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Some sociologists and psychologists have noted that an autobiography offers the author the ability to recreate history. Here are 10 of the best autobiographies, in no qualitative order, everyone should read to know about the struggles of people who tasted success in the most acrimonious socio-economic-political times.
- ‘The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin’
Written from 1771 to 1790, this book contains the life history of one of America’s founding fathers. Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography will tell you how a lower-middle class youth rose to become one of the most admired men in the world. It will also tell you how Franklin believed in the American dream, and indicated the possibilities of life in the New World. He proved to the world that hard work pays.
“The first book to belong permanently to literature. It created a man,” from the Introduction in the book.
Few men could compare to Benjamin Franklin. Virtually self-taught, he excelled as an athlete, a man of letters, a printer, a scientist, a wit, an inventor, an editor, and a writer, and he was probably the most successful diplomat in American history. David Hume hailed him as the first great philosopher and a great man of letters in the New World. Written initially to guide his son, Franklin’s autobiography is a lively, spellbinding account of his unique and eventful life. Stylistically his best work, it has become a classic in world literature, one to inspire and delight readers everywhere. Another reason why this is a classic is due to historical factors. It reveals how life was in the 18th Century, the idealism, the intellectualism and optimistic beliefs are very well expressed. This autobiography contains four parts and is totally worth a read!
- ‘Long Walk to Freedom’ by Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela is one of the great moral and political leaders of our time: an international hero whose lifelong dedication to the fight against racial oppression in South Africa won him the Nobel Peace Prize and the presidency of his country. Since his triumphant release in 1990 from more than a quarter-century of imprisonment, Mandela has been at the center of the most compelling and inspiring political drama in the world. As president of the African National Congress and head of South Africa’s anti Apartheid movement, he was instrumental in moving the nation toward multi-racial government and majority rule. He is revered everywhere as a vital force in the fight for human rights and racial equality.
LONG WALK TO FREEDOM is his moving and exhilarating autobiography, destined to take its place among the finest memoirs of one of history’s greatest figures. Here for the first time, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela tells the extraordinary story of his life — an epic struggle, setback, renewed hope, and ultimate triumph. Nelson Mandela’s autobiography contains every element of knowledge you want to know about this legendary leader. Starting from his childhood, growing up into a freedom fighter, to his 27 years in prison, and his significant role in moulding a new, democratic South Africa, this book has it all. It also contains in-depth analysis of Mandela’s perception of the anti-Apartheid struggle of the South Africans. In simple words, this book is Mandela’s long walk to freedom!
- ‘The Story of My Experiments with Truth’ by Mahatma Gandhi
In his classic autobiography, he recounts the story of his life and how he developed his concept of active non-violent resistance, which propelled the Indian struggle for independence and countless other non-violent struggles of the 20th century. Mahatma Gandhi’s autobiography is a frank and humble account that highlights the moral and spiritual side of an extraordinary leader. This book is firmly rooted in the historical background of the 40 years he spent in India. It has every detail of Gandhi’s life, historical and political incidents, and his personal philosophy of life. It is a beautiful book, not to be missed at all!
- ‘The Diary of a Young Girl’ by Anne Frank
Discovered in the attic in which she spent the last years of her life, Anne Frank’s remarkable diary has since become a world classic—a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and an eloquent testament to the human spirit. In 1942, with Nazis occupying Holland, a 13-year-old Jewish girl and her family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. For the next two years, until their whereabouts were betrayed to the Gestapo, they and another family lived cloistered in the ‘Secret Annexe’ of an old office building.
Cut off from the outside world, they faced hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters, and the ever-present threat of discovery and death. In her diary, Anne Frank recorded vivid impressions of her experiences during this period. By turns thoughtful, moving, and amusing, her account offers a fascinating commentary on human courage and frailty and a compelling self-portrait of a sensitive and spirited young woman whose promise was tragically cut short. It also states how her life was while in hiding, her emotional roller coaster, her opinions on other people’s behaviour, and her loneliness. Her diary ends shortly after her 15th birthday.
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‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’ by Maya Angelou
‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’ by Maya AngelouIt starts from how her life changed after her parents’ divorce, how she was raped by her mother’s live-in boyfriend, how she overcame her trauma, and all the events that interlocked in between. Sent by their mother to live with their devout, self-sufficient grandmother in a small Southern town, Maya and her brother, Bailey, endure the ache of abandonment and the prejudice of the local “po-white-trash.” Years later, in San Francisco, Maya learns that love for herself, the kindness of others, her own strong spirit, and the ideas of great authors (“I met and fell in love with William Shakespeare”) will allow her to be free instead of imprisoned. Poetic and powerful, ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’ will touch hearts and change minds for as long as people read. This beautiful piece of literature teaches us the hardships of life and the extreme racism the Black Americans used to face at one time.
