Best Biography & memoir books

The 122 highest-rated Biography & memoir books, scored from 39.4K reader ratings.

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Sort byDecadeMinimum ratings122 results

By year of first publication, 1791–2026. The busiest stretch is 2000–2019, with 71. Select a bar to narrow the list.

1
9.09.0 / 10
Know My NameChanel Miller322 ratings“Know My Name” is a memoir of rare clarity about living through a sexual assault, its aftermath and the trial that followed.Our view
2
8.98.9 / 10
Just MercyBryan Stevenson321 ratings“Just Mercy” is a lawyer’s account of the American justice system that leaves readers shaken and, against the odds, hopeful.Our view
3
8.98.9 / 10
Born a CrimeTrevor Noah1.3K ratingsTrevor Noah recounts a South African childhood that was, under apartheid law, illegal from the moment of his birth, and he does it as a comedian would.Our view

Why Know My Name is #1

Know My Name (Chanel Miller) scores 9.0/10 from 322 ratings — 0.1 points ahead of Just Mercy in second place.

The score is a weighted average across 3 independent rating sources. A title with few ratings is pulled toward the category average, so a handful of enthusiastic reviews cannot outrank a book that thousands of readers have judged. To keep the list varied, the top 20 holds at most two books from one series and three by one author; the rest follow further down. Method →