biography and memoir definition

While serving as memoirs, they also serve as historical records, which is something many other memoirs end up being. Thus, in these early examples, we can see both the personal and historical reasons for jotting down one’s specific memories.

As time went on, other people, be them important politicians or simply chroniclers of their era, were writing memoirs. Some of these included  Sarashina Nikki of the Japanese Heian period (8th to 12th century); there were also several European memoir examples from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance .

The 18th and 19th centuries brought us closer to what we could consider more modern examples of memoirs. While these centuries were full of memoirs written by privileged politicians or aristocrats, there was at least one that broke the mold a bit.

Henry David Thoreau’s  Walden  is one of the most popular and well-known memoir examples in literature. Focusing on the two years, two months, and two days the author spent in a cabin, the memoir has Thoreau cover many subjects. These include living on your own to identifying plant life around him, among many other things.

You can learn more about who Thoreau was in the video below.

What is a memoir  •  Henry David Thoreau's memoir meaning

As access to writing materials and typing increased, and as the world became a bit more modern, more “regular” memoirs started to pop up. This was especially true during some of our darkest times, specifically the two world wars. From these great wars came memoirs from soldiers, victims, and survivors, including those in the trenches of World War I or in the concentration camps of World War II.

Closer to the 21st century, memoirs became even bigger as normal everyday people began jotting down their memories. In many cases, these memories were to preserve the history of a person or their family, as they would otherwise be lost without being written down.

In other cases, memoirs have served as forms of expression from the individual writers, detailing events in their life and the impact it had.

Related Posts

• What is an Adapted Screenplay? →
• The Best Book-to-Film Adaptations →
• How to Develop and Write a Script Adaptation →

Memoir Examples

Memoir vs. autobiography.

Reading the memoir definition, you may be wondering what exactly makes it different from an autobiography. Both are just chatting about yourself, right?

Both forms may indeed be chatting about oneself, but there is a difference between a memoir and an autobiography. A memoir is a look at a specific period from the writer’s life, or a sequence of specific periods that have thematic links. An autobiography, meanwhile, is the writer’s entire life (up until writing, of course).

Autobiographies also tend to be more rigorously fact-checked, while a memoir can be a bit more fast and loose with the facts as the writer weaves a story.

Of course, there are exceptions to this rule; sometimes an autobiography has some elements that aren’t totally truthful, but that’s usually frowned upon.

While they’re distinct in definition, the two terms occasionally overlap since their qualifications are a bit subjective.

Types of Memoirs

Because “memoir” is a pretty general term, there are many different ways the writing style can manifest. Over the years, a few categories for the genre have cropped up, though there are various schools of thought on the subject.

Personal Memoir

When you think of a memoir, this is probably the type that comes to mind. In this memoir, an author tackles a formative, personal experience from their life.

“I was small-boned and skinny, but more than able to make up for that with sheer meanness.”

— Mary Karr,  The Liar's Club

There’s no limit to what this experience could be, but examples may be meeting a first love, enduring an illness, or navigating a relationship with a parent.

Portrait Memoir

With a portrait memoir, the subject is someone other than the author. Of course, the memoir is still through the eyes of the author, and they probably play a big role in the narrative, but the real focus lies with someone else.

“My father had lost most of the sight in his right eye by the time he’d reached eighty-six, but otherwise he seemed in phenomenal health for a man his age when he came down with what the Florida doctor diagnosed, incorrectly, as Bell’s palsy…”

— Philip Roth,  Patrimony

This might be a parent (the amount of memoirs about parents, particularly complicated dads, could fill the Pacific Ocean), a best friend, a sibling, a teacher — really anyone who the author knows intimately. The film Aftersun loosely falls into the Complicated Dad subcategory of the portrait memoir.

Political Memoirs

This memoir is usually written by, you guessed it, politicians. It can be a personal memoir in form, but often with the larger goal of ingratiating themselves to the reader to get their vote or support their platform.

“Of all the rooms and halls and landmarks that make up the White House and its grounds, it was the West Colonnade that I loved best.”

— Barack Obama,  A Promised Land

Political memoirs can also be written by people who aren’t politicians but are trying to further a political goal, like an activist. Some political memoir examples: Che Guevara's The Motorcycle Diaries , Michelle Obama’s Becoming , or Tony Blair’s A Journey .

Public Memoir

This type of memoir is a bit similar to the political memoir because it’s written by a person who’s already famous. But the public memoir usually doesn’t have a political ax to grind (at least, that’s not a requirement), it’s just a memoir by someone who’s well-known. 

“Plainly, due to my high and solitary place in the world—am I not the Living Buddha (0r is that Richard Gere?)—and to my cold nature and to my refusal to conform to warm mature family values, I am doomed to be the eternal outsider…”

— Gore Vidal,  Palimpsest

This celebrity will write about being famous and hanging out with other famous people, and they’ll make the GDP of a small country in book sales.

Travel Memoir

People like traveling, but it’s expensive and usually exhausting. So sometimes, we prefer to read about someone else who’s spending the money and traveling around the world.

“When you’re traveling in India—especially through holy sites and Ashrams—you see a lot of people wearing beads around their necks.”

— Elizabeth Gilbert,  Eat, Pray, Love

A travel memoir can take a lot of different forms, but there’s one constant: the writer is moving around.

Writing Memoirs

How to write a memoir.

If these categories didn’t already make it clear, there’s no one way to write a memoir. It can be a straight-forward narrative or an avant-garde collection of scenes. But, hey, a few helpful tips can’t hurt.

You can learn a bit more about writing memoirs in the video below.

How to write a memoir

Know the “why”.

The most important question to ask yourself when you’re about to write the next great memoir is, “Why will people care about this?” If you don’t have a good answer, you may be writing a journal entry — which is totally fine; journaling is great and important in its own right.

But with a memoir, it’s crucial to have a greater purpose. This personal story may mean a lot to you (and if it doesn't, why are you writing it down at all?). But if someone doesn’t know you, why should they care that your sophomore year girlfriend broke up with you because she didn’t believe in your dream of becoming the premiere soft serve ice cream provider of Illinois?

There are many reasons a reader might care. Maybe your story in a larger sense is about young love and big dreams — we can all relate to that. Maybe the story is filled with drama: she broke up with you by pushing you into a vat of soft serve extract, and you spent months trying to get the solution out of your hair. Or maybe you’re the founder of Dairy Queen, and this is a glimpse into how it all started.

Beginning, Middle, End

It may seem obvious, but this fundamental rule of storytelling can be tricky when writing a memoir. The nature of a memoir means that there is going to be a story before and after the memoir ends.

My story goes something like this…

There’s no one way to find the beginning and end points of your memoir, but primarily, this should be rooted in the first piece of advice: have you achieved the “why”? If so, end it.

Don’t Get Stuck on Facts

This doesn’t mean lie. But if you feel the need to inform the reader of every detail of the story, it’s going to become a pretty dull read. It might all be true, but the “why” will have left the building.

Life doesn’t work in story arcs — things are messy, beginnings aren’t really beginnings and ends aren’t really ends. Of course, you want your memoir to reflect that to a certain extent, but you also want it to be readable. So omitting facts and cleaning up narrative elements (even if it’s not the complete and total truth) becomes crucial to the memoir style. The truth lies in the grand strokes, the emotions and characters.

Memoir Movies

Memoirs in cinema.

Memoirs have definitely been around longer than cinema, but movies about people and their lives (specifically biographies, aka biopics ) have been pretty common since the medium’s inception. Some of these movies could even count as memoir-esque, like Young Mr. Lincoln (1939), which, instead of chronicling Abraham Lincoln’s tenure as president (or his entire life), examines his time as a lawyer in the 1830s.

What is a memoir  •  Young Mr. Lincoln

So while there have been plenty of biographies, many of the most well-known movies based on memoirs have been fairly recent. One of the most high profile of these is Eat, Pray, Love , a 2006 memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert that turned into a 2010 movie starring Julia Roberts.

Eat, Pray, Love  •  A pinnacle in memoir movies

But even before that we had Girl, Interrupted , a 1993 memoir by Susanna Kaysen which made it into a film in 1999 starring Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie. The opening lines of the film even retain the memoir feel.

Take a look at them below, with the script that we imported into StudioBinder’s screenwriting software .

Girl, Interrupted  •   Read the entire opening

The voiceover feels like Kaysen answering the “why do we care” question that we outlined in our tips section.

And then of course there was  The Basketball Diaries , a Jim Carroll memoir from 1978 that turned into a Leonardo DiCaprio movie in 1995. Here's the opening scene and credits.

Memoir movies  •  The Basketball Diaries

From 2009’s  Julie & Julia  (based on two separate memoirs) to  The Theory of Everything  2014’s (the Stephen Hawking memoir written by his wife Jane Hawking) to 2018’s  Beautiful Boy  (based on two memoirs about the same subject), there has been no shortage of memoir based films in the last two decades.

Memoir movies  •  The Theory of Everything

Some are more successful and acclaimed than others, but like novels, there are plenty out there for filmmakers to adapt. And don’t forget there are also movies based on true events that weren’t chronicled in memoirs before, so if you want to adapt a moment in your life as a script for a movie, go for it.

How to Write an Adaptation

Now that we have covered memoirs and movies based on memoirs, it’s time to look at how you might go about adapting one. We cover the step-by-step process of adapting a book for the screen, all with examples and even some quotes.

Up Next: Writing an Adaptation →

Showcase your vision with elegant shot lists and storyboards..

Create robust and customizable shot lists. Upload images to make storyboards and slideshows.

