Recommended Reads for Adults

Recommended Reads: May 2025

Why do we idolize celebrities? Is it because we envy their perceived success? Is it because fandom can provide us with a sense of community? Is it because we appreciate the persons contributions to art, science, and our overall society?

For this months recommended reads, I encourage you to pull back the curtain and learn about your favorite “star” with a celebrity memoir. Through doing so, maybe you will learn why you idolize them.

Born A Crime: Stories From A South African Childhood by Trevor Noah, 2016. (BR023032, LP025997 [for younger readers], DB086608)

Noah's path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show began with a criminal act: his birth. Born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother, at the time such a union was punishable by five years in prison. As he struggles to find himself in a world where he was never supposed to exist, his mother is determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence, and abuse that would ultimately threaten her own life. With an incisive wit and unflinching honesty, Noah weaves together a moving yet funny portrait of a boy making his way through a damaged world in a dangerous time.

Bossypants by Tina Fey, 2011. (DB072819)

Before Liz Lemon, before “Weekend Update,” before “Sarah Palin,” Tina Fey was just a young girl with a dream: a recurring stress dream that she was being chased through a local airport by her middle-school gym teacher. She also had a dream that one day she would be a comedian on TV. She has seen both these dreams come true.

By Myself and Then Some by Lauren Bacall, 2005. (DB060081)

Award-winning actress recaps her early years, Hollywood career, marriage to Humphrey Bogart, and widowhood first explored in Lauren Bacall by Myself (DB013275). Summarizes the later part of her life including her marriage to Jason Robards and reminisces about lifelong friends and her work in the theater.

Cher: The Memoir by Cher, 2024. (DB125936)

The only woman to top Billboard charts in seven consecutive decades, Cher is the winner of an Academy Award, an Emmy, a Grammy, and a Cannes Film Festival Award, and an inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame who has been lauded by the Kennedy Center. As a dyslexic child who dreamed of becoming famous, Cher was raised in often-chaotic circumstances, surrounded by singers, actors, and a mother who inspired her in spite of their difficult relationship. With her trademark honesty and humor, Cher: The Memoir traces how this diamond in the rough succeeded with no plan and little confidence to become the trailblazing superstar the world has been unable to ignore for more than half a century.

Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein, 2015. (DB083005)

Before making a splash on the small screen with Portlandia, the author was cofounder of seminal indie band Sleater-Kinney. She tells of growing up in the Pacific Northwest and starting a band, just as the music scene there was exploding.

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy, 2022. (DB110152, DB115283 en español)

Jennette McCurdy was six years old when she had her first acting audition. Her mother's dream was for her only daughter to become a star, and Jennette would do anything to make her mother happy. So she went along with what Mom called "calorie restriction," eating little and weighing herself five times a day. She was even showered by Mom until age sixteen while sharing her diaries, email, and all her income. In |I'm Glad My Mom Died|, Jennette recounts all this in unflinching detail-just as she chronicles what happens when the dream finally comes true. Told with refreshing candor and dark humor, |I'm Glad My Mom Died| is an inspiring story of resilience, independence, and the joy of shampooing your own hair.

Me & Patsy, Kickin' Up Dust: My Friendship With Patsy Cline by Loretta Lynn, 2020. (DB099902)

Loretta Lynn and the late Patsy Cline are legends--country icons and sisters of the heart. For the first time ever Loretta tells their story: a celebration of their music and their relationship up until Patsy's tragic and untimely death. Full of laughter and tears, this eye-opening, heartwarming memoir paints a picture of two stubborn, spirited country gals who'd be damned if they'd let men or convention tell them how to be.

My Name is Barbra by Barbra Streisand, 2024. (DB116687)

Living legend Barbra Streisand tells her own story about her life and extraordinary career, from growing up in Brooklyn to her first star-making appearances in New York nightclubs to her breakout performance in Funny Girl on stage and winning the Oscar for that performance on film. Then came a long string of successes in every medium in the years that followed.

Never Have Your Dog Stuffed: And Other Things I’ve Learned by Alan Alda, 2005. (DB060651)

Memoir of the M*A*S*H actor recalls his life onstage and off. Describes his bittersweet upbringing backstage by his burlesque actor father and mentally ill mother, major turning points in his career, and lessons he's learned along the way.

The Road is Good: How a Mother’s Strength Became a Daughter’s Purpose by Uzo Aduba, 2023. (DB125143)

A memoir of Black immigrant identity, the journey of a young woman determined to survive young adulthood — and to create a workable identity for herself. This is the story of an incredible mother and a testament to matriarchal power. This is the coming-of-age story of Nigerian American actress Uzo Aduba.

The Woman in Me by Britney Spears, 2023. (DB116686)

In June 2021, the whole world was listening as Britney Spears spoke in open court. The impact of sharing her voice—her truth—was undeniable, and it changed the course of her life and the lives of countless others. The Woman in Me reveals for the first time her incredible journey—and the strength at the core of one of the greatest performers in pop music history. Written with remarkable candor and humor, Spears’s groundbreaking book illuminates the enduring power of music and love—and the importance of a woman telling her own story, on her own terms, at last.

Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark by Cassandra Peterson, 2021 (DB105470)

Memoir of the actress who took on the persona of Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, when she was hosting late-night horror movies on TV. Peterson describes leaving home at fourteen and the colorful life she lived, including a stint as a Vegas showgirl, an encounter with Elvis Presley, and more.

Washington Talking Book & Braille Library