An emotional response is the sign of a great book. We rave about books that leave us in tears or have us breathless with laughter. But there’s something uniquely intimate about reading a memoir; we have the unparalleled opportunity to experience their emotions through our own eyes. We want to go through these events with them, to live vicariously through their mistakes and triumphs.
Perhaps that’s why the memoir genre is dominated by women. Society labels women as “the more emotional sex,” and while the stereotype is tiresome, it’s no secret that from an early age women are expected to handle the brunt of emotional challenges. It’s a natural response to search for reassurance from other voices, whether it’s from female friends, family or a stranger’s book. Are each of us alone in dealing with these struggles, or is it a universal experience?
That’s where these eight memoirs come in. Forget giving a glimpse into each woman’s life — these books rip open the barrier between author and reader to show life in all its gritty, messy glory. Each book captures a unique perspective on womanhood, from motherhood to sexual health to being a working woman in the modern age. And with every story as vulnerable as the next, these eight memoirs refuse to hold back or leave any stones unturned. Take a look as we highlight provocative memoirs of every kind, in every sense of the word.
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Well, This Is Exhausting: Essays
by Sophia Benoit (Gallery Books)
The title really says it all when it comes to being a woman in the 21st century. From body image to dating to navigating the workforce, the issues of being a modern woman are varied and complex. In the age of Instagram and the #girlboss, perfection has become expected and women everywhere are struggling to keep up with society’s demands. If you feel like you’re falling behind the rest of the rat pack, have no fear; Benoit’s been there and she’s here to help.
Columnist, comedian and lauded Twitter personality Sophia Benoit reveals all she’s learned in her no-holds-barred memoir. From her struggle with her own self-image to tales of misadventures with men, she combines sharp wit with meaningful advice to tout a powerful message of personal empowerment.
Read our full review of Well, This is Exhausting here.
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Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body
by Roxane Gay (Harper)
As a New York Times bestseller and winner of the Lambda Literary Award, it should be no surprise that Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body is considered a truly astounding read. Roxane Gay bares her soul in this raw memoir of her own body image, while masterfully dissecting society’s expectations of our appearances at large.
Through the lens of her own personal experience, Gay discusses weight, appearance and the disenfranchisement of those overlooked by our image-obsessed society. She argues that phrases like “stealing a bite” and “guilty pleasure” already set us up for failure to respect and value our own physical selves. Intense and searing, this memoir is not to be missed.
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The Ins and Outs of My Vagina: A Penetrating Memoir
by Karin Freeland (Karin Freeland Publishing)
From its unabashed title to its brazen content, The Ins and Outs of My Vagina is the definition of a provocative read. Described as being “like finding someone’s diary, and being allowed to read it,” this memoir chronicles Karin Freeland, a recovering workaholic who never quite understood how her anatomy worked. Despite possible preconceptions you may have from the title, the book avoids being all shock and no substance — far from it, in fact.
Freeland’s humor is just the engaging start to the conversation she wants to have about women’s health. Her memoir chronicles her own self-discovery while shining a light on the struggles of modern women; through her memoir, we begin to realize just how much information about women’s health goes unspoken or unknown, even amongst those who are most affected. By documenting her journey of self-discovery, she strives to normalize and destigmatize the discussion of women’s sexual, physical and emotional health.
To read our full review of The Ins and Outs of My Vagina, click here.
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I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman
by Nora Ephron (Vintage)
In a world where “you haven’t aged a day” is high praise, what are we really saying about beauty and self-image? Societal expectation demands that we age like a fine wine — but compared to Photoshopped actresses and Instagram models, sometimes you feel more like a week-old banana. Late American journalist, writer and filmmaker Nora Ephron is all-too-familiar with the struggles of aging in a world that would rather we freeze our features with serums and creams until they won’t budge.
The book’s discussion doesn’t center entirely around self-image, but topics like menopause and the empty nest still tie into the main theme. Through her courageous writing and side-splitting humor, she challenges us to question why we’re so allergic to the idea of looking older.
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Love Sick: A Memoir of Searching for Mr. Good Enough
by Frances Kuffel (Berkley)
Sometimes it can feel like dating and relationships are held up as the be-all and end-all of life. Romantic comedies sell the magical wonder of true love and wedding invitations fill up the mailbox, all while distant relatives ask you if you’ve “been seeing anyone lately.” Whether you’re swiping through dating apps or trying your hand at a speed-dating event, it can feel like you’re hitting romantic roadblock after roadblock.
Meet Frances Kuffel, whose similar experiences inspired her to put pen to paper. In her deeply personal memoir Love Sick, she writes, “it’s easy for me to go from thinking of myself as ‘A Wrong Woman’ to ‘THE Wrong Woman’ to just plain, Wrong.” Her chronicled misadventures remind readers that they’re not alone in their struggles and that, when in doubt, remember that the course of true love never did run smooth.
Check out what else Frances Kuffel has to say in her interview with BookTrib here.
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Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son’s First Year
by Anne Lamott (Anchor)
Motherhood is, without a doubt, a truly life-changing experience. Despite the sheer amount of how-to guides for expecting parents, it can sometimes feel like no amount of preparation will truly brace you for what’s about to come. Author Anne Lamott knew that only too well when she found herself a single mother-to-be at 35. In her memoir Operating Instructions, she details the first year of her son’s life and the friends, neighbors and strangers who helped guide her through it.
This raw and vulnerable book assures mothers everywhere that their struggles with motherhood are normal, as are their insecurities. Life is messy, Lamott reasons, and so is bringing new life into the world. Her achingly honest memoir reminds parents that they shouldn’t expect to have it all figured out, and that good doesn’t have to mean perfect.
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Hack: How I Stopped Worrying About What to Do with My Life and Started Driving a Yellow Cab
by Melissa Plaut (Villard)
From the wage gap to being constantly overlooked, it’s no secret that women face a unique set of challenges in the workforce. A particular aspect of this inequality can be found in typically male-dominated professions, where women can find themselves constantly overlooked and even made invisible by the industry itself. In her memoir Hack, Melissa Plaut tells the unique story of her experience as a female cab driver in New York City.
After a string of jobs that left her unsatisfied, Plaut jumps on an old whim of hers, gets her taxi license and hits the streets of Manhattan in the quintessential yellow car. Over the next two years, she learns the tricks of the trade, handles the highs and lows and deals with being a woman at a job that was 99% men. From struggling to find women’s restrooms to breaking gender boundaries, Plaut dives head-first into a life-changing experience that will reshape your idea of what it means to be a working woman in the 21st century.
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Let’s Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir
by Jenny Lawson (Putnam)
In her publishing debut Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, famous blogger Jenny Lawson gives us a front-row seat to her most hilarious, humiliating and outrageous experiences. From her unusual childhood of cohabitating with countless taxidermy animals to her misadventures as she stumbles through adulthood, readers will be sure breathe a sigh of relief when remembering their own embarrassments.
Lawson packs self-deprecating humor into each page, unafraid to show her flaws in order to get the message of her book across. Let’s Pretend This Never Happened’s provocativeness comes from revealing the inner insecurities that everyone deals with, from social mishaps to wondering if we’re just living life wrong. Lawson assures us that it’s a universal experience to secretly have no idea what’s going on, either. And as it turns out, that’s the best kind of reassurance there is.
See what other books we think go well with Let’s Pretend This Never Happened.
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