Lisa Nikolidakis had a traumatic childhood full of abuse, violence, and psychological terrors. When she was old enough to leave her father behind, things were almost okay — until he killed his girlfriend, her daughter, and himself. Nikolidakis was left in the aftermath with conflicting feelings of shock, grief, and relief. To get answers on who her father really was and how he could have done such a horrendous thing, she trekked to Greece to find his estranged family. No One Crosses the Wolf is a fearless memoir about exploring trauma and gaining strength. Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. Javier Zamora was 9 when he made the 3,000-mile trek from El Salvador to the United States to be reunited with the mother he hadn’t seen in years and father he barely remembered. It was supposed to take two weeks, but turned into two long months of danger and peril alongside a group of strangers. Solito is an absolutely stunning immigration memoir told in beautiful prose. Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm. As the first Black editor-in-chief of British Vogue, Edward Enninful has made his mark. With a passion for inclusion, the Black, gay, working-class refugee made it his mission to put everyone on magazine covers — not just the skinny and beautiful and famous. A Visible Man is a chronicle of his career and a testament to how beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder, and fashion can change that. Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm. Alice Wong, founder and director of the Disability Visibility Project, is ready to share her journey to activism for disability rights. In these essays, conversations, photos, commissioned art, and more, Wong outlines her life as an Asian American living in an ableist society. Year of the Tiger is a testament to the strength required to build a community and fight for change. Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm. Over the course of two years, Elissa Bassist saw more than 20 medical professionals to diagnose her various ailments. But no one could pinpoint what was wrong. An acupuncturist suggested it could be caged fury finding expression via pain, and that treating her voice could be the cure — and it was. She grew up like many young women, being told to keep quiet and remain polite and subservient to men. In Hysterical, Bassist tells her story and urges everyone to get loud when things don’t feel right. Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm. Daniella Mestyanek Young grew up in the religious cult the Children of God, a child of two of its high-ranking members. Life there was even worse than you’d think: She was physically, emotionally, and sexually abused in the name of religion and wasn’t allowed a standard education. When she was 15, she made the escape from Brazil to the United States, where she enrolled herself in high school and graduated college as valedictorian. She then joined the military and felt the eerie similarity to the place she’d escaped physically, but not emotionally. With a powerful voice and candid honesty, Uncultured is a cult memoir unlike any other. Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm. Mel C rose to stardom 25 years ago – yep, that’s how long ago The Spice Girls were formed – when she and four other girls answered a newspaper ad. The Sporty One is an intimate memoir that covers the highs and lows of stardom, from pressure and shame to struggles with mental health and body image. Girl power, indeed. Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm. Despite their initial assumptions, Hua and Ken were the closest of friends. Hua is cool and edgy; Ken is mainstream. But when the Japanese American and Taiwanese men realize that American culture isn’t for them, their friendship blooms. Until Ken is killed in a carjacking. Stay True is a gripping memoir about holding on to memories of loved ones and growing up without them. Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. Danielle Prescod grew up as the token Black girl in her overwhelmingly white community. From a young age, she tried to shrink herself by getting chemical treatments on her hair and dieting dangerously. She didn’t know she’d one day become a fashion media icon. Or that she’d have to face white supremacy and coworkers asking racist questions on a daily basis. This is her story of recovery — from perfection and from white supremacy. Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. Jessi Hempel grew up in what appeared to be a perfectly normal middle-class household. But her father was always traveling for work, her mother was erratic, and she and her siblings struggled to understand who they were and what they should do. By the time she was an adult, everyone had come out: She’s gay, her sister’s bi, her brother’s trans, her father’s gay, and her mother survived an alleged serial killer. The Family Outing is a stunning memoir about finding your true self and living freely in the world. Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm. In his debut memoir, Prince Shakur has a lot to cover: his family immigrating to the United States from Jamaica, his father being murdered, his experience growing up as a closeted queer kid, and his radicalization as an activist and writer. When They Tell You to Be Good is riveting and doesn’t shy away from the ugliness of patriarchal and colonial violence. Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. Realizing you’re queer and need to leave the church after growing up Evangelical is no easy feat. Jeanna Kadlec was once devout and the wife of a pastor’s son before discovering a different way of life. Now, she writes about how Evangelicalism shapes America in its power structures and pop culture — and the harm it can do. Heretic is a memoir of the religious trauma she experienced despite the church’s image of love and community. Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm. Uphill is a bold memoir about overcoming intergenerational trauma and remaining strong in your truth. When Jemele Hill called Donald Trump a white supremacist, she received endless death threats, and the White House wanted her fired from her coanchor position at ESPN. But he didn’t scare her. She became determined to tell her story — writing had always been her safe space — and this unapologetic book is it. Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm. I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki is the perfect therapy memoir. Baek Sehee is a successful social media director and appears fine on the outside, but inside, she’s exhausted. She can’t muster the energy to do anything — except eat hot and spicy rice cakes. She records her therapy sessions and writes mini essays about them, and only then, does she realize the things she does to keep her in that cycle of darkness, and how she can escape. Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. New! Michelle! Obama! Memoir! The Light We Carry is a package deal: part memoir, part self-help, with a focus on how to remain hopeful and balanced in a chaotic world. Her method is to focus on the light, even in times of challenge and change. This book sounds like it will be a therapy session with the former First Lady, which is something I think we all need these days. Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.
