9 Celebrity Memoirs for the True Fan on Your Gift List

Becoming, by Michelle Obama
The memoir of any First Lady is going to be a major event, but Michelle Obama remains a uniquely consequential figure who became a powerful advocate for women and girls around the world during her tenure, all while raising a family under the watchful eye of the media. Her life didn’t begin there, though: the Princeton and Harvard Law graduate was a lawyer, educator, and executive before ever stepping foot in the White House. In her own words, she candidly talks about her life, her career, her family, and her continuing story. Her story is already one of the year’s biggest books, and it’s going to be an essential gift. For those loved ones who already own and love Becoming, A Promised Land by Mr. Obama will make the perfect gift.

In Pieces, by Sally Field
For the first time, and with impressive literary style, Field reflects on a career that began with sitcoms in the ’60s and developed in movies like Sybil, Norma Rae, and Lincoln. She talks of the highs and lows of her impressive career, as well as about the troubled relationships and insecurities that have challenged her even as they helped to make her into the inspiring figure she has become. Just as impressive, this memoir has proven that Field can write as well as she can act.

This Will Only Hurt a Little, by Busy Philipps
Actress and, more recently, Instagram star Phillips shares the deeply candid story of her life and career in a book that’s both funny and straight-talking in its assessment of the challenges of making it in a sexist system (she recounts instances of on-set bullying and body shaming on the sets of shows like Freaks and Geeks). As she does in her acting and in her social media, Phillips holds back nothing on the page, neither her triumphs nor her stumbles. Fans will find that Philipps remains a social media star with toughness, depth, and a sense of humor.

Just Jessie: My Guide to Love, Life, Family, and Food, by Jessie James Decker
There are any number of reasons that the person on your gift list might be a fan of Decker: she’s a hit country music star, the face of fashion label Kittenish, co-star (with her husband, former Denver Bronco Eric Decker) of E!’s Eric & Jessie, as well being popular for her Instagram posts about food and family. So, this fully illustrated book is the ultimate gift for a Jessie James Decker fan, but it’s also full of tips and lessons on dating, parenting, fitness, and even cooking: it offers step-by-step instructions for fifteen of her most popular recipes.

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life: A Sortabiography, by Eric Idle
Next year marks a half-century since Monty Python first appeared on television, and this new autobiography from one of the leading lights of the surrealist comedy troupe seems a fitting way to kick off the celebration. In the ’60s, Eric Idle was at the forefront of Britain’s cultural revolution, rubbing shoulders with the Beatles and Bowie, before becoming a mainstream star through work on films like Life of Brian and, more recently, Broadway’s musical sensation Spamalot. It’s a fascinating and funny look behind the scenes of a fascinating life, perfect for Python fans or anyone with an interest in the key players in British pop culture.

All the Way: Football, Fame, and Redemption (B&N Exclusive Edition), by Joe Namath with Don Yaeger
Fifty years after Namath lead the New York Jets to a Super Bowl victory against the Baltimore Colts, the icon tells the story of his journey from small-town Pennsylvania kid to sports legend. Across half a century, Namath spent time at the height of celebrity, but also dealt with debilitating injuries that saw him addicted to painkillers and alcohol. Here, he reveals that the charmed life he appeared to lead masked real challenges. It’s a story of incredible triumphs, incredible lows, and redemption.

Lessons: My Path to a Meaningful Life, by Gisele Bündchen
Bündchen is best known as a celebrity supermodel, one of the highest-paid in the world, and her life would doubtless be fascinating if that’s all there were. But, of course, there’s more: Bündchen grew up in southern Brazil, saving dogs and cats and hoping to become a veterinarian. A modeling scout discovered her in São Paulo, beginning a life of stardom as well as environmental activism and parenthood. This is the first time that she has revealed so much of the life behind the celebrity.

GuRu, by RuPaul with Jane Fonda
RuPaul fans are legion, and not just for the love of drag. Mama Ru has always thought of drag as a way of deconstructing identity as a means of getting to the true person inside, and that’s what this new book is all about. Full of photographs, RuPaul shares her deeply spiritual secrets to success and offers up her unique outlook on the world, breaking down imposed barriers in order to find the hidden possibilities within. No RuPaul fan is going to want to be without it.

Kitchen Confidential Deluxe Edition: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly (B&N Exclusive Edition), by Anthony Bourdain
Fans of the late Bourdain will doubtless find this book a little bittersweet, but nevertheless essential. This new edition of the classic that started his career remains as candid and trenchant as ever, unsparingly revealing the behind-the-scenes of the restaurant industry. Now updated and revised, the book contains Bourdain’s own notes, a new introduction, and an interview with his editor. Additionally, the B&N Exclusive Edition includes three of Bourdain’s favorite recipes: Macaroni and Cheese, Scrambled Eggs, and Portuguese Squid and Octopus Soup.
What’s on your celebrity memoir gift list?