True stories told by the people who lived them: addiction and recovery, immigration, war, illness, building a company from nothing, raising a family through hard years. Most of these authors are not professional writers. They wrote because the story needed to exist.
That gives this shelf a range you will not find in a bookstore's memoir table. Some of these books were written for a family, some for a profession, and some for anyone who has faced the same thing.
This shelf holds 288 books. Publication years run from 2015 to 2026. 40 of them have an audiobook edition. The most-rated on Amazon are Can't Hurt Me, The Last Black Unicorn, I Forgot to Die. The list below is sorted by how many ratings each book has on Amazon, so the most-read titles come first.
David Goggins · 2018 · Audiobook
For David Goggins, childhood was a nightmare - poverty, prejudice, and physical abuse colored his days and haunted his nights. But through self-discipline, mental toughness, and hard work, Goggins transformed himself from a depressed, overweight young man…
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Tiffany Haddish · 2019
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “An inspiring story that manages to be painful, honest, shocking, bawdy, and hilarious.”, The New York Times Book Review From stand-up comedian, actress, and breakout star of Girls Trip, Tiffany Haddish, comes The Last Black Unicorn…
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Khalil Rafati · 2015
"The first bullet punched a hole in the door. The shot was deafening and a beam of light poured into the bathroom. Then they fired again." Khalil Rafati went to Los Angeles in the 1990s and had it all. He was working with Hollywood movie stars and legendary…
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Staring Down Terror as a Navy SEAL and Single Dad
Eddie Penney · 2022
Hot Wash | noun: The review held after military training and real-world operations facilitating growth and improvement; an honest evaluation of strengths and weaknesses As a special operator in the US Navy’s most elite unit and actively engaged in the Global…
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Sean Rogers
A simple car accident changed the path of six-year-old Sean Rogers’s life forever. His single mother checked into the hospital as a vibrant young woman and checked out as a full-blown opioid addict. From that day forward, Sean’s life became a silent nightmare…
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Ben Crawford
As his six children slept on the dirty floor of a women’s restroom while a blizzard howled outside, Ben Crawford had one thought: Have I gone too far? The next morning, Child Protective Services, along with an armed sheriff, arrived to ask the same question.…
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Chris Duffin · 2019
Whatever has happened to you, it is not who you are. The world may know Chris Duffin as "The Mad Scientist of Strength," but you wouldn't have ever guessed that if you saw the scrawny kid skinning rattlesnakes and chasing dragonflies in the early '80s. The…
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Brian Reese · 2023 · Audiobook
YOU SERVED. YOU DESERVE.Brian Reese was good at masking his PTSD, bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety. He even told himself he did not “deserve” benefits, which he later discovered was complete bullshit. As an Air Force officer deployed to Afghanistan…
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Brian Reese · 2023
YOU SERVED. YOU DESERVE.Brian Reese was good at masking his PTSD, bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety. He even told himself he did not “deserve” benefits, which he later discovered was complete bullshit. As an Air Force officer deployed to Afghanistan…
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Paul McGowan
Paul McGowan tells all (and then some) in this riotous tale of misbegotten success that's 99% True in all the best ways. From his not-so-innocent youth growing up in the shadow of Disneyland and summer evenings in the innocent 1950s, to his dope-smoking…
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Jorge P. Newbery · 2015
Life was good for Jorge Newbery. A high school dropout and serial entrepreneur, he built a real estate empire of over 4,000 apartments across the USA. Taking risks and working tirelessly were the ingredients to his rise. But, he took one risk too many. An ice…
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Lisa Ann
In December of 2014, Lisa Ann shocked the adult world with the news of her retirement. The choice to leave the industry she loved wasn't an easy one, but a different kind of fantasy was calling her name: Fantasy sports. Now Lisa Ann is ready to reveal herself…
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A Memoir on Suicide, Addiction and Healing
Robert Imbeault · 2020
An unbelievably real and authentic story of pain, growth, and new life. What if you could find happiness after addiction? Imagine the struggle was behind you and you felt grateful for every ounce of joy in your life. What if you KNEW how to be courageous and…
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My Journey Through IVF, Unfiltered
Brett Russo · 2020
