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Work Immersion for SHS Students: Sharing my story!

Whether you like it or not, you will need to survive that SHS work immersion. For every student, it can be considered as the much-awaited activity before graduation.

It could be exciting YET frustrating at the same time. At least in my experience, that’s what happened. I’d like to share with you what exactly happened during this phase.

If you want to set your expectations, you’re on the right page!

What is work immersion?

Work Immersion is similar to what college students experience during their On-the-Job Training (OJT). In this experience, you will be hired as an actual employee with different tasks to accomplish.

You will not just discover new skills but most importantly, you will learn new social skills. You have to cooperate with your co-workers and adapt to  the new environment. In short, it will let you experience what a real job feels like.

Furthermore, this is a very crucial requirement for every graduating student of senior high. So, you are expected to experience a tiring and fun chapter of your life.

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How did I start my work immersion?

I must admit that the first step, or finding a vacant position, could be the hardest stage of work immersion.

During the 1st week of March, I spent looking for companies that would accept SHS students. It was a mess! We didn’t know where to start, and HOW we would do it. Our professor came to the rescue and provided us options for the work immersion.

Our school offered us to handle everything for us. From documentation to hiring to finding the right company, they would do it. The second was to teach us independence by coordinating with everything. I wanted to challenge myself so I chose the latter.

So, I did team up with my other classmates who also chose the same option and started applying nonstop. It was very exhausting. We attended several interviews with the hopes of getting tired. Exhausted, hungry, and body fatigue, you name it!

As much as we wanted to continue with our choice, we then asked help for our school to find the best OJT place.

Shared File: Job Interview Course

Which organization accepted me for my work immersion?

My beloved alma mater! 🙂

Fast forward, I was able to enter Philippine School of Social Work (PSSW) and University Community Outreach Program (UNICORP) . The same group handled both departments so we served for the two organizations.

If you’re curious on what I did, here were the tasks:

• Date encoding. Lots of them!
• Sorting files. Get your organization skills keep going.
• Arranging exclusive books.
• Other admin tasks!

Yep! Obviously, your boss will not give your tasks involving technical work. You won’t need to solve problems or attend serious meetings.

Forget about big projects because you need to learn the foundation of working. During your work immersion, your tasks will start from what new hires do.

Here’s what I missed the most during this unforgettable experience…

The big bosses! 

I missed how they took care of us with love and care. During breaktime, they treated us with food. I didn’t feel like someone who just got hired for a short time.

They even advised us and shared a little secret about social work. Don’t you know social work profession really pays well? This is most applicable even when you work abroad. However, I’m not going to tell you how much their salary is.

If you’re a future social worker, you have to discover it yourself!

Unfortunately, the pandemic cut short our experience. It was supposed to be for the whole month, but lockdown happened. You see, I still feel VERY lucky to have experienced it.

I wonder how they do work immersion right now that work from home is prevalent. But, for sure, you will learn so much!

Watch these related videos on YouTube!

10 Tips for Work Immersion! (SHS)

Work Immersion

Melanie Alberto

I love writing articles as well as doing photography. As an aspiring journalist, I have a strong passion for these activities!

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19 of the best autobiographies to read—for an insight into the lives of some fascinating people

The best autobiographies will inspire you, entertain you, and can teach us all some valuable lessons

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Our list of the best autobiographies features incredible stories from everyday people, household names, and celebrated icons, from survivors of war to glamorous Hollywood stars—so there's something for everyone.

And as the age-old saying goes; the truth is often stranger than fiction, why is why it's no surprise that tales about people's real lives continue to fascinate us, whether they are stories we can identify with or lives that are wildly different to our own. To read a good autobiography is to relish the company of an extraordinary person and their story; to journey with them through their triumphs and failures, mistakes and recoveries, their life lessons, and their personal and hard-won truths. 

And while the best romance books , the best historical fiction books , and the best science fiction books provide wonderful escapism, the best autobiographies can teach us valuable real-life lessons, and inspire us in a way no fictional character can. So, here’s to the candor, the intimacy, the humility, warmth and above all, humor that these storytellers share, whose experiences and words can enlighten and encourage us all.

The best autobiographies and memoirs 

Our picks of the best autobiographies and memoirs will take you on unbelievable real-life journeys—with tales from a road trip around Britain, teachings on how to spot a psychopath, secrets from the lives of the rich and famous, and experiences of every human emotion, be it love or loss, through the eyes of those willing to share it. So get out your best eReader , download your favorite, and dive in...

1. The Storyteller by Dave Grohl

If there’s one musician that everyone seems to love, it’s Dave Grohl. Why? Because not only is he a talented musician, played drums for Nirvana and founded Foo Fighters, he’s a really nice guy - the kind who makes you feel like you’re his best friend, even in a full stadium. As he regales us with tales of what it was like to grow up as a kid from Springfield, Virginia, how he loves his mum, is fiercely proud of his kids, and what it’s like to play at the Academy Awards, he does it with warmth, humor and authenticity. It’s clear how much Grohl enjoyed re-living these experiences, and this is a great read!

Read it because… For music lovers, he is one of the most beloved and respected musicians in the industry - and if you didn’t already love him, you will after reading this 

A line we love: "And there is no love like a mother’s love. It is life’s greatest song. We are all indebted to the women who have given us life. For without them there would be no music."

2. You’ve Got To Laugh by Alison Hammond 

Discover the loves, losses and sizzling gossip of one of Britain’s best-loved TV personalities, Alison Hammond. Adored across the nation for her infectious laugh and hilarious interviews with celebrities, Alison maps her incredible journey from small-time TV appearances to her current dream job as a presenter on This Morning. It’s an inspiring, fun and delightful read about appreciating the positive in any situation and making the most of every moment. 

Read it because... Packed with moments of pure comedy gold, this book will remind you to always see the bright side of life as much as you can

A line we love: "I always say a day is wasted without laughter..."

3. Watching Neighbours Twice a Day by Josh Widdicombe 

Growing up in a remote rural home where the door was never locked, Josh Widdicombe lived and breathed the television programs he watched as a child. In his beautifully crafted memoir, he revives the memory of iconic 90s shows and celebrates a time when watching the television was a shared experience for all the family. Written with warmth and wisdom, it’s the perfect dose of nostalgia for a bygone era.

Read it because...  From family favorites like Mr Blobby to the irresistible drama of Big Brother and Neighbours, Josh Widdicombe explores the glory days of television through side-splitting personal anecdotes.

A line we love:  "This is a book about growing up in the '90s told through the thing that mattered most to me, the television programmes I watched."

4. My Unapologetic Diaries by Joan Collins 

Writing a diary has been a lifelong habit for Dame Joan Collins. She wrote on paper as a child, but later came home from parties and recounted events into a dictaphone. My Unapologetic Diaries is a glimpse into her glittering world between 1989-2006. Since her Hollywood starlet days, she's rubbed shoulders with any big name worth knowing and her spilling of the beans, with ‘NO apologies’, is riveting. One of the <a href="https://www.womanandhome.com/life/books-gifts/" data-link-merchant="womanandhome.com"">best books to gift someone for Christmas.

Read it because … Dame Joan Collins does not hold back in these diaries—a great look behind-the-scenes of her life.

A line we love: "At one point I flirtatiously asked Matt (Lauer), ‘Do you know what the girls in the make-up room call you?’ The newscaster quickly pre-empted my feeble attempt at gay repartee and yelled, Stud-Muffin!’ I said to her frostily, ‘Who’s doing this interview, him or you?’ They all laughed but it was irritating. It’s difficult enough doing interviews without having other people push in on it."

5. Forever Young by Hayley Mills 

Mention films like The Parent Trap and Whistle Down the Wind to women of a certain age and the name Hayley Mills will crop up. The child star was hugely popular in the 1960s and won an Oscar at the age of just 14. But what was it really like to be so successful, so young? In this gripping memoir, packed with photos, Mills talks honestly about the highs and lows of her teenage career.

Read it because… Not only is Hayley Mills a legend, she is a lovely kind person who has led an extraordinary life and has wonderful stories to tell (a date with a Beatle, no less). This honest and warm book is a joy to read - like having a conversation with a childhood friend.

A line we love: "Because nobody can tell you you're worthy of being loved if you don't believe it yourself."

6. And Away… by Bob Mortimer

Humble, genuine and very, very funny, Bob Mortimer may just be bordering on national treasure status—and it couldn’t happen to a nicer person. From his very early days leading quite an unremarkable life—although he lost Dad at a young age—to training as a solicitor and then a chance meeting with a certain Vic Reeves, Bob’s conversational tone exudes warmth and humour as he reflects on his life. It is perhaps surprising that Bob struggles with shyness, but maybe not so surprising that he is remarkably funny, caring, compassionate and values his friendships. For anyone who has ever watched Would I Lie To You? will contest, a lot of Bob’s real-life stories are at times hard to believe—but true they are.

Read it because… From one of Britain’s funniest comedians, this is a humorous and well-written account of his life with some candid moments. 

A line we love: "He looked up at me from the carpet. His head was huge. He was literally one-third head."

7. A Walk From The Wild Edge by Jake Tyler

Determined to take back control of his life after a spiral into depression saw him come dangerously close to suicide, Maldon-born Jake Tyler donned his walking boots and set off on a 3,000-mile walk around the British mainland. This is his story of what happened, who he met, and how he battled back against those desperate feelings. An inspiring ode to nature and humanity.

Read it because… It’s important for your emotional well-being and to take some time for yourself to explore and celebrate the stunning UK landscape.

A line we love: "Once life becomes manageable, it stops being so overwhelming. And there’s one thing that’s certain; no one fantasizes about driving full speed away from a life they’re enjoying."

8. The Psychopath by Mary T Thomson

In 2007, Mary T Thomson published her first memoir, The Bigamist, to wide acclaim. She had discovered the previous year that her husband was a bigamist, a con man, and a sex offender, but her story did not end there. After struggling to come to terms with what this man had done, Edinburgh-based Mary T Thomson decided to dig further into his life…and lies. The Psychopath is the result, and it’s an astonishing book and one of the best autobiographies out there. 

Read it because… It’s open and honest, and offers such personal insight that may help others

A line we love: "So I decided that this was a golden opportunity to teach them never to let the world beat them down and always rise up again no matter what happens to you."

9. Many Different Kinds Of Love by Michael Rosen

As it had for many before him, poet Michael Rosen’s battle against Covid-19 started with a persistent cough and fever. Within a short time he was in hospital, then intensive care, and then in a coma. As Michael fought on, the nurses looking after him wrote messages of hope in his patient diary, and when he miraculously recovered, they were there to help him back on his feet again. As soon as he was able, Michael wrote about his experience, blending poetry, prose and the words of his caregivers to create this love letter to life and the NHS. One of the <a href="https://www.womanandhome.com/best-books-2021/" data-link-merchant="womanandhome.com"">best books of 2021—and the most poignant.

Read it because… It'll restore your faith in humanity and remind you what a wonderful man Michael Rosen is

A line we love: "My ‘day job’ is a Speech and Language therapist so of course we all think you’re an absolute legend. Thank you for your tireless work to foster children’s love of reading. Keep fighting Michael!"

10. Tales From The Farm By The Yorkshire Shepherdess by Amanda Owen

When you have a husband, nine children, a flock of sheep, a herd of cows, a plethora of dogs, and an extremely bolshy chicken called Linda, you are guaranteed never to have a dull moment—a fact that quickly becomes clear as soon as you begin reading this latest entertaining collection of columns written by Our Yorkshire Farm star Amanda Owen. Charting an eventful two years that has seen a pandemic, a flood, and a dramatic New Year’s Eve arrival, this is a joyful – and at times truly eye-opening read.

Read it because… It’s a lovely comforting read capturing the joys of Amanda’s colorful life and is sure to lift your spirits.

A line we love: "There was, of course, the usual bleating, mooing and barking in the distance and above, the lapwings whirled and tweeted, but it was peaceful enough hat we could watch a vole scurrying about among the rough grass."

11. The Wild Silence by Raynor Winn

In 2018, moving memoir and bestseller The Salt Path captured the imagination of many thousands of readers. The story followed Raynor and her husband Moth, who suffers from a debilitating illness. Following the release of the book, one of its many readers decided to give the couple at the heart of that book a piece of land. This is the insightful and life-affirming story of what happened next. A truly touching book that will have you reflecting on the many emotions that follow a traumatic event, and a great <a href="https://www.womanandhome.com/life/books/42-book-club-books-that-get-conversation-and-wine-flowing/" data-link-merchant="womanandhome.com"">book club book that will spark many conversations.

Read it because… Raynor is a beautiful storyteller and despite the heartfelt difficult moments you are left with a wonderful feeling of hope

A line we love: "I think it seems to be a bit of a mid-life theme. Lots of us find we have to go back to the beginning of our life in order to start again. Back to where we grew up, or where we were happiest. To a time before things went wrong. I see it like pressing the reset button."

12. The Madness Of Grief by Richard Coles

In his role as a Reverend, Richard Coles has become well-acquainted with death. But when his husband David died suddenly in 2019 at the age of just 43, the impact was colossal. Having talked openly about his grief on his social media channels, the Rev Coles has now penned this moving memoir about the ups and downs he’s still dealing with, the “sadmin” involved when someone passes away, and those poignant moments of loneliness where he simply wants to tear down the world. Will you cry? Almost certainly. But you will be left with something beautiful too.

Read it because… It’s honest and brave—and though heartbreaking, it has light moments where Richard’s humor shows through. For anyone dealing with grief, it’s a reassuring read from someone who understands.

A line we love: "I love being at sea, a discovery of middle age, and the loneliness of fresh widowhood is palliated by the pleasure of being alone on deck looking towards the horizon, when the restless ripple and froth of the sea’s surface resolves into a dark steely blue."

13. I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O’Farrell

Subtitled 'Seventeen Brushes With Death', the clue to the subject matter of this extraordinary memoir by prize-winning author Maggie O’Farrell is very much in the name. As with everything O’Farrell writes, her story captivates from the opening paragraph and continues in enthralling form as it takes the reader on a journey of her near-death experiences, from a childhood she was never expected to survive to a terrifying encounter on a remote pathway and a disastrous labor. Every page is a treat, each story a lesson and the book is bursting with heart and wisdom.  

Read it because… It invites you to think about your own life and feel grateful just to be alive—a unique memoir that is, of course, beautifully written.

A line we love: "We are, all of us, wandering about in a state of oblivion, borrowing our time, seizing our days, escaping our fates, slipping through loopholes, unaware of when the axe may fall."

• I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O’Farrell from Amazon for £6.99/$23.45

14. All Dogs Great And Small by Graeme Hall

The host of TV show Dogs Behaving Badly has worked with over 5,000 pups in his career—a feat that has rightly seen him earn the nickname The Dogfather. In this brilliantly fun book, which is part memoir, part instruction manual for dog owners, Graeme shares some of his most pivotal canine encounters, including with a meek Great Dane and a shouty Labrador, and explains how he helped each animal and its owner overcome their issues. A perfect read for the pooch lovers in your life.

Read it because… If you like watching Graeme on TV, this book will not disappoint as he gives advice in his usual down-to-earth and humorous manner—and you’ll learn more about the man himself!

A line we love: "Some advice I was given, from someone I really respected, before I started, was that it’s not the letters after your name that matter most; it’s the number of dogs that have been through your hands."

15. We All Know How This Ends by Anna Lyons & Louise Winter

End-of-life doula Anna Lyons and funeral director Louise are the co-authors of this memoir exploring life for two women dealing with death on a day-to-day basis. By sharing stories that are heartbreaking and tragic but often uplifting and inspiring, they encourage the reader to look at death in a different way, not as a subject to be shut away in a drawer and never discussed but an inevitability to be accepted and even embraced. Honest, moving and thought-provoking, there is much in this book that warrants a closer look.

Read it because… Although death is a difficult subject, this is a practical and encouraging book that may just help guide you through the choices you or a loved one have to make. 

A line we love: "Working with death and dying doesn’t make these things easier when it’s someone I love. What it has done is teach me about life and living."

16. Finding My Father by Deborah Tannen

New York Times bestselling author Deborah Tannen began recording her father’s life story long before she became a renowned novelist, her promise to him being that she would one day write his memoir. Beginning with his vivid recollections of a childhood spent in the Hasidic community of Warsaw and subsequent move to New York in 1920, before charting his intrepid career trajectory from prison guard to lawyer to congressman, the story touches on family, forbidden love, and one man’s fierce determination to make his mark on the world.

Read it because… It’s a captivating and refreshingly honest story about a man, his daughter, and the bond between them.