- ‘The Autobiography of Malcolm X’
Malcolm X—once known as the most dangerous man in America—challenged the world to listen and learn the truth as he experienced it. And his enduring message is as relevant today as when he first delivered it. Raised in Lansing, Michigan, Malcolm Little journeyed on a road to fame as astonishing as it was unpredictable. Drifting from childhood poverty to petty crime, Malcolm found himself in jail. It was there that he came into contact with the teachings of a little-known Black Muslim leader renamed Elijah Muhammad.
When his conscience forced him to break with Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm founded the Organization of Afro-American Unity to reach African Americans across the country with an inspiring message of pride, power, and self-determination. ‘The Autobiography of Malcolm X’ defines American culture and the African American struggle for social and economic equality that has now become a battle for survival. Malcolm’s fascinating perspective on the lies and limitations of the American dream, and the inherent racism in a society that denies its non-White citizens the opportunity to dream, gives extraordinary insight into the most urgent issues of our own time.
‘The Autobiography of Malcolm X’ stands as the definitive statement of a movement and a man whose work was never completed but whose message is timeless. It is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand America.
- ‘Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi’
During the early 1990s and mid-2000s, this dashing man had dominated the tennis court with not just his charm and fashion, but also with his talent in the game. From Andre Agassi, one of the most beloved sportsmen in history and one of the most gifted men ever to step onto a tennis court, a beautiful, haunting autobiography. Agassi’s incredibly rigorous training begins when he is just a child. By the age of 13, he is banished to a Florida tennis camp that feels like a prison camp. Lonely, scared, a ninth-grade dropout, he rebels in ways that will soon make him a 1980s icon. And yet, despite his raw talent, he struggles early on. We feel his confusion as he loses to the world’s best, his greater confusion as he starts to win. After stumbling in three Grand Slam finals, Agassi shocks the world, and himself, by capturing the 1992 Wimbledon. Overnight he becomes a fan favourite and a media target. And he recounts his spectacular resurrection, a comeback climaxing with his epic run at the 1999 French Open and his march to become the oldest man ever ranked number one.
With its breakneck tempo and raw candour, ‘Open’ will be read and cherished for years. A treat for ardent fans, it will also captivate readers who know nothing about tennis. Like Agassi’s game, it sets a new standard for grace, style, speed, and power. This former world number one wrote about his life account, confessing to controversies, his love life, and his “hate” for the game.
- ‘Mein Kampf’ by Adolf Hitler
To understand Hitler, you must read this autobiography. If you start reading this book, you will be able to comprehend the “other side” of this tyrant and mass murderer. Mein Kampf is a German phrase meaning My Struggle. This book frankly depicts his childhood, early aspirations, his conflict with his father, his rise in politics, and his hatred of the Jews. It is also an autobiographical manifesto in which he outlines his political ideology and future plans for Germany. Hitler began dictating the book to Hess while being imprisoned for what he considered to be “political crimes” following his failed Putsch in Munich in November 1923. Although Hitler received many visitors initially, he soon devoted himself entirely to the book. As he continued, Hitler realized that it would have to be a two-volume work, with the first volume scheduled for release in early 1925. The governor of Landsberg noted at the time that “he [Hitler] hopes the book will run into many editions, thus enabling him to fulfil his financial obligations and to defray the expenses incurred at the time of his trial.”
- ‘Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!’ by Richard P. Feynman
‘Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character’ is an edited collection of reminiscences by the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman. The book, released in 1985, covers a variety of instances in Feynman’s life. Some are light-hearted in tone, such as his fascination with safe-cracking, studying various languages, participating with groups of people who share different interests (such as biology or philosophy), and ventures into art and samba music. Others cover more serious material, including his work on the Manhattan Project (during which his first wife Arline Greenbaum died of tuberculosis) and his critique of the science education system in Brazil. The section ‘Monster Minds’ describes his slightly nervous presentation of his graduate work on the Wheeler–Feynman absorber theory in front of Albert Einstein, Wolfgang Pauli and other major figures of the time.
The anecdotes were edited from taped conversations that Feynman had with his close friend and drumming partner Ralph Leighton. The title derives from a woman’s response at Princeton University when, after she asked the newly arrived Feynman if he wanted cream or lemon in his tea, he naïvely requested both.
- ‘Twelve Years a Slave’ by Solomon Northup
This unforgettable memoir was the basis for the Academy Award-winning film ‘12 Years a Slave’. This is the true story of Solomon Northup, who was born and raised as a freeman in New York. He lived the American dream, with a house and a loving family — a wife and two kids. Then one day he was drugged, kidnapped, and sold into slavery in the Deep South. These are the true accounts of his 12 hard years as a slave — many believe this memoir is even more graphic and disturbing than the film. His extraordinary journey proves the resilience of hope and the human spirit despite the most gruelling and formidable of circumstances.