Biographies & Memoirs That Make Great Gifts

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Valley Road comes the heart-wrenching journey of a family facing an unthinkable destiny, whose flawed genetic code might hold the long-sought key to a cure for dementia. Moving, intimate, unexpectedly hopeful and redemptive, The Vanishing Family is an enthralling narrative about one family’s fate, and a medical detective story that speaks to all of us who fear losing ourselves at the end.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of How to Change Your Mind, a panoptic exploration of consciousness — what it is, who has it, and why — and a meditation on the essence of our humanity. Eye-opening and mind-expanding, A World Appears takes us into the laboratories of our own minds, ultimately showing us how we might make better use of the gift of awareness to more meaningfully connect with the world and our deepest selves.

The authorized biography of a brilliant theoretical physicist and science communicator, featuring revelations from never-before-seen personal records, by an award-winning writer and biographer. Vividly told and rigorously researched, Hawking is the definitive portrait of an exceptional man and an extraordinary intellect.

In this rowdy, frank reflection on illness, fame, sex, and everything in between, the remarkable mind behind the hit series Girls and the bestselling author of Not That Kind of Girl asks whether fulfilling her creative ambitions has been worth the pain.

Willie Nelson is 93, and he has not been slowing down. Here, the beloved American icon shares his well-earned wisdom about reaching an astonishing creative flourishing, and not coincidentally, an even deeper union with the love of his life, Annie.

In this highly anticipated memoir, the beloved actor and star of Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet, Sex and the City, Fallout, and more shares his utterly original account of his offbeat journey in Hollywood, his battles with fear and fame, and the projects that shaped him — and created a cult icon.

This inspiring, raw memoir traces the path Devon Rodriguez took from an abusive childhood to becoming the most followed artist on social media worldwide, as he discovered the transformative power of seeing and being seen — featuring new graphite illustrations of the people and places that shaped him.

The sexual assault that stunned the world. A courageous woman’s rallying call for shame to “change sides.” For the very first time, Gisèle Pelicot tells her story. Part memoir, part act of defiance, A Hymn to Life is a moving story of survival, testimony, and courage, and an unforgettable portrait of a woman who broke her silence, reclaimed her voice, and forced a reckoning.

A moving reflection on the author’s father — plus a cat! — this is a beautiful short work of family history from one of our most beloved, iconic writers. This haunting personal essay is a reflection on what it means to be a father and what it means to be a son — on what it means to be loved and to be abandoned — and also on a particular moment of Japanese history, through the aftermath of the second world war on into the present.

The legendary actor behind Roots, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Reading Rainbow shares never-before-told stories from a life that has shaped generations — told at last on his own terms. Generous, deeply moving, and illustrated with personal family photos, Take My Word for It is a courageous self-portrait of an iconic artist.

It was a great love story, one for the ages. The speed of our beginning and the speed of our ending felt like matching bookends. They both came out of nowhere. He wanted it, he wanted me. And then he didn’t. With unflinching honesty and profound grace, Burden charts a path through heartbreak to show the power of a woman who refuses to give up on love. Strangers is a stunning, deeply moving, compulsively readable memoir heralding the arrival of a thrilling new literary talent.

The extraordinary true story of an injured, abandoned fawn and the man who nurses her back to health, transforming his understanding of love and erasing the barrier between humans and animals. Woven with the joy and pain of living, Penelope is the most unlikely of true stories, and one of the most memorable.

A moving personal narrative from Grey’s Anatomy and Euphoria star Eric Dane, on the most impactful days — past, present, and future — of his life.

What goes on in the heart and mind of a pope? Is he always confident, or is he sometimes unsure about things? Does he feel the way so many of us do when he prays, or considers death, or faces conflict? Here is an extraordinary glimpse into the mind of Pope Francis through the personal diary he kept during his years in the Vatican, expressing his more intimate hopes and fears, struggles and prayers.

Lea Korsgaard’s #1 international bestseller tells the story of the year she spent tracking every species of butterfly in her native Denmark. Suffused with beauty and wonder, The Butterfly Season is a love letter to the natural world and an unforgettable reflection on the precious and fleeting nature of life itself.

