In Her Own Words: 10 Compelling Autobiographies By Fascinating Women

From the uplifting to the heart-wrenching and everything in between, this Women’s History Month, we’re delving into the full breadth of human experience with some of our favourite female-written memoirs from around the globe.

Jennette McCurdy, I’m Glad My Mom Died 
The controversial title grabbed headlines when former child star Jennette McCurdy released her memoir in 2022, but the story that follows is no less powerful. In an abrupt, no-holds-barred departure from her squeaky-clean teen persona, McCurdy recounts the pressures of being forced into acting and becoming the family breadwinner at a young age, all while growing up in the public eye – and under her mother’s thumb. The writing is as full of pithy observations and witty anecdotes as it is of devastatingly dark moments, earning McCurdy an 80-week run on the New York Times bestseller list. 

Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings 
The first in a series of autobiographies published by the beloved US poet, the power of the title alone was enough to earn this book a place in the nation’s cultural consciousness. The 1969 publication takes us from Angelou’s early days in the American South to the first years of her adulthood, addressing with blazing honesty the highs and lows of an often challenging life. Through it all, the overarching message is one of hope or, as she puts it, “Hoping for the best, prepared for the worst, and unsurprised by anything in between.”

Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis 
Originally published in four parts, this autobiographical comic book details the Iranian author and illustrator’s passage from childhood to womanhood during the Islamic Revolution in 1970s Iran. Raised to speak out, Satrapi portrays her teenage self as strong-willed and independent – two traits that make living in her beloved homeland increasingly untenable. However, when she flees to Europe, the pain of exile and isolation proves equally difficult to bear. The comic was subsequently turned into a film directed by the creator herself – a must-see to follow this must-read.

Joan Didion, The Year of Magical Thinking 
The noted journalist’s narrative, penned with the acute reflection she’s known for, chronicles the year following her husband’s unexpected passing. The work offers detailed insight into the sometimes irrational, sometimes deeply relatable mechanisms of the grieving mind. Many readers have found comfort in this exploration of loss, which seeks to make sense of the turmoil that follows bereavement while connecting the experience to love and memory, and plotting a path out of the darkness.

Mineko Iwasaki and Rande Gail Brown, Geisha of Gion
After agreeing to speak with Arthur Golden for his novel Memoirs of a Geisha, Iwasaki was frustrated with how her real experiences were treated and her identity unveiled. In response, the former top geisha decided to tell her own story. The resulting text provides an intriguing glimpse into the mysterious and frequently exoticised Japanese profession, but more than that, it is a profoundly personal work about Iwasaki herself and her relationship to the traditions that drove her to leave at the peak of her career.

Patti Smith, Just Kids
A riveting dive into the much-romanticised world of the New York creative scene in the 1970s, from one of its most famous alumni. Lauded for her poetry as a lyricist, it’s perhaps no surprise that Smith’s prose makes for such a great read. This tale of passion, devastating loss and explosive creativity will fascinate even casual Smith fans and delight readers with its cameos by other famous faces, including Andy Warhol, Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix.

Kay Redfield Jamison, An Unquiet Mind
Both a well-respected psychiatrist and a person living with manic depression, Redfield Jamison is uniquely positioned to explain what it means to be bipolar. Furthermore, her incisive and unexpectedly intimate writing has earned her fame beyond academic and clinical circles, and even garnered her an honorary professorship of English from Scotland’s University of St Andrews. This is essential – and enjoyable – reading for professionals, patients and anyone seeking a greater understanding of the challenges inherent in the disorder.

Helen Keller, The Story of My Life 
Through letters and her own writings, this biography tracks Helen Keller’s life up to the age of 22 and illustrates her close bond with Anne Sullivan – the teacher and subsequent companion who gave Keller a way to communicate by patiently spelling out words on her hand, as well as her history-making university education. The simple directness of the title speaks to the unforgettable immediacy of this text from one of the most inspiring activists of the 20th century.

Annie Ernaux, A Frozen Woman 
This leading French author is best known for her memoirs, autobiographies and the biographies of her parents, a body of work for which she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2022. A Frozen Woman recounts her childhood and early adulthood in the early 1980s, addressing her attempts to reconcile the societal expectations of the roles she should fill – girlfriend, housewife, mother – with her professional and academic ambitions. Despite the title, Ernaux’s frank, unrestrained style is warmly relatable in her descriptions of a conflict many women have experienced.

Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb, I Am Malala 
One young girl’s experience under Taliban repression in northern Pakistan became global news when she was almost killed for fighting for her right to attend school. Since recovering, Yousafzai has graduated from the University of Oxford, received a Nobel Prize, used her platform to continue her struggle for female education and worldwide justice … and written about it all in an autobiography co-authored with journalist Christina Lamb. Yousafzai also collaborated with Patricia McCormick to produce a children’s edition of the book in the hope of inspiring a new generation.

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