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30 Best Biography Books That Are a Must Read for Everyone

Mourbi Dutta

June 24, 2021

Everyone loves reading fiction novels, comic books, or even books from other genres. But have you tried reading some of the best biography books that were ever written? We’ll tell you what you’re missing out on. Reading about the real-life story of a successful or remarkable person often influences, motivates, or provides encouragement. Many a time, you’ll be able to draw humane connections, and that’s just the beginning of it! Contrary to popular belief, they aren’t boring. We promise.

Come on, read on to find some amazing biography books that have been written and let that do wonders for you. Here you can also check some of the best mythology books & finance books that will help you in managing your personal finance.

Our Top Recommendations

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

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Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama

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Educated by Tara Westover

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List of Top 30 Inspiring Biography Books

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

With sweet memories of having read The Diary of a Young Girl as a student, this one definitely tops the list of the best biography books you must read at least once. Written by Anne Frank, the book was published posthumously and describes the tumultuous life of a Jewish family that goes into hiding. Set during the Holocaust, it is an honest and brutal narration of every experience, good and bad, the family dealt with. It speaks about Anne’s close relationship with her father, lack of love for her mother, and admiration towards her sister’s nature and intelligence. One of the most startling facts about this book is that it records the experiences of a 13-year-old girl and ends abruptly two years after the first diary entry.

This book has various underlying themes, including happiness and maintaining calm in the worst situations.

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Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama

This book by Barack Obama is an internationally recognised biography that offers a revealing portrait of the United States’ former President. Barack Obama draws his lineage from Africa and America, and in this book, he chronicles every detail, including his maternal family’s migration from Kansas to Hawaii and his childhood home in Indonesia. This emotional journey also includes his days in Kenya when he comes to terms with the bitter truth of his father’s life and divided inheritance.

This book is a refreshing take on the life of a young man who questions various social stigmas like identity and belonging. It is surely a keeper amongst the best biography books if you’re seeking inspiration to reach for your dreams in life.

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Also, here you can check for some of the best non-fiction books & self help books in India.

Educated by Tara Westover

This book by Tara Westover chronicles the author’s life from her childhood to adolescence. It speaks about family love and betrayal, both of which affected her during her growth years. Here she talks about how her family, including her mother and father, lived in isolation. She was not allowed to attend school or participate in activities other children of her age did. Besides, her parents had never got her official birth record. She was subject to this because her father didn’t believe in schools, hospitals, or even the government. At sixteen, Tara finally left her home to get an education but had to pay a huge price for the same.

This memoir has an inspiring narrative and a strong female character that stays firm in achieving her own identity.

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The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X and Alex Haley

Malcolm X is one of the most prominent names in the struggles of the black community. He was a human rights activist and an African American Muslim minister who led the growth of the Black Muslim Movement. His autobiography was published posthumously and describes the events from his mother’s pregnancy to his last days. It chronicles all the prominent details like Malcolm’s childhood in Michigan, his father’s death, his mother’s deteriorating mental condition, adulthood in Boston, his arrest and prison sentence, and various other facets of his life.

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Steve Jobs Biography by Walter Isaacson

Compiled and written by Walter Isaacson, this book is based on more than 40 interviews conducted over two years. Besides, it contains personal details about Jobs’ personality, life, and passions described by hundreds of family members, colleagues, friends, competitors, and more. It is one of the best biography books for young minds because no matter what others say, you are never too young to dream big.

This book has all the facts from candid and brutal interviews with Jobs.

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Becoming by Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama’s biography, ‘Becoming’, charts her journey from her childhood in Chicago to becoming the first African American First Lady of the US. It covers all the phases of her life, including her days as an influential Women’s Rights advocate to a University administrator and writer. The book describes each of these in detail and connects with the reader on a personal level.

This book is amongst the best biography books for women who are seeking the meaning of their life and career. Being a modern woman takes strength even today in many parts of society, and reading this will give you the extra ray of motivation you didn’t know you needed.

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Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela

Long Walk to Freedom recounts Nelson Mandela as the revolutionary and political leader of South Africa. The book is divided into two parts and describes in detail his childhood and adolescence. The story unfolds all the hardships and triumphs in his life and how Nelson Mandela emerged as the leader of the African society to end years of struggle and hardships for the community.

This book has a compelling narrative that describes the life history of one of the most prominent personalities in the history of political leaders.

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Unfinished: A Memoir by Priyanka Chopra Jonas

This book gives readers an insight into the life of the most loved celebrities in India and around the world. It starts by describing Priyanka’s childhood spent with her grandparents and parents before being sent to a boarding school. The reader gets a peek into her personal life as it narrates about her early days in the US with extended family, being a victim of racism, returning to India, and crowning in national and global beauty pageants. It also describes her days in the Indian film industry and her marriage with heartthrob Nick Jonas. The book has a funny, sassy, and bold tone that reflects the author’s personality.

