I am a lover of all books, but for the past year or so, I’ve been all about memoirs. Some people have the most interesting lives, and even if they didn’t do the most awe-inspiring things, you learn a lot about someone through their memoir. They never fail to motivate, intrigue, and inspire. Below are a few of my best-selling favorites that are absolute must reads.
1. "Bad Feminist" by Roxane Gay
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Whether feminism is one of your main passions in life, or you’re a passive advocate, or somewhere in between, or even if you don’t know much about it, Gay’s book of essays is an important contribution to the dialogue. Her writing is witty, smart, entertaining, and striking. Her voice makes it hard to put the book down and leaves you satisfied, but intrigued. It makes you start thinking, and broadens your perspectives. After I read her book, I bought a couple other books of feminist essays. None shine a light to Gay, though, in my opinion.
2. "Walden on Wheels: On the Open Road from Debt to Freedom" by Ken Ilgunas
Ilgunas’s story is incredibly interesting and inspiring, especially for a college student. The gist of it is that, after accumulating a mountain of student debt from his undergraduate study, and not being able to find a good job in his field, Ilgunas worked in tourism in Alaska, and saved every penny, paying off his debt in about two years. After that, he didn’t want debt from grad school, so he got creative with his living quarters. Seriously, Ilgunas has lived in interesting ways. His latest book, Trespassing Across America: One Man’s Epic, Never-Done-Before (and Sort of Illegal) Hike Across the Heartland, was recently released, and I’ve been dying to get a copy. Come on, the title alone has to pique your interest.
3. "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert
You can’t have a list of non-fiction books without Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love. I actually have never seen the movie. It’s just one of those books that’s so well done that I don’t feel like I need a visual. Gilbert’s writing paints enough of a picture for me, and it gives all the details a movie never could. Her story is perfect for all young women—a woman traveling the world independently, gaining new experiences, learning new things, trying new foods, meeting interesting people (and a few men), studying, meditating, and forming an identity. What more inspiration could you ask for?
4. "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
Krakauer’s telling of Chris McCandless’s tale has become a new American classic, and one we all know quite well thanks to the movie. There’s a lot of opposing views about McCandless: naïve kid, vs profound, misunderstood idealist vs adventurous, wandering soul—read it and decide for yourself. McCandless’s story is incredibly interesting, and inspiring for some. Many people have since ventured to the area of Alaska that he eventually settled in for the short remainder of his life. But don’t start making plans just yet to see the famous bus he lived in—there’s a reason McCandless never made it back, and some others haven’t either. It’s a treacherous journey.
5. "Yes, Please" by Amy Poehler
You kind of have to be a fan of Amy Poehler to enjoy her book, but if you are, you need to read it immediately. Her book explains how she started her career, from comedy clubs in Chicago, to SNL, to Parks and Recreation. Poehler is straight up and very real in her telling of building a career, and balancing family, and the highs and lows of life in general. Reading her book is like listening to story time, and it engulfs you. I finished this book in a weekend while traveling in Chicago, and incidentally going to the comedy club where she, and many other SNL stars, started their careers. It was amazing, and I couldn’t put it down. Her humor was captivating, her stories were intriguing, and I loved every minute of it.
6. "American Sniper" by Chris Kyle
You might not be super patriotic, you might not know anything about the military, but you will be deeply invested in Chris’s story. His journey was an amazing one, and you definitely won’t be able to put this one down. I read this before seeing the movie, and I felt Clint Eastwood and Bradley Cooper did a remarkable job of bringing Chris’s life to the big screen. His experiences in the war are harrowing to read about, and you cling on to every detail. His battles in Fallujah and at home in his family life are real and honestly told, and give insight to the realities of war, hardship, love, and military life.
7. "American Wife" by Taya Kyle
Not long after I read Chris’s book, his wife, Taya, released her own, recounting her life and her relationship with Chris. It took me a long time to get through this book. She talks pretty early on in the book about Chris’s death, before working backwards about their life together, and then working through the grief and to present day. I cried a lot while I read and had to take some time away from it in the beginning. Taya didn’t hold back when writing her book—her honest recount of the realities of a marriage with a Navy SEAL who served four dangerous tours, work, family, faith and mourning the loss of her husband were heartbreaking, touching, emotional, and so worth reading. As someone in a military relationship, reading about her experience gave me strength and wisdom, and a greater appreciation and understanding for the circumstances.
8. "Code Name: Johnny Walker" by Johnny Walker
Johnny Walker is the code name for an Iraqi man who experienced the war from the beginning, until his home country was no longer his home. During the height of the war, he worked as an interpreter, one thousands, for the American military. Walker worked alongside the SEALs, day in and day out for years. He even worked alongside Chris Kyle at some point. I learned about him through Taya’s book, and quickly got a copy of his book.
He risked his own life, and the life of his family, to fight with the Americans. Walker faced incredible danger, and his stories are shocking, terrifying, and awe-inspiring. When a service member deploys, their tour lasts for several months or a year. For Johnny Walker, the war was in his home, and his "tour" was his life, without a break—thousands of missions, and constant danger. Eventually, with the help of some dedicated men who worked alongside Johnny, he was granted American citizenship, and now lives peacefully with his family in Southern California.
