January’s Best New Biographies & Memoirs

The Truths We Hold: An American Journey, by Kamala Harris
It’s an impressive life story: the daughter of an economist from Jamaica and an Indian cancer researcher became the chief law enforcement officer of California before becoming a United States Senator already shortlisted for a potential 2020 presidential run. Kamala Harris’s memoir isn’t a straight biography; instead, it distills her life and experience into a frank conversation about her data-driven approach to addressing the myriad problems facing Americans in the 21st century.

We’re Going to Need More Wine: Stories That Are Funny, Complicated, and True, by Gabrielle Union
Gabrielle Union tells her story with wit and sensitivity, a tale that includes her struggles as one of a few black students in a predominantly white high school, a devastating rape at gunpoint that almost broke her, and her recovery and pursuit of a high-octane Hollywood career. The actress addresses topics like teen sexuality and the challenge of raising black kids in a culture often perceived as steeped in racism with disarming humor and perceptive insights, marking this as much more than the typical Hollywood vanity memoir. Working without much of a filter, Union comes across as a nuanced survivor who has managed to keep both her sense of humor and her ability to love intact despite experiences that could break anyone.

A Serial Killer’s Daughter: My Story of Faith, Love, and Overcoming, by Kerri Rawson
It’s an unbelievable scenario that most of us will, fortunately, never face: Kerri Rawson’s loving father, who had also been a seemingly good husband, a Boy Scout leader, and church president, was revealed in 2005 to be the BTK killer, having committed a series of brutal murders over the course of three decades—or Kerri’s her entire life. Rawson shares her story here, confronting a past that no longer makes sense, and an uncertain future.

Breaking and Entering: The Extraordinary Story of a Hacker Called “Alien”, by Jeremy N. Smith
Smith takes the story of high-end hacker Elizabeth Tessman and shapes it into a character piece, bringing a novelistic flair to cybersecurity. “Alien” began her career as an MIT undergrad breaking into off-limits areas of campus before running afoul of the law. She later joined a cybersecurity firm that tested its clients’ security using every means imaginable, whether that meant exploiting coding flaws or putting on disguises and sneaking in. Her story puts a human face on the sometimes thrilling, often alarming world of cyber-security.
Whose story inspires you?