A delightful book about reclaiming pleasure in mid-life — a potent mix of self-help and memoir, from one of today’s wittiest, wisest voices. With self-deprecating humor, devastating insight, and bracing honesty, Priyanka shows us how to step out of the grind as a friend, as a partner, even as a parent, and welcome joy back into our lives without burning it all down. Refreshingly funny and sparklingly astute, How to Be Less Useful is the perfect book for our current moment.

The New York Times bestselling author of Begin Again confronts America’s unfinished story in this blistering reassessment of race, freedom, and the myths that bind us. Devastatingly candid, profoundly moving, and deeply reflective, America, U.S.A. is a shining meditation on how we must reckon with a grim past in order to strive for the better angels of our future.

From one of the most electric and consequential figures to emerge from the contemporary American labor movement, the remarkable story of his battle to create the first Amazon union in the U.S. and a powerful call to arms on behalf of the working class.

In 1998, Ed Park wrote a memoir and saved it to the vanishing technology of the floppy disk, losing it for more than 20 years. Until one day, emptying out an old, unmarked box in his family’s cramped New York City home, he came across a hefty manila folder. Out slid the only remaining copy of Three Tenses. Profound, wily, and beautifully wrought, Three Tenses is a meeting of memory and myth, confession and obfuscation, coalescing to offer a singular picture of creativity in action, from the life of the Pulitzer Prize finalist for Same Bed Different Dreams.

Legendary baseball player and manager Dusty Baker reflects on his extraordinary career — filled with invaluable lessons on perseverance, leadership, and living life meaningfully on the field and off — in this “deeply meditative journey into baseball and cultural history” (The Athletic).

For nearly a century, two families an ocean apart have captured the world’s collective imagination: The British Windsors and the American Kennedys. Much ink has been spilled on their individual trysts, tragedies, and triumphs over the years, but no one has examined their powerful and intertwined legacies. Until now.

Martial arts legend and international movie star Jet Li distills 10 powerful insights from his iconic career, his personal life and philosophies, and his 30-year Buddhist practice.

A romantic, life-affirming memoir about a young woman’s solo honeymoon to Europe after her fiancé’s sudden death weeks before their wedding, and the community of hope and wonder she built along the way. The result is a beautiful exploration of what it means to choose life in the face of unimaginable pain. The Solo Honeymoon shines a light on the joy of love, the depths of grief, and all the beauty there is in the world.

From historian and Pulitzer Prize-finalist H. W. Brands comes a vivid portrait of George Washington, an iconic leader who steered the American army to victory and set our nation on its path to democracy and freedom.

Simukai Chigudu grew up in the shadow of Africa’s struggles for liberation. As he navigates the tangled threads of personal and political history, he is guided by one central question: What does it mean to be truly free? An exquisitely crafted memoir, sweeping from Zimbabwe to Oxford, that lays bare the violent, enduring legacy of colonialism on both a country and a family.

Bob Spitz has brought his indefatigable energy and five decades of experiences in the fields and hollows of rock ‘n’ roll to bear on his five-year journey to reexamine one of popular music’s greatest stories. What left is there to say about The Rolling Stones? A hell of a lot, it turns out.

From the two-time National Magazine Award winner Tom Junod, a searching, brilliantly stylized memoir about a charismatic, philandering father who tried to mold his son in his image, the many secrets he hid, the son’s obsessive quest to uncover them, and ultimately, the true meaning of manhood.

The riveting true story of a legendary Spanish galleon that sunk off the coast of Colombia with over $1 billion in gold and silver — and one man’s obsessive quest to find it — from the New York Times bestselling author of Madhouse at the End of the Earth.

A successful investor, philanthropist, and leading wellness CEO “delivers impactful anecdotes and personal testimonies that inspire, motivate, and celebrate the importance of community and connection” (Essence). Demond not only introduces readers to the individuals, he explores how these connections and lessons offered mentorship, leadership, and personal reflection, providing the foresight to recognize his dreams and the fortitude to pursue them. Complete with applicable insights and personal reflections, Friends of the Good is a practical guide on what success can look like at all stages of life.

An electrifying memoir from the pioneering cultural icon The New Yorker called “the coolest person in New York,” whose fearless creativity reshaped the worlds of art, music, and style. Vibrant, rhapsodic, and compulsively readable, Everybody’s Fly is at once an intimate memoir and panoramic cultural history. It is a love letter to the art of seeing, a fascinating account of an inimitable creative life, and a celebration of what it means to shape culture.