Best New and Recent Memoirs on Audio
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I love a good memoir. The lure of getting a peek into a stranger’s life, celebrity and regular person alike, gets me every time. It doesn’t matter whether they’re explaining how they navigated a life riddled with obstacles, how they lived through an unusual experience, or their adventures with a specific hobby: if a memoir sounds remotely interesting, off to my audiobook library it goes.
I do prefer to listen to memoirs on audio, in particular if they’re narrated by their authors. It feels more intimate, like a conversation with someone willing to dole out a few nuggets of wisdom that I might otherwise not learn. As a matter of fact, I consider memoirs my own version of self-help: they offer the same benefits of a fresh perspective and sound advice, but without the preachy tone I’ve found in a lot of books from the self-help genre.
As such, I’m always on the hunt for new and recent memoirs. Every quarter or so, I dive into new releases and pick out a few books to accompany me on my morning walks. These eight books all made that cut. I haven’t listened to all of them yet, but I’m excited to do so. I hope you are, too!
Note: You may have to toggle to the audiobook version
Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy
Ostensibly about Roy’s complicated relationship with her mother, this memoir is also about her own writing journey. Shaken by her mother Mary’s death in 2022, this book chronicles how their bond and her complex grief led to the creation of her novels.
A Hymn to Life: Shame Has to Change Sides by Gisèle Pelicot, tr. Natasha Lehrer and Ruth Driver, narrated by Emma Thompson
Gisèle Pelicot’s name has become a global symbol of strength and grace through fire. In this book, she recounts the trials, both literal and metaphorical, that she underwent since the horrifying discovery of her husband’s well-known abuse.
Shattered by Hanif Kureishi
When a 2022 fall led to a devastating diagnosis, Kureishi was forced to face a new life where paralysis was his new normal. What followed was a series of reflections and musings dictated from his various hospital beds, a collection of thoughts that have become this memoir.
Homeschooled by Stefan Merrill Block
Homeschooling had just become legal in Texas when Merrill Block’s mother pulled him out of school to keep his teachers from “stifling his creativity.” Left largely to his own devices, he was then confronted by his mother’s abusive attempts to stunt his growth. Upon going to school again, Merrill Block found a reality very different from the one he had known.
Civil Rights Warrior: A Life on the Front Lines of Justice, Equality, and the American Dream by Evelyn Jones Rich
In this memoir, the woman known as Evie Rich chronicles her extraordinary life, scholarship, and activism. The latter, which started when Dr. Rich was a student at Bryn Mawr College, went on to span decades, the present included. A must-read.
Adult Braces: Driving Myself Sane by Lindy West
Who among us hasn’t hit rock bottom? West captures that feeling as she takes us along on a cross-country road trip, the method she chose to find herself and her purpose again, and which she inspires other women to do the same (cross-country road trip optional).
Full of Myself: Black Womanhood and the Journey to Self-Posession by Austin Channing Brown
As an outstanding antiracism educator, Channing Brown has always enjoyed her work. But the time came when she found herself exhausted from having the weight of the world on her shoulders. This memoir shares her attempts to break free of the boxes trapping her, and explores how Black women are limited in who they can be.
You With the Sad Eyes by Christina Applegate
Christina Applegate always seemed to be on top of the world. But in this book, she peels back the shiny gauze that covered up the dark spots throughout her decades-long career, and afterward, when a multiple sclerosis diagnosis changed everything.
Can’t get enough of memoirs? Then be sure to check out these Must-Read 2025 Memoirs for Your TBR and these Memoirs and Essays from the LGBTQ+ Community.
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