Lives Worth Reading: This Week’s Best New Biographies & Memoirs

28 Mar 2025

Lives Worth Reading: This Week’s Best New Biographies & Memoirs

There’s something irresistible about slipping into someone else’s story. Whether it’s a trailblazing public figure, a quiet revolutionary, or a voice that’s been waiting too long to be heard, the best biographies and memoirs invite us into the heart of real lives—messy, beautiful, and unforgettably human. This week, we’ve rounded up the standout new releases that explore identity, legacy, and the moments that shape a person. From raw personal reckonings to sweeping life chronicles, these are the stories worth your time—and your bookshelf.

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Dreams Across Continents: A Life of Challenges and Triumphs

by Judy Gao

Release Date: December 17 2024

Dreams Across Continents is the inspiring true story of Dr. Judy Gao, a woman who overcame countless hardships to achieve success. Born in China during a time of cultural and political change, Judy’s life journey takes her through the struggles of growing up during the Cultural Revolution, navigating love and heartbreak, and pursuing her dream of becoming a doctor. Her story doesn’t stop there.

Buy on Amazon

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Free: My Search for Meaning

by Amanda Knox

Release Date: March 25 2025

Amanda Knox reflects on her world-famous confinement in an Italian prison and her return to an “ordinary” life—revealing hard-won truths about purpose and fulfillment.

Buy on Amazon

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Yoko: A Biography

by David Sheff

Release Date: March 25 2025

Yoko is a harrowing, moving, propulsive, and vastly entertaining biography of a woman whose story has never been accurately told. The book not only rehabilitates Yoko Ono’s reputation but elevates it to iconic status.

Buy on Amazon

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Hate Won’t Win

by Mallory McMorrow

Release Date: March 25 2025

In this urgent expansion of her viral speech, Michigan Senator Mallory McMorrow details her unlikely journey into politics with a front-row seat to democracy at its breaking point—then outlines the tangible, proven steps that anyone can take to build community, fight for what’s right, and create real, lasting change.

Buy on Amazon

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Good Soil: The Education of an Accidental Farmhand

by Jeff Chu

Release Date: March 25 2025

A profound meditation on nature, heritage, and belonging, from an accomplished journalist who left New York City for life on a working farm.

Buy on Amazon

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Cellar Rat: My Life in the Restaurant Underbelly

by Hannah Selinger

Release Date: March 25 2025

In Cellar Rat, Selinger chronicles her rise and fall in the restaurant business, beginning with the gritty hometown pub where she fell in love with the industry and ending with her final post serving celebrities at the Hamptons classic Nick & Toni’s.

Buy on Amazon

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