A line we love: "I say to him in my mind, You’re no longer alive, but I’m still thinking about your feelings. I’m trying to understand what they were, and how they shaped your life—and mine."

17. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi 

Dr. Paul Kalanithi was 36 and reaching the end of his neurosurgeon residency when he was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. In only a few devastating minutes, he went from being a doctor who saved lives to a patient-facing his own death. In the last 22 months of his life, Dr. Kalanithi wrote this memoir, musing on his feelings, his legacy, and everything in between. Poignant and life-affirming, it’s a devastating must-read.

Read it because… The wisdom to be learnt from Paul’s experience is important, questioning what makes life meaningful enough to go on living.

A line we love: "And with that, the future I had imagined, the one just about to be realised, the culmination of decades of striving, evaporated."

18. The Secret Life Of Dorothy Soames by Justine Cowen 

Growing up in affluent San Francisco, Justine Cowen found her mother’s frequent outbursts of temper difficult to live with, and the fractious nature of their relationship spurred her decision to move away as soon as she was able. Only after her mother died did Justine find herself poking into her past—a quest that led her on an extraordinary journey to the Foundling Hospital in London, where an abandoned and abused child dreamed of escape while German bombers circled overhead. Engrossing, emotional, and engaging, this is a can’t-look-away memoir that deserves to be read by all.

Read it because… This is a well-researched picture of place and time that almost reads like fiction. As the author delves into her mother’s past she begins to understand how her mother’s time at the Foundling Hospital had a profound effect upon her, and ultimately their relationship.

A line we love: "I’m grateful and proud that despite my bad parenting you managed to become a remarkable person." 

19. The Happiest Man On Earth by Eddie Jaku

Eddie Jaku grew up in Germany and was proud of his country and Jewish heritage. That all changed one day in 1938 when he was snatched, beaten, and sent to a concentration camp. Eddie endured seven years of unimaginable horrors that saw him lose everything…except his life, and having survived, he made a promise to himself that he would smile every day. This memoir, published as Eddie turns 100, is the story of a remarkable life told by a man with an indomitable spirit. A genuine shot of the brightest light in what has been a very dark year and a timely reminder that happiness can always be found. One of those <a href="https://www.womanandhome.com/life/books/15-books-everyone-should-read-at-least-oncefrom-enduring-love-stories-to-shocking-thrillers/" data-link-merchant="womanandhome.com"">books everyone should read at least once.

Read it because… There are so many lessons of hope and inspiration to take heart from, this is a true love letter to life.

A line we love: "Where there is life there is hope."

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Isabelle Broom is the author of eight escapist fiction novels. She won the Romantic Novelist’s Association Best Contemporary Romance Novel award in 2019 and The Great British Write Off short story competition in 2015, with her winning entry, The Wedding Speech, later being adapted into a short film. 

As well as heading off on adventures abroad—a pastime she now gets to call ‘research’—Isabelle is lucky enough to write book reviews and travel features on a freelance basis.

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How to Write an Autobiography: A Step-by-Step Guide

Writing one's own biography may seem like an overwhelming task with uncertainties as to how or where to commence the process. While engaging a professional biographer might seem like an ideal solution; however not all possess sufficient funds for it.

Yet fear not for creating one's self-account has never been more achievable; given appropriate guidance offered within our guide here. It offers insightful tips on choosing the theme that resonates with your life's journey, implementing an effective outline, weaving-in captivating writing techniques, and refining your manuscript perfect to keep readers engaged till the very last page. With these guidelines in hand, anyone can tell their unique story in an inspiring and captivating manner.

Ask yourself why and for whom you're writing

Writing an autobiography invites readers on a personal journey through one's life experiences. To craft something impactful for others to enjoy - It starts by considering two fundamental elements: Why write such a memoir? And who should read it? Your motivation: What drives the desire to do so? Is it about providing guidance through lessons learned over time or sharing powerful experiences that have meaning for future generations? Identifying these underlying reasons serves as invaluable sources of inspiration when crafting your unique narrative.

Knowing WHO will primarily connect with these memories also provides powerful clues on storytelling tactics most likely resonate deeply with readership while still being true unto oneself. Whether personal reflections or narratives aimed at community groups - recognize this direction is crucial when telling someone's life story. To summarize; your autobiography provides readers with an intimate look into your personal narrative. To create something that resonates, reflect upon why you write the memoir, and who should read it to best connect with all who engage with it.

Choosing a Focus for Your Autobiography

Crafting an enthralling autobiography hinges on selecting a suitable focus. The initial step is to record names of influential people, places, or occasions that left an indelible impression in your life's tapestry. Such an exercise helps zero in on the overriding theme for your memoirs. Once you have identified the dominant motif within your story, concentrate on spotlighting significant events or transformative junctures which made you who you are presently- including not just wins but losses too as they add genuine depth and relatability to your narrative. By homing in on these critical points within your tale, readers can imbibe profound insights into how these incidents shaped who you are.

Decide on a theme

If sharing one's life story through written word is on the cards, identifying a theme truly makes for a more impactful read. Begin by pinpointing which values matter most at this stage of life—what challenges have been faced up until then? This clarifies things when connecting with potential audiences; then select autobiographical approaches that prompt reader engagement while maintaining originality as well as uniqueness down its plotline structure or core message--one way might be by showcasing success AND failings side-by-side throughout said journey within one dominating text format!

Structuring Your Autobiography

To effectively share your story in an autobiography, it's crucial to determine which structure will work best - whether chronological or thematic - depending on what you're looking to convey as an author. A chronological structure follows events over time whereas using themes highlights specific ideas across various stages of life; both options require clear formatting for ease-of-reading continuity. Adding flashbacks and memories is an excellent way to provide additional depth while improving reader insight into pivotal personal experiences - make sure they seamlessly populate a relevant plotline without becoming excessively distracting.

Additionally, including historical and cultural context can deepen a story's overall meaning while painting a more immersive picture of the times covered in your narrative.

Start by brainstorming and outlining your life story, including significant events and turning points.

Set out writing an autobiography through introspection about notable moments in existence. Craft a catalogue of instances that molded the personage inherent within and ponder how they influenced thinking processes as well as behavioural patterns. These could encompass significant milestones such as graduation ceremonies from universities or wedding ceremonies alongside smaller instances like meeting people who leave lasting impressions or exploring unfamiliar locales. Ponder upon each circumstance carrying memories about how it affected emotional states and how these reverberate till today. Did any of them revolutionize perceptions of living? Or did they foster personal development by teaching valuable lessons? Weighing their consequences will enable selecting impactful anecdotes resulting in a narrative that grips reader attention.

Highlight your achievements and failures

Here's a fictional example :

My life has indeed been shaped by various incidents and people over time, leading up to moments of ultimate pride such as graduating from college with honors - an achievement marked by immense dedication and perseverance invested along the way.

Additionally, one particular milestone that stands out was embarking alone on a journey to Japan for the first time - an experience that taught me independence while boosting self-esteem. Whilst there have been many high points in life so far worth noting it would be remiss not to acknowledge some challenges faced head-on: one particularly tough chapter unfolded during senior year involving depression with each day proving more challenging than the last until finding solace through therapy-led progress towards recovery.

Furthermore, after graduation securing employment proved challenging due perhaps significantly less experience than employers much preferred. In hindsight, those hardships were vital experiences that offered powerful life lessons. Through it all, I learned the importance of persistence in challenging times and resilience that have willingly prepared me for future professional development as well as personal growth goals.

Free Outline

This will assist you in organizing your thoughts into the major sections of your book. These are as follows:

• The difficulties you have overcome.
• The lessons you've learned.
• The people who had the greatest influence on you.
• The most significant events and experiences in your life.
• Your accomplishments and successes.

I find that asking myself specific questions while brainstorming helps to activate my imagination. So I've compiled a list of compelling questions to assist you in putting your thoughts on paper or on your screen.

• The most significant accomplishments
• The Worst Mistakes
• The best moments
• What event influenced your life?
• Who influenced your life?
• What places have had an impact on your life?
• Worst instances
• What have you discovered?
• How have you evolved?

In each section, write three questions to be answered.

You've already done the bulk of the work. You've organized and outlined the major sections. Next on your autobiography to-do list is to select and write down three questions for each section. You can record your questions in the "boxes" provided for each section of the template outline (or on another piece of paper).This is simpler than it appears. Simply select one of the following sample autobiography questions or create your own: Questions allow you to write quickly and clearly.

• What made me select this person/event?
• What is this person/event significant to me?
• How did I come across this person?
• Where did it take place?
• When did it occur?
• What caused it to happen?
• What caused it?
• What is the most intriguing aspect?
• What was my reaction to this person or event?
• How do I feel right now?
• Why is this person or event important to me?
• How has this person or event influenced my life?
• What is the most difficult part?
• What went wrong?
• How did I do it?
• What did I discover?

Decide on a chronological or thematic structure

As you consider how best to shape your autobiography, it's vital to contemplate whether employing a chronological or thematic structure will better suit your aims. Are you motivated by the desire to preserve a record of your existence for posterity's sake or do you hope to excite and inspire readers with an enthralling account?

Depending on what drives you, one approach may be more effective than another; using chronological sequencing could provide readers with comprehensive insight into events over time while focusing on key themes can emphasize their importance throughout our lives. Deliberating about what life experiences have had substantial effects or have transformed us is essential when deciding on the scope of our stories - these experiences serve as key anchors in both types of structures. Additionally worth pondering are how such themes are connected culturally or historically which amplifies their significance within our narratives- adding depth which enriches any approach we choose.

Use flashbacks and memories to add depth

In creating a memoir about yourself, be thoughtful about selecting flashbacks or memories that contributed to who you become. An impactful moment may define certain aspects of your character or changed the course of your life experiences; aim for those types of memories when writing autobiographically.Use blended tenses between the present and past when narrating flashback scenes creates an effect that positions readers within those poignant moments alongside you.By describing each scene vividly ,you make it all easier for readers to visualize,the more immersive story-telling becomes.

Weave in relevant historical and cultural context

Autobiographies are not just mere chronicles detailing one's personal experiences; they act as mirrors reflecting back the society we inhabit in its various stages. To give depth to your memoirs, weaving significant historical events that took place during your lifetime could help ground readers about the choices you made along the way. It would be prudent when incorporating personal stories into wider societal changes to mention political, social and economic factors that impacted you directly since this gives texture to these pivotal moments in life.

Furthermore highlighting distinctive cultural influences like art forms such as music or literature adds another dimension highlighting how they shape one's identity, or even how religious traditions passed down from one generation to another brought their own transformative impact. Bringing together these different contexts into your narrative would allow readers a more profound insight into what inspired and influenced some of the most momentous times in your life.

Writing Techniques to Engage Your Readers

Writing an autobiography might cause some trepidation – after all, sharing personal stories can expose vulnerabilities- nonetheless it’s this emotional honesty that makes an inspiring read: one that imparts valuable lessons and memories upon its audience . Fortunately it does not have to be difficult ! By following some guiding principles, this task can become an engrossing journey that leaves both the author and audience fulfilled. In crafting a remarkable memoir , we offer a few suggestions: firstly, captivate readers through rich imagery created through descriptive language consisting of adjectives or metaphors that evoke characterizations of people , places , or events so vivid they seem tangible .

Additionally , prioritizing dialogue or actions over reciting emotions as they occur ‘flatly’ enables emotional engagement amongst readers as if they are experiencing life alongside the author's memories . Creating brilliantly depicted characters acts as integral piece of enhancing reader investment in the narrative . Try including distinct personalities for each primary character even if covering many members connected with shared/family stories this offers perspective from various viewpoints combining into an unforgettable cast capturing reader attention until all chapters have been perused.

Use colorful and descriptive language

It's important to remember that when telling our personal stories through an autobiography, the choice of words we use plays an instrumental role in driving our message across effectively. Captivating our audience requires us to select dynamic vocabulary choices filled with rich descriptions; using intense adjectives that illuminate key moments while using sensory details allowing us as storytellers to transport our audience right into these moments in time as we present them with figurative language like similes or metaphors - giving deeper meaning behind each experience shared.Here are some tips for making your autobiography more vivid:

• Choose strong adjectives that evoke emotions: Instead of saying "I had a nice time," try "I had an exhilarating experience" or "I felt euphoric."
• Use sensory details: Bring the reader into the moment by describing sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures. For example: "The salty ocean breeze whipped through my hair as I gazed out at the endless expanse of turquoise sea."By utilizing these techniques and others like them throughout your autobiography, you can create an immersive reading experience that will captivate any reader from beginning to end.
• Incorporate metaphors or similes: These figures of speech create memorable comparisons that add depth to your writing. For instance: "My heart was like a wildfire burning out of control" or "His laughter bubbled up like champagne."

By utilizing these techniques and others like them throughout your autobiography, you can create an immersive reading experience that will captivate any reader from beginning to end.

Show, don't tell

Crafting an autobiography that really captures the attention of readers requires utilizing the "show not tell" approach as one of its critical techniques.Specific examples which emphasize your point give the reader something tangible which make them interested.Integrating illustrations clearly displaying personality attributes throughout along with plainly presenting character’s conversations give extra dimensions making for insightful reading.

Trying out elaboration of physical responses in place of direct representation insinuate emotional experience providing room for stronger connections.Characterization is accomplished by employing colorful and descriptive language.Your account will effectively hold the interest if you focus on these core elements throughout its development process.

Create vivid characters, including yourself

Make your characters memorable and captivating by using descriptive language that brings them to life. Give each character unique traits that readers will remember, like twirling hair or pen chewing. It’s crucial to let the reader into every character’s motivations so they can see a fully realized person come off the page. This technique applies whether you are writing an autobiography or not.

Editing and Polishing Your Autobiography

One of the primary stages of crafting a compelling autobiography is thoroughly refining and editing one's work. It's essential to allow for some time away from writing once you've finished drafting it before delving into the editing process for fresh perspective. When you receive feedback from others concerning ways to enhance your autobiography during revision, it can be greatly beneficial.

Enlisting loved ones or close associations as beta readers might enable them to give their constructive criticism without feeling personally attacked by utilizing tactful language that highlights areas for potential growth.

It's also crucial while going over each page repeatedly during revisions always making sure there is logical continuity between dates, facts and names throughout each chapter so readers can make sense of everything smoothly progressing towards clarity about the unique path of yours.

Take a break before editing

Before beginning to edit your autobiography, it is essential to take some time away from it so that when you come back to it after refreshing yourself fully, giving yourself plenty of time away- whether through immersing oneself in nature where possible like walking along trails outside; sitting down quietly reading an inspiring book; spending time conversationally engaged over lunch meetings amongst friends– there will be much tussle for revising worthy additions once more review!When you do come back to your writing, try these tips:

• Read through the entire manuscript without making any changes.Take notes on areas that need improvement or clarification.
• Pay attention to consistency of style and voice throughout.

By taking breaks before editing, you'll find it easier to spot errors and create an engaging story that captivates your readers.

Get feedback from others

Jotting down memories about one's life journey feels overwhelming at first glance yet becomes an effortless process once supportive resources are found promptly. To begin drafting meaningful stories that will resonate with readers worldwide, reach out to dependable friends or family who can offer helpful feedback and unbiased critique of the narrative. Constructive criticism ensures that the memoir's ending leaves a lasting impression.

Alternatively, consider joining a writers' group like-minded peers who could explore how your story resonates while providing objective feedback. Sharing parts of your story with this community extends support, helps distil complex concepts and guarantees an efficient delivery.

Finally, writers seeking professional input from an editor or proofreader may benefit from insight into structuring their manuscript for maximum impact. Attention to detail on matters like coherence, flow and grammar helps identify areas of synchronicities across the narrative thread. These steps ensure filling more pages with captivating life experiences that impact and leave a lasting mark on readers.

Check for consistency and accuracy

Making sure that your autobiography is consistent and accurate throughout the entire book is crucial to keeping your readers engaged. Small discrepancies can cause confusion or distract from the overall story. Here are a few things to keep in mind when checking for consistency and accuracy:

• Double-check all names, dates, and factual information mentioned in the text.Ensure that there is consistency in tone, style, and language used throughout the book.
• Verify any quotes or references mentioned in your story.

By taking these steps to review your work thoroughly, you can feel confident that you have created a compelling autobiography that accurately reflects your life experiences.

