Are you longing to write a memoir but unsure how to start? Undertaking this technically challenging genre can feel like a daunting task; as it is as much about storytelling as it is about relaying the facts.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the memoir writing process, there is one practice that can help you flex those memoir muscles: reading someone else’s well-written memoir. After all, great readers make great writers! We asked our friends in the Communicator Academy Facebook Group to share their favorite memoirs with us, and they did not disappoint. Below is a list of recommended memoirs, with links to their Amazon pages.

Educated by Tara Westover

Where the Wind Leads by Vinh Chung

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

The Sun Still Shines by Jodi Orgill Brown

The Artist’s Daughter by Alexandra Kuykendall

Waiting for Snow in Havana by Carlos Eire

Surprised by Oxford by Carolyn Weber

A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel

White Road by Olga Ilyin

Victim of Grace by Robin Jones Gunn

Same Kind of Different as Me by Lynn Vincent

In Love and War by James and Sybil Stockdale

Crosswicks Journals Madeleine L’engle

Born a Crime (audiobook) by Trevor Noah

Soul Survivor by Philip Yancey

Esther the Wonder Pig by Steve Jenkins and Derek Walter

Fashion Climbing by Bill Cunningham

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom

The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs

While you are sure to enjoy these memoirs, don’t forget to read them critically. Did the author make you laugh? Did you tear up? Go back through those passages and ask yourself what they did technically to evoke something within you emotionally. Did you resonate with a particular scene? Consider how the author made it come to life for you. Reading others’ work critically will unlock the door to writing your own memoir well.

Is there another book you would add to our list of memoirs? Share the title below!

The Communicator Academy Team is made up of authors and speakers who want to encourage all communicators to find their God-given passion and calling, and to hone their skills in order to deliver their unique message to a specific audience.