Compelling Coming-of-Age-Memoirs

In this memoir, the author reveals how she and her twin sister survived the physical and emotional effects of a rare disfiguring condition called Crouzon Syndrome.

An ordinary Pakistani girl is shot by the Taliban while fighting for her right to an education. Co-written with Patricia McCormick, in this memoir, Malala Yousafzai, the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, tells her story.

In this memoir, told in graphic form, Robin Ha recounts her experiences as a young immigrant from South Korea.

In this acclaimed memoir, Tara Westover recounts growing up in the remote mountains of Idaho with her survivalist parents.

In this classic autobiography, the accomplished poet and writer recounts her childhood and teenage years.

In this memoir, Gansworth explores his experiences growing up on a Native American reservation.

In a series of autobiographical poems, Jacqueline Woodson vividly brings her childhood and adolescence to life. This memoir in verse won the National Book Award, the Coretta Scott King Award, and the Newbery Honor Award.

In this memoir Jeannette Walls recounts a turbulent childhood with her eccentric and dysfunctional family.

This memoir recounts Noah's childhood in South Africa during the last years of apartheid.

Author and artist Jarrett J. Krosoczka, the creator of the Lunch Lady graphic novels, was raised by his grandparents due to his mother's struggles with addiction. In this memoir, he recounts growing up in a complicated and sometimes troubled family.

In this memoir, Richard Rodriguez considers the ways in which his education isolated him from his family, background, and culture.

Growing up in South Africa under apartheid, Mark Mathabane and his siblings struggled to survive in an impoverished ghetto. In this memoir, he describes how education and a talent for tennis helped him to escape the poverty and violence of his childhood.

In 1957, Melba Pattillo Beals was one of nine African-American students who integrated Little Rock Central High School, an experience she discusses in her celebrated memoir Warriors Don't Cry. In this follow-up, she recounts growing up in the South under oppressive Jim Crow laws.

Using novelistic techniques, this autobiography details Wright's coming of age during the Jim Crow era.

After surviving a massacre in her home country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, ten-year-old Sandra Uwiringiyimana came to the United States to start a new life. In this harrowing and affecting memoir, she recounts her childhood, her experiences as an immigrant in America, and her humanitarian work.

Originally published under the title Rocket Boys, this memoir recounts the story of six rocket-obsessed friends growing up in a small West Virginia mining town in the 1950s.

Born with a large tumor on his face, Hoge survived multiple surgeries — but faced bullying and cruelty because of his atypical appearance. In this memoir, Hoge recounts how he learned to embrace his differences.

In this memoir, ballet dancer Michaela DePrince recounts her difficult childhood in Sierra Leone, her adoption by an American family, and her success as a ballerina.

When her mother could not care for her, Ashley Rhodes-Courter moved between fourteen different foster homes over nine years. In this memoir, she retraces her heartbreaking journey.

In this memoir, Rex Ogle recounts his family's struggles with poverty, hunger, and violence.

In this graphic memoir, Malaka Gharib recounts growing up in America while navigating her Filipino and Egyptian heritage.

In this memoir, told in verse, poet Nikki Grimes explores her traumatic childhood and the development of her love of writing.

In this memoir, Brierley, who was adopted by an Australian couple, describes his search for his family of origin in India.

In this unflinching memoir, George M. Johnson interweaves personal history with reflections on systemic oppression.

In this memoir, Jospeh Lemosolai Lekuton recounts his experiences of growing up as a member of the Maasai tribe in Kenya and his journey to America for college.

In this memoir, Francisco Jiménez details his family's experiences as Mexican immigrants in the United states during the 1950s and 1960s.

In this graphic memoir, the author recounts the struggles of middle school and how a three-week European group trip transformed his life in positive ways at the age of thirteen.