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The 10 Best Biographies and Memoirs of All Time
A great biography or memoir lets you live another life for a few hundred pages. These ten true stories, from scientists and founders to families and ordinary people facing extraordinary times, are still among the most-read life stories today. Each one is both a page-turner and a window on its time.
Hillbilly Elegy#1Hillbilly Elegy
by J. D. Vance · first published 2016
Why it is on the list: Sold over 700,000 print copies in 2024 alone and returned to No. 1 on the New York Times list.
Vance describes growing up in a struggling Rust Belt town with Appalachian roots, raised largely by his tough, loving grandparents, and his path to the Marines, Ohio State and Yale Law. A personal story that sparked a national conversation about class and opportunity.
Evidence and sources
- Sold over 700,000 copies in 2024 (Circana BookScan), the year's biggest nonfiction surprise (source)
- No. 1 on the NYT nonfiction list Aug 4, 2024 and Feb 9, 2025 (source)
- No. 10 trade paperback nonfiction on the ABA 2024 Indie Bestsellers year list (source)
- Published June 2016; won the 2017 Audie Award for Nonfiction (source)
- ISBN 9780062300546, Harper hardcover (source)
Educated#2Educated
by Tara Westover · first published 2018
Why it is on the list: Over 8 million copies sold and still a top-40 Audible biography bestseller in 2026.
Westover grew up in a survivalist family in Idaho with no schooling, then taught herself enough to reach college and eventually a Cambridge PhD. An inspiring read about education, family and self-invention.
Evidence and sources
- No. 35 on Audible Biographies & Memoirs best sellers (Audible is Amazon-owned; live chart viewed 24 Oct 2026) (source)
- No. 24 on ABA Indie Biography and Memoir Bestseller List, March 2023 (source)
- More than 8 million copies sold by December 2020; 2018 NBCC Award for Autobiography; NYT 10 Best Books of 2018 (source)
- ISBN 9780399590504, Random House (source)
Becoming#3Becoming
by Michelle Obama · first published 2018
Why it is on the list: Fourteen million copies sold and still on Audible's biography bestseller chart in 2026.
The former First Lady tells her story from a working-class childhood on Chicago's South Side through Princeton, a law career, motherhood and eight years in the White House. Warm, candid and widely loved by readers of all ages.
Evidence and sources
The Diary of a Young Girl#4The Diary of a Young Girl
by Anne Frank · first published 1947
Why it is on the list: A regular on indie biography bestseller lists in 2025 and 2026; over 35 million copies published.
The diary a Jewish teenager kept while hiding from the Nazis in Amsterdam, full of humour, frustration and hope. A must-read for teens and adults learning about the Holocaust.
Evidence and sources
- No. 10 on ABA Indie Biography and Memoir Bestseller List (eight weeks to Mar 22, 2026) (source)
- No. 9 on ABA Indie Biography and Memoir Bestseller List, March 2025 (source)
- First published 1947; over 35 million copies published in 65 languages by 2014; on Le Monde's 100 Books of the Century (source)
- On Amazon's 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime (source)
- ISBN 9780553296983, Bantam mass market (source)
Crying in H Mart#5Crying in H Mart
by Michelle Zauner · first published 2021
Why it is on the list: An indie bestseller every year since 2023, topping the NYT paperback list; American Book Award winner.
The Japanese Breakfast musician writes about growing up Korean American, her bond with her mother and caring for her through cancer, with food as the thread that ties them together. A moving memoir of family, grief and identity.
Evidence and sources
- No. 8 trade paperback nonfiction on the ABA 2024 Indie Bestsellers year list (source)
- No. 3 trade paperback nonfiction on the ABA 2023 Indie Bestsellers year list (source)
- No. 20 on ABA Indie Biography and Memoir Bestseller List (eight weeks to Mar 22, 2026) (source)
- Topped the NYT paperback nonfiction list (Apr 2023); won the 43rd American Book Award (2022) (source)
- ISBN 9780525657743, Knopf hardcover (source)
American Prometheus#6American Prometheus
by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin · first published 2005
Why it is on the list: Pulitzer-winning Oppenheimer biography that hit No. 1 on the NYT list in 2023 and still charts on Audible.
Bird and Sherwin trace the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, from gifted student to leader of the Manhattan Project and later target of a Cold War security hearing. The book behind the film Oppenheimer and a rich portrait of science and politics.
