Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
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Awesome autobiographies, biographies & personal stories that move you.
11
items Let the stories of others inspire you!
Shonda Rhimes is a TV powerhouse. Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, Bridgerton… she’s behind some of the most successful shows ever. But even Shonda has her insecurities, her what-do-I-do-now moments. This is what happened when she said YES to everything and...
Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes
I can’t remember reading such a raw and emotional autobiography as this. You probably know Jennette from her Nickelodeon days but while her life looked like a Hollywood dream, she was living under extreme pressure - from both the studio and her own m...
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
Discover these words. Absorb the stories. Try to make sense of it all.
One of the most famous autobiographies of all time, I still remember reading this as a teenager.
Years later I toured Anne Frank’s house in Amsterdam. It gave me chills. We’re l...
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Did you know that Hemingway kept six-toed cats at his home in Key West. And that their descendants are still living there. Anyway, this fabulous book tells the story of the writer’s time in 1920’s Paris. No six toed cats but lots of fun.
A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
You’ve seen the musical! Now read the book that inspired Lin Manuel Miranda to write a modern day classic.
Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
I’m a comedy nut and this man, Mel Brooks, is one of the greatest funny men that ever lived. He gave us The Producers, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein and more. A must read for those who love to learn about the history of comedy.
All about Me!: My Remarkable Life in Show Business, by Mel Brooks
The film is also amazing but this is the book that brings to life the incredible stories of Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson and Christine Darden, who lived through the Civil Rights era, the Space Race, the Cold War AND the movement f...
Hidden Figures: Story of African-American Women by Margot Lee Shetterly
Rock and roll, baby! Patti Smith’s acclaimed memoir about her life in New York in the 1970s and her complicated relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. Romantic, rebellious and revealing.
Just Kids by Patti Smith
Who are we without the ones we love? This heart-wrenching book is a must read for those who are grieving.
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
This is all things. A personal essay, an autobiography and a study of feminism seen through the lens of 1963. Women couldn’t get a mortgage without a man, we’re married when they were teens and expected to fulfil strict societal roles. Friedan, at th...
The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan
Carol Burnett is a trail-blazing woman in comedy. You wouldn’t have Tina Fey, Melissa McCarthy, Amy Poehler (etc), if it wasn’t for Carol. She once turned up to the red carpet in her slippers! Legendary, tough and inspirational.
This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection by Carol Burnett