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Book Riot's 50 Must-Read Biographies

"Below I've listed 50 of the best biographies out there. You will find a mix of subjects, including important figures in literature, science, politics, history, art, and more. I've tried to keep this list focused on biography only, so there is little in the way of memoir or autobiography. In a couple cases, authors have written about their family members, but for the most part, these are books where the focus is on the biographical subject, not the author."
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All We Know: Three Lives (Lisa Cohen)
All We Know: Three Lives
1
Lisa Cohen
Hidden Figures (Margot Lee Shetterly)
Hidden Figures
2
Margot Lee Shetterly
The Life You Save May Be Your Own (Paul Elie)
The Life You Save May Be Your Own
3
Paul Elie
The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English... (Simon Winchester)
The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English...
4
Simon Winchester
The Wives of Henry VIII (Antonia Fraser)
The Wives of Henry VIII
5
Antonia Fraser
John Adams (David McCullough)
John Adams
6
David McCullough
A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea (Melissa Fleming)
A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea
7
Melissa Fleming
At Her Majesty's Request (Walter Dean Myers)
At Her Majesty's Request
8
Walter Dean Myers
John Brown (W.E.B. Du Bois)
John Brown
9
W.E.B. Du Bois
Invisible (Stephen L.Carter)
Invisible
10
Stephen L.Carter
Wild Swans (Jung Chang)
Wild Swans
11
Jung Chang
Cleopatra (Stacy Schiff)
Cleopatra
12
Stacy Schiff
Einstein (Walter Isaacson)
Einstein
13
Walter Isaacson
Enrique's Journey (Sonia Nazario)
Enrique's Journey
14
Sonia Nazario
The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon (David Grann)
The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon
15
David Grann
Georgina (Amanda Foreman)
Georgina
16
Amanda Foreman
The Notorious RBG (Irin Karmon)
The Notorious RBG
17
Irin Karmon
Wrapped in Rainbows (Valerie Boyd)
Wrapped in Rainbows
18
Valerie Boyd
Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life (Ruth Franklin)
Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life
19
Ruth Franklin
The Path to Power (Robert Caro)
The Path to Power
20
Robert Caro
The Life of Samuel Johnson
The Life of Samuel Johnson
21
Barbara Jordan: American Hero (Mary Beth Rogers)
Barbara Jordan: American Hero
22
Mary Beth Rogers
Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo (Hayden Herrera)
Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo
23
Hayden Herrera
Florynce "Flo" Kennedy: The Life of a Black Feminist Radical (Sherie M. Randolph)
Florynce "Flo" Kennedy: The Life of a Black Feminist Radical
24
Sherie M. Randolph
The Stranger in the Woods (Michael Finkel)
The Stranger in the Woods
25
Michael Finkel
The Lady and the Peacock (Peter Popham)
The Lady and the Peacock
26
Peter Popham
Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" (Zora Neale Hurston)
Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo"
27
Zora Neale Hurston
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (Rebecca Skloot)
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
28
Rebecca Skloot
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln (Doris Kearns Goodwin)
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
29
Doris Kearns Goodwin
The New Negro (Jeffrey C.Stewart)
The New Negro
30
Jeffrey C.Stewart
Warrior Poet: A Biography of Audre Lorde (Alexis De Veaux)
Warrior Poet: A Biography of Audre Lorde
31
Alexis De Veaux
Thurgood Marshall (Juan Williams)
Thurgood Marshall
32
Juan Williams
Into the Wild (Jon Krakauer)
Into the Wild
33
Jon Krakauer
The Mayor of Castro Street (Randy Shilts)
The Mayor of Castro Street
34
Randy Shilts
Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay (Nancy Milford)
Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay
35
Nancy Milford
How to Live: Or a Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer (Sarah Bakewell)
How to Live: Or a Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer
36
Sarah Bakewell
The Silent Woman (Janet Malcolm)
The Silent Woman
37
Janet Malcolm
Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley (Peter Guralnick)
Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley
38
Peter Guralnick
Mrs. Robinson's Disgrace
Mrs. Robinson's Disgrace
39
Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare (Stephen Greenblatt)
Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare
40
Stephen Greenblatt
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