⚠️ What Not To Include In an Autobiography

Crafting an autobiography should be approached with caution as not every detail needs mentioning. Though there may be a desire to share everything, some details are better left unsaid. When writing one's memoirs, consider what should be left aside such as:

• Confidential Information - Though it is acceptable to mention notable persons,is is always advisable not to disclose sensitive information concerning them without their consent.
• Negative experiences or individuals - You must mandate acknowledging rather than overemphasizing difficult moments as this could distort public perception leading it away from gaining proper meaning clarity.  Instead focus on positive things in order for others to draw inspiration from and how you triumphed over adversity.
• Sensitive or Controversial issues – While honesty is essential while writing an autobiography, considering any possible repercussions might due care need surrendering some of oneself up willingly giving way for sensitivity intervals where appropriate expressing respect for others who come after us who seek knowledge about our past experiences but also preserving dignity .
• Irrelevant material- Making sure that your autobiography only includes information relevant to the overall narrative is essential. Be precise, direct and concise so that readers can engage well with your story. Anything deemed redundant is better left out.

By providing the best of all worlds in terms of clarity, readability and relevance, an impactful and memorable autobiography can be published that strikes a balance between being engaging while highlighting one's personal journey without deviating unnecessarily off-topic at any point. Remember to leave out anything irrelevant and emphasize only positive aspects while holding caution before sharing any sensitive or controversial storylines or sentiments embedded within your personal account of life experiences at large.

5 autobiographies to read for inspiration

The following are five remarkable autobiographies that describe the experiences and journeys of influential individuals:

• "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Malcolm X and Alex Haley is a profound memoir about the life of a civil rights activist who emerged as one of the most influential figures in the African American community after being imprisoned for his beliefs.
• "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou is a powerful autobiographical account of her childhood in the American South during 1930s and 1940s. Angelou shares her experiences growing up and how they shaped her later life as an accomplished writer and activist.
• Trevor Noah's autobiography, "Born a Crime," tells his personal story growing up in apartheid-era South Africa. He candidly narrates his challenges as being a son born from different races – white Swiss father and black Xhosa mother.
• In "Bossypants," Tina Fey presents an intriguing look at her life journey, from childhood in Pennsylvania to becoming an acclaimed writer and performer on shows like "Saturday Night Live" and "30 Rock." Her autobiography is not just humorous but also insightful.
• In Jeannette Walls' memoir, "The Glass Castle," she narrated her unconventional upbringing by parents who struggled with poverty and addiction while moving frequently with their family around America's Southwest region.

Writing your autobiography requires a fair amount of preparation, thought, and effort. Much like writing any book. And for many, it is indeed their first one. While many start this work, few make it to the end. That's why we developed life-story.ai: to assist you in this task and to greatly facilitate this work.

Don't wait to preserve your family's memories

Telling your story in a book has never been so quick and easy.

All in the Day's Work: An Autobiography

Ida minerva tarbell.

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

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(page 1) p. 1 Introduction

• Published: July 2018
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Autobiography continues to be one of the most popular forms of writing, produced by authors from across the social and professional spectrum. It is also central to the work of literary critics, philosophers, historians, and psychologists, who have found in autobiographies not only an understanding of the ways in which lives have been lived, but the most fundamental accounts of what it means to be a self in the world. The Introduction describes what autobiography means and compares it to other forms of ‘life-writing’. Autobiographical writing is seen to act as a window on to concepts of self, identity, and subjectivity, and into the ways in which these are themselves determined by time and circumstance.

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Work Immersion Journals: Ten Days with My Dream Job

Story By Maridel Hubahib

Photos By ABM Grade 12 Students

One of the best parts of my senior high school days was the Work Immersion Program. Why not? Work immersion gave me the opportunity to experience my dream job for 10 days and it gave me a pre-taste of what working actually feels like?

When I was a kid, I would often wonder what life would be like if I were working in a bank. That short 10 days gave me a chance to satisfy a part of my curiosity.       I experienced working in one of the country’s biggest and most trusted finance institution together with amazing people. Proudly, I can now say that the Philippine National Bank (PNB) is on my resume.

It was a cloudy day when our Day 1 started. We were a bit late when we came to the bank. Briefly, I scanned the place and saw the branch manager Mrs. Maria Osilla Molina busy reading important documents. The hesitation in our smiles was erased when she smiled back. We were after all, a combination of nerves and excitement.

After calling each of our names for attendance check, Mrs. Molina told us that she has always believed in the old maxim that first impression lasts. She counseled that if we were to apply for a job, we need to looks and dress for that job. Expensive clothes are not necessary but, at least, any applicant must look decent.

Our first day started with that simple lesson.

I actually expected that all students in the Immersion Program just had to sit down all day, chill and observe the surroundings. It turned out, however, that our manager had another plan in mind. Mrs. Molina assigned us to the Annual Confirmation of Pensioners Department.

We took charge of updating the profile of pensioners, surviving beneficiaries or spouses. We made sure that their accounts and documents get updated before the cut off. Sometimes, we would hear heartrending stories of pensioners who were not able to receive their pension because their updates didn’t make it to the cut off. Mostly, they would use the money for their medications.

Some of them, already old and grey, travelled from distant places like Canlaon City, Calatrava or even from Cebu towns for the ACOP. Part of my fulfillment from the Immersion Program was that I know I have at least assisted them.

Another aspect of my experience that I love so much was the bank staff and employees who are all friendly and approachable. They may not speak much during their work hours but they always made sure that at the end of the day they could at least have time for us and share lessons on banking and career in general.

Life lessons were included, too.

Some of the life lessons were given was about the value of action over words. They also taught us about the importance of having a positive attitude in the workplace because it is not intelligence that will give the authority to control and manage but attitude and behavior. Positive vibes always attract a good following.

Most importantly, our banking mentors taught us that putting God first and accepting His will and plan for us is the best career strategy.

We also got the chance to tour the whole bank, except of course for the restricted areas. PNB in San Carlos City may be an old building that has gone through several transformations, but it’s fully alive because of its management and staff.

The days passed with the speed of light. I realized that once our Work Immersion Program teacher told us that we were the “Lucky 6” because we were assigned at PNB. Our teacher is indeed right. But beyond lucky, we were blessed with an immersion assignment at PNB San Carlos because it is a formidable banking institution and its army of bankers is inspiring and nurturing to young aspirants like us.

How To Write an Autobiography 2024 (Tips, Templates, & Guide)

Your life story has value, merit, and significance. You want to share it with the world, but maybe you don’t know how .

Here’s how to write an autobiography:

Write an autobiography by creating a list of the most important moments, people, and places in your life. Gather photos, videos, letters, and notes about these experiences. Then, use an outline, templates, sentence starters, and questions to help you write your autobiography .

In this article, you are going to learn the fastest method for writing your autobiography.

We are going to cover everything you need to know with examples and a free, downloadable, done-for-you template.

What Is an Autobiography?

Table of Contents

Before you can write an autobiography, you must first know the definition.

An autobiography is the story of your life, written by you. It covers the full span of your life (at least, up until now), hitting on the most significant moments, people and events.

When you write your autobiography, you write an intimate account of your life.

What Should I Include In an Autobiography?

If you are scratching your head, baffled about what to include in your autobiography, you are not alone.

After all, a big part of how to write an autobiography is knowing what to put in and what to leave out of your life story. Do you focus on every detail?

Every person? Won’t your autobiography be too long?

A good way to think about how to write an autobiography is to use the Movie Trailer Method.

What do movie trailers include?

• High emotional moments
• The big events
• The most important characters

When you plan, organize, and write your autobiography, keep the Movie Trailer Method in mind. You can even watch a bunch of free movie trailers on YouTube for examples of how to write an autobiography using the Movie Trailer Method.

When wondering what to include in your autobiography, focus on what would make the cut for a movie trailer of your life:

• Most important people (like family, friends, mentors, coaches, etc.)
• Significant events (like your origin story, vacations, graduations, life turning points, life lessons)
• Emotional moments (When you were homeless, when you battled a life-threatening condition, or when you fell in love)
• Drama or suspense (Did you make it into Harvard? Did your first surgery go well? Did your baby survive?)

Autobiography Structure Secrets

Like any compelling story, a well-structured autobiography often follows a pattern that creates a logical flow and captures readers’ attention.

Traditionally, autobiographies begin with early memories, detailing the writer’s childhood, family background, and the events or people that shaped their formative years.

From here, the narrative typically progresses chronologically, covering major life events like schooling, friendships, challenges, achievements, career milestones, and personal relationships.

It’s essential to weave these events with introspective insights.

This allows readers to understand not just the what, but also the why behind the author’s choices and experiences.

Towards the end, an effective autobiography often includes reflections on lessons learned, changes in perspective over time, and the wisdom acquired along life’s journey.

Example of the Structure:

• Introduction: A gripping event or anecdote that gives readers a hint of what to expect. It could be a pivotal moment or challenge that defines the essence of the story.
• Childhood and Early Memories: Recounting family dynamics, birthplace, cultural background, and memorable incidents from early years.
• Adolescence and Discovering Identity: Experiences during teenage years, challenges faced, friendships formed, and personal evolutions.
• Pursuits and Passions: Describing education, early career choices, or any particular hobby or skill that played a significant role in the author’s life.
• Major Life Events and Challenges: Chronicles of marriage, parenthood, career shifts, or any significant setbacks and how they were overcome.
• Achievements and Milestones: Celebrating major accomplishments and recounting the journey to achieving them.
• Reflections and Wisdom: Sharing life lessons, changes in beliefs or values over time, and offering insights gained from lived experiences.
• Conclusion: Summarizing the journey, contemplating on the present state, and sharing hopes or aspirations for the future.

How To Write an Autobiography Quickly: Strategies & Templates

Want the quickest way to organize and write your autobiography in record time? You can literally write your autobiography in 7 days or less with this method.

The secret is to use done-for-you templates.

I have personally designed and collected a series of templates to take you from a blank page to a fully complete Autobiography. I call this the How to Write an Autobiography Blueprint.

And it’s completely free to download right from this article. 🙂

In the How to Write an Autobiography Blueprint, you get:

• The Autobiography Questions Template
• The Autobiography Brainstorm Templates
• The Autobiography Outline Template

Here is an image of it so that you know exactly what you get when you download it:

How To Write an Autobiography: Step-by-Step

When you sit down to write an autobiography, it’s helpful to have a step-by-step blueprint to follow.

You already have the done-for-you templates that you can use to organize and write an autobiography faster than ever before. Now here’s a complete step-by-step guide on how to maximize your template.

• Brainstorm Ideas
• Order your sections (from medium to high interest)
• Order the ideas in each section (from medium to high interest)
• Write three questions to answer in each section
• Choose a starter sentence
• Complete a title template
• Write each section of your by completing the starter sentence and answering all three questions

Brainstorm Your Autobiography

The first step in writing your autobiography is to brainstorm.

Give yourself time and space to write down the most significant people, events, lessons, and experiences in your life. The templates in the How to Write an Autobiography Blueprint provide sections for you to write down your brainstormed ideas.

This will help you organize your ideas into what will become the major sections of your book.

These will be:

• Y our most significant events and experiences.
• The people who impacted you the most.
• The challenges you have overcome.
• Your achievements and successes.
• The lessons you have learned.

The “other” sections on the second page of the Brainstorm template is for creating your own sections or to give you more space for the sections I provided in case you run out of space.

As I brainstorm, I find asking myself specific questions really activates my imagination.

So I have compiled a list of compelling questions to help you get ideas down on paper or on your screen.

Order Your Sections (From Medium to High Interest)

The next step is to order your main sections.

The main sections are the five (or more) sections from your Brainstorm templates (Significant events, significant people, life lessons, challenges, successes, other, etc). This order will become the outline and chapters for your book.

How do you decide what comes first, second or third?

I recommend placing the sections in order of interest. Ask yourself, “What’s the most fascinating part of my life?”

If it’s a person, then write the name of that section (Significant People) on the last line in the How to Write an Autobiography Outline Template. If it’s an experience, place the name of that section (Significant Events) on the last line.

For example, if you met the Pope, you might want to end with that nugget from your life. If you spent three weeks lost at sea and survived on a desert island by spearfishing, that is your ending point.

Then complete the Outline by placing the remaining sections in order of interest. You can work your way backward from high interest to medium interest.

If you are wondering why I say “medium to high interest” instead of “low to high interest” it is because there should be no “low interest” parts of your autobiography.

But wait, what if you met the Pope AND spent three weeks lost at sea? How do you choose which one comes first or last?

First of all, I want to read this book! Second, when in doubt, default to chronological order. Whatever event happened first, start there.

Here is an example of how it might look:

Order The Ideas in Each Section (From Medium To High Interest)

Now, organize the ideas inside of each section. Again, order the ideas from medium to high interest).

Within your “Significant People” section, decide who you want to talk about first, second, third, etc. You can organize by chronological order (who you met first) but I recommend building to the most interesting or most significant person.

This creates a more compelling read.

Keep in mind that the most significant person might not be the most well-known, most famous, or most popular. The most significant person might be your family member, friend, partner, or child.

It comes down to who shaped your life the most.

So, if your “significant people list” includes your dad, a famous social media influencer, and Mike Tyson, your dad might come last because he had the biggest significance in your life.

Write Three Questions to Answer in Each Section

Ok, you’ve done the heavy lifting already. You have the major sections organized and outlined.

Next on your autobiography to-do list is to choose and write down three questions you are going to answer in each section. You can write your questions down in the provided “boxes” for each section on the template outline (or on another piece of paper.

This is easier than it might seem.

Simply choose one of the sample autobiography questions below or create your own:

• Why did I choose this person/event?
• What does this person/event mean to me?
• How did I meet this person?
• Where did it happen?
• When did it happen?
• Why did it happen?
• How did it happen?
• What is the most interesting part?
• How did I feel about this person or event?
• How do I feel now?
• Why does this person or event matters to me?
• How did this person or event change my life?
• What is the most challenging part?
• How did I fail?
• How did I succeed?
• What did I learn?

Questions are the perfect way to write quickly and clearly. I LOVE writing to questions. It’s how I write these blog posts and articles.

Choose a Starter Sentence

Sometimes the hardest part of any project is knowing how to start.

Even though we know we can always go back and edit our beginnings, so many of us become paralyzed with indecision at the starting gate.

That’s why I provided sample starter sentences in your How to Write an Autobiography Blueprint.

Here are the story starters:

• I began writing this book when…
• Of all the experiences in my life, this one was the most…
• I’ve been a…
• My name is…
• Growing up in…
• It wasn’t even a…
• It all started when…
• I first…
• I was born…

Keep in mind that you do not need to begin your book with one of these story starters. I provide them simply to get you going.

The key is to not get bogged down in this, or any, part of writing your autobiography. Get organized and then get writing.

Complete a Title Template

At the top of the How to Write an Autobiography Outline is a place for you to write your book title.

Some authors struggle forever with a title. And that’s ok. What’s not ok is getting stuck. What’s not ok is if coming up with your title prevents you from finishing your book.

So, I provided a few title templates to help juice your creativity.

Just like the story starters, you do not need to use these title templates, but you certainly can. All you need to do is fill in the title templates below and then write your favorite one (for now) at the top of your outline. Presto! You have your working title.

You can always go back and change it later.

How to Write an Autobiography Title templates:

• [Your Name]: [Phrase or Tag Line]
• The [Your Last Name] Files
• Born [Activity]: A [Career]’s Life
• The Perfect [Noun]: The Remarkable Life of [Your Name]

Examples using the Templates:

• Christopher Kokoski: Blog Until You Drop
• The Kokoski Files
• Born Writing: A Blogger’s Life
• The Perfect Freelancer: The Remarkable Life of Christopher Kokoski

Write Your Autobiography

You have your outline. You have your title, templates, and sentence starters. All that is left to do is write your autobiography.

However, you can use tools like Jasper AI and a few other cool tricks to craft the most riveting book possible.

This is the easy way to remarkable writing.