After another call from the fertility clinic reporting negative test results, Brett Russo started to panic. Unrecognizable to herself after countless rounds of unsuccessful IVF, she felt like a failure to herself, a disappointment to her husband, and the only…
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Brian Requarth
The entrepreneurial journey is lonely, especially if you’re looking to start a business in Latin America, where opportunities are ripe but resources are scarce. Brian Requarth is well acquainted with the challenges unique to this part of the world, having…
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Andrea Wilson Woods · 2019
Raw and honest story of great courage and unconditional loveAdrienne Wilson is a depressed, suicidal teenager, until the day she receives a diagnosis of stage IV liver cancer. Facing the fight of her life, Adrienne discovers just how much she wants to live.…
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A Memoir of Disability, Perseverance, and Success
Libo Cao Meyers · 2023 · Audiobook
From being a little girl in a village in China with polio to a tech executive at Apple, Libo Cao Meyers (曹力波) has had quite a journey in life, a journey steeped in rich family legacy and powered by determination, growth, and love. Over the years and the…
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Shin Fujiyama · 2025
Shin Fujiyama creció siendo un niño estadounidense de origen japonés común en los suburbios de Virginia. Al ser un inmigrante de baja estatura, cuestionó su valía personal, hasta que encontró el fútbol. Expulsado de su equipo universitario luego de apenas…
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Monty Moran
Imagine you're one of 75,000 people working in a huge company, and the CEO wants to talk to you, one-on-one, to get to know and understand you. That's what Monty Moran did 20,000 times as he built the extraordinary culture that took Chipotle Mexican Grill…
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Doug Cartwright · 2021
Participating in psychedelic ceremonies with shamans from the Amazon. Diving headfirst into rituals at Burning Man. Flying across the world to work with spiritual gurus in Bali. These were never on Doug Cartwright’s radar as “must-have” experiences, but when…
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Michael S. Millin · 2025 · Audiobook
This isn't another story about addiction or surfing. Those are just parts of the story, a story of recovery, redemption, and adventure. With unflinching honesty, A Life of Opposing Forces highlights the complicated but enduring relationship Michael Millin has…
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Chris Spealler
The typical male CrossFit competitor is 5’9" and 190 pounds. Chris Spealler is 5’5" and 140 pounds. Such daunting facts would make most declare defeat before trying. Chris didn’t buy the odds, though. Instead, he forged his own modern-day David-and-Goliath…
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Finding Freedom from Within While Serving a Life Sentence
Quan Huynh · 2020
In 1999, Quan Huynh shot and killed another man in a gang-related incident in Hollywood, California. He received a prison sentence of fifteen years to life in a state that, at the time, did not parole prisoners with life sentences. Behind bars, Quan continued…
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Janice Bryant Howroyd · 2019
If you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, the good news is many of the barriers to starting a business have come down since forty years ago. That’s not to say you won’t face challenges. Entrepreneurship can be a dog-eat-dog world. But if you want to stay true to…
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Daily Practices for Resilience, Perspective & Progress
Elizabeth Benton Thompson · 2021 · Audiobook
What happens when a master of personal transformation suffers unspeakable loss? After thirty years of battling obesity and struggling with her finances, Elizabeth Benton transformed herself. She lost 150 pounds, eliminated $130,000 of debt, and committed…
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How Psychedelics Made My Life Worth Living
Alex Abraham · 2024 · Audiobook
Forget everything you think you know about psychedelics. They’re not punchlines. They’re not party favors for aging hippies. Instead, as Alex Abraham discovered, they are an innovative approach that can help heal trauma and chronic pain. Trauma and Ecstasy…
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Unique Hammond
She thought she was doing everything right. For years, Unique Hammond navigated the world as a "healthy" person, organic food, natural products, and the outward glow of someone in peak shape. But beneath the surface, a storm was brewing. From an early…
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The Guide to Celebrating Your Accidental Career
Ron Thurston · 2020
When will you get a real career? When will you stop working nights and weekends? When do you plan to use your college degree? If you work in retail, these are questions you often hear. Does this make you feel like the career you love was all just an accident?…
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Marcus Whitney · 2020
When Marcus Whitney moved to Nashville in 2000, he was a college dropout with a one-year-old and a baby on the way. He waited tables and lived in a week-to-week efficiency hotel. From the outside, Marcus looked like the furthest thing from a budding…
