Sarah Kim
The publication of Prince Harry’s new barn-burning book has been made possible ReserveIt’s now time for a deeper dive into the fascinating world of celebrity memoirs. They can be lighthearted essays or serious collections.Bossypants; Film SpeculationDishy Tell-AllsIt’s impossible to eat lunch in this town again; The Vanity Fair DiariesSearingly intimate portraits of the heart (Open; GreenlightsThese memoirs allow us to get closer to people who are clearly a different kind.
It is the way it bring celebrities down to human levels that makes this genre so appealing. In many cases like Debbie Harry’s in Face It, Alan Cumming in Baggage, or Carrie Fischer in The Princess DiaristThe authors are not only honest about themselves but also act as intelligent and generous observers of pop culture and the people they meet along the way. You have plenty of space for creativity. Steve Martin can write your graphic memoir.
These are our top thirty favorites, in no particular order. Please pass the popcorn.
1
The number one thing is to walkSteve Martin,.
2
An Ordinary Man Lives an Extraordinary LifePaul Newman,
3
Dey Street Books
Face ItDebbie Harry
4
Baggage: Stories from a Full-Packed LifeAlan Cumming,
5
Dey Street Books
A Girl in a BandKim Gordon
6
St. Martin’s Griffin
The Autobiography of Act OneMoss Art,
7
The TasteStanley Tucci,
8
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
RememberingsSinead O’Connor,.
9
Film SpeculationQuentin Tarantino,.
10
The Office Best FriendAngela Kinsey and Jenna Fischer, authored by
11
Vintage
Untitled Autobiography, by Andre Agassi
12
Da Capo Press
SatchmoLouis Armstrong
13
Vintage
Your Personal HistoryKatharine Graham,
14
Back Bay Books
The Best of LifeKeith Richards
15
Bloomsbury USA
Kitchen ConfidentialBy Anthony Bourdain
16
Reagan Arthur/ Little, Brown
BossypantsTina Fey,
17
I’m Glad My Mom Died, by Jennette McCurdy
18
Find MeViola Davis,
19
Picador USA
The Vanity Fair DiariesTina Brown,
20
Dey Street Books
Open BookJessica Simpson
21
Three Rivers Press
Are All the Others Hanging out Without Me?Mindy Kaling,
22
Scribner
Dear Mr.Mary Louise Parker
23
Random House Trade Paperbacks
Dear girlsAli Wong
24
One World
Born a CrimeTrevor Noah
25
Blue Rider Press
The Princess DiaristCarrie Fisher,
26
Harper Perennial
Dropped namesFrank Langella,.
27
Random House Trade Paperbacks
This town is the best place to eat lunch.Julia Phillips,.
28
Random House Trade Paperbacks
How far I’ve come in my lifeJane Fonda,.
29
We were dreamersSimu Liu,.
30
Greenlights. Matthew McConaughey
Adrienne Westenfeld
Fiction and Books Editor
Adrienne Westenfeld, Books and Fiction Editor for Esquire oversees book coverage and edits fiction. She also curates Esquire Book Club.