Memoir Recommendations

Welcome, I’m happy you’re here. My name is Steph. I created Sending Smiles to spread the joy I found on the other side of healing. Thank you for taking the time to read.

Today, I am sharing some of my favorite books from my favorite genres. Memoirs, or personal narratives told with a literary arc, help us learn about each other’s experiences. We might come from different backgrounds, but we experience the same emotions. Memoirs teach us that everyone has a story; everyone has something unique to offer the world.

I’d love to hear from you! What memoirs made an impact on your life?

Becoming by Michelle Obama

“Do we settle for the world as it is, or do we work for the world as it should be?”

Former First Lady Michelle Obama explores her journey from childhood in Chicago to life in the White House.

Educated by Tara Westover

“The skill I was learning was a crucial one, the patience to read things I could not yet understand.”

Raised by Mormon survivalists who distrusted traditional institutions like healthcare and education, Westover grows up in a secluded and unconventional environment, eventually seeking a different path through learning.

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

“I yearn to know the people I love deeply and intimately-without context, without boxes-and I yearn for them to know me that way too.”

Jennette McCurdy unpacks the complex relationship with her abusive mother and child stardom.

This book contains descriptions of childhood sexual abuse, mental abuse, and disordered eating. Please take care of yourself while reading.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

“One time I saw a tiny Joshua tree sapling growing not too far from the old tree. I wanted to dig it up and replant it near our house. I told Mom that I could protect it from the wind and water it every day so that it could grow nice and tall and straight. Mom frowned at me. ‘You’d be destroying what makes it special,’ she said. ‘It’s the Joshua tree’s struggle that gives it its beauty.”

Jeannette Walls chronicles her unconventional, often painful, childhood growing up in extreme poverty with dysfunctional parents.

Know My Name by Chanel Miller

“When a woman is assaulted, one of the first questions people ask is ‘Did you say no?’ This question assumes the answer was always yes, and that it is her job to revoke the agreement. To defuse the bomb she was given. But why are they allowed to touch us until we physically fight them off? Why is the door open until we slam it shut?”

Chanel Miller recounts her experience of surviving sexual assault and reclaiming her identity.

This book contains descriptions of sexual violence. Please take care of yourself while reading, and visit RAINN for more resources.

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

“Happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue.”

After surviving four Nazi concentration camps, Frankl concludes the primary human drive is the search for meaning, even in the face of extreme suffering.

This book contains descriptions of genocide. Please take care of yourself while reading, and visit Amnesty International for more resources.

Untamed by Glennon Doyle

“This life is mine alone. So I have stopped asking people for directions to places they’ve never been.”

A powerful journey of self-discovery and liberation from societal and cultural conditioning, Doyle touches on themes of family, addiction, and inner strength.

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami

“For me, running is both exercise and a metaphor. Running day after day, piling up races, bit by bit I raise the bar, and by clearing each level I elevate myself. At least that’s why I’ve put in the effort day after day: to raise my own level. I’m no great runner, by any means. I’m at an ordinary-or perhaps more like mediocre-leve. But that’s not the point. The point is whether or not I improved over yesterday. In long-distance running the only opponent you have to beat is yourself, the way you used to be.”

Murakami intertwines his passion for long-distance running with reflections on life, creativity, and the pursuit of personal endurance.

Also by Murakami: Norwegian Wood

Wild by Cheryl Strayed

“‘There’s always a sunrise and always a sunset and it’s up to you to choose to be there for it,’ said my mother. ‘Put yourself in the way of beauty.’”

Following divorce and her mother’s death, Strayed hikes solo along the Pacific Crest Trail.

Sending Smiles,

Steph