Learn More ➜

T he sitcom has been a staple of television for nearly 80 years. need a tight APP intro here that transitions to below..

The XYZ Script

Click to view and download the entire XYZ script PDF below.

Click above to read and download the entire XYZ script PDF

WHO WROTE THE XYZ SCRIPT?

Written by jonathan nolan, chris nolan, and david s. goyer.

VERY short bio about the screenwriter and a bit of history or trivia about this script. Perhaps the awards, accolades, or careers it's launched. This adds credibility and importance to the whole post. The image to the left should be swapped out with a SQUARE cropping of an image of the writer (400px compressed JPG). Make sure it's a polished photoshoot image like the one of Chazelle here. Cap this block at 10 lines.

Story beats in the XYZ script

Marshmallow pie sweet roll gummies candy icing. Marshmallow pie sweet roll gummies candy icing.Marshmallow pie sweet roll gummies candy icing. Marshmallow pie sweet roll gummies candy icing.

Script Teardown

Script structure of "movie title", 1. exposition (beginning).

Write a brief description here. Try to keep this approximately 2-3 sentences or about 15-30 words.

2. INCIDITING INCIDENT

3. climax of act one, 4. obstacles (rising action), 5. midpoint (big twist), 6. disaster & crisis, 7. climax of act two, 8. climax of act three, 9. obstacles (descending action), 10. denouement (wrap up), 11. resolution, xyz script takeaway #1, writing style / unique execution / or searched scene.

This section will be a scene study of something novel. It could be an example of a general writing style, or unique execution, formatting of something specific (e.g. pre-laps, musical sequences, suspense, twist reveals, etc), dialogue scene. If, in your SEO research you find people searching for a particular scene, then that's a hint it should become a scene study section and keyword used in the heading.

You can have anywhere from 1-3 sections like this in the post.

Embed the video from Youtube and set it up, letting the reader know what to focus on in the video.

Scene Study: Tommy buys a dozen red roses

After the embed, set up the script tie-in. Call out what they should focus on and provide a good reason on why they should click the app tie-in. In many cases this would be to read the entire scene. In other cases, you could add something clever in the comments or script notes, or versions.

Also, since the app link opens a script at Scene 1, you'll want to let them know what scene number they should scroll down to.

Read the Flower  Shop Scene — Scroll to Scene XX  

Marshmallow pie sweet roll gummies candy icing. Marshmallow pie sweet roll gummies candy icing. I love candy canes soufflé I love jelly beans biscuit. Marshmallow pie sweet roll gummies candy icing.

Marshmallow pie sweet roll gummies candy icing. I love candy canes soufflé I love jelly beans biscuit. Marshmallow pie sweet roll gummies candy icing. 

• Start breaking down your script →
• Learn how to analyze and break down a script →
• FREE Download: Script Breakdown Sheet Template →

Setup the next logical script for this reader to review. Keep in mind the style, genre, and writer of the above script. For example, a Tarantino script should have an Up Next to another Tarantino script (ideally), or another pulp-y script (e.g.  Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels), or a similar genre, or dialogue-heavy script by another relevant auteur (e.g. PT Anderson).

Up Next: Article Name → 

Write and produce your scripts all in one place..

Write and collaborate on your scripts FREE . Create script breakdowns, sides, schedules, storyboards, call sheets and more.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

• Pricing & Plans
• Product Updates
• Featured On
• StudioBinder Partners
• The Ultimate Guide to Call Sheets (with FREE Call Sheet Template)
• How to Break Down a Script (with FREE Script Breakdown Sheet)
• The Only Shot List Template You Need — with Free Download
• Managing Your Film Budget Cashflow & PO Log (Free Template)
• A Better Film Crew List Template Booking Sheet
• Best Storyboard Softwares (with free Storyboard Templates)
• Movie Magic Scheduling
• Gorilla Software
• Storyboard That

A visual medium requires visual methods. Master the art of visual storytelling with our FREE video series on directing and filmmaking techniques.

We’re in a golden age of TV writing and development. More and more people are flocking to the small screen to find daily entertainment. So how can you break put from the pack and get your idea onto the small screen? We’re here to help.

• Making It: From Pre-Production to Screen
• What are the 12 Principles of Animation — Ultimate Guide
• What is Pacing in Writing — And Why It’s So Important
• What Does O.S. Mean in a Script & How to Use It
• What Does a Leadman Do in Film — Job Description Explained
• What is a Unit Production Manager — Job and Role Explained
• 0 Pinterest

Become a Bestseller

Follow our 5-step publishing path.

Fundamentals of Fiction & Story

Bring your story to life with a proven plan.

Market Your Book

Learn how to sell more copies.

Edit Your Book

Get professional editing support.

Author Advantage Accelerator Nonfiction

Grow your business, authority, and income.

Author Advantage Accelerator Fiction

Become a full-time fiction author.

Author Accelerator Elite

Take the fast-track to publishing success.

Take the Quiz

Let us pair you with the right fit.

Free Copy of Published.

Book title generator, nonfiction outline template, writing software quiz, book royalties calculator.

Learn how to write your book

Learn how to edit your book

Learn how to self-publish your book

Learn how to sell more books

Learn how to grow your business

Learn about self-help books

Learn about nonfiction writing

Learn about fiction writing

How to Get An ISBN Number

A Beginner’s Guide to Self-Publishing

How Much Do Self-Published Authors Make on Amazon?

Book Template: 9 Free Layouts

How to Write a Book in 12 Steps

The 15 Best Book Writing Software Tools

Autobiography vs Memoir: Which One Should You Write?

POSTED ON Jul 27, 2023

Written by Sarah Rexford

There is often a lot of confusion when it comes an autobiography vs memoir. While both are true stories about an individual, they share different story arcs and structures.

If you want to write a story about your life, it's important to understand the difference between memoir and autobiography, which is what we will delve into today. After you read our article on autobiography vs memoir, you'll be able to write your life story with clarity and confidence.

Maybe your life story is unique. You want to share it and leave a lasting legacy behind. Well, it’s time to start the process. It’s time to write your story. 

Before sitting down to write, it’s important to articulate to yourself what you specifically want to share and why. Just as writing a fiction book demands planning and deciding exactly where to start and what theme to write about, so does writing your life story. 

Whatever your story is, it will likely fall under the category of memoir or autobiography. 

The most important choice to make prior to writing your opening sentence is deciding which genre (in the giant list of book genres ) you are going to share your story through.

It’s crucial to choose the correct genre in which to tell your story. Autobiographies vs memoirs each have different purposes. 

Using an autobiography when you want to communicate your memoir is similar to filming a documentary when you want to film a drama. 

Documentaries usually cover many details of a specific time period and are told through a linear fashion. They start at a single point in time and work their way to the end of a time period or to the present day.

Dramas focus on a theme and use specific aspects of a person’s life to articulate and highlight this theme. 

Autobiographies vs memoirs are much the same. 

Need A Nonfiction Book Outline?

This autobiography vs memoir guide will cover:

Autobiography vs memoir: the difference explained.

While both genres are personal stories, the difference between memoir and autobiography is distinct.

According to Merriam-Webster, a memoir is, “A narrative composed from personal experience” and an autobiography is, “The biography of a person narrated by that person, a usually written account of a person's life in their own words.” 

In the publishing world, a memoir is a book about you that is focused on the reader. In other words, it’s pieces of your life story written with the intention of communicating a specific message to a specific audience. 

An autobiography is your life story from birth to present day, including all major events, without too much thought for theme. 

The purpose of an autobiography is simply to communicate your life story . 

The purpose of a memoir is to communicate a theme, and use stories from your life to do so.

This is the main difference between memoir and autobiography.

Both memoirs and autobiographies should be written with the focus on the reader, however. Writing succeeds because of readers. Whether you’re covering your life from birth to now, or sharing specific stories, keep the reader at the forefront of your mind at all times. 

The more you think “reader first” the better your writing will be, regardless of whether you are writing an autobiography vs memoir. 

When should I write an autobiography vs memoir?

Celebrities and well-known figures often communicate their life stories through autobiographies, while lesser known individuals communicate a theme through specific stories from their lives. 

The public wants to know the details of celebrities’ lives and is willing and eager to read through all the details of their growing up years, young adult successes and failures, and all the way to the present day.

Individuals with less of a public presence who still have valuable stories, information, or an important theme to share, may want to do so through memoirs. This way they can still communicate their message, but use life stories that directly apply to this message to do so.

Learning how to write a memoir allows you to use anecdotes from your life to communicate your theme. Remember, if you aren’t a household name, readers are unlikely to be interested in your stories if they don’t provide some type of value.

Always think reader-first with these questions:

• Is your theme focused on helping the reader?
• What stories contribute to the power of your theme?
• What stories distract from your theme and shift the focus to you? 
• Will your reader walk away feeling empowered or inspired? 

When writing an autobiography, it’s still important to think of the reader first. But readers are more likely to expect stories that focus on your life and the interesting things you’ve done in an autobiography vs memoir.

If you are a celebrity or household name, writing your autobiography is likely the way to go. Otherwise, you should use creative nonfiction writing skills to make your memoir as interesting and impactful as possible.

Two things to remember when writing your life story

Whether you are writing an autobiography vs memoir, here are two important things to consider:

1. Portray the basic essence of life events

While autobiographies and memoirs are about your life and your interactions, achievements, goals, failures, etc., it’s impossible to remember every word of dialogue you and others have spoken. Readers understand that exact wording has been written to the best of your memory, but is not exact.

Be careful to write in a way that reflects the attitudes and intentions of the dialogue in that moment, however many years ago it took place, but rest assured the dialogue in memoirs and autobiographies cannot be completely accurate. 