This is one of the best biography books for you to let you know that no matter where you come from, your dreams are always achievable if never give up. Even though this book is a memoir, it serves as a self-help book for young, ambitious people.

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Mossad by Michael Bar-Zohar and Nissim Mishal

Mossad is Israel’s well-known security arm and the best intelligence agency in the world. This book sheds light on all its great missions and takes the reader on an exciting journey to the most shocking tasks from the past years. It is full of action and narrates the case works with eye-opening details.

This book gives an account of all undercover cases undertaken by Mossad for the country.

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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

This interesting biography by Rebecca Skloot describes the life and death of a person who had a lasting impact on medicine. It tells the story of an African-American woman named Henrietta Lacks, who passed away from cervical cancer in 1951. Unknown to her family until 1975, a tissue sample from her tumour was saved throughout her cancer treatment and utilised without her permission for scientific studies. The HeLa cell line, which is still used in medical research today and has aided in the study of cancer, the testing of cosmetics, and the creation of the polio vaccine, sprang from these cells.

The book raises questions regarding how laws have evolved, the opinions and sentiments of the Lacks family, and the debate on the commercialisation of human tissue. The book begs the question: Should a cell, tissue, or organ that was once a part of us, even after it has been removed from our body, still belong to us?

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Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

‘Into The Wild’ is an actual tale of Chris McCandless, a young man who wandered far into the Alaskan tundra in 1992. After spending four months foraging and hunting wildlife, McCandless starved to death in an abandoned bus. His SOS letter and malnourished body were discovered later. Intelligent but troubled by resentment towards his smart but domineering and flawed father, McCandless avoided all human interaction for months in an effort to rid himself of what he saw to be the vices of society. Author Jon Krakauer painstakingly recreates each step of McCandless’ voyage. He also describes prior, shorter travels McCandless took before deciding he would live in the wilderness for the rest of his life.

This book is a must-read for everyone who wants to understand the value of life. The fascination that pushes some individuals to push their own boundaries, abandon society, and seek enlightenment via isolation and interaction with nature is examined by this internationally best-selling book.

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Frida: The Biography of Frida Kahlo by Hayden Herrera

The life of painter Frida Kahlo, one of the most remarkable women of the 20th century, is told in this book by Hayden Herrera. She was born close to Mexico City, grew up during the dangerous Mexican Revolution, and was involved in an accident at the age of eighteen that left her disabled and unable to have children. To make the most of her miserable circumstances, she started painting.

One of the most renowned painters of the century, Kahlo was known for her magnificent paintings. The biography of Frida also tells the tale of her turbulent marriage to the muralist Diego Rivera, her relationships with a variety of intriguing men, including Isamu Noguchi and Leon Trotsky, her immersion in Mexican folklore and culture, and the sources of inspiration for her iconic works of art.

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A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar

This biography depicts the true story of John Nash, a mathematical genius and professor of journalism at Columbia University. He became a legend by the time he was thirty and fell into madness. The narrative follows Nash from boyhood through his years at Princeton and MIT, his employment with the RAND Corporation, his relationship with his family, and his battle with schizophrenia. After decades of ghostlike existence, Nash reappeared to win a Nobel Prize for inspiring the game theory revolution.

Sylvia Nasar’s now-classic biography served as the model for the Academy Award-winning film of the same name. This book is a drama about the mystique of the human mind, victory over hardship, and the therapeutic power of love.

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An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth by M.K. Gandhi

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi narrates his life in this classic autobiography, weaving together recollections of his early years, marriage, time spent in South Africa, and more. He also talks about his involvement in the Indian independence fight, as well as his search for perfect truth and union with God.

This autobiography book has been written in Gandhi’s simple English and offers a look into the life and thoughts of the man who would eventually lead his nation to independence. No wonder he has been acclaimed as the greatest figure of the 20th century.

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Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow

For a long time, historians have portrayed the founding of America as the victory of Jefferson’s democratic principles against Hamilton’s aristocratic goals. The biography by Ron Chernow gives Hamilton his due. It corrects the record, skillfully demonstrating that Hamilton’s many sacrifices to support concepts that were sometimes hotly contested during his time led to the political and economic glory of today’s America.

Hamilton was an illegitimate, largely self-taught orphan from the Caribbean who came out of nowhere to take America by storm. Chernow here recounts Hamilton’s turbulent life and paints a very different portrait of the man, one whose legendary goals were driven not just by self-interest but also by fervent patriotism.