Check out this short video that goes over the basics of how to write an autobiography:

How To Write an Autobiography (All the Best Tips)

Now that you are poised and ready to dash out your first draft, keep the following pro tips in mind:

• Be vulnerable. The best autobiographies share flaws, faults, foibles, and faux pas. Let readers in on the real you.
• Skip the boring parts. There is no need to detail every meal, car ride, or a gripping trip to the grocery store. Unless you ran into the Russian Mafia near the vegetables or the grocery store is perched on the side of a mountain above the jungles of Brazil.
• Keep your autobiography character-driven . This is the story of YOU!
• Be kind to others (or don’t). When writing about others in your story, keep in mind that there may be fallout or backlash from your book.
• Consider a theme: Many autobiographies are organized by theme. A perfect example is Becoming . Each section of the book includes “becoming” in the title. Themes connect and elevate each part of the autobiography.
• Write your story in vignettes (or scenes). Each vignette is a mini-story with a beginning, middle, and end. Each vignette builds. Each vignette should be described in rich sensory language that shows the reader the experience instead of telling the reader about the experience. Each vignette is immersive, immediate, and intimate.
• Include snippets of dialogue. Use quotation marks just like in fiction. Show the dialogue in brief back-and-forth tennis matches of conversation. Remember to leave the boring parts out!
• Choose a consistent tone. Some autobiographies are funny like Bossy Pants by Tina Fey. Others are serious such as Open by Andre Agassi. Your story (like most stories) will likely include a mix of emotions but choose an overall tone and stick with it.
• Don’t chronicle, captivate . Always think about how to make each section, each chapter, each page, each paragraph, and each sentence more compelling. You want to tell the truth, but HOW you tell the truth is up to you. Create suspense, conflict, and mystery. Let drama linger until it becomes uncomfortable. Don’t solve problems quickly or take away tension right away.

How Do I Format an Autobiography?

Most autobiographies are written in the first person (using the pronouns I, me, we, and us).

Your autobiography is written about you so write as yourself instead of pretending to be writing about someone else.

Most autobiographies are also written in chronological order, from birth right up to your current age, with all the boring parts left out. That doesn’t mean you can’t play around with the timeline.

Sometimes it’s more interesting to start at a high moment, backtrack to the beginning and show how you got to that high moment.

Whatever format you choose, be intentional, and make the choice based on making the most compelling experience possible for your readers.

How Long Should an Autobiography Be?

There are no rules to how long an autobiography should be but a rough guideline is to aim for between 200 and 400 pages.

This will keep your book in line with what most readers expect for books in general, and will help get your book traditionally published or help with marketing your self-published book.

How To Write a Short Autobiography

You write a short autobiography the same way that you write a long autobiography.

You simply leave more out of the story.

You cut everything down to the bones. Or you choose a slice of your life as you do in a memoir. This often means limiting the people in your book, reducing the events and experiences, and shrinking your story to a few pivotal moments in your life.

How To Start an Autobiography

The truth is that you can start your autobiography in any number of ways.

Here are four common ways to begin an autobiography.

• Start at the beginning (of your life, career or relationship, etc.)
• Start at a high moment of drama or interest.
• Start at the end of the story and work backward
• Start with why you wrote the book.

Good Autobiography Titles

If you are still stuck on titling your autobiography, consider going to Amazon to browse published works. You can even just Google “autobiographies.”

When you read the titles of 10, 20, or 50 other autobiographies, you will start to see patterns or get ideas for your own titles. (HINT: the title templates in the Autobiography Blueprint were reverse-engineered from popular published books.

Also, check out the titles of the full autobiography examples below that I have included right here in this article.

Types of Autobiographies

There are several different kinds of autobiographies.

Each one requires a similar but slightly nuanced approach to write effectively. The lessons in this article will serve as a great starting point.

Autobiography Types:

• Autobiography for School
• Autobiography Novel
• Autobiography for a Job
• Short Autobiography
• Autobiography for Kids

Therefore, there is actually not just one way to write an autobiography.

Memoir vs. Autobiography: Are They The Same?

It’s common to feel confused about a memoir and an autobiography. I used to think they were the same thing.

But, nope, they’re not.

They are pretty similar, which is the reason for all the confusion. A memoir is the story of one part of your life. An autobiography is the story of your full life (up until now).

What Is the Difference Between an Autobiography and a Biography?

An autobiography is when you write about your own life. A biography, on the other hand, is when you write the story of someone else’s life.

So, if I write a book about the life of the President, that’s a biography.

If the President writes a story about his or her own life, that’s an autobiography.

What Not To Include In an Autobiography

Autobiographies are meant to be a snapshot of our lives that we can share with others, but there are some things that are best left out.

Here are three things you should avoid including in your autobiography:

1) Anything That Readers Will Skip

Your life may not be filled with non-stop excitement, but that doesn’t mean you need to include every mundane detail in your autobiography.

Stick to the highlights and leave out the low points.

2) Character Attacks on Others

It’s okay to discuss conflicts you’ve had with others, but don’t use your autobiography as a platform to attack someone’s character.

Keep it civil and focus on your own experiences and how they’ve affected you.

3) Skipping Highlights

Just because something embarrassing or painful happened to you doesn’t mean you should gloss over it in your autobiography.

These are the moments that shape us and make us who we are today, so don’t skip past them just because they’re uncomfortable.

By following these simple tips, you can ensure that your autobiography is interesting, honest, and engaging.

How To Write an Autobiography: Autobiography Examples

I have always found examples to be extremely instructive. Especially complete examples of finished products. In this case, books.

Below you will find examples of published autobiographies for adults and for kids. These examples will guide you, motivate you and inspire you to complete your own life story.

They are listed here as examples, not as endorsements, although I think they are all very good.

The point is that you don’t have to agree with anything written in the books to learn from them.

Autobiography Examples for Adults

• A Promised Land (Autobiography of Barack Obama)
• If You Ask Me: (And of Course You Won’t) (Betty White)
• It’s a Long Story: My Life (Willie Nelson)
• Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography (Rob Lowe)
• Becoming (Michelle Obama)

Autobiography Examples for Kids

• This Kid Can Fly: It’s About Ability (NOT Disability) (Aaron Philips)
• Bee Fearless: Dream Like a Kid (Mikaila Ulmer)

Final Thoughts: How To Write An Autobiography

Thank you for reading my article on How to Write an Autobiography.

Now that you know all of the secrets to write your book, you may want to get it published, market it, and continue to upskill yourself as an author.

In that case, read these posts next:

• Can Anyone Write A Book And Get It Published?
• The Best Writing Books For Beginners 2022 (My 10 Favorites)
• Why Do Writers Hate Adverbs? (The Final Answer)
• How To Write a Manifesto: 20 Ultimate Game-Changing Tips

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If you’ve thought about putting your life to the page, you may have wondered how to write a memoir. We start the road to writing a memoir when we realize that a story in our lives demands to be told. As Maya Angelou once wrote, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”

How to write a memoir? At first glance, it looks easy enough—easier, in any case, than writing fiction. After all, there is no need to make up a story or characters, and the protagonist is none other than you.

Still, memoir writing carries its own unique challenges, as well as unique possibilities that only come from telling your own true story. Let’s dive into how to write a memoir by looking closely at the craft of memoir writing, starting with a key question: exactly what is a memoir?

How to Write a Memoir: Contents

What is a Memoir?

• Memoir vs Autobiography

Memoir Examples

Short memoir examples.

• How to Write a Memoir: A Step-by-Step Guide

A memoir is a branch of creative nonfiction , a genre defined by the writer Lee Gutkind as “true stories, well told.” The etymology of the word “memoir,” which comes to us from the French, tells us of the human urge to put experience to paper, to remember. Indeed, a memoir is “ something written to be kept in mind .”

A memoir is defined by Lee Gutkind as “true stories, well told.”

For a piece of writing to be called a memoir, it has to be:

• Nonfictional
• Based on the raw material of your life and your memories
• Written from your personal perspective

At this point, memoirs are beginning to sound an awful lot like autobiographies. However, a quick comparison of Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love , and The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin , for example, tells us that memoirs and autobiographies could not be more distinct.

Next, let’s look at the characteristics of a memoir and what sets memoirs and autobiographies apart. Discussing memoir vs. autobiography will not only reveal crucial insights into the process of writing a memoir, but also help us to refine our answer to the question, “What is a memoir?”

Memoir vs. Autobiography

While both use personal life as writing material, there are five key differences between memoir and autobiography:

1. Structure

Since autobiographies tell the comprehensive story of one’s life, they are more or less chronological. writing a memoir, however, involves carefully curating a list of personal experiences to serve a larger idea or story, such as grief, coming-of-age, and self-discovery. As such, memoirs do not have to unfold in chronological order.

While autobiographies attempt to provide a comprehensive account, memoirs focus only on specific periods in the writer’s life. The difference between autobiographies and memoirs can be likened to that between a CV and a one-page resume, which includes only select experiences.

The difference between autobiographies and memoirs can be likened to that between a CV and a one-page resume, which includes only select experiences.

Autobiographies prioritize events; memoirs prioritize the writer’s personal experience of those events. Experience includes not just the event you might have undergone, but also your feelings, thoughts, and reflections. Memoir’s insistence on experience allows the writer to go beyond the expectations of formal writing. This means that memoirists can also use fiction-writing techniques , such as scene-setting and dialogue , to capture their stories with flair.

4. Philosophy

Another key difference between the two genres stems from the autobiography’s emphasis on facts and the memoir’s reliance on memory. Due to memory’s unreliability, memoirs ask the reader to focus less on facts and more on emotional truth. In addition, memoir writers often work the fallibility of memory into the narrative itself by directly questioning the accuracy of their own memories.

Memoirs ask the reader to focus less on facts and more on emotional truth.

5. Audience

While readers pick up autobiographies to learn about prominent individuals, they read memoirs to experience a story built around specific themes . Memoirs, as such, tend to be more relatable, personal, and intimate. Really, what this means is that memoirs can be written by anybody!

Ready to be inspired yet? Let’s now turn to some memoir examples that have received widespread recognition and captured our imaginations!

If you’re looking to lose yourself in a book, the following memoir examples are great places to begin:

• The Year of Magical Thinking , which chronicles Joan Didion’s year of mourning her husband’s death, is certainly one of the most powerful books on grief. Written in two short months, Didion’s prose is urgent yet lucid, compelling from the first page to the last. A few years later, the writer would publish Blue Nights , another devastating account of grief, only this time she would be mourning her daughter.
• Patti Smith’s Just Kids is a classic coming-of-age memoir that follows the author’s move to New York and her romance and friendship with the artist Robert Maplethorpe. In its pages, Smith captures the energy of downtown New York in the late sixties and seventies effortlessly.
• When Breath Becomes Air begins when Paul Kalanithi, a young neurosurgeon, is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Exquisite and poignant, this memoir grapples with some of the most difficult human experiences, including fatherhood, mortality, and the search for meaning.
• A memoir of relationship abuse, Carmen Maria Machado’s In the Dream House is candid and innovative in form. Machado writes about thorny and turbulent subjects with clarity, even wit. While intensely personal, In the Dream House is also one of most insightful pieces of cultural criticism.
• Twenty-five years after leaving for Canada, Michael Ondaatje returns to his native Sri Lanka to sort out his family’s past. The result is Running in the Family , the writer’s dazzling attempt to reconstruct fragments of experiences and family legends into a portrait of his parents’ and grandparents’ lives. (Importantly, Running in the Family was sold to readers as a fictional memoir; its explicit acknowledgement of fictionalization prevented it from encountering the kind of backlash that James Frey would receive for fabricating key facts in A Million Little Pieces , which he had sold as a memoir . )
• Of the many memoirs published in recent years, Tara Westover’s Educated is perhaps one of the most internationally-recognized. A story about the struggle for self-determination, Educated recounts the writer’s childhood in a survivalist family and her subsequent attempts to make a life for herself. All in all, powerful, thought-provoking, and near impossible to put down.

While book-length memoirs are engaging reads, the prospect of writing a whole book can be intimidating. Fortunately, there are plenty of short, essay-length memoir examples that are just as compelling.

While memoirists often write book-length works, you might also consider writing a memoir that’s essay-length. Here are some short memoir examples that tell complete, lived stories, in far fewer words:

• “ The Book of My Life ” offers a portrait of a professor that the writer, Aleksandar Hemon, once had as a child in communist Sarajevo. This memoir was collected into Hemon’s The Book of My Lives , a collection of essays about the writer’s personal history in wartime Yugoslavia and subsequent move to the US.
• “The first time I cheated on my husband, my mother had been dead for exactly one week.” So begins Cheryl Strayed’s “ The Love of My Life ,” an essay that the writer eventually expanded into the best-selling memoir, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail .
• In “ What We Hunger For ,” Roxane Gay weaves personal experience and a discussion of The Hunger Games into a powerful meditation on strength, trauma, and hope. “What We Hunger For” can also be found in Gay’s essay collection, Bad Feminist .
• A humorous memoir structured around David Sedaris and his family’s memories of pets, “ The Youth in Asia ” is ultimately a story about grief, mortality and loss. This essay is excerpted from the memoir Me Talk Pretty One Day , and a recorded version can be found here .

So far, we’ve 1) answered the question “What is a memoir?” 2) discussed differences between memoirs vs. autobiographies, 3) taken a closer look at book- and essay-length memoir examples. Next, we’ll turn the question of how to write a memoir.

How to Write a Memoir: A-Step-by-Step Guide

1. how to write a memoir: generate memoir ideas.

how to start a memoir? As with anything, starting is the hardest. If you’ve yet to decide what to write about, check out the “ I Remember ” writing prompt. Inspired by Joe Brainard’s memoir I Remember , this prompt is a great way to generate a list of memories. From there, choose one memory that feels the most emotionally charged and begin writing your memoir. It’s that simple! If you’re in need of more prompts, our Facebook group is also a great resource.

2. How to Write a Memoir: Begin drafting

My most effective advice is to resist the urge to start from “the beginning.” Instead, begin with the event that you can’t stop thinking about, or with the detail that, for some reason, just sticks. The key to drafting is gaining momentum . Beginning with an emotionally charged event or detail gives us the drive we need to start writing.

3. How to Write a Memoir: Aim for a “ shitty first draft ”

Now that you have momentum, maintain it. Attempting to perfect your language as you draft makes it difficult to maintain our impulses to write. It can also create self-doubt and writers’ block. Remember that most, if not all, writers, no matter how famous, write shitty first drafts.

Attempting to perfect your language as you draft makes it difficult to maintain our impulses to write.

4. How to Write a Memoir: Set your draft aside

Once you have a first draft, set it aside and fight the urge to read it for at least a week. Stephen King recommends sticking first drafts in your drawer for at least six weeks. This period allows writers to develop the critical distance we need to revise and edit the draft that we’ve worked so hard to write.

5. How to Write a Memoir: Reread your draft

While reading your draft, note what works and what doesn’t, then make a revision plan. While rereading, ask yourself:

• What’s underdeveloped, and what’s superfluous.
• Does the structure work?
• What story are you telling?

6. How to Write a Memoir: Revise your memoir and repeat steps 4 & 5 until satisfied

Every piece of good writing is the product of a series of rigorous revisions. Depending on what kind of writer you are and how you define a draft,” you may need three, seven, or perhaps even ten drafts. There’s no “magic number” of drafts to aim for, so trust your intuition. Many writers say that a story is never, truly done; there only comes a point when they’re finished with it. If you find yourself stuck in the revision process, get a fresh pair of eyes to look at your writing.

7. How to Write a Memoir: Edit, edit, edit!

Once you’re satisfied with the story, begin to edit the finer things (e.g. language, metaphor , and details). Clean up your word choice and omit needless words , and check to make sure you haven’t made any of these common writing mistakes . Be sure to also know the difference between revising and editing —you’ll be doing both. Then, once your memoir is ready, send it out !

Learn How to Write a Memoir at Writers.com

Writing a memoir for the first time can be intimidating. But, keep in mind that anyone can learn how to write a memoir. Trust the value of your own experiences: it’s not about the stories you tell, but how you tell them. Most importantly, don’t give up!

Anyone can learn how to write a memoir.

If you’re looking for additional feedback, as well as additional instruction on how to write a memoir, check out our schedule of nonfiction classes . Now, get started writing your memoir!

25 Comments

Thank you for this website. It’s very engaging. I have been writing a memoir for over three years, somewhat haphazardly, based on the first half of my life and its encounters with ignorance (religious restrictions, alcohol, and inability to reach out for help). Three cities were involved: Boston as a youngster growing up and going to college, then Washington DC and Chicago North Shore as a married woman with four children. I am satisfied with some chapters and not with others. Editing exposes repetition and hopefully discards boring excess. Reaching for something better is always worth the struggle. I am 90, continue to be a recital pianist, a portrait painter, and a writer. Hubby has been dead for nine years. Together we lept a few of life’s chasms and I still miss him. But so far, my occupations keep my brain working fairly well, especially since I don’t smoke or drink (for the past 50 years).

Hi Mary Ellen,

It sounds like a fantastic life for a memoir! Thank you for sharing, and best of luck finishing your book. Let us know when it’s published!

Best, The writers.com Team

Hello Mary Ellen,

I am contacting you because your last name (Lavelle) is my middle name!