Evidence and sources
- No. 1 on the NYT nonfiction list, Aug 6, 2023 (source)
- No. 6 trade paperback nonfiction on the ABA 2023 Indie Bestsellers year list (source)
- No. 36 on Audible History best sellers (Audible is Amazon-owned; live chart viewed 24 Oct 2026) (source)
- Won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Biography; published 2005 (source)
- ISBN 9780375726262, Vintage paperback (2006) (source)
Steve Jobs#7Steve Jobs
by Walter Isaacson · first published 2011
Why it is on the list: More than three million US copies sold and still on Audible's biography bestseller chart.
Based on dozens of interviews with Jobs and those around him, Isaacson traces the brilliant and difficult founder of Apple. A must for tech fans and entrepreneurs.
Evidence and sources
When Breath Becomes Air#8When Breath Becomes Air
by Paul Kalanithi · first published 2016
Why it is on the list: A Pulitzer finalist that spent 68 weeks on the NYT list and still charts on Audible in 2026.
A young neurosurgeon diagnosed with terminal lung cancer reflects on medicine, meaning and what makes a life worth living, writing until his final months. Short, beautifully written and deeply hopeful despite its subject.
Evidence and sources
The Autobiography of Malcolm X#9The Autobiography of Malcolm X
by Malcolm X with Alex Haley · first published 1965
Why it is on the list: On the Modern Library's 100 best nonfiction list and still on Audible and SUCCESS bestseller charts.
Malcolm X tells his life story, from street hustler and prisoner to Nation of Islam minister and later his break with it, shortly before his assassination. Essential reading on race, faith and change in America.
Evidence and sources
- No. 9 on SUCCESS Non-Fiction bestseller list, week of Sept 13, 2024 (source)
- No. 61 on Audible History and No. 92 on Biographies & Memoirs best sellers (Audible is Amazon-owned; live chart viewed 24 Oct 2026) (source)
- Modern Library 100 Best Nonfiction, No. 51 (source)
- Six million copies sold by 1977; TIME named it required reading (1998) (source)
- On Amazon's 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime (source)
- ISBN 9780345350688, Ballantine edition (source)
The Power Broker#10The Power Broker
by Robert A. Caro · first published 1974
Why it is on the list: Pulitzer-winning classic that still sits on Audible's History bestseller chart 50 years on.
Caro's huge biography of Robert Moses shows how one unelected official reshaped New York with highways, parks and bridges, and who paid the price. For anyone interested in power, cities and politics.
Evidence and sources
- No. 82 on Audible History best sellers (Audible is Amazon-owned; live chart viewed 24 Oct 2026) (source)
- Pulitzer Prize for Biography 1975; Francis Parkman Prize (source)
- Modern Library 100 Best Nonfiction, No. 92 (source)
- On Amazon's 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime (source)
- ISBN 9780394720241, Vintage edition (source)
Frequently asked questions
What is the best biography or memoir of all time?
On our list it is Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance. Sold over 700,000 print copies in 2024 alone and returned to No. 1 on the New York Times list.
Which biography or memoir should I read first?
Start with the top three: Hillbilly Elegy, Educated and Becoming. They are the most popular books in this genre right now, and each one is a good way into the rest of the list.
Are these books still popular today?
Yes. Every book here has evidence of strong sales or readership from the last few years, which you can see under “Evidence and sources” on each book. That is the main difference between this list and lists that only look back at history.
How often is this list updated?
We review it about once a month against current bestseller charts and change a book only when the evidence clearly changes.
Apart from this list, see the books we love most, hand-picked by QuickOnlineTips.
How we chose these books
1. Still selling and read today
Every book shows current demand from roughly the last three years: Audible best-seller charts (Audible is owned by Amazon), US independent bookstore bestseller lists from the American Booksellers Association, Publishers Weekly and Circana BookScan sales figures, and similar charts. Old books that nobody buys any more do not make the cut.
2. Stood the test of time
Every book was first published at least five years ago and has a lasting credential: a major award (such as the Pulitzer, Booker, Newbery or Hugo), a place on a respected all-time list (such as the Modern Library 100, TIME 100 or the BBC Big Read), or very large total sales.
3. Suitable for most readers
We leave out books built around explicit sexual content or graphic abuse, and books best known for being banned. Some books on the list deal with hard themes such as war, crime or loss, and the summaries say so.
Within each genre, books are ranked with current popularity weighted most, then lasting reputation. We review the list about once a month and swap a book only when the evidence clearly changes.
Book covers: Open Library. Links to each book go to Amazon. Last reviewed: October 2026.
More of the best books of all time
See the full 200 best books of all time list, or explore more nonfiction genres: Self-Help Books, Productivity Books, Psychology Books, Communication and Relationship Books, Leadership Books, Business Books, Personal Finance Books, Investing Books, History and Big Ideas Books.
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, QuickOnlineTips earns from qualifying purchases.