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I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

This 1969 book chronicles the youthful and formative years of American author and poet Maya Angelou. This coming-of-age tale is the first of a seven-volume series. It shows how courage and a passion for reading can help people overcome bigotry and tragedy. The story starts when Maya and her elder brother are taken to live with their grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. It concludes when Maya is sixteen and becomes a mother.

This biography is a great read for anyone who is lost and is looking to take control of their life. Maya develops throughout the book from a victim of racism with an inferiority complex to a self-possessed, dignified young lady who can counter prejudice.

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Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges

The book explores the life and career of Alan Turing, a British mathematician, codebreaker, and pioneering computer scientist. It talks about how Turing’s breakthrough notion of a universal machine in 1936 established the groundwork for the modern-day computer. The book also explains how this effort was closely tied to Turing’s contribution to the Allied victory in the Atlantic during World War II.

This biography is also the heartbreaking story of a guy who served in the military but was ultimately imprisoned. He had his security clearance revoked and was subjected to an inhuman program — all for attempting to live in an honest manner during a time that considered homosexuality a crime.

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Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare by Stephen Greenblatt 

This book documents the life of William Shakespeare. In it, Greenblatt makes a case for how the son of a small-town glove manufacturer, a guy with barely a secondary education, ended up becoming the most recognised playwright in history. Greenblatt constructs elaborate scenarios based on the little information available on the poet. He makes connections between what is known about significant events in Shakespeare’s life and what was happening in England at those times. This book has significantly influenced how we now perceive Shakespeare today.

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Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser

The complete story of the ‘Little House on the Prarie’ has never been recounted entirely. Caroline Fraser has now expertly filled in the blanks in Wilder’s life by using unpublished letters, diaries, and financial documents. She covers Wilder’s turbulent relationship with her journalist daughter, Rose Wilder Lane. The book captures how actually harsh and gritty her life was. Her story is a tale of unrelenting hardship, homelessness, and poverty.

After nearly losing everything in the Great Depression, Wilder started writing children’s books when she was in her sixties. In doing so, she experienced one of the most incredible rags-to-riches stories in American literature. In this book, Caroline Fraser discusses all the hardships and successes Wilder receives in life.

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Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff

This biography tells the story of the last Egyptian queen, who reigned from 51 to 30 BC. The book aims to distinguish between truth and fiction. Author Stacy Schiff attempts to reveal the real person behind the myths and stories that have surrounded Cleopatra for so long. She creates a thorough and colourful portrait of Cleopatra’s life using historical sources and archaeological facts. Schiff examines Cleopatra’s interactions with Mark Antony and Julius Caesar, as well as her interactions with the Roman Empire and other influential people of the time. The book also explores Cleopatra’s upbringing, motherly responsibilities, and religious and cultural convictions.

So, if you are a history nerd or someone who is interested in knowing more about one of the most influential queens of the world, this biography is perfect for you!

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When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

Paul Kalanithi is an American physician and the author of this book which details his life and his fight with stage IV metastatic lung cancer. When Breath Becomes Air follows Kalanithi’s journey from a medical student who was interested in the qualities of a good and meaningful life to a neurosurgeon who worked on the brain, the centre of human identity. Kalanithi’s health deteriorates during the last year of his neurosurgery residency at Stanford University. His rapid weight loss and excruciating chest and back problems start to worry him and his wife, Lucy Kalanithi.

While writing this very emotional book, Paul Kalanithi passed away, yet his words continue to serve as a beacon for all of us. In his book, Kalanithi offers a positive perspective on confronting death and the bond between a doctor and a patient.

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I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai with Christina Lamb

‘I am Malala’ is an autobiographical book by social activist Malala Yousafzai. The book goes into detail about Yousafzai’s early years, her father’s activism and ownership of schools, and also the rise and fall of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan in Swat Valley. It also accounts for the attempted murder of Yousafzai on October 9, 2012, when she was just 15 years old.

Despite being prohibited in many Pakistani schools, this book has earned favourable reviews and won a number of accolades. Therefore, this biography will be a fine addition to your book collection.

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Barracoon: The Story of the Last Slave by Zora Neale Hurston

Barracoon is a gripping factual account of one of the last survivors of the Atlantic Slave Trade and one man’s struggle for freedom. This book is based on Neale Hurston’s 1927 talks with Oluale Kossola, who was thought to be the final survivor of the Middle Passage. He went by the name Cudjoe Lewis.

Cudjo Lewis was captured for almost six years before being freed, having been unlawfully imported as ‘Black Cargo’ fifty years after slavery was abolished. Cudjo sheds light on the details of his arrest and imprisonment in a barracoon. This book vividly portrays the horror of slavery and the life of a person that was eternally altered by it.

