25 Memoirs to Read Before You Die
This is one of the 743 lists we use to generate our main The Greatest Books list.
About this list
Powell's Books, 25 Books
This list spotlights 25 memoirs chosen to surface powerful, overlooked reads, serving as the fourth installment in Powell’s ongoing “25 Books to Read Before You Die” series focused this time on memoir. The curators deliberately excluded widely taught, classroom staples to free up space for underappreciated titles, and they selected works that share two defining qualities: exceptional writing and an unflinching willingness to reveal both the beauty and the ugliness of lived experience. Compiled and annotated by Powell’s booksellers, the picks reflect an internal, editorial selection process rather than a public vote, with no rankings or numeric scoring disclosed—just thoughtful staff notes accompanying each choice to explain why it deserves a place on the list.
Who Voted: Powell's Staff. 12 people are listed to have contributed. Renee P.
Gigi L.
Jennifer H.
Jill O.
Mary Jo S.
Aubrey W.
Tim B.
Jeremy G.
Miranda G.
Rhianna W.
Britt A.
Kate L.
This list was originally published in 2017 and was added to this site 12 months ago.