Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl
Here’s a quick heads up before I jump into today’s post. Long and Short Reviews is hosting a virtual party on their site this week to celebrate their 16th anniversary. If you’d like to learn about new indie and small press books in a wide variety of genres or win one of the gift certificates or other great prizes, click on the second link in this paragraph and read some of their guests posts to find out how to enter the drawings.
Okay, onto Top Ten Tuesday stuff now.
The genre topic I picked for this week’s freebie post is memoirs written by women.
I enjoyed all of these books and would recommend them to anyone who likes memoirs or who wants to learn more about the lives of these incredible women and girls.
1. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
2. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou’s Autobiography, #1) by Maya Angelou
3. Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
4. I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai
5. Educated by Tara Westover
6. Becoming by Michelle Obama
7. Furiously Happy: A Funny Book about Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson
8. Call the Midwife: A True Story of the East End in the 1950s by Jennifer Worth
9. Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love by Dani Shapiro
10. Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive by Stephanie Land
I read the Young Reader’s Edition of I Am Malala and really enjoyed it! She has such poise for such a young woman. Great list of titles this week!
Here is my TTT: https://www.literacious.com/2023/08/22/top-ten-tuesday-middle-grade-inspired-by-folk-fairy-tales/
Thank you. 🙂
I have read and loved all of these (except Infidel…I need to look for that one).
Some of the books I’d include on this list are Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life; The Year of Magical Thinking; and The Glass Castle.
Ooh, yes! Thanks for the additions.
Infidel was sad at times but so good. Hope you enjoy it if you read it.
Loved Becoming on audio!
It was fabulous.
Anne Frank’s diaries were so powerful and impactful. It’s been many years since I read them but they stayed with me.
Agreed! If only she’d had a chance to grow up and see old age. I think she would have done incredible things.
Great list! I’m ashamed to admit I haven’t read any of these, but they are all amazing women and I would like to know more about them.
Thank you. If you do decide to read them, I hope you love them!
So many good memoirs on this list 👏🏾
Thanks. 🙂
Some I’ve read and liked, some I’ve heard of and not read, and some I’ve not heard of. Now I have to do a list, a separate post…
Go for it, Priscilla! 🙂
Becoming was such a great memoir. I loved it.
Agreed.
I’ve read a handful of these — Anne Frank’s is always the most memorable. If you are open to recommendations, Emile Carles “A Life of Her Own” was a mind-altering life-changing book for me. It’s about a French village teacher who becomes sharply critical of the government after seeing so many lives destroyed in WW1 and WW2. It got me interested in anarchism in the first place.
Yes, I’m totally open to recommendations! I’m checking my local library’s website for it now. Thanks. 🙂
I’ll admit, I’m not much of a non-fiction or memoir reader but there was some very strong women on this list. Great topic!
Thank you. 🙂
I’m curious about some of these.
🙂
I love this, i love biographies and memoirs, especially from women, i have a few favorites here
Thank you!
Nice idea for a Top Ten. I’m enjoying seeing all the different topics people have chosen. I have read Anne Frank and Call the Midwife from your list. I love the Call the Midwife tv series though I know they are now not using stories from the books.
Thank you.
Yeah, the first few season of Call the Midwife that were based on true stories were amazing. I like the next few seasons after that, too, although I haven’t caught up with the later ones as you can no longer legally stream Call the Midwife in Canada for some reason.
I’ve seen a TV production about Anne Frank, but I’m not sure I ever read a book about her life. It’s an interesting story from a historical perspective, but I always find I have to be “ready” to read stories like that because they’re so dark and sad. Thanks so much for visiting my website today! Appreciate this.
I hear you there!
And you’re welcome.
Great list! I have read several of these and can confirm that they are wonderful. I’m actually nearly done with I Am Malala and hers is quite an inspiring story. (I accidentally got the young reader version from my library, but I think I prefer that version since it feels more in line with the age Malala was at the time.)
My TTT: https://bookwyrmknits.com/2023/08/22/top-ten-tuesday-urban-fantasy-thats-not-secretly-pnr/
Thank you!
Yeah, the young reader version of Malala’s story spoke to me, too. She was so young when she was shot!
Great list! I’ve read 1,2,5, and 6! Have been wanting to read others, especially Inheritance.
Thank you. I hope you like them.
What a wonderful topic! You’ve inspired me for my next freebie!
Yay! That’s awesome. Thank you, and I can’t wait to read your version.
A couple here that I’ve read and a few I haven’t. I may have to add a couple to my TBR list. Thanks for the recommendation.
Enjoy!
I keep trying to comment on your post every week, Michael.