Sharing your story with the world is a bold step. It’s brave to think through your life and write it all down for hundreds (if not millions) to read.

As you plunge into your story, whether it be autobiography vs memoir, writing, editing, and eventually self-publishing it will take time. Don’t get discouraged if you need to rearrange parts, chop large portions, or add stories when you think you are finished. 

Writing your story takes time . It’s your life, after all! Just make sure you capture the basic essence of your life events in an authentic manner.

2. Change names of people and locations

While I just said to be authentic, it's also important to have some protections in place.

Whether you write an autobiography vs memoir, protect yourself and others by changing names, locations, and any other detail as you see fit. You can make a simple note at the front of your book explaining that some details have been changed to protect individuals. The last thing you want is to be accused of libel or slander the week your book comes out. 

As you work towards your book launch , enjoy the process. Writing your story is something many dream of, few start, and even less complete. You didn’t just have the dream, you saw it through to its completion. 

You took a big step. Whether you chose to embark on an autobiography vs memoir, you are writing your story and putting it out into the world. Your legacy will have the possibility of impacting countless individuals around the world for years to come – and that's extremely exciting!

If you're still not certain on the difference between an autobiography vs memoir (or if what you are writing is an autobiography vs memoir) let's take a look at some examples of each.

Examples of memoirs

If you plan to write your memoir, reading other successful memoirs is a great place to start.

Here are some examples to get you started:

• O n Writing: A Memoir of the Craft , by Stephen King
• The Glass Castle , by Jeannette Walls
• Writing For the Soul , by Jerry B. Jenkins
• All Over but the Shoutin’ , by Rick Bragg
• Running for My Life , by Lopez Lomong

As you read, focus on what the theme is, what stories the author uses to illustrate this theme, and how the story isn’t focused just on the author, but on you, the reader.

Again, think reader first.

It may be helpful to take notes so that when it’s time to write your own memoir, you have examples to refer back to as needed. This will help you when you feel stuck or unsure of which stories to use. 

You can also reference our memoir outline to help you in your writing process.

Examples of autobiographies 

If, on the other hand, you decide to write your autobiography vs memoir, you’ll want to brush up on autobiographies and biographies instead. 

Whether you pick up an autobiography or a biography, the same lessons can be learned: 

• Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave , by Frederick Douglass
• Autobiography of Mark Twain , Samuel Clemmons 
• Let Us Now Praise Famous Men , by James Agee
• Churchill: A Life , by Martin Gilbert

As you write your autobiography, remember that although it is about you, you should still think reader first. Write in a way that readers will be able to easily understand and follow. Starting at birth and moving forward chronologically will likely work well when writing an autobiography vs memoir.

Share your story with the world

Now that you know the difference between an autobiography vs memoir, it’s time to start the writing process. 

Regardless of which you decide to write, take some time to think back over your life, years or weeks that affected you in a particularly positive or negative way, people who influenced you, the themes you see tracing through your story, and dreams or goals you worked for. 

Once you have the big moments at the forefront of your mind you can start planning your creative autobiography or memoir ideas . If you need more inspiration on how to share your story, you can use our nonfiction book outline below.

Related posts

Non-Fiction

Need Some Memorable Memoir Titles? Use These Tips

Business, Non-Fiction

How to Get More Patients With a Book & Brand

The six-word memoir: an exercise on short, powerful stories.

• Book Writing
• Fiction Writing
• eBook Writing
• Biography Writing
• Autobiography Writing
• Speech Writing
• Screenwriting
• Memoir Writing
• Book Editing
• Book Proofreading
• Children’s Book Editing
• eBook Editing
• Press Release Writing
• Business Plan Writing
• Website Content Writing
• LinkedIn Profile Writing
• White Paper Writing
• Wikipedia Writing

Biography vs autobiography vs memoir: Which Genre Best Tells Your Story?

As a writer, it’s essential to choose the right genre to tell your story effectively. However, distinguishing between memoir, autobiography, and biography can be confusing. In this article, we’ll clarify the core differences between these genres and provide insights to help you choose the one that best fits your unique story. Whether you’re interested in exploring your own experiences or delving into the lives of others, understanding the difference between a memoir and a biography and autobiography is critical to crafting a compelling narrative. So let’s get started and discover which genre will best tell your story.

The Power of Biographies: Discovering Lives and Learning Lessons

A biography is a personal story narrated from real life. The biographies come in different sub-genres, but what they have in common is the factual loyalty. Biographies provide an in-depth look into the lives of individuals, whether they’re still alive or historical figures. For a collection of famous biographies, you might want to explore Biography.com .

Professional bio writers usually conduct a great deal of research. They can describe the life events of someone still alive or a famous person who lived years ago. The author focuses his attention significantly on childhood, relationships, and ups and downs to create a complete picture of a person’s life.

The distinct feature of the story is the writer’s presence. That’s where you don’t align memoir vs biography: while people write memoirs alone, biographies require professional writers.

The main types of biographies include:

• Contemporary biography: a story of a person who’s alive and usually at the peak of their success. It can be about well-known entrepreneurs, musicians, or politicians. It can also include the people who are especially valuable at the moment or have done something great that you have to commemorate.

The examples are: “His Way: The Unauthorized Biography of Frank Sinatra” (written by Kitty Kelley) and “Robin” (Dave Itzkoff’s intimate look at the life and career of Robin Williams).

• Historical biography: provides in-depth information on the life of historical figures or people who died without the recognition they deserved.

The examples are: “Alexander Hamilton” (an epic 800+ page biography created by Ron Chernow) and “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” (written by Rebecca Skloot).

• Group biography: the authors apply this type of biography quite rarely. One of the first examples is “A General History of the Pirates,” narrated by Captain Charles Johnson in 1724. One of the latest group biographies includes an account of the life stories of famous British royals, “HRH: So Many Thoughts on Royal Style,” written by Elizabeth Holmes.

Autobiographies: Understanding the Genre, Types, and Significance

An autobiography is someone else’s story that doesn’t involve a third party. A memoir writing service puts it differently because autobiography is the first person’s account of events.

Autobiographies have been vital throughout history. They provide invaluable stories and thoughts, giving the audience an accurate impression of historical leaders and the value they represent. Also, they allow individuals to tell their own stories in their own words. For examples of famous autobiographies that have captivated readers, check out this list on Goodreads .

The main difference between autobiography and biography is that the last one provides a person’s story written by someone else. The peculiar advantage that autobiographies provide is decreasing the number of discrepancies or mistakes. Hiring cheap ghostwriters for hire may be incorrect in describing significant events.

The types of autobiography include:

• Traditional: a complete story narrated from the first person, discussing all significant events from birth, throughout childhood, and up to the present time. It’s a challenging genre since a life story should be captivating and exciting to engage the reader.
• Overcoming adversity: on the contrary, many people don’t have as shiny lives. Some survived a series of challenging circumstances, such as assaults, murders, or other life-threatening situations. Sharing the story of the “survivor” might heal people undergoing a similar journey.
• Intellectual: focus on critical events or experiences that have changed someone’s perspective on life. Prominent examples include the “Autobiography” of the philosopher John Stuart Mill and “The Education of Henry Adams.”
• Fictionalized is a story that uses made-up characters to represent an author’s experience. This autobiography reflects on actual events vs. serving as an accurate retelling of what happened. Some of the interesting examples are “The Way of All Flesh” (by Samuel Butler) and “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man” (by James Joice).

Memoir vs autobiography: what’s the catch?

If you’re wondering what does a ghostwriter do when writing a memoir, let’s explore its main features.

Memoir highlights the essential part of someone’s life. It can describe the critical historical period or a breakdown, focusing on the events that led to the collapse. That’s where memoirs vs autobiography differ: the first ones only focus on particular excerpts instead of telling the whole story.

• A memoir is a factual story in which the author reflects on a series of related events from their life or recounts memories from a particular period.
• An autobiography is a chronological description of a person’s life.

Although the memoir can be subjective, it must lean on facts. The authors choose a pivotal moment they’d like to shed light on and recreate the event using storytelling tools.

There’s not a specific number of memoirs in a professional book writing history. Nevertheless, we will explore the most prominent types of memoirs to let you dive into the industry:

• Transformation memoirs: tell about the most significant challenges authors These stories lead with the topic of redemption, whether you achieved it or you’re trying to gain it.

The examples are “Here We Are: American Dreams, American Nightmares” (by Aarti Namdev Shahani), “Educated” (by Tara Westover), and “Finding Freedom” (by Erin French).

• Confessional memoirs: reveal the painful or dirty secrets about authors or their families and how the particular series of events has affected them.

The examples are: “Confessions” (by Jean-Jacques Rousseau) and “Running with Scissors” (by Augusten Burroughs).

• Professional or celebrity memoirs: describe the road to fame and success. Famous people often think about how to find a ghost writer to talk about their lives and significant events in a more professional tone.

The examples are: “I Am Malala” (by Malala Yousafzai) and “Just Kids” (by Patti Smith).

• Travel memoirs: focus on exciting adventures that happen while traveling. These memoirs are often the most pleasant, allowing readers to escape everyday reality.

The examples are “Wild” (by Cheryl Strayed) and “A Year in Provence” (by Peter Mayle).

Autobiography vs biography vs memoir: where’s your match?

You don’t need to be a writing professional to comprehend the difference between memoir and autobiography and biography. Let’s take a look at some of the key points to consider.

The Bottom Line

Writing a book about your life is a challenging process. It requires lots of patience and a great deal of memory to recall the most significant events. Meanwhile, it allows you to look at your life and experiences from a whole new perspective.