Being interested in genealogy I have learned that this was my great grandfathers wife’s name (Mary Lavelle), and that her family emigrated here about 1850 from County Mayo, Ireland. That is also where my fathers family came from.

Is your family background similar?

Hope to hear back from you.

Richard Lavelle Bourke

Hi Mary Ellen: Have you finished your memoir yet? I just came across your post and am seriously impressed that you are still writing. I discovered it again at age 77 and don’t know what I would do with myself if I couldn’t write. All the best to you!! Sharon [email protected]

I am up to my eyeballs with a research project and report for a non-profit. And some paid research for an international organization. But as today is my 90th birthday, it is time to retire and write a memoir.

So I would like to join a list to keep track of future courses related to memoir / creative non-fiction writing.

Hi Frederick,

Happy birthday! And happy retirement as well. I’ve added your name and email to our reminder list for memoir courses–when we post one on our calendar, we’ll send you an email.

We’ll be posting more memoir courses in the near future, likely for the months of January and February 2022. We hope to see you in one!

Very interesting and informative, I am writing memoirs from my long often adventurous and well travelled life, have had one very short story published. Your advice on several topics will be extremely helpful. I write under my schoolboy nickname Barnaby Rudge.

[…] How to Write a Memoir: Examples and a Step-by-Step Guide […]

I am writing my memoir from my memory when I was 5 years old and now having left my birthplace I left after graduation as a doctor I moved to UK where I have been living. In between I have spent 1 year in Canada during my training year as paediatrician. I also spent nearly 2 years with British Army in the hospital as paediatrician in Germany. I moved back to UK to work as specialist paediatrician in a very busy general hospital outside London for the next 22 years. Then I retired from NHS in 2012. I worked another 5 years in Canada until 2018. I am fully retired now

I have the whole convoluted story of my loss and horrid aftermath in my head (and heart) but have no clue WHERE, in my story to begin. In the middle of the tragedy? What led up to it? Where my life is now, post-loss, and then write back and forth? Any suggestions?

My friend Laura who referred me to this site said “Start”! I say to you “Start”!

Hi Dee, that has been a challenge for me.i dont know where to start?

What was the most painful? Embarrassing? Delicious? Unexpected? Who helped you? Who hurt you? Pick one story and let that lead you to others.

I really enjoyed this writing about memoir. I ve just finished my own about my journey out of my city then out of my country to Egypt to study, Never Say Can’t, God Can Do It. Infact memoir writing helps to live the life you are writing about again and to appreciate good people you came across during the journey. Many thanks for sharing what memoir is about.

I am a survivor of gun violence, having witnessed my adult son being shot 13 times by police in 2014. I have struggled with writing my memoir because I have a grandson who was 18-months old at the time of the tragedy and was also present, as was his biological mother and other family members. We all struggle with PTSD because of this atrocity. My grandson’s biological mother was instrumental in what happened and I am struggling to write the story in such a way as to not cast blame – thus my dilemma in writing the memoir. My grandson was later adopted by a local family in an open adoption and is still a big part of my life. I have considered just writing it and waiting until my grandson is old enough to understand all the family dynamics that were involved. Any advice on how I might handle this challenge in writing would be much appreciated.

I decided to use a ghost writer, and I’m only part way in the process and it’s worth every penny!

Hi. I am 44 years old and have had a roller coaster life .. right as a young kid seeing his father struggle to financial hassles, facing legal battles at a young age and then health issues leading to a recent kidney transplant. I have been working on writing a memoir sharing my life story and titled it “A memoir of growth and gratitude” Is it a good idea to write a memoir and share my story with the world?

Thank you… this was very helpful. I’m writing about the troubling issues of my mental health, and how my life was seriously impacted by that. I am 68 years old.

[…] Writers.com: How to Write a Memoir […]

[…] Writers.com: “How to Write a Memoir” […]

I am so grateful that I found this site! I am inspired and encouraged to start my memoir because of the site’s content and the brave people that have posted in the comments.

Finding this site is going into my gratitude journey 🙂

We’re grateful you found us too, Nichol! 🙂

Firstly, I would like to thank you for all the info pertaining to memoirs. I believe am on the right track, am at the editing stage and really have to use an extra pair of eyes. I’m more motivated now to push it out and complete it. Thanks for the tips it was very helpful, I have a little more confidence it seeing the completion.

Well, I’m super excited to begin my memoir. It’s hard trying to rely on memories alone, but I’m going to give it a shot!

Thanks to everyone who posted comments, all of which have inspired me to get on it.

Best of luck to everyone! Jody V.

I was thrilled to find this material on How to Write A Memoir. When I briefly told someone about some of my past experiences and how I came to the United States in the company of my younger brother in a program with a curious name, I was encouraged by that person and others to write my life history.

Based on the name of that curious program through which our parents sent us to the United States so we could leave the place of our birth, and be away from potentially difficult situations in our country.

As I began to write my history I took as much time as possible to describe all the different steps that were taken. At this time – I have been working on this project for 5 years and am still moving ahead. The information I received through your material has further encouraged me to move along. I am very pleased to have found this important material. Thank you!

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15 Autobiography Examples to Inspire Your Own

POSTED ON Oct 25, 2023

Written by Nicole Ahlering

So you’re ready to write an autobiography ! Congratulations; this can be a gratifying personal project. And just like any creative endeavor, it’s a great idea to start by getting inspired. 

In this article, we’re sharing 15 stellar autobiography examples to get your wheels turning. We’ll also share some need-to-know info on the different types of autobiographies and autobiography layouts, and we’ll leave you with a list of catchy ways to start your book. Let’s get going!

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In this article, we'll explore:

What are the different types of autobiographies .

As it turns out, there are many different ways to write a book about yourself. You can go the traditional autobiography route, which is a chronological account of your entire life. Or you can write a memoir , which zeroes in on specific themes or time periods in your life. 

If you’d like, your autobiography can be composed of individual personal essays, or you can blend your autobiography with literary techniques to create a piece of creative nonfiction . 

There are graphic autobiographies that use comics or other combinations of images and text to illustrate your life story, or you can simply publish an edited version of your journal or diary . 

You can write a travelog that documents your life through your adventures or blend elements of your life with made-up stories to create autobiographical fiction . 

When it comes to sharing your life story, there are few rules!

How can I lay out my autobiography? 

Did you know there are multiple ways you can structure your autobiography? The most common is to put it in chronological order . But you can also lay out your book in reverse chronological order or even jump around in time .

Here are a few other layouts to consider: 

• Thematic or topical . As you outline your autobiography, pay attention to themes that emerge. You can lay out your autobiography by central ideas rather than by time. 
• Flashback and flash-forward. This nonlinear approach can be a great way to create some excitement and intrigue in your life story.
• Cyclical structure. Is there one event that you feel defined your life story? Why not try circling back to it throughout your book? This can be an interesting way to demonstrate how your perspective changed with time. 

If you need a little more help laying out your autobiography, we have free autobiography templates and free book templates to help you. 

Related: 50 Eye-Catching Autobiography Titles

15 Autobiographies to inspire your own 

Ready to get your creative juices flowing? Here are some examples of autobiography to add to your reading list. 

1. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

One of the best-known autobiographies, The Diary of a Young Girl, is an excellent example of a journal-style layout. Featuring the story of a young girl who is hiding during the Holocaust, aspiring writers will find inspiration in Frank’s raw emotions and candor. 

2. Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda 

A favorite of Steve Jobs, this autobiography details the author’s spiritual journey through yoga and meditation. It’s a wonderful example of how to blend the recounting of events with spiritual insights and philosophical teachings. 

3. Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela 

The former South African president wrote this stunning autobiography about his struggle against apartheid, his imprisonment, and his presidency. Aspiring autobiography writers who want to write a book about social change should read this one. 

4. The Story of My Experiments with Truth by Mahatma Gandhi

In his autobiography, Gandhi explores his philosophy of nonviolent resistance through his political and spiritual journey. Writers will appreciate this book for the way it weaves stories of personal growth into a larger narrative of social change. 

5. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

One of several autobiographical works by Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings explores her coming-of-age experience amidst racism and a traumatic childhood. Writers should read this to hear Angelou’s powerful story and be inspired by her vivid language. 

6. The Story of My Life by Hellen Keller

Keller details her remarkable life as a deaf and blind person, sharing intimate details about her education and advocacy work. Aspiring writers will benefit from reading Keller’s sensory-rich language since she has the unique experience of navigating the world through touch.

7. The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X

This autobiography, written in collaboration with journalist Alex Haley, tracks Malcolm X from his youth through his adulthood as a prominent activist in the civil rights movement. Read this one to learn tips and tricks for writing about your personal evolution. 

8. The Story of My Life by Clarence Darrow 

Darrow shares his experiences as a civil libertarian and prominent American Lawyer in this enlightening autobiography. Writers should read this one to learn how to build a persuasive argument in their book. 

9. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah 

South African comedian, television host, and political commentator Trevor Noah wrote this autobiography detailing his upbringing during apartheid in South Africa. This is a must-read for writers who are looking to infuse humor into their autobiographies—even when writing about heavy subjects . 

10. I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

In her autobiography, Yousafzia recounts her tumultuous and sometimes terrifying journey advocating for equal education for girls. If you want to write your own autobiography, read this one first to learn how to bring an authentic voice to your narrative. 

11. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom

Boom’s autobiography shares the harrowing story of her family’s efforts to hide Jews from the Nazis during World War II. Writers should read this to witness how Boom weaves a historical narrative into her life story. 

12. Agatha Christie: An Autobiography by Agatha Christie 

Renowned mystery writer Agatha Christie took time away from her suspenseful novels to write a book about herself. If you plan to write an autobiography, read Christie’s first to learn how to build a sense of intrigue. 

13. Chronicles: Volume 1 by Bob Dylan 

If you’re an artist writing your autobiography, you’ll be inspired by Dylan’s. It shares his unique perspective on the creative process in music and literature and delves into what it means to maintain your artistic vision. 

14. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi 

This well-known autobiography may make you cry, but it’s well worth the read. Written by a surgeon as he faces a terminal illness, it’s a must-read for any author exploring themes of mortality in their writing. 

15. Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama 

This autobiography by the former U.S. president is a great read for anyone aspiring to write an autobiography that intertwines their personal story with a larger societal and political narrative. 

• 31 Best Autobiographies
• 30 Celebrity Autobiographies

What is a catchy autobiography introduction? 

Sometimes the hardest part of a new project is getting started. If you’re ready to begin writing your autobiography and need a good opener, here are some angles to consider: 

• Start by describing a childhood dream and how it influenced your journey. 
• Open with a letter to your younger self.
• Share a formative childhood memory. 
• Start with a thought-provoking question you’ll answer as your book progresses.
• Talk about an object that’s meaningful to you and tie it to a larger story about your life.

With so much inspiration and so many wonderful resources, there’s never been a better time to write your autobiography. If, after reading a few books on this list, you’re not sure where to start with yours—let us help! Just sign up for a book consultation to get started.

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Biography Work

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Individual training sessions are the questions of life: questions about the past, or arising our of acute biographical crisis, or concerning developments for the future. Artistic exercises can support the course of conversation and thereby help to discover creative resources for the further development of one’s life. The duration of biographical counselling is individually agreed; both short and long term support is possible..

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27 of the Best Professional Bio Examples I've Ever Seen [+ Templates]

Published: December 20, 2023

As a writer, I have to let readers and potential clients know my expertise, my skills, and why they should work with me or be interested in what I say. So, a professional bio is a must in my industry.

Though I'm definitely familiar with professional bios, I can admit they can be challenging. What do I include? What do readers need to know?

As daunting as writing a professional bio can be, professional bios are crucial when applying for jobs, seeking new clients, or networking. A professional bio also gives the world a brief snapshot of you and your professional ideals.

If you‘re at a loss for how to write a professional bio that packs a punch, I’ve got you covered. In this journey, tools like HubSpot’s user-friendly drag-and-drop website builder can be instrumental in showcasing your professional bio online with ease and style.

I will walk you through how to write a professional bio that you can proudly publish, provide professional bio templates, and show you the best professional bio examples you can get inspiration from.

What is a professional bio?

Professional bio templates, how to write a professional bio, best professional bio examples, how to write a short bio.

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A professional bio or biography is a short overview of your experience. Professional bios usually include details about education, employment, achievements, and relevant skills.

Purpose of Professional Bios

A bio tells an audience about who you are, what you've done, and what you can do. It can help potential employers, fans, or customers understand your personality and what you stand for.

Writing a bio without a clear starting point is challenging — believe me, I've tried. To ease the process, here are some templates I put together to get you started.

I‘ve found it’s best to keep your professional bio honest and to the point. Too long of a bio, and you risk losing your audience's attention. After all, audiences will only read a web page for less than a minute before clicking elsewhere.

And honesty is key because most consumers and clients won‘t invest in someone or something if it doesn’t seem trustworthy. In fact, 67% of consumers say they must trust a brand before investing in its products or services.

"Plus," she adds, "I'm always happy to talk about my cats at any given moment. You never know when a fellow cat mom could be reading."

Values and Work Approach

Your values can sometimes show your work ethic more effectively than your career path. It can also help you endear yourself to employers and colleagues who want to work with people with similar values.

So don‘t be shy: Share how you incorporate your values into your work. Whether it’s a commitment to innovation, customer satisfaction, or ethical decision-making, explain what drives you and be enthusiastic about it.

Your Personality

Remember: Your bio should always include a taste of your personality! Your sense of humor, creativity, or collaborative nature could all give readers a sense of who you are. This helps readers connect with you on a more personal level.

Remember to tailor your bio for different platforms and audiences. Also, keep it concise and impactful while highlighting the most relevant information in each context.

First-Person Bio vs. Third-Person Bio

While first-person bios are common, third-person bios can be more effective in formal situations.

Your decision to write your professional bio in the first or third person depends on your desire to leave a more personable or assertive impression.

Both approaches work, provided you tailor them to your goals and audience. What’s important is to be clear and tell your story in a way that connects with your reader.

How to Write a First-Person Bio

Writing in the first person can be a great way to connect with your audience when building a personal brand. When you write a first-person bio, use "I" or "me" to make yourself relatable and approachable.

Here's one way I’d write a first-person bio:

"I'm a freelance writer specializing in small business content. I've worked with companies in a variety of industries like home care to fine leather goods."

Speaking in the first person here connects you with a client or brand based on your experience and opinions. Put another way, writing a first-person bio is like telling your story to your audience.

Here are a few tips to make your first-person bio great:

Don’t start every sentence with "I."

Showing instead of telling is a great approach.

Let’s say you’re a writer who wants to create a short professional bio. Instead of saying, "I love to write," you can say, "Writer. Bad but enthusiastic dancer."

This portrays your writing skill, shows your personality outside of writing as a dancer, and includes a little sense of humor, which is essential for a writer.

Remember, you know yourself better than anyone.

Adding a back story to your bio helps create context for the roles and successes you write about. Think of it like a case study about who you were, what you are now, and the process that got you to your current position.

Focus on valuable details.

Quick facts about you can showcase your identity and values. For example, if you're writing a bio for LinkedIn, think about how to tie your hobby into what you do.

Let's say Animal Crossing is your hobby. Does it align with your career aspirations? It can be a great addition to your bio if you want to pursue a video game career.

However, if your interests lie elsewhere, including a more relevant hobby is better.

How to Write a Third-Person Bio

Third-person bios sound more authoritative and objective. So, if you’re job searching in a formal industry, applying for grants, or trying to get published, you may want to stick to the third person.

For instance, when you write a third-person bio, you may start with:

"Jasmine Montgomery is a Senior Hiring Manager at L’Oreal based in New York. She recruits across several business units to connect with the brightest talent from around the globe."

By only using your name and pronouns to speak about yourself here, you are letting your title and skill set speak for themselves.

These bios create distance between the subject of the bio (you) and the reader through a third person. This person could be anyone, but they usually speak in a tone emphasizing their expertise.

This makes third-person bios feel aloof or overly formal sometimes.

Ideally, your third-person bio should sound friendly but polished, like a message from a close colleague at work. Here are a few tips on how to write a great third-person bio.

Write from the perspective of someone you know and trust.

It can be challenging to write about yourself, so try to see yourself from the perspective of your favorite person at work or a mentor you trust. This can help you write from a position of authority without feeling self-conscious.

Show the reader why they should trust your opinion.

A professional bio often reflects a specific industry or niche. With this in mind, your text should include relevant details that professionals in your industry know. Avoid jargon whenever you can.

Remember, you're telling a story.

