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The ReadDown

New Biographies and Memoirs To Read This Year

by PRH Editors

Pick up new biographies and memoirs, from nonfiction about famous figures and inspiring stories about ordinary people who have triumphed in the face of obstacles.

  1. 1
    Sonny Boy Book Cover Picture
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    Sonny Boy

    by Al Pacino

    From one of the most iconic actors in the history of film, an astonishingly revelatory account of a creative life in full. Sonny Boy is the memoir of a man who has nothing left to fear and nothing left to hide. All the great roles, the essential collaborations, and the important relationships are given their full due, as is the vexed marriage between creativity and commerce at the highest levels. But Al Pacino was lucky enough to fall deeply in love with a craft before he had the foggiest idea of any of its earthly rewards, and he never fell out of love. That has made all the difference.
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    $35.00

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  2. 2
    Coming Home Book Cover Picture
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    Coming Home

    by Brittney Griner and Michelle Burford

    From the nine-time women’s basketball icon and two-time Olympic gold medalist — a raw, revelatory account of her unfathomable detainment in Russia and her journey home.
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    $30.00

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  3. 3
    On Call Book Cover Picture
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    On Call

    by Anthony Fauci, M.D.

    The memoir by the doctor who became a beacon of hope for millions through the COVID pandemic, and whose six-decade career in high-level public service put him in the room with seven presidents.
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    Hardcover
    $36.00

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  4. 4
    Knife Book Cover Picture
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    Knife

    by Salman Rushdie

    From internationally renowned writer and Book Prize winner Salman Rushdie, a searing, deeply personal account of enduring — and surviving — an attempt on his life thirty years after the fatwa that was ordered against him.
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    $28.00

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  5. 5
    Be Ready When the Luck Happens Book Cover Picture
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    Be Ready When the Luck Happens

    by Ina Garten

    In her long-awaited memoir, Ina Garten — aka the Barefoot Contessa, author of thirteen bestselling cookbooks, beloved Food Network personality, Instagram sensation, and cultural icon — shares her personal story with readers hungry for a seat at her table.
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    $34.00

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  6. 6
    The Call to Serve Book Cover Picture
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    The Call to Serve

    by Jon Meacham

    In honor of the one hundredth anniversary of George H. W. Bush’s birth, this visually stunning chronicle features never-before-published photos and memories celebrating the forty-first president’s vision of leadership as service to country — curated by Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Jon Meacham.
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    $45.00

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  7. 7
    Lovely One Book Cover Picture
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    Lovely One

    by Ketanji Brown Jackson

    In her inspiring, intimate memoir, the first Black woman to ever be appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States chronicles her extraordinary life story. Through trials and triumphs, Justice Jackson’s journey will resonate with dreamers everywhere, especially those who nourish outsized ambitions and refuse to be turned aside. This moving, openhearted tale will spread hope for a more just world, for generations to come.
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  8. 8
    A Life Impossible Book Cover Picture
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    A Life Impossible

    by Steve Gleason and Jeff Duncan

    From NFL player Steve Gleason, a powerful, inspiring memoir of love, heartbreak, resilience, family, and remarkable triumph in the face of ALS. This unsparing portrait argues that a person’s true strength does not reside solely in one’s body but also in the ability to face unfathomable adversity and still be able to love and treasure life.
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  9. 9
    The Swans of Harlem Book Cover Picture
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    The Swans of Harlem

    by Karen Valby

    The forgotten story of a pioneering group of five Black ballerinas and their 50-year sisterhood, a legacy erased from history — until now.
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  10. 10
    It Gets Better . . . Except When It Gets Worse Book Cover Picture
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    It Gets Better . . . Except When It Gets Worse

    by Nicole Maines

    The irreverent and candid coming-of-age memoir of Nicole Maines: Trailblazing trans actress, activist — and sometimes someone who’s just existing, which is actually pretty hard!
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  11. 11
    Did Everyone Have an Imaginary Friend (or Just Me)? Book Cover Picture
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    Did Everyone Have an Imaginary Friend (or Just Me)?

    by Jay Ellis

    Jay Ellis, star of HBO’s Insecure, tells the story of growing up with an imaginary best friend you will never forget — part Dwayne Wayne from A Different World, part Will Smith from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air — in this hilarious, vulnerable memoir.
    Did Everyone Have an Imaginary Friend (or Just Me)? Book Cover Picture
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    $29.00

