#memoir

#memoir

Wild Swans, first published in 1991 and written by Jung Chang with the help of her husband, Irish-born historian and writer Jon Halliday, had a global impact few authors dare to dream of. It told the story of three generations of women in 20th-century China Chang's grandmother, her mother and herself and became one of the most popular nonfiction books in history, selling more than 13m copies in 37 languages and collecting a fistful of awards and commendations.

This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. Nonfiction books sometimes get a reputation for being hard to slog through. But the qualities that make good novels so enjoyable-the well-paced plot, the engaging characters-can also be found in many of their fact-based counterparts. The Atlantic 's writers and editors answer the question: What is a nonfiction book that reads like fiction?

Country star Ty Herndon rose to fame in the music industry in 1995, when his single "What Mattered Most" skyrocketed to the top of the charts. Since then, he's released 16 more Billboard charting hits. Now, three decades later, Herndon is releasing his memoir, "What Mattered Most," where he offers an honest reflection of his unprecedented career in the spotlight and the personal battles he's faced behind the scenes.

To 2049 by American poet Jorie Graham is one of my favourite collections of recent times and rereading it recently was incredibly rewarding. Filled with slippery and existentially evocative lines such as Years pulled their / lengths through us like long wet strings, it had me pointing at some of the pages gasping: I wish I wrote this! (a condition I frequently suffer from, known as poem-envy).

Blame George Orwell, who in 1946 famously published "Why I Write," an essay contending with the motives of "political purpose" and "aesthetic enthusiasm," which fueled his career, even while noting that the decision to put pen to paper is in some ways inexplicable. "Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness," Orwell wrote.

As a young Taiwanese girl living in the Inland Empire, former singer and import model-turned-writer Kaila Yu said she often felt uncomfortable in her skin, growing up around Eurocentric beauty standards. I felt like my features weren't desirable, Yu said of her childhood. I felt very insecure about all of that. The now 46-year-old L.A.-based author explores themes of sexuality and race in her debut memoir, Fetishized: A Reckoning with Yellow Fever, Feminism, and Beauty, out everywhere books are sold.

Cher's early life was marked by poverty and abuse, but those hardships didn't prevent her from finding stardom in the 1960s.

"I realised that there would be people who had never met a single openly queer person in their life, reading this alongside people who would probably already feel quite shocked by all of the other revelations and my journey with gender identity."

Resilience to me is not about the absence of struggle; it's having the audacity to dream beyond it.

Garten never wanted to be a TV star, telling Food Network no more than once, but a mishap with her septic system made her reconsider participating in television cooking.

In Grant's telling, postal workers bring order and predictability to a country that can feel like it's unraveling, especially during crises that starkly illustrate how reliant we are on the federal bureaucracy.

"With public personas, it's essential to have control over your narrative, and sharing my story in my memoir feels empowering, despite the mixed emotions about the affair."

The book, 'Becoming Baba', chronicles the experience of having Muslim parents and raising Muslim children in a frequently hostile environment, reflecting the author’s personal heartbreak over incidents in Gaza.

Juan Carlos, once viewed as a democratic reformer, faced scandals that led to his abdication in 2014, leading to his exile in Abu Dhabi since 2020.

To me, Instagram is nothing but a vast repository of self-deception. A modern-day Barbie's world, where one in a thousand own up to their shortcomings. I joined Instagram to piss these people off.

Receiving a diagnosis of multiple myeloma, a rare and incurable blood cancer, created a life-altering reality for Jon Gluck, pushing him toward coping through work.

"I enjoyed digging up my memories, trying to put a word to an emotion. It was a valuable way to continue the efforts of my career, which was to tell the world how important the natural world is."

Raynor Winn and her husband, Moth Winn, lost their home after investing in a family friend's failed business, driving them to walk 630 miles along the coast.

I had no right to survive after being crushed by my own snowplough. It was a miracle, and at one moment, I experienced powerful peace.

Raynor Winn's memoir, The Salt Path, tells the story of her and her husband Moth losing their home and walking the South West Coast Path. However, recent allegations question the truthfulness of this account, suggesting financial irregularities and doubts about Moth's medical condition.

Shallow describes all-night meditations in which Ma kicked or slapped anyone who fell asleep; a period of time called 'the Rampage' when Ma became more abusive, and a lot more violent.

Tamara Yajia reflects on her experiences as a preteen child star, expressing that she was completely sexualized during her childhood while modeling after Madonna.

Bono reflects on how singing in U2 provided a sense of identity and purpose, stating, 'When I sang in U2, something got a hold of me, and it made sense of me.'

In 2008, some precepts of the 'rights of nature' movement were enshrined in Ecuador's constitution, helping to protect the country's waterways—a cause for optimism.

I am honored to bring you Melania - The AI Audiobook - narrated entirely using artificial intelligence in my own voice. Let the future of publishing begin.

In his memoir, Jon Gluck reveals the profound challenges he faced while battling cancer, addressing both physical and emotional aspects that reshaped his life.