If you want a third-person bio, but you're used to writing in first-person, it may help to write it the most comfortable way for you.

Your professional bio is an essential piece of writing, so edit it carefully. Edit your writing from both points of view and see which works best for your target audience.

Here's how to write a professional bio, step by step.

• Create an 'About' page for your website or profile.
• Begin writing your bio with your first and last name.
• Mention any associated brand name you might use.
• State your current position and what you do.
• Include at least one professional accomplishment.
• Describe your values and how they inform your career.
• Briefly tell your readers who you are outside of work.
• Use humor or a personal story to add flavor to your professional bio.

If you’re anything like me, you probably don't think about your professional bio until you’re asked to "send one over via email."

You have one afternoon to come up with it, so you scramble together a bio that ends up reading like this:

"Rodney Erickson is a content marketing professional at HubSpot, a CRM platform that helps companies attract visitors, convert leads, and close customers.

Previously, Rodney worked as a marketing manager for a tech software startup. He graduated with honors from Columbia University with a dual degree in Business Administration and Creative Writing."

To be fair, in certain contexts, your professional bio needs to be more formal, like Mr. Erickson's up there. But there are also cases where writing a personable and conversational bio is good.

Whether you choose the formal or casual route, use the following steps to create a perfect bio.

1. Create an 'About' page for your website or profile.

You need an online space to keep your professional bio. Here are a few to consider (some of these you might already have in place):

• Facebook Business page .
• Industry blog byline .
• Instagram account .
• Personal website .
• LinkedIn profile .
• Industry website .
• Personal blog .

As you'll see in the professional bio examples below, the length and tone of your bio will differ depending on the platforms you use.

Instagram, for example, allows only 150 characters of bio space, whereas you can write as much as you want on your website or Facebook Business page.

2. Begin writing your bio with your first and last name.

If your readers remember nothing else about your bio, they should remember your name. Therefore, it's a good idea for your first and last name to be the first two words of your professional bio.

Even if your name is printed above this bio (hint: it should), this is a rare moment where it's okay to be redundant.

For example, if I were writing my bio, I might start it like this:

Lindsay Kolowich

Lindsay Kolowich is a Senior Marketing Manager at HubSpot.

3. Mention any associated brand name you might use.

Will your professional bio represent you or a business you work for? Ensure you mention the brand you associate with in your bio. If you're a freelancer, you may have a personal business name or pseudonym you advertise to your clients.

Here are a few examples:

• Lindsay Kolowich Marketing.
• SEO Lindsay.
• Kolowich Consulting.
• Content by Kolowich (what do you think ... too cheesy?).

Maybe you founded your own company and want its name to be separate from your real name. Keep it simple like this: "Lindsay Kolowich is the founder and CEO of Kolowich Consulting."

4. State your current position and what you do.

Whether you're the author of a novel or a mid-level specialist, use the following few lines of your bio to describe what you do in that position. Refrain from assuming your audience knows what your job title entails.

Make your primary responsibilities known so readers can know you and understand what you offer to your industry.

5. Include at least one professional accomplishment.

Just as a business touts its client successes through case studies, your professional bio should let your audience know what you've achieved.

What have you done for yourself — as well as for others — that makes you a valuable player in your industry?

6. Describe your values and how they inform your career.

Why do you do what you do? What might make your contribution to the market different from your colleagues? What are the values that make your business a worthwhile investment to others?

Create a professional bio that answers these questions.

7. Briefly tell your readers who you are outside of work.

Transition from describing your values in work to defining who you are outside of work. This may include:

• Your family.
• Your hometown.
• Sports you play.
• Hobbies and interests.
• Favorite music and travel destinations.
• Side hustles you're working on.

People like connecting with other people. The more transparent you are about who you are personally, the more likable you'll be to people reading about you.

8. Use humor or a personal story to add flavor to your professional bio.

End your professional bio on a good or, more specifically, a funny note. By leaving your audience with something quirky or unique, you can ensure they'll leave your website with a pleasant impression of you.

Following the steps above when writing your bio is important, but take your time with one section. People consume lots of information daily. So ensure your bio hooks 'em in the first line, and you won’t lose them.

(P.S. Want to boost your professional brand? Take one of HubSpot Academy's free certification courses . In just one weekend, you can add a line to your resume and bio that over 60,000 marketers covet.)

Why Good Bios Are Important for a Professional

You may think, "How many people read professional bios, anyway?"

The answer: A lot. Though there's no way to tell who is reading it, you want it catchy. Your professional bio will delight the right people coming across it on multiple platforms.

Professional bios can live on your LinkedIn profile , company website, guest posts, speaker profiles, Twitter bio , Instagram bio , and many other places.

And most importantly, it‘s the tool you can leverage most when you’re networking.

Bottom line? People will read your professional bio. Whether they remember it or it makes them care about you is a matter of how well you present yourself to your intended audience.

So, what does a top-notch professional bio look like? Let‘s review a few sample bios for professionals like you and me. Then, we’ll cover bio examples from some of the best people in the industry.

Short Sample Bios

Your bio doesn't have to be complicated. Here are five samples to glean inspiration from.

Example 1: Friendly Sample Bio

"Hey! My name is Ryan, and I'm a marketing specialist passionate about digital advertising. I have five years of experience managing various online campaigns and improving brand visibility for clients across multiple verticals. I love analyzing consumer behavior and leveraging data-driven strategies to maximize ROI. Outside work, I enjoy traveling, taking funny photos, and exploring new hiking trails."

Example 2: Mid-Career Sample Bio

"Jennifer Patel is a versatile graphic designer known for her creative approach and attention to detail. With a background in visual arts and eight years of experience, Jennifer has worked on diverse projects ranging from logo designs to website layouts. Her ability to understand and translate client needs into visually striking designs sets her apart. Jennifer finds inspiration in nature, music, and pop culture."

Example 3: Sales Sample Bio

"I'm a seasoned sales executive with a track record of exceeding targets and building strong client relationships. With a background in B2B sales, I've built a natural ability to understand customer needs and consistently exceed quota every month. I pride myself in my communication skills and strategic approaches, which have helped me thrive in highly competitive markets such as SaaS sales. Outside work, I enjoy playing basketball and volunteering at local charities."

Example 4: HR Sample Bio

"I am a dedicated human resources professional with a passion for fostering a positive workplace culture and facilitating employee development. With eight years of experience in talent acquisition and HR operations, I've played a key role in building high-performing teams. I'm known for my strong interpersonal skills and ability to create inclusive and supportive work environments. In my free time, I enjoy practicing yoga and exploring new culinary experiences."

Example 5: Software Engineer Sample Bio

"David Chang is a senior software engineer specializing in backend development. With a strong background in computer science and six years of experience, David has successfully built scalable and efficient solutions for complex technical challenges. He is well-versed in various programming languages and frameworks like C++, Java, and Ruby on Rails. In his spare time, David enjoys reading science fiction novels and playing the guitar."

Below, we've curated some of the best professional bio examples we've ever seen on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and the various places you might describe yourself.

Check 'em out and use them as inspiration when crafting your own.

• Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Author
• Chima Mmeje: SEO Content Writer
• DJ Nexus: DJ
• Lena Axelsson: Marriage & Family Therapist
• Mark Levy: Branding Firm Founder
• Audra Simpson: Political Anthropologist
• Marie Mikhail: Professional Recruiter
• Wonbo Woo: Executive Producer
• Chris Burkard: Freelance Photographer
• Lisa Quine: Creative Consultant
• Nancy Twine: Hair Care Founder
• Trinity Mouzon: Wellness Brand Founder
• Alberto Perez: Co-Founder of Zumba Fitness
• Ann Handley: Writer and Marketer

1. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie : Author

Bio platform: personal website.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie begins her professional bio with an invitation to her roots.

In a few paragraphs, she describes when and where she was born, her family, her education, her honorary degrees, and the depth of her work, which has been translated into 30 languages and several publications.

She can keep readers engaged by leading with a powerful hook that aligns with her target audience’s marketing needs.

• There’s clarity about who Chima serves.
• The hook is bold, catchy, and compels anyone to read further.
• Including client results makes clients visualize what they can expect.

3. DJ Nexus : DJ

Bio platform: facebook.

This New England-based DJ has single-handedly captured the Likes of over 2,000 people in and beyond Boston, MA. And even if you don‘t listen to the type of music he produces, it’s hard not to read his compelling Facebook bio.

For instance, consider his tagline, under "About" — " Quiet during the day. QUITE LOUD at night! " DJ Nexus tells you when he works awesomely. I got goosebumps just imagining a dance club where he might play music.

The second is the "long version," which is even more interesting than the first. Why? It reads like a story — a compelling one, at that. In fact, it gets hilarious in some parts.

The second sentence of the bio reads: "He was frightened of public school, loved playing baseball and football, ran home to watch ape films on the 4:30 Movie, listened to The Jam and The Buzzcocks, and read magic trick books."

Here's another excerpt from the middle:

It's a well-put value proposition that sets her apart from the rest of the HR industry.

Marie concludes her bio with a smooth mix of professional skills, like her Spanish fluency, and personal interests, such as podcasting and Star Wars (she mentions the latter with just the right amount of humor).

• Straight off the bat, Marie uses a story to share her experiences of how she began as a recruiter.
• It provides a subtle pitch for readers to check out her podcast.
• The bio exudes Maries approachable, fun, and playful personality.

8. Wonbo Woo : Executive Producer

Wonbo Woo is the executive producer of WIRED's video content and has several impressive credits to his name. What does this mean for his professional bio? He has to prioritize.

With this in mind, Wonbo opens his bio with the most eye-catching details first (if the image below is hard to read, click it to see the full copy ).

I wouldn‘t necessarily be inclined to follow Chris if his bio had simply read, "I post beautiful images." But images that inspire me to travel? Now that’s something I can get behind.

Last, he ends on a humble, sweet note: "He is happiest with his wife Breanne raising their two sons." So inject personal information into your bio — it makes you seem approachable.

• It highlights Chris’s achievement without bragging.
• The last sentence portrays Chris as a responsible man who loves his family.
• The well-written bio speaks to nature lovers who like the outdoors, surfing, and more. This gives them reasons to follow Chris.

10. Lisa Quine : Creative Consultant

Bio platform: portfolio website.

Creative professionals who specialize in visual art may find it challenging to balance the writing of their bio and displaying of their portfolio. Not Lisa Quine. Lisa has an exceptional balance of her professional bio and creative work.

Throughout her bio, you'll notice the number of murals she's completed and a brief timeline of her career. This helps her paint the picture of who she is as a professional.

The rest of her bio similarly focuses on Twine's strengths as someone who’s able to take hair care "back to basics."

Mouzon effectively grips the reader's attention with this introduction and then dives into some of her impressive accomplishments — including a brand now sold at Urban Outfitters and Target.

The language used throughout Mouzon's bio is authentic, real, and honest.

For instance, in the second paragraph, she admits:

"While building a brand may have looked effortless from the outside, starting a business at age 23 with no resources or funding quickly forced me to realize that early-stage entrepreneurship was anything but transparent."

As an avid Zumba fan, I was excited to include this one. Perez styles his LinkedIn bio as a short story, starting with his background as a hard-working teen who held three jobs by age 14.

His bio tells the fun and fascinating origin story of Zumba, in which Perez, an aerobics teacher in Florida at the time, forgot his music for class and used a Latin music cassette tape instead ... "And it was an instant hit!"

His bio continues:

"Shortly after he was connected to Alberto Periman and Alberto Aghion, and Zumba was officially created ... What started as a dream now has 15 million people in more than 200,000 locations in 186 countries who take Zumba classes every week."

There's something in there for everyone.

• The last section of the bio shows Ann’s warm personality — "Ann lives in Boston, where she is Mom to creatures two- and four-legged."
• Written in the third person, this bio has lots of proof (like followers), which shows Ann is a terrific marketing leader.

If you're posting a bio on a social media account or sending a quick blurb to a client, you want to keep it short and sweet while showcasing your accomplishments.

To get started, use these best practices for writing your short professional bio:

• Introduce yourself.
• State what you do.
• Add key skills or areas of expertise.
• Include a personal mission statement
• Celebrate your wins.
• Provide your contact information.
• Show them your personality.

1. Introduce yourself.

Your introduction is your first impression, so always begin by telling people who you are. You may start with a greeting like, "Hello, my name is" or "Hi! Let me first introduce myself …" when sending your bio as a message.

If you’re writing a bio for an online platform, stating your name at the beginning works as well.

Leading with your name — even as a question — is important for recognition and building relationships.

2. State what you do.

Give people an idea of what you do daily and where you work. Your job title is how the people put you into context and consider whether your profession relates to their industry.

So detail your most relevant work in your short bios, like CEO, professor, and author.

Take a cue from Angela Duckworth , who specifies what she does in her LinkedIn bio:

3. Add key skills or areas of expertise.

If you send a bio to a client or potential employer, highlight your most valuable skills. For instance, if your expertise is in social media marketing and content creation, like Ivanka Dekoning , list these skills.

• A joke. "Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once. At least that’s what I learned when I created…"
• Mention a hobby. "I’ll be honest: for me, tennis is life — Go Nadal!"
• A fun fact. "Every year, I watch 100 new films! I’m a cinephile and love every movie genre."
• A few emojis related to your interests. "🎶🤖🎾🎬🎭"

Whichever way you choose to get personal, give people a glimpse into who you are as an individual.

When writing a short bio, it can be tempting to pack in as much relevant information about yourself as possible — but this isn’t the most effective approach.

Instead, focus on including the details that you and your audience care about most and leave out the fluff.

Let's dive into a few examples of short professional bios.

Short Professional Bio Examples

• Tristen Taylor: Marketing Manager
• Lianna Patch: Copywriter
• Precious Oboidhe: Content Strategist and Writer
• Rebecca Bollwitt: Writer
• Megan Gilmore: Cookbook Author
• Bea Dixon: Feminine Care Founder
• Tammy Hembrow: Instagram Influencer
• Dr. Cody: Chiropractor
• Larry Kim: Founder
• Dharmesh Shah: Founder and CTO
• Lily Ugbaja: Content Strategist
• Ian Anderson Gray: Marketer
• Van Jones: Political Commentator, Author, and Lawyer

1. Tristen Taylor: Marketing Manager

Bio platform: blog byline.

Tristen Taylor is a Marketing Manager here at HubSpot. She's written content for HubSpot's Marketing, Sales, and Customer Service blogs; her blog author bio is one of my favorites.

What I love most about Tristen's bio is that it’s a great example of how to deliver information about yourself that is relevant to your work while also sharing fun details that audiences will find relatable.

Her bio reads:

"Building from her experience with GoCo.io and Southwest Airlines, Tristen's work has been recognized by Marketing Brew and BLACK@INBOUND. She lives in Washington, DC, attending anime conventions and painting in her free time."

Gilmore further includes a CTA link within her Instagram bio that leads followers to free, ready-to-use recipes. You might think, " Why would she do that since it discourages people from buying her book?"

But that couldn't be further from the truth.

By giving her followers the chance to try out her recipes, she's slowly turning leads into customers. After I tried a few of her Instagram recipes and loved them, I bought her book, knowing I'd like more of what she offered.

• The bio is short and direct.
• The CTA link includes an invitation for people to join her newsletter. Meaning, she can build her email list.

6. Bea Dixon : Feminine Care Founder

Bea Dixon, Founder and CEO of The Honey Pot Company, efficiently uses the space on her Instagram profile to highlight who she is as a well-rounded human — not just a businesswoman.

For instance, while she highlights her girl boss attitude with a tiara emoji, she equally calls attention to her fashion interests (Free People), her pets, Boss and Sadie, and her love for ramen noodles.

What more do you need to know?

Ian doesn't take his bio too seriously but uses every character to highlight everything about him.

He includes his skills as a marketer and podcast host, who he is outside work as a dad, and what he can help you do. His smiles also give the bio a sense of humor and realness.

Don't forget to share this post!

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50 Best Autobiographies of All Time

Hannah Yang

Table of Contents

Top new autobiography books, best autobiographies of all time, most famous autobiographies, inspiring autobiographies, must-read autobiographies for athletes, top autobiographies about politics, good autobiographies about science.

Autobiographies allow us to experience other people’s lives from their own perspectives.

It can be really powerful to see the ways other people describe their own lives, especially when those people are inspiring figures or well-known celebrities.

So, what are some great autobiographies you can read?

This article will give you 50 fantastic autobiographies to add to your reading list across several categories: sports, politics, science, and more.