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  12. 12
    The Road Is Good Book Cover Picture
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    The Road Is Good

    by Uzo Aduba

    A powerful, timely memoir of Black immigrant identity, the story of an unforgettable matriarch, and a unique coming-of-age story by Nigerian American actress Uzo Aduba.
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  13. 13
    Viewfinder Book Cover Picture
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    Viewfinder

    by Jon M. Chu and Jeremy McCarter

    From visionary director Jon M. Chu comes a powerful, inspiring memoir of belonging, creativity, and learning to see who you really are.
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    Hardcover
    $32.00

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  14. 14
    We All Shine On Book Cover Picture
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    We All Shine On

    by Elliot Mintz

    A personal and revealing look at the last ten years of John Lennon’s life and his partnership with Yoko Ono, written by the friend who knew them best, publicist and music industry insider Elliot Mintz.
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    $32.00

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  15. 15
    The Trading Game Book Cover Picture
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    The Trading Game

    by Gary Stevenson

    A “vivid” (Financial Times) rags-to-riches memoir that takes readers inside the high-stakes drama and hubris of the trading floor, a “darkly funny” (Guardian) tale of Citibank’s one-time most profitable trader, and why he gave it all up.
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    Hardcover
    $30.00

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  16. 16
    Made Up, But Still True Book Cover Picture
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    Made Up, But Still True

    by Donald Sutherland

    The long-awaited, bracingly candid, and utterly unpredictable personal story of movie legend Donald Sutherland, sharing his deep passion for acting, his intense journey through success and loss, and every wild story in between.
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    Hardcover
    $35.00

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  17. 17
    How to Make Herself Agreeable to Everyone Book Cover Picture
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    How to Make Herself Agreeable to Everyone

    by Cameron Russell

    A bold memoir that explores who holds the power in an image-obsessed culture, from the model and activist who helped organize the movement to bring equity to fashion.
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    $28.00

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  18. 18
    Ghost Town Living Book Cover Picture
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    Ghost Town Living

    by Brent Underwood

    A long-abandoned silver mine for sale sounded like an adventure too great to pass up, but it turned into much more — a calling, a community of millions, and hard-earned lessons about chasing impractical dreams.
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    $28.00

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  19. 19
    Chasing Hope Book Cover Picture
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    Chasing Hope

    by Nicholas D. Kristof

    From New York Times columnist, Pulitzer Prize winner, and bestselling author Nicholas D. Kristof, an intimate and gripping memoir about a life in journalism. This is a candid memoir of vulnerability and courage, humility and purpose, mistakes and learning — a singular tale of the trials, tribulations, and hope to be found in a life dedicated to the pursuit of the truth.
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  20. 20
    The Friday Afternoon Club Book Cover Picture
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    The Friday Afternoon Club

    by Griffin Dunne

    Griffin Dunne’s memoir of growing up among larger-than-life characters in Hollywood and Manhattan finds wicked humor and glimmers of light in even the most painful of circumstances.
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    $30.00

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  21. 21
    The Outsider Advantage Book Cover Picture
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    The Outsider Advantage

    by Ciera Rogers

    From the fashion mogul and entrepreneur behind Babes, an empowering memoir about turning what makes you different into the foundation of your success.
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    Hardcover
    $29.00

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  22. 22
    Between Two Trailers Book Cover Picture
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    Between Two Trailers

    by J. Dana Trent

    A powerful, unforgettable memoir about a girl who escapes her childhood as a preschool drug dealer in rural Indiana — only to find that no one can really “make it out” until they make peace with where their story began: home.
    Between Two Trailers Book Cover Picture
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    $27.00

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  23. 23
    How to Live Free in a Dangerous World Book Cover Picture
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    How to Live Free in a Dangerous World

    by Shayla Lawson

    Poet and journalist Shayla Lawson follows their National Book Critics Circle finalist This Is Major with these daring and exquisitely crafted essays, where Lawson journeys across the globe, finds beauty in tumultuous times, and powerfully disrupts the constraints of race, gender, and disability.
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  24. 24
    The Name of This Band Is R.E.M. Book Cover Picture
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    The Name of This Band Is R.E.M.

    by Peter Ames Carlin

    An electrifying cultural biography of the greatest and last American rock band of the millennium, whose music such as “Losing My Religion,” “Man on the Moon,” “The One I Love,” and “It’s the End of the World as We Know It” ignited a generation — and reasserted the power of rock and roll, from New York Times bestselling music writer Peter Ames Carlin.
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    $32.00

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  25. 25
    Kingmaker Book Cover Picture
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    Kingmaker

    by Sonia Purnell

    From the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of A Woman of No Importance, an electrifying re-examination of one of the 20th century’s greatest unsung power players.
    Kingmaker Book Cover Picture
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    $35.00

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