Best Autobiography of 2015

by Lynsey Addario photographed by Lynsey Addario

A brutally real and unrelentingly raw memoir that is as inspiring as it is horrific. Full review >

by Carrie Brownstein

Unlike many rock star memoirs, there’s no sense that this book is a chore or a marketing effort. It’s revealing and... Full review >

by Rinker Buck

By turns frankly hilarious, historically elucidating, emotionally touching, and deeply informative. Full review >

by Ta-Nehisi Coates

This moving, potent testament might have been titled “Black Lives Matter.” Or: “An American Tragedy.” Full review >

by Roger Cohen

With limpid prose, Cohen delivers a searching and profoundly moving memoir. Full review >

by Philip Connors

Unlike other, neater narratives of being lost and found, Connors’ story—told with harrowing insight and fierce prose—is... Full review >

by Edmund de Waal

De Waal’s poetically recounted journey is a revelation, as well: of the power of obsession and the lust for purity. Full review >

by Rita Gabis

An eloquent testimony to the war’s enduring, violent impact. Full review >

by Sarah Hepola

A treasure trove of hard truths mined from a life soaked in booze. Full review >

by Margo Jefferson

Jefferson swings the narrative back and forth through her life, exploring the tides of racism, opportunity, and dignity... Full review >

by Heidi Julavits

An inventive, beautifully crafted memoir, wise and insightful. Full review >

by Harrison Scott Key

An uncommonly entertaining story replete with consistent wit and lethal weaponry. Full review >

by Helen Macdonald

Whether you call this a personal story or nature writing, it’s poignant, thoughtful and moving—and likely to become a... Full review >

by Lucas Mann

In constructing his aching, poignant narrative, Mann offers a fine meditation on fate and on how “the story of addiction is... Full review >

by Maggie Nelson

A book that will challenge readers as much as the author has challenged herself. Full review >

by Mary Norris

A funny book for any serious reader. Full review >

by David Payne

A powerful, above-average literary memoir. Full review >

by David Plante

An understated, observant, and earnest memoir from an acclaimed novelist. Full review >

by Graeme Smith

A dragon awaits, in other words. Cheerless and even nightmarish, one of the best books yet about the war in Central Asia. Full review >

by Matthew Spender

A pointed family memoir from a writer keenly attuned to and reverent of genius. Full review >

by Mark Twain ; edited by Benjamin Griffin Harriet E. Smith

Of considerable interest to all readers of Twain but especially to working writers following Twain’s habit of tracking his... Full review >

by Mark Vanhoenacker

The anatomy of an airliner and peripatetic aerial travel, as well as a sophisticated worldview, combine for first-class... Full review >