent mast cell tumors,...
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Mommy's Boy: How My Doggie Soulmate's Love Rescued Me
Jennifer Huston Schaeffer (White Dog Books)
Jennifer Huston Schaeffer's memoir, Mommy's Boy, is a unique story of a bond between a woman and her canine son, a story of the transformative decade she spent with Benny, a rescued Westie-Maltese mix who became her “doggie soulmate.” Following heartbreaks and realizing traditional motherhood might not be her future, Jennifer adopts Benny in 2014, finding unconditional love that heals her loneliness. The narrative follows their journey from Chica...
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From Tea to Coffee: The Journey of an "Educated Youth"
Cheng Wang (Open Books)
Cheng Wang's memoir, From Tea to Coffee: The Journey of an “Educated Youth,” chronicles a remarkable journey across half a century and two continents. Beginning in Mao-era China, Wang is sent as an “Educated Youth” to a remote Inner Mongolian village for re-education during the Cultural Revolution. Following Mao's death and the reopening of universities, he passes the rigorous GaoKao exam, attends college in Dalian, and works in Beijing's electro...
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The Wireless Operator: The Untold Story of the British Sailor Who Invented the Modern Drug Trade
David Tuch (https://thedesaifoundation.org/)
David Tuch's The Wireless Operator: The Untold Story of the British Sailor Who Invented the Modern Drug Trade chronicles the extraordinary life of Harold Derber, born Hyman Tuchverderber in 1926, Manchester. From his childhood evacuation during the Blitz to his training as a wireless operator in the British Merchant Navy, Derber’s journey spans continents and decades. After fighting in Israel's War of Independence and various smuggling ventures,...
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Rabbi, Your Cleavage is Showing
Michal Mendelsohn (Atmosphere Press)
Rabbi, Your Cleavage Is Showing chronicles Michal Mendelsohn’s extraordinary journey from a lonely childhood in Manhattan to becoming one of the first women ordained as a rabbi by Hebrew Union College in 1975. She details her struggles as a child raised in hotel apartments by parents who were emotionally detached. The memoir narrates her strained relationship with her father after the death of her mother and her unexpected belonging experience in...
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Field of Memories: A Tapestry of Heartwarming Short Stories
D. L. Norris (Spring River Press)
Field of Memories: A Tapestry of Heartwarming Short Stories by D. L. Norris is a tender autobiographical collection that unfolds as a mosaic of the author's life, spanning childhood innocence to mature reflections. D. L. Norris structures her memoir not as a linear chronicle but as vignettes—each a self-contained memory that captures formative moments, family rituals, and encounters with historical currents that shape her worldview. From early re...
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The Lifer and the Lawyer: A Story of Punishment, Penitence, and Privilege
George Critchlow & Michael Anderson (Cascade Books)
Michael Anderson is a broken man; a man broken by his felonies and a justice system that is equally flawed, but will he accept staying broken or undertake the journey to healing and redemption? This is the question cleverly answered in The Lifer and the Lawyer by George Critchlow and Michael Anderson, which chronicles Anderson’s harrowing childhood on Chicago’s South Side, his violent crimes, and his remarkable spiritual transformation over nearl...
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Exile of the Heart: A Memoir Across Three Continents
Rasheed Abou-Elsamh (Story Bridge Agency)
Exile of the Heart by Rasheed Abou-Elsamh is a deeply personal memoir that chronicles his life across three continents—Europe, South America, and the Middle East—highlighting the complex intersections of identity, culture, and belonging. The story begins with Rasheed’s childhood in Geneva, Cairo, and Brasilia, where he steers through a multicultural upbringing, and continues through his academic pursuits in the U.S. and his career in journalism i...
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Mama’s Boy: A Young Boy’s Memory of Childhood
Rev. Michael H. Lavery (Readersmagnet LLC)
Mama’s Boy: A Young Boy’s Memory of Childhood by Rev. Michael H. Lavery is a heartwarming autobiographical reflection that chronicles his early life, exploring the profound influence of his mother, grandmother, sister, and community. The book opens with Lavery’s emotional account of losing his father at a young age, shaping his understanding of love, loss, and inner strength. It then explores various themes, including faith, family, sacrifice, an...
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