• Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by: Trevor Noah

• Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by: Marjane Satrapi *

• The Glass Castle by: Jeannette Walls 

• Educated by: Tara Westover

• She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders by: Jennifer Finney Boylan

1

• Polar Explorer by: Jade Hameister

• The Sun Does Shine: How I Find Life and Freedom on Death Row by: Anthony Ray Hinton

• Just Mercy by: Bryan Stevenson *

• Between the World and Me by: Ta-Nehisi Coates *

• The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons and an Unlikely Road to Manhood by: Ta-Nehisi Coates

• I Am a SEAL Team Six Warrior- Memoirs of an American Soldier by: Howard E. Wasdin

• Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery by: Scott Kelly

• Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry Into the Value Work by: Matthew B. Crawford

• The Freedom Writers Diary by: Erin Gruwell

• Into the Wild by: Jon Krakauer *

• How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by: Clint Smith *

• Sports themed titles:

  • Mamba Mentality: How I Play by: Kobe Bryant

• • The Closer: My Story by: Mariano Rivera                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

  • The Journey Home: My Life in Pinstripes by: Jorge Posada 

• • Whenever I Wind Up: My Quest for Truth, Authenticity, and the Perfect Knuckleball by: R. A. Dickey

• • Slow Getting Up: A Story of NFL Survival from the Bottom of the Pile by: Nate Jackson 

• • Wolfpack:  How to Come Together, Unleash Our Power, and Change the Game by: Abby Wambach

  • We Will Rise: A True Story of Tragedy and Resurrection in the American Heartland by: Steve Beaven 

• • Bruce Lee: A Life by: Matthew Polly

• • Undisputed Truth by: Mike Tyson

• • King of the World: Muhammed Ali and the Rise of an American Hero by: David Remnick

Music themed titles:

• Dolly Parton - Songteller: My Life in Lyrics by: Dolly Parton 

• Surrender, 40 Songs, One Story by: Bono

• Home Work: A Memoir on My Hollywood Years by: Julie Andrews

* Note: These books contain explicit and/or profane language that parents may want to be aware of. Click on the linked book titles, and/or visit Common Sense Media, for more information to inform your reading decisions.