June’s Best New Biographies and Memoirs

I Can’t Make This Up: Life Lessons, by Kevin Hart with Neil Strauss
Kevin Hart has achieved a level of popularity and fame (he’s among the top grossing comedians worldwide) that make a memoir a no-brainer, but he’s also got a compelling life story that began with a troubled childhood in Philadelphia. On top of all that, he’s hilarious, making his new autobiography as compelling as it is laugh-out-loud funny.

Theft by Finding: Diaries (1977-2002), by David Sedaris
Any new David Sedaris book is a reason to celebrate. He’s one of our great observers, finding deep meaning and, more importantly, reasons to laugh, in even the most mundane events. For decades now, he’s been celebrating the weirdo in all of us, but he’s doing something different with his latest: presenting excerpts of his own diaries from 1977 to 2002. Fortunately, his past self is every bit as funny and trenchant as his present-day incarnation.

Make Your Mind Up: My Guide to Finding Your Own Style, Life, and Motavation!, by Bethany Mota
Internet sensation Bethany Mota has done it all in the decade since she posted her first YouTube video, having made an unlikely climb from insecure farm girl to health, beauty, and wellness vlogger, influencer, and icon. Her new book promises to encapsulate everything that’s made her beloved: it’s a lifestyle guide full of her trademark tips and ideas, but it’s also a memoir that charts her course from overcoming shyness and anxiety to the positivity and success that she’s found.

Al Franken, Giant of the Senate, by Al Franken
The title alone proves that nine years in that most beloved American institution haven’t dulled the Minnesota senator’s sense of humor. In his first book since his rather improbable career change from comedian to politician, Franken offers a candid memoir of his closely fought first election as well as the dramatic, historic, and occasionally funny events that have happened since.

You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me: A Memoir, by Sherman Alexie
As well as a beloved author, Alexie has been a poet, filmmaker, and screenwriter. He’s won praise and generated controversy for his outspokenness, especially when Arizona recently banned his works from schools as part of a cull of Mexican-American studies programs. His first memoir tackles the complex and difficult relationship he had with his mother. Her death Forced Alexie to confront his bond with the intelligent but often abusive woman he left behind.

Called to Rise: A Life in Faithful Service to the Community That Made Me, by David O. Brown, Michelle Burford
Brown rose to national prominence during one of one of the most fraught moments in recent American history. In July of last year, while demonstrators in Dallas peacefully marched against police violence, a sniper targeted white police officers, killing five. Brown was the police chief at the time, and used a robot to kill the shooter, the first time such a tactic had been effective in the United States. His memoir goes behind the scenes of that incident while also charting his rise through the Dallas police force and his evolution into an advocate for community-based policing, outreach, and inclusion.

But Seriously, by John McEnroe
McEnroe’s previous bestselling autobiography came out 15 years ago, and he’s got plenty to say about the intervening years. The new book is both a personal memoir, describing his outsized life and experiences as tennis’ biggest celebrity in the years since his retirement, and an insider’s view of the modern world of tennis from a commentator who is as close to the game as ever.

Iron Ambition: My Life with Cus D’Amato, by Mike Tyson and Larry Sloman
Cus D’Amato had already had a legendary career as a boxing manager, training both Floyd Patterson and José Torres, when he met `13-year-old Mike Tyson. D’Amato’s star seemed to be on the decline until he proclaimed the young Tyson the future heavyweight champion of the world. An earlier memoir, Undisputed Truth, detailed Tyson’s life as a surrogate son to the trainer. This book digs deeper into D’Amato’s legacy as a fighter in and out of the ring, and into the life lessons that he passed along to Tyson.

The Bright Hour: A Memoir of Living and Dying, by Nina Riggs
Poet Nina Riggs died just a few months ago, making her memoir about life in the wake of a devastating medical diagnosis even more poignant, and no less relevant. After being diagnosed with a form of breast cancer ultimately deemed terminal, Riggs struggled to find meaning in a life with an increasingly finite number of days ahead. The descendent of Ralph Waldo Emerson ultimately found solace in Emerson and other literary figures, learning to accept death as a part of life.

Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death, and Jazz Chickens, by Eddie Izzard
Comedian Izzard has had a wildly interesting life and career: born in Yemen and raised in different parts of the UK, he lost his mother at a young age and became a London street performer in his teens. Widely regarded as one of our smartest comedy minds, his acts touch on politics and history while eschewing traditional notions of gender and sexuality. Do up your nails and grab your favorite high heels for this one.
Which memoir are you most looking forward to?