If you need any help with writing a biography vs autobiography vs memoir, Penfellow will gladly assist! Our professional writers have years of experience completing similar tasks and will do the job for you. We will ensure the final paper meets your requirements and writing standards. Get in touch with us today to get your biography done in no time!

About Ryan Bronson

Proofreading VS Copy Editing: Choose and Master Your Approach

How to write a children’s picture book that evokes emotions and enchants young readers.

Biography vs. Autobiography vs. Memoir: Art of Life Stories

Have you ever found yourself lost in the pages of someone’s life story, marveling at their journey, and wondered, “How did they capture this essence so vividly?” Whether it’s the inspiring tale of a visionary like Steve Jobs, the intimate diary of Anne Frank, or the raw honesty of Michelle Obama’s “Becoming,” the allure of personal narratives is undeniable. But here’s a question: do you know the difference between a biography, an autobiography, and a memoir? These genres, while similar, have distinct flavors and purposes. In this journey through words, let’s unravel these threads and discover the unique tapestry each one weaves.

Biography vs. Autobiography vs. Memoir

In the realm of personal narratives, biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs are often mentioned in the same breath. Yet, each genre has its unique flavor and purpose. Understanding the differences between them is like distinguishing between different genres of music – each tells a story in its own unique way.

The Distinctive Flavors

Biographies are akin to a well-researched documentary. They are written by someone other than the subject and provide an external perspective on a person’s life. Biographers are like artists who paint a portrait of a person using the palette of history, interviews, and other sources.

Autobiographies, on the other hand, are self-written accounts. They are the self-portraits of literature, offering an internal perspective. Autobiographies often cover the author’s entire life, providing a detailed chronology of events and experiences from the person who lived them.

Memoirs are more like snapshots or a series of vignettes from the author’s life. They focus on specific experiences, periods, or events, often with a particular theme or emotional undercurrent. Memoirs are less about the chronological details and more about the emotional journey and personal insights.

The Art of Storytelling

While all three genres share the common thread of personal narrative, the way they tell their stories differs significantly. Biographies often have a more formal and comprehensive approach, while autobiographies and memoirs tend to be more personal and introspective. Autobiographies give you a panoramic view of a person’s life, while memoirs zoom in on particular aspects, offering a more detailed and intimate perspective.

The Purpose and Appeal

Each of these genres serves a different purpose and appeals to readers in different ways. Biographies satisfy our curiosity about the lives of others, especially prominent figures, and help us understand the broader historical and cultural context. Autobiographies allow us to connect directly with the author’s experiences and perspectives. Memoirs, with their focused and thematic approach, often resonate on a deeper emotional level, offering insights into specific life experiences and universal truths.

Now, let’s put these differences into perspective with a comparison table:

Literary Genre Quiz (Easy)

Your answer:

Correct answer:

SHARE YOUR RESULTS

Your Answers

What is a Biography?

In the tapestry of literature, a biography stands out as a vibrant thread, weaving together the intricate details of a person’s life. But what exactly makes a biography? It’s not just a chronological account of events; it’s a journey into the heart and soul of another human being, crafted with the careful hands of an author who is not the subject themselves.

The Essence of Biography

A biography is a detailed description or account of someone’s life, yet it involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death. It portrays a comprehensive picture of a person’s experiences and the times in which they lived. Think of it as a portrait painting; while the basic outlines are drawn from the subject’s life, the colors and textures are provided by the author’s insights into their character, motivations, and the impact they had on the world around them.

The Author’s Perspective

One of the most intriguing aspects of a biography is the author’s perspective. Unlike autobiographies, biographies are written by someone other than the subject. This external viewpoint allows for a more objective portrayal of the subject’s life. The biographer’s task is akin to that of a detective – piecing together the story of a life from letters, journals, interviews, and other sources. They must tread the fine line between fact and interpretation, ensuring that their narrative is both accurate and engaging.

The Journey Through Time

Biographies take readers on a journey through time, offering a glimpse into different eras and the people who shaped them. They provide context to the subject’s actions and decisions, helping readers understand the historical and cultural circumstances that influenced their life. This journey is not just about the destination – the events of the subject’s life – but also about the path they took, the obstacles they faced, and the legacy they left behind.

The Universal Appeal

While biographies are about individual lives, their appeal is universal. They tell stories of human struggle and achievement, of overcoming odds, and of making a mark on the world. Biographies inspire, educate, and entertain, bridging the gap between the past and the present. They remind us that history is not just about events and dates, but about real people who lived and breathed, loved and lost, and in their own way, changed the world.

3 Biography Examples

Diving into the world of biographies, we encounter stories that are as diverse as they are profound. These narratives not only chronicle the lives of remarkable individuals but also offer us a window into their souls. Let’s explore three exemplary biographies that stand as testaments to the power of well-told life stories.

“Steve Jobs” by Walter Isaacson

“Steve Jobs” by Walter Isaacson is a masterful portrayal of the iconic co-founder of Apple Inc. Isaacson, renowned for his in-depth research and engaging storytelling, paints a vivid picture of Jobs’ complex personality and groundbreaking innovations. This biography delves into Jobs’ intense drive, creative genius, and the path he blazed in the tech world. It’s a compelling read that takes you behind the scenes of his famous product launches and into the depths of his personal and professional relationships. Isaacson’s narrative is a rich tapestry that weaves together the triumphs and tribulations of a man who changed how we interact with technology.

“Marie Curie: A Biography” by Marilyn Bailey Ogilvie

In “Marie Curie: A Biography,” Marilyn Bailey Ogilvie offers an intimate look into the life of the trailblazing scientist who broke barriers in a male-dominated field. This biography shines a light on Curie’s relentless pursuit of knowledge, her groundbreaking discoveries in radioactivity, and her monumental contributions to science, which earned her two Nobel Prizes. Ogilvie’s portrayal is not just about Curie’s scientific achievements but also about her personal struggles, resilience, and the legacy she left for future generations of scientists, especially women. It’s a story of determination and brilliance, inspiring readers to believe in the power of perseverance.

“Alexander Hamilton” by Ron Chernow

Ron Chernow’s “Alexander Hamilton” is a riveting account of one of America’s most influential founding fathers. This biography takes you on a journey through Hamilton’s tumultuous life, from his humble beginnings in the Caribbean to his pivotal role in shaping the United States’ financial system. Chernow’s meticulous research and eloquent writing bring to life Hamilton’s political genius, his role in the creation of the U.S. Constitution, and his infamous rivalry with Aaron Burr. This book is more than a biography; it’s a vibrant portrait of a man whose legacy continues to resonate in modern American politics.

What is an Autobiography?

Have you ever wished you could step directly into someone’s shoes, to see the world through their eyes and understand their innermost thoughts and feelings? This is the essence of an autobiography. Unlike biographies, written by observers, an autobiography is a self-penned narrative, offering a first-person account of the author’s life. It’s as if the subject has invited you into their living room for a candid, personal conversation about their life’s journey.

The Personal Lens of Autobiography

In an autobiography, the author takes you by the hand and guides you through the corridors of their past. You get to experience their childhood memories, their triumphs and failures, their joys and sorrows, all narrated with the intimate knowledge that only they can provide. This genre is not just about recounting events; it’s about sharing the emotional journey that accompanied those events. It’s a deep dive into the author’s psyche, revealing their motivations, challenges, and the lessons they’ve learned along the way.

The Authentic Voice

What sets autobiographies apart is their authentic voice. The narrative is often conversational, filled with personal anecdotes and reflections that give you a sense of who the author really is. It’s like listening to a friend recount their life story, complete with insights and introspections that only they could offer. This authenticity makes autobiographies uniquely compelling, as they provide a direct window into the author’s soul.

The Evolution of Self

Autobiographies often focus on the evolution of the author’s identity and perspective. They chronicle not just the external events of the author’s life but also their internal growth and development. Through the pages, you witness the transformation of the individual, understanding how each experience has shaped them into the person they are today.

The Universal in the Personal

While autobiographies are deeply personal, they often resonate with readers on a universal level. The struggles and triumphs, the dreams and disappointments, the moments of clarity and confusion – these are experiences that many of us share. By sharing their stories, authors of autobiographies connect with readers, offering insights and inspiration that transcend their individual experiences.

3 Autobiography Examples

In the realm of autobiographies, each book is a window into a life, offering unfiltered access to the author’s world. These narratives are not just accounts of events; they are personal testimonies of resilience, courage, and the human spirit. Let’s delve into three powerful autobiographies that have left an indelible mark on the hearts and minds of readers worldwide.

“Long Walk to Freedom” by Nelson Mandela

“Long Walk to Freedom” is not just an autobiography; it’s a testament to the unyielding spirit of one of the most iconic figures in the fight for equality, Nelson Mandela. In this deeply moving narrative, Mandela recounts his journey from a young village boy to a leader in the African National Congress, his enduring 27 years in prison, and his pivotal role in dismantling apartheid in South Africa. What makes this autobiography so compelling is Mandela’s ability to blend the political with the personal. His story is not just about the struggle for freedom but also about the power of hope, forgiveness, and the unbreakable will to achieve justice. Mandela’s voice resonates with dignity and wisdom, offering a profound lesson in leadership and humanity.