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Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

This book was written by Trevor Noah, who was born during apartheid to a black South African mother and a white European father. He describes his childhood in his native South Africa during the apartheid period. In line with the apartheid system of racial categorisation, Noah was labelled as a ‘coloured’ since he is the mixed-race offspring of a white Swiss-German father and an African Xhosa mother. Even during apartheid, he experienced social isolation since it was illegal” to be born as a mixed-race baby.”

Trevor Noah’s unlikely path to fame led to his sold-out one-man show at the 2012 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which quickly became one of the festival’s most talked-about performances. He also replaced Jon Stewart as host of The Daily Show by Noah in 2015.

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Mao: The Unknown Story by Jung Chang

This book tells the life biography of Mao and is based on ten years of study, interviews with many members of his inner circle in China who had never spoken before, as well as with everyone who interacted with him outside of China. The book covers Mao’s early years, his entry into the Chinese Communist Party, as well as his political career.

Mao’s involvement in the formulation and implementation of the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution is a topic that Chang and Halliday focus on in great detail. The authors also point out that Mao is accountable for a record-breaking number of deaths during peacetime, which varied between 40 and 70 million people.

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The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

This book by Walls describes her chaotic and lively childhood. Despite her dysfunctional family, she was able to carve out a prosperous existence for herself that culminated in a career in journalism in New York City, thanks to her distinct outlook on life. The title of the novel alludes to her father’s final broken promise to construct the family’s ideal house, a glass castle. Walls recounts moving memories of stargazing with her father in her apartment. These memories are juxtaposed with memories of irregular meals, accidents, and police car chases. She also reveals her complex feelings of shame, guilt, pity, and pride towards her parents.

This book showcases the raw feelings and emotions of a person, and we are sure you will love it!

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Edison a Biography by Matthew Josephson

This book by Josephson is considered to be the definitive biography of Thomas Edison. The Edison Laboratory National Monument in New Jersey, which has all of Edison’s original archives, drawings, notes, letters, and memos, has endorsed it as the sole biography published in the previous 40 years. The book depicts Edison as a key player in the development of the American economy and the industrial revolution. It also portrays him as a real person with opportunistic and sometimes vulgar traits.

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Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance

Elon Musk is a well-known businessman and inventor from South Africa who founded PayPal, Tesla, and other businesses. The biography covers Elon Musk’s life from his early years to his employment at Zip2 and PayPal, SpaceX, Tesla, and SolarCity. In order to write this book, Vance conducted numerous interviews with Musk, his friends, and individuals who were there when he experienced the most significant events in his life.

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The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert A. Caro

Robert Caro wrote this biography of Robert Moses in 1974. The book focuses on how Moses used his unelected positions to plan and build hundreds of roads and bridges, often at considerable expense to the people he was supposed to serve. The book reveals what few outsiders were aware of – that Robert Moses was the most influential person in the City and the State of New York at the time. Furthermore, by telling the Moses story, Caro reveals in a previously unheard-of way how politics actually function. It shows how decisions are made in American city halls and statehouses and shed light on a wealth of crucial details about important national figures like Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The Power Broker follows Moses’ life from his early years as an ardent supporter of Progressive reform of the city’s dishonest civil service system through his early years as a progressive reformer in Connecticut. Additionally, the book has had a significant impact on politicians and city planners throughout the country.

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The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life by Alice Schroeder

This biography book on Warren Buffet describes the life and times of one of the most revered people on earth. After acting as his only Wall Street analyst contact for six years, Warren Buffett requested Alice Schroeder to write his biography. After leaving her job at Morgan Stanley, she relocated to Omaha in 2003 so that she could focus solely on the book. Schroeder spent almost 2,000 hours poring into Buffett’s private records while speaking with Buffett, his wife, kids, sisters, friends, and business colleagues.

This resulted in the creation of this thorough and immensely instructive biography. Additionally, the book has now been revised and updated and features two new chapters on Buffett and the financial crisis.

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Final Word

Biography books offer a unique opportunity to delve into the lives of extraordinary individuals who have left an indelible mark on history. They serve as windows into the personal struggles, triumphs, and experiences of remarkable individuals from various walks of life. The Diary of a Young Girl, Dreams from My Father, and The Autobiography of Malcolm X are some of our favourites, and we are sure that you will love our recommendations!

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CashKaro’s team of proficient and knowledgeable researchers works tirelessly to offer you the most reliable market advice online. We conduct comprehensive evaluations of several books and compare them based on a variety of criteria to curate a list of options you will be sure to love. We genuinely hope that our recommendations for the top biography books in India will help you pick one for yourself.

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