While there are many courses and tutorials online, learning from a book is still one of the best ways to greatly improve your skills. Below I have selected top Autobiography books.
1. Cash: The Autobiography (2003)
He was the “Man in Black,” a country music legend, and the quintessential American troubadour. He was an icon of rugged individualism who had been to hell and back, telling the tale as never before. In his unforgettable autobiography, Johnny Cash tells the truth about the highs and lows, the struggles and hard-won triumphs, and the people who shaped him. In his own words, Cash set the record straight – and dispelled a few myths – as he looked unsparingly at his remarkable life: from the joys of his boyhood in Dyess, Arkansas to superstardom in Nashville, Tennessee, the road of Cash’s life has been anything but…
2. The Autobiography of Gucci Mane (2018)
For the first time Gucci Mane tells his extraordinary story in his own words. It is “as wild, unpredictable, and fascinating as the man himself” (Complex). The platinum-selling recording artist began writing his remarkable autobiography in a federal maximum security prison. Released in 2016, he emerged radically transformed. He was sober, smiling, focused, and positive—a far cry from the Gucci Mane of years past. A critically acclaimed classic, The Autobiography of Gucci Mane “provides incredible insight into one of the most influential rappers of the last decade,…
3. The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley (1987)
In the searing pages of this classic autobiography, originally published in 1964, Malcolm X, the Muslim leader, firebrand, and anti-integrationist, tells the extraordinary story of his life and the growth of the Black Muslim movement. His fascinating perspective on the lies and limitations of the American Dream, and the inherent racism in a society that denies its nonwhite citizens the opportunity to dream, gives extraordinary insight into the most urgent issues of our own time. The Autobiography of Malcolm X stands as the definitive statement of a movement and a man whose work was never…
4. Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela (1995)
Nelson Mandela is one of the great moral and political leaders of our time: an international hero whose lifelong dedication to the fight against racial oppression in South Africa won him the Nobel Peace Prize and the presidency of his country. Since his triumphant release in 1990 from more than a quarter-century of imprisonment, Mandela has been at the center of the most compelling and inspiring political drama in the world. As president of the African National Congress and head of South Africa’s antiapartheid movement, he was instrumental in moving the nation toward multiracial government and majority rule. He is revered…
5. Assata: An Autobiography (2001)
On May 2, 1973, Black Panther Assata Shakur (aka JoAnne Chesimard) lay in a hospital, close to death, handcuffed to her bed, while local, state, and federal police attempted to question her about the shootout on the New Jersey Turnpike that had claimed the life of a white state trooper. Long a target of J. Edgar Hoover’s campaign to defame, infiltrate, and criminalize Black nationalist organizations and their leaders, Shakur was incarcerated for four years prior to her conviction on flimsy evidence in 1977 as an accomplice to murder. This intensely personal and political…
6. Autobiography of a Yogi: The Original 1946 Edition plus Bonus Material (2005)
One of the Top 100 Spiritual Books of the Twentieth Century. This is a new edition, featuring previously unavailable material, of a true spiritual classic. Autobiography of a Yogi is one of the best-selling Eastern philosophy titles of all-time, with millions of copies published. New Bonus Materials added to this edition include: a) the last chapter that Yogananda wrote in 1951 covering the years 1946–1951 that was not originally available in the first edition (and without posthumous changes), b) the eulogy that Yogananda wrote for Gandhi, and c) a new afterword by Swami Kriyananda, one of Yogananda's closest…
7. Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit (2017)