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Craig Stanland · 2021
No matter who you are, no matter how bad things look, you can rebuild your life. In 2012, Craig Stanland made a choice that would cost him everything. After he had exploited the warranty policy of one of the largest tech companies in the world for almost a…
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Jacky Budweg
When Ward and Jacky Budweg decided to get married, Jacky put together a prenuptial agreement on a bar napkin, and included a unique stipulation. For better or worse, Ward agreed to a 3-year bike trip around the world. As the two embarked on a journey spanning…
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Isabel Brown · 2021
A shocking and honest account of the culture war at American universities, giving you a front-row seat to campus indoctrination. As a biomedical sciences student, Isabel Brown never anticipated finding herself immersed in a world of leftism, silenced by the…
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Lorenzo Gomez
You don't have to have an MBA to get ahead in business. You don't even need a college degree. All you need is intelligence, drive, creativity, courage, and The Cilantro Diaries. Lorenzo Gomez went from the stockroom of a grocery store to the boardrooms of…
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Joshua Mantz
This is a journey of finding beauty within darkness. Former Army Major Josh Mantz reaches into the deepest corners of the human soul to expose the most difficult emotions associated with traumatic experiences. Mantz was shot and killed by a sniper on the…
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Sherri Coale · 2022
A reflection on the people who shape us and the moments that mold who we become. Rooted to Rise explores the lessons Sherri Coale gathered through the connections that marked her life. Some encounters shift our perspective in an instant, while others feel…
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Finding Hope and Purpose after Losing Everything
Sam Brown · 2024 · Audiobook
How long does it take to burn to death? This question raced through Sam Brown’s mind as he burned alive alongside a dirt road in Afghanistan. At 24, he was pursuing his lifelong ambition of serving in the US military when his vehicle detonated one of the…
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Jayson Waller · 2021
What’s your underdog story? Did you grow up poor? Don’t have the right connections? The right education? The right trauma-free childhood? Any other excuses? Jayson Waller grew up poor, with an abusive childhood. He had no education and was a father in his…
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The Cosmic Art of Forgiveness, a Memoir
Robin Brown · 2024 · Audiobook
My parents both left this planet covered in glitter. Death came for each of them right in the middle of what they were working on. As I held and kissed them for the last time, patches of glitter transferred to my hands and face like tiny passed torches. For…
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Andre Norman · 2020
Andre Norman's early life put him on a path to prison. Raised in poverty and surrounded by dysfunction, Andre gravitated to his neighborhood gang. His choices there led to time in juvenile detention, and eventually a maximum-security prison, with sentences…
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Iona Holloway · 2021
I am going to show you why your pain is invisible to everyone else, and why, in the struggle to be seen, your body became your battlefield. From the outside, your life looks polished. You’re talented, successful, strong. Your perfection safeguards you against…
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Darius Maggi · 2016
Many people want to help make the world a better place, but don't know where to start. Often times, all it takes is an inspirational example. The grandson of an Italian immigrant and blue-collar father, Dr. Darius Maggi was inspired by his familial mentors…
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Confronting Betrayals and Reclaiming My Self-Worth
Joshua Miller
Love never means losing yourself. Becca Christensen worked for years to create an idyllic home far different from the one in which she grew up. She had what she thought was the perfect relationship with the perfect man: romantic serenades, Christmas at…
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Stories of Loss, Grief, and Moving Forward
John Sardella · 2020
After twenty-seven years of marriage, John Sardella lost the love of his life when his wife, Margaret, passed away following a seven-year battle with cancer. John looked for a book that would give him space for his pain and inspire him to move forward, but…
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Christos Kalogirou · 2021
A desire for power and respect can make you do crazy things, especially in high school. After all, there’s no greater reward than the attention of your peers. Christos Kalogirou was fifteen when his parents enrolled him in the Athol Murray College of Notre…
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A Reflection on Challenges, Failures, and Lessons Learned
Lee Beck · 2020