“The Diary of a Young Girl” by Anne Frank

Anne Frank’s “The Diary of a Young Girl” is a poignant and heart-wrenching autobiography that captures the essence of human resilience under the most harrowing circumstances. Written while hiding from the Nazis during World War II, this diary is a raw, unfiltered account of a young girl’s life and thoughts as she confronts the horrors of war and the threat of persecution. Anne’s diary is more than a historical document; it’s a journey into the soul of a bright, insightful, and incredibly brave girl facing unimaginable adversity. Her observations, dreams, and fears, penned with remarkable clarity and wisdom, continue to inspire and move readers around the world, serving as a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and the enduring strength of the human spirit.

“The Story of My Life” by Helen Keller

“The Story of My Life” by Helen Keller is an extraordinary autobiography that chronicles the life of a woman who, despite being deaf and blind from a young age, became one of the most inspirational figures of the 20th century. Keller’s narrative is a stunning testament to the power of determination and the human capacity to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Through her words, readers experience her journey of learning to communicate, her educational triumphs, and her work as an advocate for people with disabilities. Keller’s story is not just about the challenges of her physical condition but also about her intellectual and emotional growth. Her autobiography is a beacon of hope and a celebration of the indomitable human spirit, inspiring readers to believe in the potential within themselves, regardless of the challenges they face.

What is a Memoir?

Step into the world of memoirs, and you’re stepping into a garden of personal experiences, each flower representing a specific time, emotion, or event in someone’s life. Unlike autobiographies, which often span the entirety of a person’s life, memoirs focus on a particular aspect, theme, or period. They’re like a spotlight, illuminating a specific part of the garden, revealing its colors and textures in vivid detail.

The Intimacy of Memoirs

Memoirs are deeply personal narratives that offer a window into the author’s soul. They’re not just about what happened, but how what happened affected the author. It’s this introspective and reflective nature that sets memoirs apart. They delve into the emotional journey, exploring the author’s feelings, reactions, and insights. A memoir is like a conversation with an old friend, where stories and reflections are shared with honesty and vulnerability.

Crafting a Narrative

What makes memoirs so captivating is their narrative style. They often read like a novel, with a strong emphasis on storytelling. Authors of memoirs use literary techniques to weave their experiences into a narrative that’s not just informative but also emotionally engaging. They transport readers into their world, allowing them to see, feel, and experience life from the author’s perspective.

Memoirs may be personal, but their themes often resonate on a universal level. They touch on experiences and emotions that many of us can relate to, such as love, loss, triumph, and failure. This relatability is what draws readers into the memoir; it’s like finding parts of your own story in someone else’s narrative. Memoirs remind us that, despite our diverse life paths, our emotional experiences are often shared.

A Journey of Self-Discovery

Writing a memoir is often a journey of self-discovery for the author. It’s a process of reflecting on their life, making sense of their experiences, and understanding how those experiences have shaped them. For the reader, it’s an opportunity to learn from someone else’s life lessons, to gain insights that can be applied to their own journey.

3 Memoir Examples

Memoirs, with their intimate and focused narratives, offer a unique lens into the authors’ lives, highlighting specific experiences and the profound lessons they impart. Each memoir is a personal journey, a deep dive into moments that have shaped the author’s life. Let’s explore three captivating memoirs that have not only enthralled readers but also provided insights into different facets of the human experience.

“Becoming” by Michelle Obama

In “Becoming,” Michelle Obama invites us into her world, sharing the experiences that have shaped her from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address. This memoir is a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling. Michelle Obama describes her triumphs and disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it – in her own words and on her own terms. Warm, wise, and revelatory, “Becoming” is an intimately powerful read about a woman who has steadily defied expectations and whose story inspires us to do the same.

“Educated” by Tara Westover

Tara Westover’s “Educated” is a heart-wrenching memoir of self-invention and a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, Westover was seventeen the first time she set foot in a classroom. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge. Despite her isolated upbringing, her pursuit of education opened new worlds and gave her a new voice. “Educated” is an account of the struggle for self-invention, a tale of fierce family loyalty, and the grief that comes from severing one’s closest ties. It’s a poignant reminder of the power of education to change one’s life.

“The Glass Castle” by Jeannette Walls

“The Glass Castle” by Jeannette Walls is a remarkable memoir of resilience and redemption, and a revelatory look into a family at once deeply dysfunctional and uniquely vibrant. Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their salvation. Her story focuses on her unconventional upbringing and how she and her siblings had to fend for themselves while their parents followed their whims. This memoir is a testament to the unbreakable bond of family and a celebration of the indomitable spirit to overcome insurmountable odds. Walls’ storytelling is straightforward and unadorned, yet the narrative she weaves is deeply moving and profoundly inspiring.

Literary Genre Quiz (Hard)

Frequently Asked Questions

In the fascinating world of personal narratives, questions often arise about biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs. Let’s dive into some of the most frequently asked questions to shed light on these intriguing genres.

Is a Biography a Life Story?

Absolutely! A biography is indeed a life story, but it’s told by someone other than the subject. It’s an account that covers the significant events and experiences of a person’s life, often providing a comprehensive view of their journey.

Can Anyone Write a Biography?

Yes, anyone can write a biography, but it requires thorough research and a deep understanding of the subject. Biographers often spend years gathering information through interviews, archives, and other sources to paint an accurate and compelling picture of the person’s life.

Can a Biography Be Fictionalized?

While biographies are primarily factual, some authors use creative nonfiction techniques to enhance the narrative. However, the core of a biography should always be rooted in factual, well-researched information. Fictionalizing real events or characteristics of the person would stray into the realm of historical fiction.

How Do Authors Research for Writing a Biography?

Researching for a biography involves diving into various sources like letters, diaries, interviews, historical records, and other relevant documents. Biographers often interview people who knew the subject personally and gather as much firsthand information as possible to ensure accuracy and depth in their portrayal.

How Do You Start an Autobiography?

Starting an autobiography usually involves introspection. Authors often begin by outlining the key events in their life, reflecting on their experiences, and deciding on the overall theme or message they want to convey. It’s about finding the unique angle of your life story that will resonate with readers.

Are Autobiographies Always Written in the First Person?

Yes, autobiographies are typically written in the first person since they are personal accounts of the author’s life. Writing in the first person helps convey a sense of intimacy and immediacy, allowing readers to see the world through the author’s eyes.

How Do Authors Ensure Accuracy in Their Autobiographies?

Authors ensure accuracy in their autobiographies by relying on their memories, personal records, diaries, and sometimes by corroborating events with others. They strive to recall events and experiences as truthfully as possible, although it’s understood that personal perspectives may color these recollections.

Is Memoir a Fiction?

No, a memoir is not fiction. It’s a true account of specific experiences in the author’s life. While memoirs are subjective and focus on personal perceptions and emotions, they are grounded in the author’s real experiences.

Who is a Memoir Written by?

A memoir is written by the person who experienced the events or periods being described. It’s a personal narrative that delves into the author’s memories, emotions, and insights about particular aspects of their life.

What Are Some Common Themes in Memoirs?

Common themes in memoirs include personal growth, overcoming adversity, relationships, identity, and resilience. Memoirs often explore these themes through the lens of the author’s unique experiences and insights.

How Do Authors Decide What to Include in Their Memoirs?

Authors decide what to include in their memoirs based on the overall theme or focus of their narrative. They select events and experiences that are significant to the story they want to tell, often those that have had a profound impact on their personal journey or that illustrate a particular aspect of their life.

Yves Lummer

As the founder of BookBird, Yves Lummer has pioneered a thriving community for authors, leading more than 100,000 of them towards their dreams of self-publishing. His expertise in book marketing has become a catalyst for multiple best-sellers, establishing his reputation as an influential figure in the publishing world.

Elements of a Story: 8 Story Elements Explained

February 6, 2024

170 Book Puns: Funny Puns & Jokes You’ll Never Forget

February 4, 2024

Side Character: Definition, Examples & Writing Tips

How to Start a Story: 10 Secret Writing Tips

Inciting Incident: Definition, Purpose & Examples

January 23, 2024

November 22, 2023

Privacy Overview

Want to sell more Books?

• Key Differences

Know the Differences & Comparisons

Difference Between Autobiography and Memoir

While an autobiography covers the entire life of the writer, the memoir is about a part of life of the writer. Read the article provided below, in which substantial differences between autobiography and memoir are explained in detail.

Content: Autobiography Vs Memoir

Comparison chart, similarities, definition of autobiography.

Autobiography is a detailed account of an individual’s life, written or told by that individual himself. It is an abbreviated summary written in chronological order, that tells one’s experience in life, like the highs and lows, in different phases like childhood, adulthood and so on. Usually, they are written in the first person, ‘I’ and in this way the writer can easily express his views on the life events.

An autobiography can be written by the subject or the subject may hire a ghost writer, to write for them. It can be in the form of books, audio recording, drama, skit, documentaries or movies.

Definition of Memoir

The word ‘memoir’ is a French term which refers to reminiscence or remembrance. It is a memory written by the subject himself, in real time that presents a moral or message to the readers. It aims to explain how the subject learned a lesson from his experience or how he changed himself. The author of the memoir is called memorist. It covers a specific section, stage or time of the author’s life, that cause him to change like a turning point or a failure, etc.

A memoir is a less formal, often friendly work, which is supposed to cover the details that are accurate and facts based. It is structure-less i.e. it can begin at any point.

