Make We Love Memoirs Day memorable by stepping into the lives and journeys of others.

Since 2013, August 31 has been recognized as We Love Memoirs Day, a celebration of this compelling and personal genre. Unlike an autobiography, which spans an entire life, a memoir captures a significant period or deeply intimate moment. Here are several captivating memoirs that showcase the depth, resilience, and beauty of the human spirit:

PROPERTY OF THE REVOLUTION

Ana Hebra Flaster’s memoir paints a history-rich portrait of a Cuban refugee family who fled post-revolutionary Havana for a snowy New Hampshire mill town in 1967. Through vivid vignettes, she brings to life her childhood with her abuela, tias, cousins, and canaries. The women’s stories of a scrappy Havana barrio became family legends of resilience and defiance. As she charts her path from refugee child to accomplished professional, Ana also confronts the hidden emotional toll of displacement. Her personal reckoning serves as a heartfelt meditation on the immigrant experience, rich with detail, full of heart, and grounded in unbreakable family bonds.

Read more about author Ana Hebra Flaster. Order Property of the Revolution via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Bookshop.org

MEANT FOR MORE

Karen Olson, a successful marketing executive, felt the same longing for something more that many people experience—a search for richer meaning in life beyond material goods or status. Then, one fall day in 1981, as she hurried to a business meeting in New York City, she noticed an elderly, homeless woman outside Grand Central Station. Impulsively, she bought the woman a sandwich and an orange juice, listened to her story, and learned her name: Millie. This small act of kindness changed the trajectory of Karen’s life. She went on to dedicate herself to those in need and founded Family Promise, a national nonprofit that now serves more than 180,000 people each year. In Meant for More, Karen tells her story, from tragedy in childhood to an adulthood of compassion and service, offering an inspiring call to action: when you reach out beyond yourself to help others, happiness will follow.

Read more about author Karen Olson. Order Meant for More via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Bookshop.org.

I KNEW A MAN WHO KNEW BRAHMS

At fifteen, Nancy Shear began sneaking into Philadelphia Orchestra concerts; by seventeen, she was on the library staff, and a year later, Leopold Stokowski’s musical assistant. Breaking barriers in a male-dominated world, she found inspiration and protection through music. Her memoir takes readers into rehearsals, homes, and the minds of legendary artists like Mstislav Rostropovich and Eugene Ormandy—revealing both their brilliance and flaws. Accessible to both music lovers and newcomers, it’s a love letter to classical music and a testament to passion, determination, and survival.

Read more about author Nancy Shear. Order I Knew a Man Who Knew Brahms via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Bookshop.org.

HELLO? WHO IS THIS? MARGARET?

Dani Alpert is an expert on the fortitude and delusion required to pursue childhood dreams that just won’t drop dead. Her stories are a case study in the human spirit’s tenacity and its ability to keep going in the face of crushing rejection. For years, she toiled in the entertainment business, where the only responses she received were “Almost,” “So close,” or “Not quite.” Humor was the life vest that kept her afloat. Some of Dani’s stories dive into childhood and creative ambitions, others into crippling adult fears and self-doubt. Whether describing Hollywood rejection, shopping for gas masks during COVID, or a post-breakup trip to a couples’ resort, she delivers witty, self-aware tales that speak to the hopeful in all of us.

Read more about author Dani Alpert. Order Hello? Who is this? Margaret? via Amazon or Bookshop.org.

MY MOTHER ALWAYS SAYS

In a world dominated by fleeting trends and youthful influencers, My Mother Always Says offers something more enduring—a collection of life lessons from a remarkable 93-year-old woman and her daughter. Gwen Borden’s reflections, paired with practical insights from her daughter, Amy Goober, invite readers to not only connect with some of the most notable events of the 20th century but to reflect on their own lives and the lessons they’ve learned from the women who walked before them. Born during the Great Depression and a polio epidemic, Gwen’s life spans nearly a century of challenges and triumphs, revealing how resilience, perspective, and determination can turn struggles into growth. This book is a tribute to women’s strength across generations and the wisdom of a life well lived.

Read more about authors Amy Goober & Gwen Borden. Order My Mother Always Says via Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

RETHINKING POSSIBLE

Becky Galli was born into a southern family that valued the power of a plan, with a pastor father and stay-at-home mother shaping her idyllic childhood. But when her 17-year-old brother died in a waterskiing accident, the slow unraveling of her perfect family began. Determined to build her own version of that life, she pursued marriage, career, and children—only to face unimaginable challenges: her son’s undiagnosed degenerative disease and death, her daughter’s autism diagnosis, divorce, and finally, a sudden illness that left her paralyzed from the waist down. Despite such tragedy, Galli held fast to her belief in family, faith, and unconditional love. Rethinking Possible is both heartbreaking and inspiring, a story of resilience and the choices we make when life veers down paths we never envisioned.

Read more about author Rebecca Faye Smith Galli. Order Rethinking Possible via Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

IDENTITY THEFT

When Stanford professor Debra Meyerson was left physically incapacitated and unable to speak after a severe stroke, she embarked on the challenging work of regaining not only function, but also identity. Drawing on her own experience and the stories of dozens of survivors and caregivers, she sheds light on the emotional side of recovery that often goes unspoken. Co-authored with her husband, Steve Zuckerman, this expanded second edition adds five years of insight shaped by their nonprofit, Stroke Onward, and thousands of conversations. It’s a message of hope, practical advice, and a call to reform stroke care to support lifelong emotional healing.

Read more about authors Debra E. Meyerson & Steve Zuckerman. Order Identity Theft via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Bookshop.org.

Together, these memoirs remind us why the genre holds such enduring power, each offering a deeply personal lens on the human experience. On We Love Memoirs Day, they stand as a celebration of truth-telling in its most personal form and an invitation for readers to see their own lives reflected in the pages.

Looking for more book recommendations? Check out:

• Memoir We Love for We Love Memoirs Day (2023)
• The Significance of Memoirs and How to Publicize Them
• 19 Tips to Read More This Year