ICPL Top Picks for 2015: Autobiographies, Biographies and Memoirs

Quiz time! What's the different between an autobiography, biography and memoir?

An autobiography is a story an author writes about his or her life. Usually all-encompassing, most autobiographies start with the author's childhood and move chronologically highlighting important events, ending at the present time.

A biography also follows a chronological structure over a long period of time, but it is written by someone other than the subject of the book.

Memoirs are sometimes confused with autobiographies, which is completely understandable. Like an autobiography, a memoir is a narrative written by the author about their life. But while autobiographies cover the author's life up to the point of publication, a memoir focuses on one aspect or theme of the author's life. Memoirs tend to be less formal, and focus more on memories, feelings, and emotions instead of facts.

No matter which genre you prefer, autobiographies, biographies and memoirs introduce readers to fascinating people, reveal the stories of well-known individuals, and provide inspiration, insight and greater understanding of others.

ICPL's BEST AUTOBIOGRAPHIES, BIOGRAPHIES AND MEMOIRS OF 2015

• Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson
• Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling
• You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost): A Memoir by Felicia Day
• Wildflower by Drew Barrymore
• Silver Screen Fiend: Learning About Life from an Addiction to Film by Patton Oswalt
• Girl in a Band by Kim Gordon
• Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein
• Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland by Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus
• I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda
• Primates of Park Avenue by Wednesday Martin
• The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson
• On the Move: A Life by Oliver Sacks
• Live Like Line, Love Like Ellyn: One Community's Journey from Tragedy to Triumph by Bill Hoeft