One. Lee D. Beck counted the first wave and waited for the second, knowing that he’d have a chance of surviving if he could hold his breath, maintain his composure, and count to six, the number of waves in a typical set. The leash of his surfboard, wedged in…
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Beth Bell · 2022
What if you realized that all relationships were here for your awakening? And you co-created the chaos and drama for your own growth and expansion... Angels, Herpes & Psychedelics divulges Beth's unexpected journey of awakening. From romantic encounters to…
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Oliver Seidler · 2021
There's a big world out there--do you want to make your mark on it? Are you hungry for more money, success, confidence, or security? To get to that next level, you've got to make it happen. Entrepreneurship is one of the best ways to move your life and career…
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Testimony and Solutions of an Expert Witness
Dartanyon Williams · 2020
The first time Dartanyon A. Williams experimented with identity theft, he was fifteen years old, and the identity in question belonged to his father. From gaming credit card companies and retail stores, to fooling car lots and financing it all with a…
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Ellisa Allen · 2026
Sometimes the greatest love story is the one you never expected: yours. Grief clung to Ellisa Allen like a second skin, pulling her into destructive relationships and whispering she would never be "enough." In less than two years, longing and loss collided…
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Sarma Melngailis · 2025
Sarma had a thriving restaurant, a beloved brand, and a mission: to change the way people eat. From the outside, her life appeared charmed, celebrity patrons, glowing press, and a business on the brink of expansion, until she met the man who would dismantle…
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Chris-Tia Donaldson
CHRIS-TIA DONALDSON knows what it means to beat the odds. Going from the inner city of Detroit to the Ivy League to founding a successful hair care company and facing brutal trials like breast cancer along the way, she embodies the strength so many women in…
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Anthony Arismendi · 2022
Anthony Arismendi moved to the United States from Venezuela as a teenager in the mid-seventies with the dream of becoming a US citizen and an FBI agent, despite the fact that he couldn’t speak a word of English. Transplanted from the dangerous streets of…
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Michael Flynn · 2019
Master The Key, is the story of Steve, a very successful adviser at Outlier Capital. He began his career with the intention of having a meaningful impact on others, but the markets were booming and his motives were quickly overcome by the sweetness of easy…
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The Unlikely Journey of a Persian Woman with Polio
Parivash Minou Michlin · Audiobook
A spirited little girl is diagnosed with polio, which in 1940s Iran all but condemns her to a life in the shadows. In a conservative Jewish society where girls are raised to find a suitable husband, Minou--despite her good looks and education--is viewed as…
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James Neville-Taylor · 2023
James Neville-Taylor has felt the suffocating darkness that can drive a person to take their own life. After a failed suicide attempt in 2017, he realized his life would have amounted to nothing if it had ended then. So he resolved to change it. From Beat…
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An Entrepreneur's Mindset Through Addiction, Lawsuits, and His Journey to the Edge
Michael Dash · 2019
To be on the frontline of entrepreneurship, you must be bold and take risks. But the need to achieve can be as addictive as drugs, with serious side effects. It can make you feel isolated, uncertain, and trapped on an emotional roller coaster ride full of…
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Dave Scatchard · 2021
Dave Scatchard has always been the underdog, but his drive to overcome obstacles meant none of that mattered. That’s how his childhood dream of becoming an NHL hockey player came true at twenty-one, followed by marrying the love of his life and starting a…
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Jeffrey Tanenhaus · 2021
If your office building were on fire, would you lock the door and keep working? If you were unhappy with your career, would you pedal a rental commuter bike cross-country to see what else was out there? What if a bloodthirsty axe murderer punched you in the…
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Julie Whitehead · 2023
Sex trafficking. For many Americans, it sounds like fiction. After all, who could believe that a preschool teacher was being transported against her will every weekend? That she was being sold for sex in multiple US states, out of the country, and even in her…
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Eric Rozenberg · 2022
Imagine having to leave the only home you’ve ever known because of rising prejudice against your ethnicity. Eric Rozenberg grew up in Belgium, surrounded by rising anti-Semitism. In 2013, fearing for the safety of their children, he and his wife, Elsa, chose…
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