Content Warning: The literature mentioned in this article contains references to suicide and domestic abuse.
2024 saw the increasing domination of the BookTok community, and with a lifetime of recommendations, the millions of literary fans gravitate to their favourites. Often these all follow a similar formula (though that is a discussion for a later date) but in the smaller corners of the platform you might find an unwavering fanbase to the memoir genre. With 2025 expected to be another year of BookTok in control, here is a starter-pack of recommendations to get yourself ready to venture into the world of memoirs.
Released in 2024, the year of the BookTok, Committed: On Meaning and Madwomen by Suzanne Scanlon follows the authors story of gut-wrenched grieving, landing her in New York's State Psychiatric Institute. While difficult to summarise beyond that, with its rich story of life, the memoir is an enchantingly raw look at the relationship between becoming a woman and going mad.
Imagine living in a world where there were no words to describe who you are to those around you. Patric Gagne's Sociopath: A Memoir is exactly that. Balancing the struggles of growing up, Gagne spends her life aware that she is not like the rest, struggling to define her disconnect from emotions up until her time in college. This memoir is an essential reflection on inclusion and the boundaries on how far society lets it go.
In The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado stands out in this list of memoirs. It's unique writing style, turning terror into tales, resonates with the generation of laugh, don't cry. Machado tells the story of her abusive ex-girlfriend, and explores the traditionally taboo side of relationships within the four walls of the Dream House.
As the most recent release on this list, The House of My Mother by Shari Franke, is the focal point of a lot of peoples discussions. The true story behind the infamous 8 Passengers family is given a new free release of life, told from the very centre of the tale. As Franke's departing work from the internet, the narrative is set straight for the children of this family.
Like most genres, memoirs too have the obvious first choice. Tara Westover's Educated may take the spot as the beginners ultimate starting point. The survivalist narrative of Westover's journey to free herself from Mormonism is no longer a new idea in modern culture, but this memoir takes it one step further. Educated focuses on the importance of education and the battle to learn without boundaries.