Let’s start our list with recent releases. Here are some great autobiographies that were published within the past five years.

1. A Promised Land by Barack Obama (2020)

In this powerful autobiography, President Barack Obama takes us on the journey that led to his presidency. He describes his time in the White House and how he handled issues like the global financial crisis and Operation Neptune’s Spear.

2. All In: An Autobiography by Billie Jean King (2021)

Billie Jean King writes about how she became the tennis legend she is today, with 39 Grand Slam titles and six years as the top-ranked female tennis player in the world. She incorporates her insights on leadership, activism, love, happiness, and more.

3. Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman by Alan Rickman (2022)

Alan Rickman, an actor famous for his roles in movies like Die Hard, Harry Potter, and many more, wrote these diaries from 1993 to 2016. These diaries are a rare peek into his inner world and all his real life stories from that time period.

4. I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy (2022)

Jennette McCurdy, famous for playing Sam Puckett on the Nickelodeon show iCarly, writes about her troubled relationship with her mother and how that dictated her choices until her mom passed away. She writes about her early life, her mental health, her acting career, and her struggle for independence.

5. Finding Me by Viola Davis (2022)

Famous actress Viola Davis writes about how she built her successful career and how she grounded herself in self-love and radical honesty. Her writing is intimate, personal, and moving.

Be confident about grammar

Check every email, essay, or story for grammar mistakes. Fix them before you press send.

6. Spare by Prince Harry (2023)

Prince Harry tells the world about the loss of his mother, his time in the British Army, his relationship with Meghan Markle, and the tensions he’s faced with his older brother, the heir. Spare is raw and often heart-wrenching.

7. Easily Slip Into Another World: A Life in Music by Henry Threadgill (2023)

Henry Threadgill, a Pulitzer Prize-winning saxophonist, flutist, and composer, writes about his childhood in Chicago in the 1960s, his service in Vietnam, and his devotion to the art of jazz music.

Now it’s time to turn to the classics. Let’s look at some famous autobiographies that have truly stood the test of time.

8. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou (1969)

Maya Angelou writes about her childhood from age 3 to 16. She underwent many traumatic experiences, including racism and sexual assault, but she overcame those hardships to become one of the greatest American poets of all time. 

The Collected Autobiographies continues her story if I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings leaves you hungry for more.

9. Always Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A. by Luis J. Rodriguez (1993)

Luis J. Rodriguez writes about growing up immersed in L.A. gang culture. In the 1990s, Always Running was one of the most frequently banned books in the U.S. because of its graphic content and daring stance on police brutality.

10. A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway (1964)

Famous American writer Ernest Hemingway describes his experiences in Paris in the 1920s. He writes about his first wife Hadley, his son Jack, and his early experiments with the craft of writing.

11. An Autobiography by Agatha Christie (1977)

Agatha Christie, the Queen of Crime, invented some of the world’s most famous detectives, such as Hercule Poirot and Jane Marple. Her autobiography, published after her death, is considered by some to be one of her greatest literary masterpieces.

12. Chronicles Volume One by Bob Dylan (2004)

Award-winning musician Bob Dylan writes about his life and music in this famous autobiography. However, it’s worth mentioning that this book has been controversial for accusations of plagiarism, so read with discretion.

13. Bare by George Michael (1990)

George Michael, the lead singer of Wham!, writes about his rise to stardom. The people who knew George describe what happened behind the scenes, providing even deeper insight into what he was really like, not just as a performer but also as a person.

Many autobiographies have topped bestseller lists and even become household names. Here are some famous autobiographies that millions of people have read.

14. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank (1947)

Anne Frank, a young Jewish girl hiding from Nazi persecution throughout the Holocaust, tells her story in this heartbreaking diary. The Diary of a Young Girl is an absolute must-read if you haven’t read it already.

15. Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 1 by Mark Twain (2010)

Mark Twain completed his autobiography by 1910 but asked that it not be published for another 100 years. In 2010, when it was finally published, it became an instant New York Times bestseller that provides an intimate portrait of this famous author’s experiences.

16. The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X (1965)

Malcolm X was one of the most famous figures of the American civil rights movement. Alex Haley, an esteemed contributor to Reader’s Digest , compiled this autobiography using interviews and excerpts of Malcolm X’s writing.

17. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass (1845)

Frederick Douglass, an esteemed abolitionist and orator, chronicles his life story as a former slave in this vivid autobiographical account. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is widely considered one of the best autobiographies of all time.

18. Just Kids by Patti Smith (2010)

Artist Patti Smith writes about her relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, who later passed away due to AIDS. The book addresses sexuality, politics, and artistic expression in a moving and evocative way.

19. Cash: The Autobiography by Johnny Cash (1997)

Johnny Cash is a famous American musician, known for songs like “Folsom Prison Blues.” In this definitive biography, he writes about his spirituality, memories, and relationships.

20. Iacocca: An Autobiography by Lee Iacocca (1984)

Lee Iacocca, the son of Italian immigrants, became the president of Ford Motor Company and also helped Chrysler turn its fate around. His book tells us, in his own words, how he faced obstacles with integrity and grit.

If you’re looking for inspiration to help you change your life or make a difference in the world, reading an autobiography can be a great place to start. Many people have done incredible things that are sure to motivate you.

Here are some great examples of inspiring autobiographies.

21. I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai (2013)

The Taliban shot Malala Yousafzai for defending the right for Pakistani girls to get an education. Now, she’s one of the most courageous and inspiring figures in the world, and her bestselling memoir describes her journey.

22. Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda (1946)

Paramahansa Yogananda is the man most often credited with making yoga popular in the U.S. In Autobiography of a Yogi, he writes about his life story as well as his life lessons for readers who want to learn about yoga and finding inner peace.

23. The Autobiography of Gucci Mane by Gucci Mane (2017)

Gucci Mane, a prolific trap and hip-hop artist, started writing this memoir while incarcerated. His autobiography tells us about his childhood in Alabama, living on the streets in Atlanta, and his experience making music while overcoming obstacles.

24. Living for Change: An Autobiography by Grace Lee Boggs (1998)

Grace Lee Boggs is a human rights activist who never stopped fighting for a more just society. She writes about how she dedicated her life to her beliefs and helped make the world a fairer place.

25. The Story of My Experiments With Truth by Mohandas K. Gandhi (1925)

Mahatma Gandhi, famous for his civil disobedience campaigns, wrote this autobiography in weekly installments, which he published in his journal Navjivan. Now, the completed book has been named one of the “100 Best Spiritual Books of the 20th Century.”

26. The Story of My Life by Helen Keller (1902)

As a young child who was both blind and deaf, Helen Keller had no way to communicate with the world. Her teacher, Anne Sullivan, helped her learn how to rise above her disabilities. This compassionate memoir provides hope, courage, and faith for all of us.

27. Surpassing Certainty: What My Twenties Taught Me by Janet Mock (2017)

Janet Mock is an award-winning writer, director, and producer, as well as a trans rights advocate. In this inspiring memoir, she writes about what she learned in her twenties and how she found her path.

28. Becoming by Michelle Obama (2018)

Former first lady Michelle Obama writes about her extraordinary life in this inspirational memoir. Becoming is structured in three parts: Becoming Me, Becoming Us, and Becoming More. She writes about her childhood growing up in Chicago, her relationship with her husband Barack Obama, and their experiences serving in the White House.

It’s not easy to become a record-breaking athlete. It takes a lot of training, grit, and determination.

Many world-famous athletes have written autobiographies explaining how they reached such high levels of accomplishment in their fields. Here are a few great books by successful athletes.

29. Flying Free: My Victory Over Fear to Become the First Latina Pilot on the US Aerobatic Team by Cecilia Aragon (2020)

Cecilia Aragon started out as a meek, bullied young girl, then rose to become one of the most acclaimed female aerobatic pilots of all time. She writes about her experience joining the U.S. aerobatic team and her lifelong love of math.

30. Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, a Life in Balance by Simone Biles (2016)

Simone Biles is an American gymnast who’s won seven Olympic medals. In Courage to Soar , she talks about how she overcame obstacles and trained incessantly to become the greatest in her sport.

31. Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi (2009)

Andre Agassi was raised to be a tennis champion from a young age by his exacting father. Though Agassi dominated on the court, he often resented the sport in his personal life, and Open documents his complicated feelings throughout his career.

32. The Game by Ken Dryden (1983)

The Game , which was named one of the “Top 10 Sports Books of All Time” by Sports Illustrated , tells the story of Ken Dryden, a legendary Canadian hockey player. He writes about his fellow players, his life on the road, and his worldview both on and off the ice.

33. Drive: The Story of My Life by Larry Bird (1989)

Larry Bird, who has won three NBA MVP awards, has often been viewed as one of the most private and mysterious basketball legends. In Drive, he reveals all the private feelings that he rarely shared publicly, including the story behind his failed marriage and his decision to transfer schools.

34. Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan (2015)

William Finnegan started surfing as a young child and went on to chase waves around the world: Australia, Asia, Africa, and more. His autobiography reads almost like an adventure story, showing how he mastered the art of surfing.

35. I Always Wanted to Be Somebody by Althea Gibson (1958)

Althea Gibson was the first African American tennis player to win at Wimbledon. Her autobiography explains how she triumphed over a difficult childhood to achieve athletic success.

36. Strongman: My Story by Eddie Hall (2017)

Eddie “The Beast” Hall is a British strongman who won the World’s Strongest Man competition. He writes about the training, nutrition, and dedication required to make it as a professional strongman.

Many politicians write autobiographies describing the ways their leadership impacted their communities.

Here are some famous political autobiographies, which might be well worth a read.  

37. Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela (1994)

Nelson Mandela, the first Black president of South Africa, tells his life story in Long Walk to Freedom. He writes about his experiences growing up, training as a lawyer, becoming an anti-apartheid activist, and getting sentenced to life in prison.

38. Madam Secretary: A Memoir by Madeleine Albright (2003)

Madam Secretary tells the story of Madeleine Albright, who served as U.S. Secretary of State during Bill Clinton’s presidency. She writes about how she approached peace in the Middle East, NATO’s interventions abroad, and many other prominent global affairs issues.

39. My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor (2013)

Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, writes about growing up in a low-income Puerto Rican immigrant family and how her childhood shaped her rise to success. This inspiring story will remind you that anyone with enough dedication can achieve their dreams.

40. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin (1909)

Benjamin Franklin wrote his autobiography in the 1770s–1790s, but it wasn’t published until 1909. Now you can read about the life of one of America’s Founding Fathers and his moral views on the society he lived in.

41. An Autobiography by Jawaharlal Nehru (1936)

Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of independent India, wrote this book while in prison from 1934–1935. He writes about his vision for modern India and his views on both history and the present.

42. Daughter of the East: An Autobiography by Benazir Bhutto (1988)

Benazir Bhutto’s father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was a prime minister of Pakistan who was executed in 1979. In Daughter of the East, Benazir Bhutto writes about how she took up her father’s mantle and began leading the Pakistan People’s Party.

43. The Truths We Hold by Kamala Harris (2019)

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris writes about her upbringing in an immigrant family in California, her passion for justice, and her rise to one of the highest leadership roles in the U.S. She also reckons with the truths that define her country and how we can face them.

Finally, let’s finish our list with some autobiographies written by incredible scientists. These people made discoveries that changed the world, and it’s fascinating to hear about the life events that led them to those discoveries.

44. The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA by James D. Watson (1968)

James Watson writes about how he and his partner Francis Crick discovered the double helix structure of DNA. This tremendous breakthrough won them a Nobel Prize and revolutionized the future of biology.

45. Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! by Richard Feynman (1985)

In this witty and lighthearted autobiography, Richard Feynman, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, recounts his life in physics. His voice shines through in this book, which is simultaneously eccentric, funny, and brilliant.

46. My Brief History by Stephen Hawking (2013)

Stephen Hawking writes about how he triumphed over Lou Gehrig’s Disease to become one of the most famous scientists of all time. He also explains his breakthrough research into black holes and quantum gravity.

47. Letters from the Field, 1925–1975 by Margaret Mead (1977)

Margaret Mead sent letters to her family and friends while she was conducting field research in Samoa, New Guinea, Bali, and more. These smart, lyrical, and insightful letters show us the inner world of a wonderful scientist.

48. Jane Goodall: 50 Years at Gombe: A Tribute to Five Decades of Wildlife Research, Education, and Conservation by Jane Goodall (2013)

Dr. Jane Goodall tells us about her groundbreaking studies of chimpanzee behavior and her philanthropic work across five decades. Photos accompany her writing to make this book come to life. 

49. An Appetite for Wonder: The Makings of a Scientist by Richard Dawkins (2013)

Richard Dawkins, a renowned evolutionary biologist, writes about his personal evolution as a scientist. An Appetite for Wonder covers his childhood in colonial Kenya, his education at Oxford, and his work championing a gene-centered perspective on evolution.

50. On the Move: A Life by Oliver Sacks (2015)

Dr. Oliver Sacks was a British neurologist who authored many bestselling books, including The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. In On the Move , he writes about his childhood, his experience coming out as a gay man, his drug addiction, and many more personal experiences in a moving and incisive way.

There you have it—our picks for the top autobiographies of all time.

Good luck, and happy reading!

Hannah is a speculative fiction writer who loves all things strange and surreal. She holds a BA from Yale University and lives in Colorado. When she’s not busy writing, you can find her painting watercolors, playing her ukulele, or hiking in the Rockies. Follow her work on hannahyang.com or on Twitter at @hannahxyang.

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12 Immersive Biographies to Lose Yourself In

Find your coziest chair, and curl up with one of these incredible biographies to while away an afternoon or two.

We all need to get lost in a story sometimes. Taking a break from our own lives to examine someone else's can help us return to the present with a new perspective and focus. Whether they're someone who changed the history of art and science singlehandedly, or a forgotten bystander in a much more well-known individual's dramas, it's always the details that enthrall us more than the general recount found in high school history classes. For those looking to get lost in the lives of the less well-known, here are 12 immersive biographies that will motivate, inspire, and make you question why we don't praise their subjects as much as their counterparts. 

Related: Recharge with 10 Books About Inspirational People  

By Marion Meade

Too often ignored and undervalued by historians, Victoria Woodhull was a product of the conservative Victorian era in America and England as much as she was a destabilizing force during the period. With a career spanning fortune-telling, acting, stock-brokering, journalism, and lecturing on women's rights, her anomalous background outraged even the feminists of her time when she stepped into the political ring. Certainly before her time in retrospect, her campaign for the presidency in 1872 treated woman's suffrage as a bare minimum, bringing attention to a multitude of social and economic issues between men and women.

Related: 26 Biographies of Remarkable Women That You Need to Read

By Fred Kaplan

Novelist, culture critic, essayist, satirist, and cynic: Kaplan brings to life Gore Vidal's multifaceted personality in this vastly entertaining biography. A literary giant and keen observer of political power, Vidal wrote with accuracy, insight, and wit while managing to balance many seemingly opposed qualities. An advocate for peace but undoubtedly pugnacious, Kaplan accurately captures Vidal's criticisms for the people with whom he feuded without vilifying them. While his vitriol might even be considered cordial in our modern political landscape, it's important to note where the feuds in modern American discourse first started to take shape, and them literary battles that cemented them. 

Explore singular moments in history with The Archive 's newsletter.

By Franny Moyle

While Oscar Wilde was facing a conviction of gross indecency for his affair with Lord Alfred Douglas, his wife, Constance, had to deal with what that meant for herself, her husband, and her children. Until that moment, the Wildes were seen as a gilded couple. Thanks to her privileged standing, Mrs. Wilde managed to keep in contact with her imprisoned husband even while dealing with the suffering his trial brought her. Going against the grain as much as her husband, Constance Wilde was a phenomenon on in her own right, her pioneering and questioning spirit encouraging her to sample some of the more controversial aspects of her time. Franny Moyle tells the story of a wife betrayed, a mother in exile, and a woman at the heart of the Aesthetic movement.

Georgia O'Keeffe

By Roxana Robinson

Arguably the 20th century's leading female artist, Georgia O'Keeffe came of age along with American modernism, with a life rich in intense relationships. Her often-eroticized flowers, bones, stones, skulls, and pelvises became extremely well known to a broad American public. Roxana Robinson retells O'Keeffe's struggle between the rigorous demands of love and work which resulted in extraordinary accomplishments, giving a very human treatment to her life and the lives of the people in it. 