Discover the classic, behind-the-scenes chronicle of John E. Douglas’ twenty-five-year career in the FBI Investigative Support Unit, where he used psychological profiling to delve into the minds of the country’s most notorious serial killers and criminals.In chilling detail, the legendary Mindhunter takes us behind the scenes of some of his most gruesome, fascinating, and challenging cases—and into the darkest recesses of our worst nightmares. During his twenty-five year career with the Investigative Support Unit, Special Agent John Douglas became a legendary figure in law enforcement, pursuing some of…
8. Jesus: My Autobiography (2015)
"I have come at this time, in this place, and through this being to speak my truth, to speak the story of my life — the true story of my life." The purpose of this book is to clarify, to tell the truth, and to share my energies with you so that you can begin the transformation of your mind and, therefore, the transformation of your heart and your world. It is in the misteachings that have been associated with my name that much death and pain has been caused and that much guilt and self-recrimination has been expressed. That was not my purpose; that was not my lesson. This story…
9. Miles (2011)
Universally acclaimed as a musical genius, Miles Davis was one of the most important and influential musicians in the world. Here, Miles speaks out about his extraordinary life.Miles: The Autobiography, like Miles himself, holds nothing back. He speaks frankly and openly about his drug problem and how he overcame it. He condemns the racism he encountered in the music business and in American society generally. And he discusses the women in his life. But above all, Miles talks about music and musicians, including the legends he has played with over the years: Bird, Dizzy, Monk, Trane,…
10. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (2019)
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is the traditional name for the unfinished record of his own life written by Benjamin Franklin from 1771 to 1790; however, Franklin himself appears to have called the work his Memoirs. Although it had a tortuous publication history after Franklin’s death, this work has become one of the most famous and influential examples of an autobiography ever written. Franklin’s account of his life is divided into four parts, reflecting the different periods at which he wrote them. There are actual breaks in the…
Best Autobiography Books That Will Hook You
We highly recommend you to buy all paper or e-books in a legal way, for example, on Amazon. But sometimes it might be a need to dig deeper beyond the shiny book cover. Before making a purchase, you can visit resources like Genesis and download some autobiography books mentioned below at your own risk. Once again, we do not host any illegal or copyrighted files, but simply give our visitors a choice and hope they will make a wise decision.
Autobiography of a Yogi ( Complete edition with over 80 Archival photos, 2016 Revised and Updated )
Author(s): Paramhansa Yogananda
Publisher: Yogoda Satsanga Society of India, Year: 7 Apr 2016, Size: 6 Mb, Download: epub
ID: 2368070
The Life of Shabkar: Autobiography of a Tibetan Yogin
Author(s): Shabkar Tsogdruk Rangdrol, Matthieu Ricard, Dalai Lama
Publisher: Shambhala Publications, Year: 6 Feb 2001, Size: 2 Mb, Download: epub
ID: 2421383
Alistair Cook: The Autobiography
Author(s): Sir Alastair Cook
Publisher: Penguin UK, Year: 5 Sept 2019, Size: 5 Mb, Download: epub
ID: 2421365
My Life and Rugby: The Autobiography
Author(s): Eddie Jones
Publisher: Macmillan, Year: 21 Nov 2019, Size: 16 Mb, Download: epub
ID: 2442171
The Beethoven Syndrome: Hearing Music as Autobiography
Author(s): Mark Evan Bonds
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA, Year: 2020, Size: 8 Mb, Download: pdf
ID: 2477927
My Life in Football - The Autobiography
Author(s): Kevin Keegan
Publisher: Pan Macmillan, Year: 2019, Size: 19 Mb, Download: epub
ID: 2300620
My Life in Football: The Autobiography
Author(s): Kevin Keegan
Publisher: Pan Macmillan, Year: 2019, Size: 19 Mb, Download: epub
ID: 2301028
Diesel Heart: An Autobiography
Author(s): Melvin Carter Jr.
Publisher: Minnesota Historical Society Press, Year: 2019, Size: 5 Mb, Download: epub
ID: 2326409
Please note that this booklist is not definite. Some books are truly chart-busters according to The Wall Street Journal, others are composed by unknown writers. On top of that, you can always find additional tutorials and courses on Coursera, Udemy or edX, for example. Are there any other relevant resources you could recommend? Drop a comment if you have any feedback on the list.