Key Differences Between Autobiography and Memoir

The significant differences between autobiography and memoir are described in the points given below:

• A form of literature, in which the subject writes or narrates his own life story, is known as Autobiography. The memoir is a literary genre, which is a collection of memories, written by the individual on the incidents and events occurred to him in his life.
• An autobiography contains intricate details about the life events of the subject. On the other hand, a memoir is more centralised in nature which focuses on the specific events that happened to the author.
• An autobiography covers the entire life of the subject, but a memoir spans a particular section or time or stage, of the memoirist’s life.
• An autobiography is written in first or third person, whereas a memoir is written in the first person.
• An autobiography focuses on all events of the life of the protagonist. In contrast, memoir, focuses on exploring any particular event or incident in depth, which is important to the memorist.
• An autobiography follows a chronological order while a memoir is structure-less i.e. it does not follow any order like a novel, it can start at any point.
• Nonfictional literary genre.
• Written by the subject himself.
• Written in the first person.

A memoir is recognised as a subgenre of the biography and autobiography. The basic difference between these two literary forms is that an autobiography is a story of a life that contains all the details of the life of the main character like birthplace, education, work, relationship, etc. of the subject. On the other hand, memoir focuses on a specific aspect of the lead character’s life.

You Might Also Like:

September 23, 2019 at 7:10 pm

I like it a lot

November 18, 2022 at 11:49 pm

Gracious! what an extraordinary post which I appreciated the most. Gratitude for sharing!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

American Author House: The Final Revival of Opal & Nev

American Author House: Philip Roth: The Biography

American Author House: The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country

American Author House: The Midnight Library: A Novel

American Author House: Win

American Author House: The Hate U Give

American Author House: The Lost Apothecary: A Novel

American Author House: Good Company: A Novel

• Let's Get Started
• Book Writing
• Ghost Writing
• Autobiography & Memoir
• Ebook Writing
• Article Writing/Publication
• Book Editing
• Book Publishing
• Book Video Trailer
• Author Website
• Book Marketing
• Book Cover Design
• Custom Book Illustration
• Professional Audio Book

Memoir vs. Autobiography: Understanding the Differences

• November 2, 2023

Table of Contents:

Definition of memoir, definition of autobiography, importance of understanding the differences between memoir and autobiography, clear purpose, writing style, connecting with the author, historical value, personal growth , authorship and perspective, scope and timeframe in memoirs and autobiographies,  how scope affects content, level of detail, emotional intimacy, breadth vs. depth, style and literary elements, target audience, market and publishing.

• What Is The Purpose Of Elie Wiesel's Memoir?
• What Is the Difference Between Graphic Novels Vs. Memoirs?
• What Is Self-Biography Writing?

Do Professional Book Publishing Services Prefer Memoirs or Autobiography?

Essential elements and detailed insights.

When documenting one’s life story, “ memoir” and “autobiography ” are often used interchangeably. However, they represent distinct genres of literature, each with its unique characteristics. In this article, we’ll dig into the world of memoirs and autobiographies , exploring their differences, purposes, writing styles, and much more.

A memoir is a special book where someone shares personal stories and feelings about a specific part of their life. It’s different from a full autobiography because it zooms in on particular moments or themes that greatly impact the author. This way, the author can create a story that’s not just about facts but also their emotions and thoughts.

Memoirs are known for being very emotional and showing the author’s point of view. They let readers see the author’s unique perspective on a certain time or event, which helps us feel closer to them. Reading a memoir, we can better understand how the author changed, faced challenges, achieved things, and learned important lessons. Memoirs stand out because they let us connect with the author’s personal experiences and feelings, making them a powerful way to understand the human journey on a deep level.

Unlike memoirs, which focus on specific emotional moments, autobiographies tell the whole life story of an author from the day they were born to the present. Autobiographies are like history books about a person’s life. They give you a factual and chronological account of everything in the author’s life without sticking to particular themes or events.

In an autobiography, you’ll find details about the author’s family, childhood, education, work, relationships, and important life events. They also talk about the author’s achievements, struggles, and how they changed over time. Autobiographies are valuable because they help us understand the historical, cultural, and societal background in which the author lived.

It’s important to know the difference between memoirs and autobiographies , whether you’re a writer or a reader. These differences affect how the story is told, what it’s about, and how readers connect. Let’s dig into why this matters.

For Authors:

Knowing whether you’re writing a memoir or an autobiography helps you set clear goals for your book. It guides what you write, your writing style, and how much personal stuff you’re comfortable sharing.

Memoirs are more personal and emotional, while autobiographies are factual and chronological. Understanding this helps you write in a way that fits the genre and what readers expect.

For Readers:

 If you know whether you’re reading, a memoir or an autobiography helps you know what to expect and how you’ll connect with the author. Memoirs are more personal and emotional, letting you understand the author’s inner thoughts and feelings. Autobiographies give a broader view of the author’s life.

 Autobiographies are like history books about a person’s life. They’re useful for historians and researchers to understand a specific time, culture, or society.

Memoirs, focusing on personal experiences and emotions, can inspire personal growth and reflection in both the author and the reader. You can learn from the author’s struggles and victories.

Memoirs are like personal conversations between the author and the reader. They use “I” to talk about the author’s experiences and feelings, which makes you feel close to their thoughts and emotions. This way, you see the story from the author’s point of view, and it’s like you’re right there with them. This makes you connect with the author and their story on a deep level.

Autobiographies give authors a choice. They can use “I” like in memoirs or talk about themselves using their name or words like “he” or “she” (third-person). When written in the first-person, autobiographies are a lot like memoirs. You get a direct look at the author’s experiences and emotions, creating a strong emotional connection.

But if autobiographies are written in the third-person, they can feel more distant and formal, like someone is describing the author’s life as an observer. This choice of perspective affects how the story is told and how readers feel about it.

The perspective choice in memoirs and autobiographies greatly affects how the story feels. With their first-person style, Memoirs make you feel like you’re right there with the author, experiencing everything alongside them. It’s a very personal and emotional way of telling a story.

Memoirs focus on certain parts of an author’s life, like special moments, specific times, or important relationships. They chose these parts because they meant a lot to the author or greatly impacted them. By zooming in on these moments, memoirs can dig deep into the author’s feelings and thoughts about them. This helps readers understand the author’s journey.

Memoirs can be about all kinds of things, like childhood, family, work challenges, or personal growth. What’s cool about them is that they give you a vivid and insightful look into the author’s life related to these specific parts.

Autobiographies are like a big picture of an author’s life, from when they were born to today. They cover everything about the author’s life, so you can see the whole story.

Autobiographers talk about many things, like their childhood, school, work, relationships, and big life events. This big scope gives you a complete view of the author’s life, following their journey from start to now. Autobiographies are like a tapestry that weaves together all the parts that made the author who they are.

The scope of the narrative, whether it’s a memoir or an autobiography, significantly influences the content and style of the work.

Memoirs, with their limited focus on specific events or periods, allow for greater detail. Authors can explore these moments intricately, describing emotions, thoughts, and personal growth in depth. Conversely, autobiography often provides a more general overview of various life stages, offering a less detailed examination of each.

Memoirs tend to be more emotionally intimate, concentrating on specific moments and personal reflections. Readers get a profound insight into the author’s inner world and the emotional impact of these events. While offering a comprehensive view, Autobiographies may not explore as deeply into the emotional aspects of each life stage.

Memoirs emphasize depth in their chosen topics, whereas autobiographies prioritize breadth, covering the entire life span. Memories can be more focused and profound in their exploration, while autobiographies offer a broader, more encompassing perspective.

Memoirs often feature a narrative style that emphasizes storytelling. They are emotionally charged, allowing readers to connect with the author’s experiences on a personal level. Autobiographies lean towards an informative and factual style, focusing on providing an accurate account of events. Emotions take a backseat to facts and details. The choice of writing style impacts the story and the reader’s experience. Memoirs draw readers into a personal journey, while autobiographies offer a more informative narrative.

Memoirs often target a more personal and emotionally engaged audience. Readers seeking to connect with the author’s experiences are the primary audience. Autobiographies appeal to a broader readership, including those interested in historical accounts and comprehensive life stories. Authors must consider their target audience when deciding between a memoir and an autobiography. Understanding the preferences of readers is essential.

Memoirs have found a significant place in today’s literary market, with readers seeking authentic and relatable stories. Autobiographies, too, have a stable presence in the publishing industry, often catering to readers interested in historical narratives. Authors must consider the market demand for their chosen genre when writing a memoir or autobiography.

What Is The Purpose Of Elie Wiesel’s Memoir ?

Elie Wiesel’s memoir, “Night,” serves to bear witness to the horrors of the Holocaust. Its purpose is to share his personal experience and the universal message of the importance of remembrance and human rights.

What Is the Difference Between Graphic Novels Vs. Memoirs ?

While both can tell personal stories, a graphic novel is a narrative told through illustrations, often fictional, while a memoir is a factual account of an author’s life experiences in written form.

What Is Self-Biography Writing ?

Self-biography writing documents one’s life story, experiences, and reflections in a written narrative. It involves the author sharing their own experiences and perspective.

Professional book publishing services like American Author House consider both genres, depending on market demand and the unique narrative. The choice often depends on the author’s goals and the story they wish to convey, with each genre having its strengths and audience appeal.

Understanding the differences between memoirs and autobiographies is crucial for authors and readers alike. Each genre offers a unique appeal and purpose, contributing to the diversity of literature. Authors should embrace the genre that resonates with their story, ultimately sharing their unique experiences.

limited Time offer

50% off on all services.

REDEEM YOUR COUPON: AAH50

Recommended Blogs

How to become a children’s book illustrator, usa today bestseller list: top-ranked books and authors, how much do freelance writers make a closer look, let's have a conversation to streamline your book writing and publishing we offer a comprehensive, fully managed book writing and publishing service designed to help you save valuable time., 50% off on all services redeem your coupon: aah50.

