Best audible autobiographies read by author

While you might not know Patty Lin’s name, you absolutely know her work. The former TV writer worked on popular TV shows like Desperate Housewives, Friends, and Freaks and Geeks. Her work on Breaking Bad earned her a Peabody Award and a Writers Guild of America nomination for Outstanding Script in Episodic Drama.

Lin’s candid autobiography is painfully honest about the mental and physical toll involved in pursuing a “dream” career in television. Incredibly human and endlessly endearing, “End Credits” is a refreshing testament to quitting at the right time.

George Floyd’s devastating murder in 2020 inspired worldwide protests and the Black Lives Matter movement to go global. In His Name Is George Floyd, readers are introduced to the man himself, from his early childhood to becoming a father himself.

Using accounts from those closest to him, Floyd’s humanity is placed front and center, alongside the structural racism that impacted him throughout his life. A call to action and a stark reminder of the real person behind the headlines, this biography is both a beautiful tribute and a strong indictment of the way racism continues to destroy lives.

Most people recall the Beanie Baby craze of the late ’90s, which led to widespread stockpiling of the tiny cuddly toys and suggestions of unbelievable worth. Zac Bissonnette’s examination of the person behind Beanie Babies, Ty Warner, tracks the unlikely beginnings of an eccentric toymaker.

By speaking to Warner’s family members, former employees, and ex-girlfriends, the author understands the reality behind one of the wildest obsessions to capture consumers’ imaginations. A weird and wonderful burst of nostalgia and an unprecedented look at a former retail icon.

Jessica Bruder’s wide-ranging non-fiction book, Nomadland, doubles as a biography of sorts and was turned into Chloé Zhao’s Oscar-winning movie of the same name.

Traveling across the United States, Bruder meets people who live on the road, relegated to their vehicles and congregating at campsites, many lacking the funds to navigate a traditional retirement. Linda, a 64-year-old grandmother who lives in her Jeep, recurs throughout the book, attempting to save money to purchase a parcel of land. Moving from place to place, the nomads in Bruder’s book take on temporary jobs, trying to sustain lifestyles made impossible without health insurance.

Wild Swans is a biography in three parts. In the century-spanning tome, author Jung Chang explores the lives of her grandmother, mother, and herself. Chang’s grandmother had her feet bound and was married off to a warlord who already had many concubines. Chang’s mother lived a very different life, joining the Chinese Communist Party and Mao Zedong’s Red Army as a teenager.

Chang reckons with her family’s history as well as the Cultural Revolution that took place in her youth, influencing the person she would become.

Diana: Her True Story—In Her Own Words is widely known as the gold standard of royal biographies. The candid book was authorized by the former Princess of Wales herself, who spoke to Morton at length to provide intimate details only she knew.

Released in the summer of 1992, mere months before Diana announced her separation from Prince Charles, the shocking biography reveals the princess’ suicidal ideation and marriage difficulties. Seen as scandalous in the wake of Diana’s 1997 death, Morton’s book has since become regarded as a truthful portrait of the Princess of Wales’ short life.

Before founding the majorly successful beauty brand Glossier, Emily Weiss had an unforgettable brush with fame. When Lauren Conrad and Whitney Port interned at Teen Vogue on MTV’s The Hills, Weiss was their competition.

Meltzer’s book examines Glossier as a company, alongside its founder, exploring how Weiss made the jump from reality TV antagonist to the person behind a billion-dollar business. While Weiss may remain somewhat of an enigma, Glossy sheds at least a little light on the impressive entrepreneur’s life.

The Soloist was turned into a movie starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx, highlighting the difficulty unhoused people face in America. Based on a series of columns, Steve Lopez’s book tells the unlikely story of how a journalist met a Juilliard-trained classical bass player living on Skid Row in Los Angeles.

By exploring the issues faced by unhoused individuals, particularly those with mental health and medical issues, Lopez endeavors to improve Nathaniel Ayers’ situation. The longer he spends helping Ayers, the more Lopez realizes he has gained.

Patrick Radden Keefe’s examination of the Sackler family can be categorized in many ways, but the book’s focus on Arther Sackler’s involvement in the family business, Purdue Pharma, is a gripping examination of where the “opioid epidemic” allegedly began.

Revered by many, the Sackler family’s complicated legacy is laid bare by Radden Keefe, known for his piercing investigative journalism. What at first seems like an impenetrable family unit starts showing signs of breaking when their pharmaceutical venture is legally pursued.

Malcolm X’s seminal work was the product of a collaboration with journalist Alex Haley, who wrote the book's epilogue after the activists’ assassination in 1965. Despite being called an autobiography, Haley wrote the book after interviewing Malcolm X over several years; he was widely regarded as having captured the civil rights leader’s philosophies.

Exploring Malcolm X’s challenging childhood and family life, right through to his emergence as an advocate for Black people’s rights, this biography is an important work of history that continues to stand the test of time.