Content Warning: This article features discussions of racism and sexual violence.

We live in a world where everyone thinks they have a riveting story to tell — especially celebrities. Although there are celebrities we’re begging to write memoirs, every time you turn around, another celebrity has written a book no one asked for. Even worse, approximately 80% of books by celebrities are ghostwritten, just so a celebrity can see their name on a book jacket and reap the financial benefits.

But on the flip side are memoirs written by non-famous people with an important story to tell. It’s here that you find real grit and suffering, as opposed to hyped-up glam and woe-is-me tales from people who are far removed from the systemic pain of day-to-day life. As James Baldwin told Life Magazine in 1963, “You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, who had ever been alive,” and that’s exactly what we should be taking from a well-written memoir. Especially when it’s written by someone who isn’t famous.

Looking for an authentic memoir that’s worth your time? If so, then these memoirs by non-celebrities are some of the best out there. Add them to your list of memoirs to read in 2025, and you’ll have a thought-provoking collection to change you for the better.