Furious Cool

By David Henry, Joe Henry

At a certain point, a person's comedy becomes more than just a scripted routine, evidence of nothing less than genius. Richard Pryor alone on a stage with nothing but a microphone in hand erased all doubt that he was anything but that genius. After a childhood spent just trying to survive, the culture that Pryor was born into—his mother was a prostitute; his grandmother ran the whorehouse—helped shape him into one of the most influential and outstanding performers of our time. Attracting equal parts admiration and anger, Pryor's humor and humanity were often something of a contradiction in his personal life, displayed through these pages by David and Joe Henry.

By Peter Stanford

Peter Stanford deconstructs that most important and vilified of Bible characters: Judas Iscariot, who famously betrayed Jesus with a kiss. Exploring two thousand years of cultural and theological history, Stanford investigates how the very name Judas came to be synonymous with betrayal and, ultimately, human evil. Not only does the work describe historical and textual accounts of the character, but it proposes one of the most hotly contested religious arguments of the past 2,000 years: Should we actually thank Judas for his act, since without his betrayal there would be no crucifixion of Christ? "You'll have to decide," as Bob Dylan sang in the sixties, "Whether Judas Iscariot had God on his side." The essential doomed character, Stanford uses an exploration of Judas to delve into larger questions of how we remember history and its figures. 

Related: 13 Books That Explore the History of World Religions

Wrapped in Rainbows: The Life of Zora Neale Hurston

By Valerie Boyd

Critically acclaimed journalist Valerie Boyd delivers a profile of Zora Neale Hurston, one of the most intriguing cultural figures of the 20th century. Claimed as an influence by the likes of Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, and Alice Walker, Hurston published seven books, many short stories, and several articles and plays over a career that spanned more than 30 years. Her 1937 masterpiece Their Eyes Were Watching God has become a crucial part of the modern literary canon. With a life that encompassed the Harlem Renaissance, the Great Depression, and World War II, as well as a fascinating relationship with Vodou, it's no wonder Hurston's work was as complex as it was extraordinary. 

Leonardo da Vinci

By Walter Isaacson

Perhaps the most well-known figure on this list, but da Vinci may also be the least easily comprehended. Based on thousands of pages from da Vinci's astonishing notebooks and new discoveries about his life and work, Walter Isaacson weaves a narrative that connects his art to his science as fluidly as da Vinci himself. Not just an examination of one of the best geniuses of human history, but a critical examination of his learning style and personal growth. Isaacson shows how da Vinci's genius was based on skills we can improve in ourselves, such as passionate curiosity, careful observation, and an imagination so playful that it flirted with fantasy.

American Eve

By Paula Uruburu

America's first supermodel, sex goddess, and early prototype of the modern celebrity, Evelyn Nesbit's life was as glorified as it was scandalous. Central to Stanford White's famous murder trial, her iconic life story and perception as a temptress reflected all the paradoxes of America's Gilded Age. Considered the Crime of the Century, Nesbit's involvement in White's murder by her jealous husband, Harry K. Thaw, signaled the beginning of a national obsession with youth, beauty, celebrity, and sex that leapt brazenly out of the Victorian era's conservative contrast. Paula Uruburu weaves all of these elements into an elegant narrative that reads like the best crime/mystery fiction, made all the better knowing it was true. 

Related: The 16 Best Autobiographies To Change Your View of History

Queen Bee of Tuscany: The Redoubtable Janet Ross

By Ben Downing

Another key Victorian woman, Janet Ross was born into a distinguished intellectual family and raised among luminaries such as Dickens and Thackeray. After getting married at 18, Ross and her new husband lived in Egypt for six years, where she wrote for the London Times , hobnobbed with the developer of the Suez Canal, and humiliated pashas in horse races. In 1867, she moved to Florence, Italy ,where she spent the remaining 60 years of her life writing a series of books and hosting a colorful miscellany of friends and neighbors, from Mark Twain to Bernard Berenson. Encompassing all this rich history, Ben Downing paints a panoramic portrait of an age, a family, and our evolving love affair with Tuscany.

A Beautiful Mind

By Sylvia Nasar

The Phantom of Princeton, John Nash, one of the most brilliant mathematicians of his generation, was a figure many students had seen shuffling around the corridors of the math and physics building wearing purple sneakers and writing numerology treatises on the blackboards. His most important work had been in game theory, which by the 1980s was underpinning a large part of economics. When the Nobel Prize committee began debating a prize for game theory, Nash's work was routinely mentioned and shot down due to his spiral into schizophrenia in the 1950s, finally awarded to him in 1994 for work he had done 45 years prior. Economist and journalist Sylvia Nasar's biography of Nash looks at all sides of his life, giving an intelligent, understandable exposition of his mathematical ideas and a picture of schizophrenia that is evocative but decidedly unromantic.

Explore significant figures in history with The Archive 's newsletter.

By Benita Eisler

The Romantic period in Europe saw literary and poetic geniuses constantly overshadowing each other. Much in line with the themes of the movement, artists would burn too bright to be ignored, before smoldering to ashes. George Gordon, Lord Byron, considered by many to be the first emergence of the modern celebrity, sought to shine bright in all aspects of his life, not just the arts. Noted biographer Benita Eisler delivers a comprehensive and complex look at his extraordinary life: the shameful childhood; the swashbuckling adventures; the instant stardom and lingering influence of his work; his passionate and destructive love affairs; and (spoilers) his tragic death in the cause of Greek independence.

Featured photo of Lord Byron, Richard Pryor, and Georgia O'Keeffe: Wikimedia Commons

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All in the Day's Work: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY Paperback – June 18, 2003

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• Print length 448 pages
• Language English
• Publisher University of Illinois Press
• Publication date June 18, 2003
• Dimensions 6 x 1.4 x 9 inches
• ISBN-10 0252071360
• ISBN-13 978-0252071362
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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of Illinois Press; First Edition (1 in number line) (June 18, 2003)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 448 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0252071360
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0252071362
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.37 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.4 x 9 inches
• #2,090 in Journalist Biographies
• #3,941 in Business Professional's Biographies
• #15,480 in Women's Biographies

About the author

Ida m. tarbell.

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Rural Hours by Harriet Baker review – the country lives of Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Townsend Warner and Rosamond Lehmann

Three writers’ pastoral years are beautifully observed in this group biography but seem little more than tangential to their work

O n Easter Monday 1930, the writer Sylvia Townsend Warner was walking along a lane in East Chaldon, Dorset, when she arrived at an unappetising-looking cottage, its muddy stucco powerfully redolent – to most people, at least – of damp and disheartenment. She knew already it was for sale, and having borrowed a set of keys from a nearby pub, she went inside for a closer look. For her, if for no one else, its shabby severity was an essential part of its attraction. So what if it had no electricity or running water? If the surveyor would later describe it as undesirable? Such cons were her get-out clause; her exoneration from naughty “bourgeois cravings”. Unlike other down-from-London types, she wouldn’t pinch the best house from the locals. She would jump on the very worst house, and hope not to crash through any rotten floorboards as she did. Reader, she bought it, warts and all.

A lot of what Warner and her trouser-wearing tenant (later her lover), Valentine Ackland, got up to at Miss Green (the house was named after its last elderly owner) thereafter is perfectly admirable in its way: more thrift shop than Vinterior and Farrow & Ball, even if I don’t like the sound of the words “not a single upholstered chair”. But still, there’s something funny and Marie Antoinette-ish at play here, too. Warner’s aversion to middle-class luxury was so extreme, she threw a strop when a friend installed a bathroom at his country house. At Miss Green, she and Ackland bathed once a week in their kitchen, in a copper filled with rainwater – a bit of kit she had been taught to use by Mrs Keates, her London char. Later, she would write about this copper, and how it required the bather to adopt a posture reminiscent of “ancient British pit burials”. One gathers that she did not regard this as at all a bad thing.

Such details are the principal joy of Harriet Baker’s new book about three writers – the other two are Virginia Woolf and Rosamond Lehmann – and their country lives, even if she is a bit too anxiously reverential ever to laugh herself; as beetroots need a little vinegar, this book is in want of the occasional drop of acid. Yes, it’s exasperating, at moments, to read of people with servants and private annuities proudly “reclaiming drudge work”, however high-minded their reasons (Baker’s conviction is that this is all part of a necessary perspective shift, the rhythms of their labour reflected in their work via “new experiments in form, and in feeling”). A life that is chosen is very different to one trammelled by money and the need to earn it, even if both existences do involve relieving broad beans of their jackets. Of these three writers, moreover, only Lehmann had children, and they were away at boarding school. But still, it is entrancing to read of a huge fungus being sliced “like cheese” (Woolf); of the roast pheasant that marks a solitary birthday (Lehmann, though the bird was cooked by the help, Mrs Wickens); of the “gentle” acquirement of meat-safes (Warner, again). It makes you see your own stuff with new eyes, old familiar things suddenly full of meaning.

I do wonder, though, about the book’s thesis. Rural Hours is undeniably beautifully written, and Baker’s reading is wide and deep; you cannot fault her research, even if much of the material is familiar. In itself, the fact that its attention is focused on relatively brief and less well-known (“storied”) periods in its subjects’ lives isn’t a bad thing, and should be a virtue: Woolf in Asheham, Sussex, where she and her husband, Leonard, lived (1912-1919) before they moved to Monk’s House at Rodmell; Warner in Dorset in the 1930s (poor Miss Green would be destroyed by a German bomb in 1944); Lehmann in a Berkshire village where she pines hopelessly for her appallingly selfish married lover, Cecil Day-Lewis, as the second world war rages on. But the trouble is that the centre does not hold. Not only does the countryside play a very different role in each woman’s life; sometimes, it’s tangential, hardly more than a backdrop. They’re all constantly up and down to London; Lehmann, a city person in her bones, will soon move there full-time.

What influence does it have on their work? I would say: only as much as many other things in their lives – and sometimes a great deal less. Baker makes a great case for Woolf’s “forgotten” Asheham notebook, the proto-diary she began in 1917; for her, its repetitions conceal a “quiet experimentalism”. But the fact is that Mrs Dalloway (a novel set in London) and To the Lighthouse will be written elsewhere, and it’s rather effortful to connect the diary’s reckoning of foraged mushrooms and gathered blackberries with either of them. The novels for which Lehmann is best known were already written by the time she set up shop in Diamond Cottage; the book she published while living there, The Ballad and the Source , was her greatest failure. As for Warner, she arrived in Dorset with her witch, Lolly Willowes , already a hit; she wouldn’t have another such triumph until The Corner That Held Them (1948), which even Baker admits is really a war novel. This isn’t, of course, to say that the quotidian, the domestic and the pastoral aren’t interesting or worthy of thought; only that they’re pressed here into the service of an extended argument that feels, rather like one of Warner’s creaking Regency chairs, just a touch wobbly and contingent.

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Sierra Leone’s First Lady Her Excellency Dr. Fatima Maada Bio Visits TC

Sierra leone’s first lady, her excellency dr. fatima maada bio, visits tc, on international women’s day, the leader discussed her work to advance the rights of women in her country and across the world.

At a critical moment for women across the world suffering from the fallout of geopolitical conflict, economic strife, climate change and more, Her Excellency Dr. Fatima Maada Bio called for collaboration in a special address given at Teachers College in honor of International Women’s Day. The first lady of Sierra Leone also discussed her country’s efforts to curb sexual and gender-based violence.

“It is quite evident that in all these moments of uncertainty, distress, and deprivation, the women folk who are struggling to protect the children and girls are the ones who always suffer,” said Maada Bio, who was invited to speak by TC’s Judy Kuriansky , who has spent decades as a UN representative for the International Association of Applied Psychology and the World Council for Psychotherapy.

“I've met a lot of young people who are willing and ready to work with me on this journey… And I want to say, please, let us make this world a better place,” Maada Bio said. “Because the world that we are living in at the moment is a very challenging one.”

Maada Bio’s visit comes at a critical moment for gender equity across the globe, as the UN urges its members to make progress towards its Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. However, officials estimate that only 15 percent of member countries are on track to achieve the UN’s ambitious targets for gender equity. 

Her Excellency Dr. Fatima Maada Bio. (Photo: TC Archives) 

Work towards the 2030 deadline in Sierra Leone includes efforts to abolish child marriage, despite estimates that nearly 30 percent of Sierra Leonean women between the ages of 20-24 were married before age 18. Variables driving the practice in Sierra Leone include education access, poverty, sexual violence and more. 

The West African country is not alone in this effort, with UN officials quantifying child marriage at staggering rates, affecting 20 percent of girls under 18 across the globe and numbers jumping to as high as 40 percent in the least developed countries. 

Related challenges to tackle in Sierra Leone include sexual violence against women and girls, which now carries heftier punishments and is now more effectively tracked through an improved system, according to the Sierra Leone government. 

A survivor of child marriage herself, Maada Bio recognizes these reforms as difficult. In addition to serving as a leading champion of her country’s “Hands Off Our Girls” campaign, she and her husband, Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio, have also implemented free public education and reduced barriers to menstruation supplies to help alleviate disparities in opportunity. 

Judy Kuriansky addresses the audience. (Photo: TC Archives) 

Among those in attendance during Maada Bio’s special visit, students from Kuriansky’s “Psychology at the UN” course were able to ask the first lady questions about this ambitious work. 

As part of TC’s work to help students apply their scholarship to real-world diplomacy, Kuriansky regularly escorts her students to sit in on UN meetings. In 2019, she explained : “I love showing TC students how psychology and mental health are fundamental to every issue in the world — like eradicating poverty, combating climate change and achieving gender equality, quality education, and peace — and how students can play an active role and make a difference.”

Tags: At the College Gender International Education Psychology

Programs: Clinical Psychology

Departments: Counseling & Clinical Psychology

Published Monday, Apr 1, 2024

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Address: Institutional Advancement 193-197 Grace Dodge Hall

Box: 306 Phone: (212) 678-3231 Email: views@tc.columbia.edu

Former Sen. Joe Lieberman has died at 82

Former Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman has died, his family announced in a statement Wednesday. He was 82.

Lieberman died Wednesday afternoon in New York with his wife, Hadassah, and other loved ones at his side after he suffered complications from a fall, his family said in the statement.

"Senator Lieberman’s love of God, his family, and America endured throughout his life of service in the public interest," his family said.

Lieberman was the Democratic vice presidential nominee who ran with former Vice President Al Gore in the 2000 presidential election.

In a statement on X Wednesday night, Gore called Lieberman a man of integrity whose "strong will made him a force to be reckoned with."

"It was an honor to stand side-by-side with him on the campaign trail," Gore said.

The pair were defeated by former President George W. Bush and former Vice President Dick Cheney.

In his own statement, Bush said he was “saddened” by the loss of Lieberman, referring to him as “one of the most decent people I met during my time in Washington.”

“As Laura and I pray for Hadassah and the Lieberman family, we also pray that Joe’s example of decency guides our Nation’s leaders now and into the future,” Bush said.

In his later years, Lieberman was co-chairman of No Labels and was heading up the  committee  to vet its potential unity ticket candidates. A hefty share of the group’s leadership and key staff members had left over the last year. Lieberman was effectively the group’s top spokesperson through its effort this past year to field a third-party ticket.

In a statement, No Labels, which encourages cooperation across the aisle, referred to Lieberman as the “moral center” of its movement and called his death “a profound loss for all of us.”

And Republicans praised him Wednesday. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa,  on X  commended Lieberman’s commitment to working with “anyone regardless of political stripe.”

Lieberman’s passing was also mourned by lawmakers in his state, including Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont, who in a statement Wednesday cited “political differences” with Lieberman but referred to him as “a man of integrity and conviction.”

In 2006, Lamont launched a challenge against Lieberman in the state's Democratic primary, narrowly defeating him for the party's Senate nomination. After he conceded the primary, Lieberman vowed to run as an independent and ultimately won his fourth and final term.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said the state was “shocked” by Lieberman’s sudden death.

“In an era of political carbon copies, Joe Lieberman was a singularity. One of one," Murphy wrote on X.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., also expressed his condolences in a statement on X, referring to Lieberman as a longtime friend of more than 50 years, "a man of deep conscience [and] conviction, [and] a courageous leader who sought to bridge gaps and bring people together."

International leaders have also weighed in, with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling Lieberman, who was Jewish, "an exemplary public servant, an American patriot and a matchless champion of the Jewish people and the Jewish state."

The Republican Jewish Coalition's national chairman, former Sen. Norm Coleman of Minnesota, called him "a true mensch and a great American."

Lieberman’s funeral will be Friday at Congregation Agudath Sholom in his hometown, Stamford, Connecticut, his family said. A second memorial service is expected to be announced later.

Zoë Richards is the evening politics reporter for NBC News.