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Have you ever wondered what its like to winWimbledon, runThe Washington Post, or get drunk withJimmy Buffett?
Translating experience into language is a creative act.
Autobiography can be earnest or irreverent, playful or profound.
Often, real life can be stranger than fiction.
The best autobiographies bring us closer to remarkable people and circumstancesand theyre well-written, to boot.
But thats not all.
The best examples from the genre can provide insights that help us improve our own lives.
After all, theres nothing like a story of perseverance against all odds to prove anything is possible.
(Moehringer most recently helped Prince Harry pen his memoir,Spare.)
A brilliant prequel,Half Broke Horses, focuses on Wallss adventurous grandmother during the early 1900s.
Each chapter comes marked with a word count, making for satisfying, self-contained dips into literary lore.
Evocative, irreverent, and honest, McDonells memoir spans a wild and wonderful time in American media.
However, languagespecifically,poetryserved as a welcome escape, made possible by Sinclairs literature-loving mother.
Moving and unflinching,Babylonis an astonishing feat of memory set in motion.
With its intimate insight into a formidable figure in American life, GrahamsPersonal Historymakes the memoir a literary force.
The memoir also features Coddingtons personal photographs, as well as lush spreads from her favorite features.
It records his experiences under slavery and his eventual escape and involvement in the abolition movement.
Sixty-four years after its publication,Nightremains an important record of a dark chapter in recent history.
