Biographies and autobiographies are some of the best ways to learn about a famous person’s life. Sometimes, it isn’t a person that is famous. Authors go to great lengths to tell the life story of the person that the book is about. We decided to list the best biographies and autobiographies of all time so you can find them all in one place!
Biographies often include interviews with the person that the book is about, stories that few people have heard before, or interviews with people that thye were closely associated with. Autobiographies can include anything as the author writes about their personal life and what they want their story to focus on.
The Best Biographies and Autobiographies of All Time
- Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
- Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
- Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
- Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo by Hayden Herrera
- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
- A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar
- Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
- John Adams by David McCullough
- Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
- The Power Broker by Robert Caro
- Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare by Stephen Greenblatt
- Prairie Fires by Caroline Fraser
- The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris
- Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow
- The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley
- Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman by Robert K. Massie
- Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson
- Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson
- Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay by Nancy Milford
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
- Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life by Ruth Franklin
- The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
- Maus by Art Spiegelman
- Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela
- The Mayor of Castro Street by Randy Shilts
- Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges
- The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel
- Mao: The Unknown Story by Jung Chang
- Churchill: A Life by Martin Gilbert
- Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg byIrin Carmon
- Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. By Ron Chernow
- A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
- Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” by Zora Neale Hurston
Books Everyone Should Read
The list includes autobiographies of many famous people and I know I am not the only one that likes to read lesser-known facts about these people. From Steve Job to Shirley Jackson, the list is diverse and has something for everyone.
There are some classics on this list such as The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, Maus by Art Spiegelman, and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. These are must reads and any other book(s) on this list is a great surplus!
Conclusion
That is our best biographies and autobiographies of all time list. What books should have made the list but didn’t? Let us know in the comments below. Until next time, happy reading!
All Over But The Shoutin’ by Rick Bragg