{"id":38959,"date":"2016-12-23T16:00:25","date_gmt":"2016-12-23T21:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.realstylenetwork.com\/lifestyle\/?p=38959"},"modified":"2017-09-15T10:15:35","modified_gmt":"2017-09-15T14:15:35","slug":"top-biographies-and-memoirs-of-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.realstylenetwork.com\/lifestyle\/2016\/12\/top-biographies-and-memoirs-of-2016\/","title":{"rendered":"Top Biographies And Memoirs of 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

From a posthumous memoir to a rock icon\u2019s first foray into autobiography, 2016 was nothing short of sensational for biography and memoir lovers. Whether you\u2019re looking for that perfect last minute Christmas present or an enthralling read for your own holiday downtime, this year\u2019s selection of non-fiction works is one of the most diverse in recent years.  Keep reading to check out our list of the most exciting biographies and memoirs of 2016.<\/p>\n

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Photo: springsteen on Instagram<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Born To Run<\/em> by Bruce Springsteen, Simon & Schuster<\/strong><\/p>\n

Considering his everlasting star power, it came of little surprise that the release of Bruce Springsteen\u2019s autobiography was a smash hit this year. Written over a seven year period with a co-writer, this 500-page book details the singer\u2019s life, from childhood to Born in the USA <\/em>to the Super Bowl halftime show and everything in between. The rock icon\u2019s \u201ctell it like it is\u201d attitude and humble nature keeps Born To Run <\/em>from stumbling into vanity project territory. Springsteen\u2019s foray into non-fiction proves that the songwriter\u2019s lyrical talents easily transfer over to the page.<\/p>\n

When Breath Becomes Air<\/em> by Paul Kalanithi, Random House <\/strong><\/p>\n

It’s said that only in the face of death do we truly reflect on life. This is true of Stanford neurosurgical resident Paul Kalanithi, who, upon being diagnosed with stage IV metastatic lung cancer at age 36, set out to write a memoir. Published posthumously this year, the book serves as a reflection on his own life, as well as the nature of human mortality. Told in a eloquent yet matter of fact tone, When Breath Becomes Air <\/em>details one man\u2019s tragic journey from a surgeon\u2019s coat to a patient\u2019s gown.<\/p>\n

Stories I Tell Myself<\/em> by Juan F. Thompson, Knopf<\/strong><\/p>\n

Part biography, part memoir, Stories I Tell Myself <\/em>is a portrait of troubled journalist Hunter S. Thompson from the perspective of his son, Juan Thompson. The book is written as a chronological timeline of his father\u2019s life in relation to his own, in which Thompson details their unique relationship up to the point of Thompson\u2019s suicide. Known as the pioneer of \u201cgonzo journalism,\u201d Hunter S. Thompson was infamous for his wild persona and drug use. Despite this, Juan Thompson\u2019s memoir offers a touching and thoughtful depiction of a writer who didn\u2019t quite know how to tackle fatherhood.<\/p>\n

The Return: Fathers, Sons, and the Land in Between <\/em>by Hisham Matar, Knopf<\/strong><\/p>\n

Libyan writer Hisham Matar is an accomplished novelist with two well-received fictional books under his belt. This time, however, the writer weaves himself into the narrative with this harrowing memoir about a son in search of his father (both literally and figuratively). In 1990, Matar\u2019s father was kidnapped by the Egyptian secret police and has not been seen since. The Return: Fathers, Sons and the Land in Between <\/em>details Matar\u2019s return to his native Libya in an attempt to achieve a sense of closure regarding his father\u2019s likely death.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Whether you\u2019re looking for that perfect Christmas present or an enthralling read for your own holiday downtime, this year\u2019s selection of non-fiction works is one of the most diverse in recent years. Keep reading to check out our list of the most exciting biographies and memoirs of 2016.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":38997,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20189,21418],"tags":[25527,2297,25525,7585,25521,25522,25520],"class_list":["post-38959","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-living-2","tag-best-memoirs-of-2016","tag-born-to-run","tag-hisham-matar","tag-hunter-s-thompson","tag-paul-kalanith","tag-stories-i-tell-myself","tag-when-breath-becomes-air"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.realstylenetwork.com\/lifestyle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38959","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.realstylenetwork.com\/lifestyle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.realstylenetwork.com\/lifestyle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.realstylenetwork.com\/lifestyle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.realstylenetwork.com\/lifestyle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38959"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.realstylenetwork.com\/lifestyle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38959\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39042,"href":"https:\/\/www.realstylenetwork.com\/lifestyle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38959\/revisions\/39042"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.realstylenetwork.com\/lifestyle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38997"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.realstylenetwork.com\/lifestyle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38959"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.realstylenetwork.com\/lifestyle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38959"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.realstylenetwork.com\/lifestyle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}