Great post. I have read Anne Frank, and want to read Educated. I have heard of several others as well, glad to know they are enjoyable. Have a great week!
Thank you. You, too!
I dont read memoirs, but some of these would tempt my fancy.
Cool.
Becoming is on my TBR, I’ve heard nothing but good things about that one!
It’s so good! Hope you like it.
I love this list! Adding a few to my TBR! I think my favorite female written memoir is Bossypants by Tina Fey!
Thank you. Bossypants was great, too.
I read The Diary of a Young Girl in school. I wish I remembered it better, but I do recall feelings of sadness and claustrophobia. Considering that I read a fair bit of Holocaust-related fiction and non-fiction, I will most likely read it again soon.
Yes, it sure did have those emotions in it! Hope you enjoy your reread.
Such a great list. I’ve always been curious about the Jenny Lawson one.
Hope you are well.
Thank you.
Yeah, I’m doing well. Hope life is good for you as well, Greg.
Great list. I loved the Michelle Obama one. And Anne Frank’s one of course.
Thank you. 🙂
From your list I only read the books by Anne Frank and Malala. I tried to read Becoming, but it felt like a textbook a lot and therefore it bore me.
Thanks for sharing. 🙂
What a great TTT list! I’ve actually read the first 5 books on your list. 😀
Oh, nice!
I really enjoyed The Diary of a Young Girl! Here is our Top Ten Tuesday. Thank you!
Cool. 🙂
I’m bookmarking this list – what a great topic.
Aww, thanks. What a compliment!
The only one on your list that I’ve read is The Diary of Anne Frank. I’ve heard of most of the others but not felt pulled to give any of them a read.
Thanks for stopping by my blog earlier.
Pam @ Read! Bake! Create!
https://readbakecreate.com/visit-michigan-in-ten-books/
You’re welcome. 🙂
Great topic!! I don’t read memoirs regularly, but I do sometimes. I’d like to add Being Heumann, by Judy Heumann to this list. She did so much for disability rights and her memoir is worth reading. 🙂
Ooh, that sounds really good! Yes, it should totally be on this list.
Our local book group read Becoming by Michelle Obama. I enjoyed the first half about her youth, while the remainder of the book seemed a little bland. The Diary of Anne Frank is one of those books that you never forget.
Absolutely! If only Anne had been able to live a long, full life.
Great list! I DNF’d MAID because I found the author to be so whiny and negative that I just couldn’t handle it. I love Anne Frank’s diary and I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS. I bought a box set of the Call the Midwife books because I loved the t.v. show so much, but I haven’t read them yet. One of these days!
Happy TTT!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
The Call the Midwife books are amazing. Hope you like them.
Great topic! I’ve enjoyed most of these!
Thanks. 🙂
Great idea for a list! I particularly enjoy reading memoirs from my favorite historical period, the American West—some of my favorites by women are “No Life for a Lady” by Agnes Morley Cleaveland, “Land of the Burnt Thigh” by Edith Eudora Kohl, and “A Bride Goes West” by Nannie Tiffany Alderson.
Thank you! Those all sound good.
I can’t believe I haven’t read any of these, but wow, such a great list. There are a bunch I’d love to make time for.
You are in for a treat! 🙂
A great topic! I have Call The Midwife but have yet to read it!
Have a great week!
It’s wonderful. Enjoy.
What a fantastic genre, Lydia. I have read six of them (all brilliant) and am just going through the seventh (Educated). I could add a few more, this is always a great choice. I will have to copy that idea one day. Thanks!
And hanks for visiting my TTT about Scandinavia this week.
You’re welcome, Marianne. Please do use this idea for a future post!
I love that we both featured memoirs today! I’ve read a few of the books on your list — loved Becoming, Educated, and Inheritance, and I’d like to check out a bunch of the others too. Great list!
Thank you. Yeah, it was pretty cool that we picked such similar topics.
Great choice this week, Lydia! I’ve read several of these and several others are on my tbr. I especially want to get to I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings someday.
Thank you. It was such a good read. Hope you love it.
Lydia – what a great topic idea! I love the books that you picked, and the 4 that I’ve read were incredible. Looks like I’m going to have 6 new books on my TBR now.
Thank you. Happy reading
I’m not much of a memoir reader but I do still want to read Malala’s and Jenette McMurdy’s. Some day.
Cool. 🙂
I loved Educated, Becoming, and Furiously Happy! I guess I need to pick up more memoirs.
There are so many great ones out there!
I definitely need to find the time to pick up more memoirs! Thanks for the recs.
You’re welcome!