“It’s not always necessary to be strong, but to feel strong.”
Books that inspire can come in different forms. And whilst it’s certainly possible for fictional stories to inspire their readers, there’s something about the visceral realness of a memoir or biography that takes things to another level. Reading about overcoming a seemingly impossible obstacle or overcoming grief and finding a new purpose feels all the more powerful when a person knows these things have happened. It makes these stories all the more inspiring for readers because if the author can overcome adversity, why can’t they? With all of that in mind, whether your motivation is at a low or you’re currently facing your challenges, join us at What We Reading as we delve into some of the most inspiring biographies you have to read!
Into The Wild – Jon Krakauer
Kicking off our list of the most inspiring biographies is Jon Krakauer’s classic 1996 biography, Into the Wild. This page-turning bestseller documents a famed missing person mystery whilst simultaneously exploring the allure of the wilderness for tugging at our imaginations and encouraging a life without fear or compromise.
The book chronicles the escapades of Christopher Johnson McCandless. In April 1992, this young man hitchhiked into the Alaskan wilderness. Four months later, his body was discovered by a moose hunter. With obsessive attention to detail, Krakauer reconstructs the facts of McCandless’ life, his motivations for his adventure and the innocent mistakes that would lead to his death. Mesmerising, heart-breaking and utterly captivating, Into the Wild is a celebration of the desire to live life on one’s terms, with McCandless’ pursuit of that proving to be more than inspirational.
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My Name Is Why – Lemn Sissay
At the age of seventeen, Norman Greenwood was given his birth certificate. It was an event that followed a childhood in an adopted family and then six years in care homes. He learned that he was British and Ethiopian and that his real name was Lemn Sissay.
In an inspiring biography of neglect and determination, Sissay recounts his life story for readers. Reflecting on the years of adoption, self-expression and Britishness and produced with stunning lyricism and power, My Name Is Why explores race, family, the institutional care system and the meaning of home. Infused with a poetic beauty that sheds light on a devastating series of heartbreaks, this 2019 biography is the result of a life spent asking questions and a celebration of the power of resilience and creativity.
Start Something That Matters – Blake Mycoskie
‘What matters most to you?’ is the question posed by Blake Mycoskie, founder of TOMS Shoes in his 2011 biography, Start Something That Matters. Through chronicling the inception and launch of his company as well as other inspiring and innovative organizations, Mycoskie presents six key lessons for readers to transform their lives.
From overcoming fears, and discovering core strengths to incorporating giving into every aspect of their lives, whatever changes readers are looking for, Start Something That Matters comes full of stories, ideas and practical tips designed to help them get started. One of the most inspiring biographies from an entrepreneur who has done it without losing touch with what has been important to them, Mycoskie’s lessons are as timeless today as they have ever been.
A Line Above The Sky – Helen Mort
Helen Mort documents her life-long obsession with climbing in her inspirational biography, A Line Above the Sky. She outlines the power of a climber’s connection to the elemental world and highlights the thrilling risk of holding on and being one step ahead of death when faced with a daunting rock face. However, after becoming a mother for the first time, she is forced to reconsider both herself and her place in the natural world.
A Line Above the Sky is a blend of an intimate memoir and beautiful nature writing that asks why humans are drawn to danger, and how we can find liberation in pushing our boundaries. Whether it’s climbing a mountain or bringing life into the world, this celebration of womanhood speaks to all readers of the joys of losing yourself in physicality.
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Friends, Lovers And The Big Terrible Thing – Matthew Perry
Hilarious, heartfelt and delivered with the warmly familiar tone that only he can produce, Matthew Perry takes readers through an intimate and inspiring journey across his life in his 2022 memoir.
Perry lays bare the troubled, fractured family that raised him, the desire for recognition that fueled his career, and the void within that even his greatest dreams becoming a reality couldn’t fill. From ambition, fame and fortune, addiction and recovery, this unforgettable memoir vividly depicts the lifelong battles the Friends star endured, and the peace he found through his castmates, friends, family and other stars he met along the way. Sharp and self-aware, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing is the hand-up any reader struggling with their battles needs when they’re low on inspiration.
This Is Not A Pity Memoir – Abi Morgan
When the partner of Emmy Award-winning screenwriter Abi Morgan suddenly collapsed from an unknown illness, doctors were concerned he would not survive. Six months on, Jacob woke from his coma. Only this wasn’t the Hollywood ending everyone had been hoping for. To Jacob, Abi was no longer his partner of over twenty years. Or his children’s mother. Or the woman he loved.
Suddenly finding herself in a new nightmare, Abi chronicles her efforts to find a way of holding onto the past and forging a future in her inspiring biography, This Is Not A Pity Memoir. Written with candid and unflinching capable of making readers both laugh and cry, Morgan’s book is a new type of love story that demonstrates how love, hope and resilience never evaporate from a person.
The Happiest Man On Earth – Eddie Jaku
Eddie Jaku always considered himself to be a German first and a Jew second. However, his pride in his country was transformed in 1938 when he was beaten, arrested and taken to a concentration camp. From Buchenwald to Auschwitz and then across a Nazi death march, the following seven years would see Eddie faced with unimaginable horrors and losses beyond belief.
Having survived, Eddie made the vow to smile every day. In his incredible memoir, The Happiest Man on Earth, he pays homage to those who were lost by sharing his wisdom, telling his story and living the best life possible. Believing that he is the ‘happiest man on Earth’, this inspiring biography is a hopeful memoir and a powerful reminder that happiness can be found even in the darkest of circumstances.
The Salt Path – Raynor Winn
Mere days after being told that her husband of over thirty years, Moth, is terminally ill, Raynor Winn learns that her home and livelihood are being taken away. With time short and nothing left, the pair decide to walk the 630-mile long sea-swept South West Coast Path, a trek from Somerset to Dorset via Devon and Cornwall.
Carrying only the essentials on their backs, they have almost no money and no food. Living wild with only weathered cliffs, the spray of the sea and each other for company, their walk soon becomes a life-affirming journey of discovery. Raynor Winn’s inspiring memoir is a portrayal of grief, the healing power of the natural world and the assertion that home can be lost, rebuilt and rediscovered in the most unexpected ways.
The Little Big Things: A Young Man’s Belief That Every Day Can Be A Good Day – Henry Fraser
One of the most inspiring memoirs from the past decade, The Little Big Things is a 2017 biography by Henry Fraser.
When he was 17 years old, a tragic accident crushed Henry’s spinal cord. Paralysed from the shoulders down, he has since overcome this adversity and embraced life and a new way of living. The Little Big Things is a collection of wisdom and insights Henry has amassed over the years on how to find the gifts in the challenges life brings. Perfect for readers facing obstacles in their own lives, Henry’s inspiring philosophy teaches us how to look at the right things, find progress in whatever we do and accept darkness when it does appear.
Strong Female Character – Fern Brady
Strong Female Character is a 2023 memoir by Fern Brady. Born with autism and having no ‘presets for being a ‘good’ woman’, Brady aims at the stereotypes surrounding neurodiversity in this groundbreaking biography, exploring everything from class, societal pressures, individual goals, sexism and its relation to mental health.
Brady dismantles how being a woman gets in the way of people’s expectations for what autism should look like and, equally, how being autistic gets in the way of people’s expectations of what a woman should look like. Strong Female Character will entertain as well as educate readers on their preconceived notions, whilst also standing as one of the most inspiring biographies that tackles how social expectations should never hold them back.
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Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