Automated page speed optimizations for fast site performance

Definition of Biography

A biography is the non- fiction , written history or account of a person’s life. Biographies are intended to give an objective portrayal of a person, written in the third person. Biographers collect information from the subject (if he/she is available), acquaintances of the subject, or in researching other sources such as reference material, experts, records, diaries, interviews, etc. Most biographers intend to present the life story of a person and establish the context of their story for the reader, whether in terms of history and/or the present day. In turn, the reader can be reasonably assured that the information presented about the biographical subject is as true and authentic as possible.

Biographies can be written about a person at any time, no matter if they are living or dead. However, there are limitations to biography as a literary device. Even if the subject is involved in the biographical process, the biographer is restricted in terms of access to the subject’s thoughts or feelings.

Biographical works typically include details of significant events that shape the life of the subject as well as information about their childhood, education, career, and relationships. Occasionally, a biography is made into another form of art such as a film or dramatic production. The musical production of “Hamilton” is an excellent example of a biographical work that has been turned into one of the most popular musical productions in Broadway history.

Common Examples of Biographical Subjects

Most people assume that the subject of a biography must be a person who is famous in some way. However, that’s not always the case. In general, biographical subjects tend to be interesting people who have pioneered something in their field of expertise or done something extraordinary for humanity. In addition, biographical subjects can be people who have experienced something unusual or heartbreaking, committed terrible acts, or who are especially gifted and/or talented.

As a literary device, biography is important because it allows readers to learn about someone’s story and history. This can be enlightening, inspiring, and meaningful in creating connections. Here are some common examples of biographical subjects:

• political leaders
• entrepreneurs
• historical figures
• serial killers
• notorious people
• political activists
• adventurers/explorers
• religious leaders
• military leaders
• cultural figures

Famous Examples of Biographical Works

The readership for biography tends to be those who enjoy learning about a certain person’s life or overall field related to the person. In addition, some readers enjoy the literary form of biography independent of the subject. Some biographical works become well-known due to either the person’s story or the way the work is written, gaining a readership of people who may not otherwise choose to read biography or are unfamiliar with its form.

Here are some famous examples of biographical works that are familiar to many readers outside of biography fans:

• Alexander Hamilton (Ron Chernow)
• Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder (Caroline Fraser)
• Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)
• Churchill: A Life (Martin Gilbert)
• The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary (Simon Winchester)
• A Beautiful Mind (Sylvia Nasar)
• The Black Rose (Tananarive Due)
• John Adams (David McCullough)
• Into the Wild ( Jon Krakauer )
• John Brown (W.E.B. Du Bois)
• Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo (Hayden Herrera)
• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (Rebecca Skloot)
• Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln (Doris Kearns Goodwin)
• Shirley Jackson : A Rather Haunted Life ( Ruth Franklin)
• the stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit (Michael Finkel)

Difference Between Biography, Autobiography, and Memoir

Biography, autobiography , and memoir are the three main forms used to tell the story of a person’s life. Though there are similarities between these forms, they have distinct differences in terms of the writing, style , and purpose.

A biography is an informational narrative and account of the life history of an individual person, written by someone who is not the subject of the biography. An autobiography is the story of an individual’s life, written by that individual. In general, an autobiography is presented chronologically with a focus on key events in the person’s life. Since the writer is the subject of an autobiography, it’s written in the first person and considered more subjective than objective, like a biography. In addition, autobiographies are often written late in the person’s life to present their life experiences, challenges, achievements, viewpoints, etc., across time.

Memoir refers to a written collection of a person’s significant memories, written by that person. Memoir doesn’t generally include biographical information or chronological events unless it’s relevant to the story being presented. The purpose of memoir is reflection and an intention to share a meaningful story as a means of creating an emotional connection with the reader. Memoirs are often presented in a narrative style that is both entertaining and thought-provoking.

Examples of Biography in Literature

An important subset of biography is literary biography. A literary biography applies biographical study and form to the lives of artists and writers. This poses some complications for writers of literary biographies in that they must balance the representation of the biographical subject, the artist or writer, as well as aspects of the subject’s literary works. This balance can be difficult to achieve in terms of judicious interpretation of biographical elements within an author’s literary work and consideration of the separate spheres of the artist and their art.

Literary biographies of artists and writers are among some of the most interesting biographical works. These biographies can also be very influential for readers, not only in terms of understanding the artist or writer’s personal story but the context of their work or literature as well. Here are some examples of well-known literary biographies:

Example 1:  Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay  (Nancy Milford)

One of the first things Vincent explained to Norma was that there was a certain freedom of language in the Village that mustn’t shock her. It wasn’t vulgar. ‘So we sat darning socks on Waverly Place and practiced the use of profanity as we stitched. Needle in, . Needle out, piss. Needle in, . Needle out, c. Until we were easy with the words.’

This passage reflects the way in which Milford is able to characterize St. Vincent Millay as a person interacting with her sister. Even avid readers of a writer’s work are often unaware of the artist’s private and personal natures, separate from their literature and art. Milford reflects the balance required on the part of a literary biographer of telling the writer’s life story without undermining or interfering with the meaning and understanding of the literature produced by the writer. Though biographical information can provide some influence and context for a writer’s literary subjects, style, and choices , there is a distinction between the fictional world created by a writer and the writer’s “real” world. However, a literary biographer can illuminate the writer’s story so that the reader of both the biography and the biographical subject’s literature finds greater meaning and significance.

Example 2:  The Invisible Woman: The Story of Nelly Ternan and Charles Dickens  (Claire Tomalin)

The season of domestic goodwill and festivity must have posed a problem to all good Victorian family men with more than one family to take care of, particularly when there were two lots of children to receive the demonstrations of paternal love.

Tomalin’s literary biography of Charles Dickens reveals the writer’s extramarital relationship with a woman named Nelly Ternan. Tomalin presents the complications that resulted for Dickens from this relationship in terms of his personal and family life as well as his professional writing and literary work. Revealing information such as an extramarital relationship can influence the way a reader may feel about the subject as a person, and in the case of literary biography it can influence the way readers feel about the subject’s literature as well. Artists and writers who are beloved , such as Charles Dickens, are often idealized by their devoted readers and society itself. However, as Tomalin’s biography of Dickens indicates, artists and writers are complicated and as subject to human failings as anyone else.

Example 3:  Virginia Woolf  (Hermione Lee)

‘A self that goes on changing is a self that goes on living’: so too with the biography of that self. And just as lives don’t stay still, so life-writing can’t be fixed and finalised. Our ideas are shifting about what can be said, our knowledge of human character is changing. The biographer has to pioneer, going ‘ahead of the rest of us, like the miner’s canary, testing the atmosphere , detecting falsity, unreality, and the presence of obsolete conventions’. So, ‘There are some stories which have to be retold by each generation’. She is talking about the story of Shelley, but she could be talking about her own life-story.

In this passage, Lee is able to demonstrate what her biographical subject, Virginia Woolf, felt about biography and a person telling their own or another person’s story. Literary biographies of well-known writers can be especially difficult to navigate in that both the author and biographical subject are writers, but completely separate and different people. As referenced in this passage by Lee, Woolf was aware of the subtleties and fluidity present in a person’s life which can be difficult to judiciously and effectively relay to a reader on the part of a biographer. In addition, Woolf offers insight into the fact that biographers must make choices in terms of what information is presented to the reader and the context in which it is offered, making them a “miner’s canary” as to how history will view and remember the biographical subject.

Post navigation

• Skip to main content
• Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

NPR's Book of the Day

• LISTEN & FOLLOW
• Apple Podcasts
• Google Podcasts
• Amazon Music

Your support helps make our show possible and unlocks access to our sponsor-free feed.

'Sociopath' is a memoir about how to live with – and treat – the social disorder

Patric Gagne says she realized at a young age that she wasn't like other kids. Shame, guilt, empathy — feelings running rampant on the playground — evaded her. Her new book, Sociopath , is about how she came to be diagnosed with sociopathy in college and how her own studies into clinical psychology shaped her understanding of the disorder. In today's episode, Gagne speaks with NPR's Michel Martin about her lived experiences as a sociopath, and how they actually led her to working as a therapist.

To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday

Author Interviews

Author's memoir details her struggle to accept she's a sociopath.

Advertisement

Supported by

Before He Died in Prison, Aleksei Navalny Wrote a Memoir. It’s Coming This Fall.

In the book, Navalny tells his story in his own words, chronicling his life, his rise as an opposition leader, and the attempts on his life.

• Share full article

By Alexandra Alter

During the years leading up to his death in a Russian prison, Aleksei A. Navalny , the Russian opposition leader, was writing a memoir about his life and work as a pro-democracy activist.

Titled “Patriot,” the memoir will be published in the United States by Knopf on Oct. 22, with a first printing of half a million copies, and a simultaneous release in multiple countries.

Navalny, who rose to global prominence as a fierce critic of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, resisted the Kremlin’s repeated attempts to silence him through physical harm, arrests and imprisonment in a remote Arctic penal colony, where he died in February , at age 47.

The book, telling his story in his own words, comes as a final show of defiance, his widow, Yulia Navalnaya, said in a statement, and could have a galvanizing effect on his followers.

“This book is a testament not only to Aleksei’s life, but to his unwavering commitment to the fight against dictatorship — a fight he gave everything for, including his life,” Navalnaya said. “Through its pages, readers will come to know the man I loved deeply — a man of profound integrity and unyielding courage. Sharing his story will not only honor his memory but also inspire others to stand up for what is right and to never lose sight of the values that truly matter.”

In a news release, Knopf said that the memoir “expresses Navalny’s total conviction that change cannot be resisted and will come.”

