The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is a powerful memoir about resilience and family. Walls shares about her difficult childhood, growing up with her intelligent but alcoholic father and her artistic mother. Despite their love, her parents' choices often left the family hungry and living in poverty. Walls’ storytelling is raw and honest, showing both the pain and the love in her unconventional family.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou is a honest memoir that follows Angelou’s own life and the challenges growing up as a black woman in a twisted society. She is attacked by a man, and it changes her perspective on society forever. All while battling trauma, racism and other dark events, Angelou goes on a journey of growing up and finding herself. I give this book 4 stars because it is a remarkable book, and I think everyone should read it in their lifetime.
Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime is a memoir about growing up in Apartheid South Africa and his youth after Apartheid ended. Noah discusses his close relationship with his Xhosa mother and how his existence was essentially illegal. His mother being Xhosa/Black and his father being White/Swiss was a crime that was highly punishable. He grew up having to pretend his mother wasn't his mother and that his father wasn't his father, learning to be alone often.
Ashley C. Ford writes a stunningly beautiful memoir about her childhood experiences, and, most importantly, her relationship with her parents. For as long as she can remember, her dad has always been in prison for a crime that she wasn’t allowed to know of, and her emotionally distant mother formed new relationships with other men. Ashley recounts her experiences with her absent father and her strained relationship with her mother, who is trying to recover from heartbreak and the stress of being the sole provider for Ashley.
Visitations is the story of a family that has been torn apart by family disputes, mental illness and religion. It is haunting and sad, but also sheds a hopeful light on children's ability to recover and heal. The author is the main character in this book, and it was told from his life experience. The novel details the traumatic experiences and relationships Corey had to endure through his mother's mental illness and devotion to Mormonism.
The Ugly Cry: A Memoir is a heartfelt, humorous nonfiction novel that revisits the author’s childhood. Raised by her fiercely independent grandmother in New York, Danielle has a life filled with unexpected challenges and hilarious lessons. The memoir dives into Danielle’s experiences growing up in a busy family environment, including her mother’s absence, struggles with racism as a Black girl in a white town and the resilience she had.
A Child Called “it” is a memoir by Dave Pelzer. Dave’s mother was an alcoholic and brutally abused her son. Dave often had to fight for food and was tortured by his mother’s abuse. At first, it didn’t seem too bad, but as his mother’s games got worse, Dave realized that he would have to find a way to take care of himself and find help. I really liked reading this book, and I would definitely recommend it.
Night is a memoir by Elie Wiesel. The book is about his experiences as a Jewish teenager during the Holocaust. It follows his journey from a small town in Transylvania to various concentration camps, including Auschwitz and Buchenwald. In the camps, he witnesses and suffers from a lot of cruelty. His father is all he has left, but his father eventually dies, too. Elie was very faithful at the beginning of the book, but over time he begins to question what his faith has really gotten him.
I highly recommend the autobiography, Born a Crime, written by Trevor Noah, which shares his experiences growing up in South Africa during the Apartheid era. Despite the serious issues he faced, Trevor’s comedic approach draws the reader in and keeps them engaged. The title of the book is derived from the fact that Trevor was “Born a crime” due to his mixed-race background, which was illegal during Apartheid.
Maya Angelou’s stunning memoir details her life as she grows up in the small town of Stamps, Arkansas, with her brother and grandmother, who she calls Momma as her true mother wasn’t able to take care of her and lives in sunny California with her boyfriend. Momma runs the only Store in the African American community of Stamps, providing Maya with warm memories with her town and family.
