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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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1
All We Know: Three Lives (Lisa Cohen)
All We Know: Three Lives (Lisa Cohen)
2
Hidden Figures (Margot Lee Shetterly)
Hidden Figures (Margot Lee Shetterly)
3
The Life You Save May Be Your Own (Paul Elie)
The Life You Save May Be Your Own (Paul Elie)
4
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... (Simon Winchester)
5
The Wives of Henry VIII (Antonia Fraser)
The Wives of Henry VIII (Antonia Fraser)
6
John Adams (David McCullough)
John Adams (David McCullough)
7
A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea (Melissa Fleming)
A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea (Melissa Fleming)
8
At Her Majesty's Request (Walter Dean Myers)
At Her Majesty's Request (Walter Dean Myers)
9
John Brown (W.E.B. Du Bois)
John Brown (W.E.B. Du Bois)
10
Invisible (Stephen L.Carter)
Invisible (Stephen L.Carter)
11
Wild Swans (Jung Chang)
Wild Swans (Jung Chang)
12
Cleopatra (Stacy Schiff)
Cleopatra (Stacy Schiff)
13
Einstein (Walter Isaacson)
Einstein (Walter Isaacson)
14
Enrique's Journey (Sonia Nazario)
Enrique's Journey (Sonia Nazario)
15
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 (David Grann)
16
Georgina (Amanda Foreman)
Georgina (Amanda Foreman)
17
The Notorious RBG (Irin Karmon)
The Notorious RBG (Irin Karmon)
18
Wrapped in Rainbows (Valerie Boyd)
Wrapped in Rainbows (Valerie Boyd)
19
Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life (Ruth Franklin)
Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life (Ruth Franklin)
20
The Path to Power (Robert Caro)
The Path to Power (Robert Caro)
21
The Life of Samuel Johnson
The Life of Samuel Johnson
22
Barbara Jordan: American Hero (Mary Beth Rogers)
Barbara Jordan: American Hero (Mary Beth Rogers)
23
Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo (Hayden Herrera)
Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo (Hayden Herrera)
24
Florynce "Flo" Kennedy: The Life of a Black Feminist Radical (Sherie M. Randolph)
Florynce "Flo" Kennedy: The Life of a Black Feminist Radical (Sherie M. Randolph)
25
The Stranger in the Woods (Michael Finkel)
The Stranger in the Woods (Michael Finkel)
26
The Lady and the Peacock (Peter Popham)
The Lady and the Peacock (Peter Popham)
27
Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" (Zora Neale Hurston)
Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" (Zora Neale Hurston)
28
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (Rebecca Skloot)
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (Rebecca Skloot)
29
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
30
The New Negro (Jeffrey C.Stewart)
The New Negro (Jeffrey C.Stewart)
31
Warrior Poet: A Biography of Audre Lorde (Alexis De Veaux)
Warrior Poet: A Biography of Audre Lorde (Alexis De Veaux)
32
Thurgood Marshall (Juan Williams)
Thurgood Marshall (Juan Williams)
33
Into the Wild (Jon Krakauer)
Into the Wild (Jon Krakauer)
34
The Mayor of Castro Street (Randy Shilts)
The Mayor of Castro Street (Randy Shilts)
35
Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay
Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay
36
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 (Sarah Bakewell)
37
The Silent Woman (Janet Malcolm)
The Silent Woman (Janet Malcolm)
38
Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley (Peter Guralnick)
Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley (Peter Guralnick)
39
Mrs. Robinson's Disgrace
Mrs. Robinson's Disgrace
40
Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare (Stephen Greenblatt)
Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare (Stephen Greenblatt)
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