Navalny wrote the entire memoir himself, dictating some parts, and Yulia Navalnaya is working with the publisher to edit and finalize the manuscript, according to a Knopf representative. The book has already been translated into 11 languages, Navalnaya wrote on X , and a Russian-language edition of the book will be available.

The project is a more sensitive endeavor than most memoirs by high profile political figures. Navalny’s supporters and his team, which has carried on his work, continue to draw the scrutiny of Russian authorities as they direct criticism at the Kremlin against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine.

Navalny began working on his memoir in 2020, after surviving a near-fatal poisoning with a nerve agent, an attack that Western intelligence officials believed was a state-sponsored assassination attempt . The book covers his youth, his rise as a political activist, his marriage and family, his political career as an opposition leader, and the attempts on his life and attacks on those close to him, according to the publisher.

Navalny had political aspirations, but was barred from a presidential run following a conviction on fraud charges by a Russian court, widely seen as politically motivated. He exerted his political influence in other ways: organizing protests against Putin and building offices and investigative teams across the country to uncover corruption.

Navalny wrote much of the memoir while he was in Germany and recovering from poisoning. In February 2021, he returned to Russia, knowing that he would likely be detained or attacked again. He was arrested at the airport, and was later charged with embezzlement and fraud in a trial that international observers concluded was also politically motivated. In August 2023, he was charged with “extremism” and given a 19-year sentence. His harsh treatment in Russia’s severe penal colonies included lack of medical care and many stints in solitary confinement.

Addressing why he chose to go back to Russia to face almost certain imprisonment and possible death, Navalny said remaining in exile felt like a betrayal of his cause.

“I don’t want to give up either my country or my beliefs,” Navalny wrote in a Facebook post in January, shortly before his death. “I cannot betray either the first or the second. If your beliefs are worth something, you must be willing to stand up for them. And if necessary, make some sacrifices.”

Navalny’s return to Russia led to weeks of protests around the country, but they were eventually quashed in a fierce crackdown by the Kremlin. Even as Russia has shut down or driven away independent news media outlets and silenced many of its internal critics in an effort to smother political opposition, Navalny remained a vocal and influential figure who came to embody the country’s beleaguered pro-democracy movement.

Navalny maintained a presence on social media even behind bars, and remained a ferocious critic of Putin. His team, which was living and working in exile, continued to release exposés on corruption in Russia. He also kept working on the book, which includes never-before-seen correspondence from prison, according to the publisher.

Within Russia, thousands of his followers gathered for his funeral, despite the risk of being arrested by Russian authorities. Outside the church on the outskirts of Moscow where the service was held, people in the crowd chanted phrases like “Love is stronger than fear” and “Thank you, Aleksei.”

Even after his death, those who seek to carry on Navalny’s work and extend his legacy face threats and attacks. Last month, Leonid Volkov, who served as one of Navalny’s top organizers, was attacked with a hammer and tear gas outside his home in Lithuania’s capital.

Navalny was well aware that his activism put him at risk, but remained cheerfully defiant, with a wry, prankster-like persona that helped drive some of his viral online activism.

“I’m trying not to think about it a lot,” he said in an interview with CBS News in 2017. “If you start to think about what kind of risks I have, you cannot do anything.”

Alexandra Alter writes about books, publishing and the literary world for The Times. More about Alexandra Alter

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

Bald by Stuart Heritage review – hair today, gone tomorrow

An unexpected twist on the grief memoir sees the Guardian writer chart the five stages of male-pattern baldness

I t takes Stuart Heritage almost 30 pages to summon the courage to write about his comb-over days. There are hints of it on the way as he describes the slow-motion crisis of confidence that tracks his receding hairline. He applies the Kübler-Ross model of grief to his loss: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. The comb-over, he says, is part of the bargaining phase, when perceptions of reality can become tragically skewed.

When the remnants of his once generous mop do flop into view, Heritage, the author and longtime Guardian contributor, does what he does best: he lays on the laughs. Men who resort to comb-overs resist the cold clippers of acceptance because any hair can feel better than none, “even if what they’ve got looks like five long strands draped across their head like spaghetti on a beach ball”.

As we slapheads know, bare bonces become inescapable identifiers and gag magnets. In Bald: How I Slowly Learned to Not Hate Having No Hair, Heritage reclaims the wisecracks. I snorted throughout what amounts to the funniest imaginable version of a grief memoir.

Happily, all the wry self-deprecation packed into an appropriately thin volume serves a grander goal: to convince the two-thirds of men who will suffer some degree of hair loss by the age of 60 to be at peace with the fact “your wonderful glossy hair is probably wrapped around a fatberg in a sewer somewhere” – and learn to love what’s left.

Just as Heritage’s earlier book about his relationship with his brother, Don’t Be a Dick, Pete , was as much about modern masculinity as fraternal love, so Bald manages brilliantly to unpack male vanity and insecurity. It’s a book I couldn’t have written: I feel blessed never to have really cared about losing my hair in my 20s, although on reflection (and having just scrolled through my phone’s “selfie” reel) it took me way too long to reach for the clippers. But I know how emotionally crippling the process can be.

Heritage relays his denial and anger phases with often moving candour. Before his comb-over came the “Regaine years”, during which the writer tried to preserve his surviving hair in a “zombified state”. I could almost picture him wincing as he recalls the pile of empty Regaine tubs hidden in the back of his wardrobe lest anyone spot them in the bin.

He breaks up the text with a genuinely informative glossary, including hair loss science that was new to me. Later he gives sensitivity scores to the things people say to balding men. (I’ll never hear “you have a nice-shaped head” in the same way again.) And there’s a rundown of his “bald heroes”; Stanley Tucci tops a list that also includes the writer’s father, whose obliviousness to baldness is ultimately inspiring.

There are some deftly handled interviews. A barber and a menswear stylist provide succour and practical advice. And there’s a poignant conversation with Fiona, a friend whose experience of hair loss following treatment for a brain tumour helps snap Heritage out of the depression stage.

The writer presents himself as a balding mentor and – in time – champion. He stands ready to hold the hand of any vulnerable man who might otherwise fall into a pit of despair on the internet. Online, he points out, searches for help tend to lead to content created by a hair-loss treatment industry that survives by making people feel bad about themselves.

after newsletter promotion

It all leads to a concluding conversation with a huge name in balding that comes as such a joyous surprise that it would be churlish to spoil it here. Let’s just say the guy on the other end of the Zoom call says something that lights up Heritage’s eyes like those of a Sunday league player told by Lionel Messi that he has a great first touch. At last our hairless guide finds himself in the acceptance phase. So, too, will any reader even a little bit worried about balding – ideally before the comb-over days.

• Autobiography and memoir
• Book of the day
• Health, mind and body books

Most viewed

• Election 2024
• Entertainment
• Newsletters
• Photography
• Personal Finance
• AP Investigations
• AP Buyline Personal Finance
• AP Buyline Shopping
• Press Releases
• Israel-Hamas War
• Russia-Ukraine War
• Global elections
• Asia Pacific
• Latin America
• Middle East
• Election Results
• Delegate Tracker
• AP & Elections
• Auto Racing
• 2024 Paris Olympic Games
• Movie reviews
• Book reviews
• Personal finance
• Financial Markets
• Business Highlights
• Financial wellness
• Artificial Intelligence
• Social Media

Nancy Pelosi book, ‘The Art of Power,’ will reflect on her career in public life

FILE - Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., talks to The Associated Press on April 19, 2023, at the Capitol in Washington. Pelosi has completed a book about her years in public life, from legislation she helped enact to such traumatizing moments as the Jan. 6, 2021, siege of the U.S. Capitol and the assault at her San Francisco home that left her husband with a fractured skull. Simon & Schuster announced Thursday, April 18, 2024, that Pelosi’s “The Art of Power” will be released Aug. 6. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

This image provided by Simon & Schuster shows the cover of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s new book, “The Art of Power.” Simon & Schuster announced Thursday, April, 18, 2024, that Pelosi’s book will be released Aug. 6. (Simon & Schuster via AP)

• Copy Link copied

NEW YORK (AP) — Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has completed a book about her years in public life, from legislation she helped enact to such traumatizing moments as the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol and the assault at her San Francisco home that left her husband with a fractured skull.

Simon & Schuster announced Thursday that Pelosi’s “The Art of Power” will be released Aug. 6.

“People always ask me how I did what I did in the House,” Pelosi, the first woman to become speaker, said in a statement. “In ‘The Art of Power,’ I reveal how — and more importantly, why.”

Pelosi, 84, was first elected to the House in 1987, rose to minority leader in 2003 and to speaker four years later, when the Democrats became the majority party. She served as speaker from 2007-2011, and again from 2019-2023, and was widely credited with helping to mobilize support for and pass such landmark bills as the Affordable Care Act and the Inflation Reduction Act.

She stepped away from any leadership positions after Republicans retook the majority in the 2022 elections, but she continues to represent California’s 11th district.

According to Simon & Schuster, Pelosi also will offer a “personal account” of Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of President Donald Trump’s supporters rampaged through the Capitol as Congress voted to certify Joe Biden’s victory over Trump. She also recounts the night in 2022 when an intruder broke into the Pelosi home and assaulted her husband, Paul Pelosi, with a hammer. (Nancy Pelosi was in Washington at the time).

“Pelosi shares that horrifying day and the traumatic aftermath for her and her family,” the publisher’s announcement reads in part.

Pelosi’s previous book, “Know Your Power: A Message to America’s Daughters,” came out in 2008. In 2022, she was the subject of the HBO documentary “Pelosi in the House,” made by daughter Alexandra Pelosi.