Half a century of excellence
The rising comedian has a winner with ‘You Can’t Touch My Hair,' a memoir which offers hilarious social commentary on America.
This memoir was later turned into a hit documentary film. Read into the late Roger Ebert’s story.
In her memoir, Stone wrote about her near-death experience in 2001 after a catastrophic stroke and brain hemorrhage, when she saw the "light" and was visited by friends who had passed to the other side. She explains that this experience helped her through various other traumas, from childhood sexual abuse at the hands of her grandfather, to Hollywood producers pressuring her to have sex, and more. She also revealed that when she underwent reconstructive surgery in 2001 after having removed tumors from her breasts, she woke up with a larger cup size than she'd agreed upon. When she asked the surgeon, he allegedly told her that he took the liberty of giving her fuller breasts because he thought they'd look better.
The Black Sabbath singer told his life story with ‘I Am Ozzy,’ a book bursting with personal stories and struggles.
The supermodel has already proven herself to be intelligent, articulate, and brave with the open letter she wrote in 2020 regarding her sexual assault. Now, Ratajkowski has released a book of similar essays in which she explores themes like body image, objectification, and trauma. She goes deep into the double-edged gift of beauty which has defined much of her life, helping her achieve immense success while also devaluing her as a human being. In an October interview with Vanity Fair, she had this to say about the book and its title: "My name is sort of synonymous with an image of my body and the Instagrams and 'Blurred Lines' and whatever else. And I liked using the real associations that people have in a conceptual way so that it would inform the book once they started it. Thinking about their preconceived ideas about me and using that as a tool in the experience of reading it."
'Succession' star Brian Cox stirs the plot in his memoir, 'Putting the Rabbit in the Hat,' in which he takes somewhat unprovoked aim at fellow stars, including Johnny Depp. He writes about turning down the role of the Governor in the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' franchise, which he said would have been "thankless" anyway. “Another thing with ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ is that it’s very much the ‘Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow’ show, and Depp, personable though I’m sure he is, is so overblown, so overrated," he writes in excerpts shared by GQ. “I mean, ‘Edward Scissorhands.’ Let’s face it, if you come on with hands like that and pale, scarred-face make-up, you don’t have to do anything. And he didn’t. And subsequently, he’s done even less.” He goes on to say that Depp's fanbase has dwindled so much that "If Johnny Depp went for Jack Sparrow now, they’d give it to Brendan Gleeson.”
In her intimate memoir titled 'Things I Should Have Said,' Jamie Lynn Spears tells her own side of things, which has upset her old 'Zoey 101' co-star Alexa Nikolas (who called her a liar and a "bully" on social media), as well as her sister, who wrote on Instagram: "I'm sorry Jamie Lynn, I wasn't strong enough to do what should have been done... slapped you and Mamma right across your f—ing faces!!!!!" With regards to her big sister, Jamie Lynn writes, "I'm not looking for pity. I want Britney and the world to know she isn’t the only one who is left with the scars from our early years of delinquency and manipulation."
Liu's book tells the story of his journey from a struggling immigrant to an international movie star. The star revealed that he had been writing it for three years and describes it as a "deeply personal journey." Readers can expect to learn about his early years being raised by his grandparents in China, his unexpected uprooting to start a new life in Canada with his parents, and the struggles he experienced growing up torn between two cultures.
Richard is a stand-up legend, but ‘Pryor Convictions’ keeps things pretty serious. The memoir discusses his drug use, past marriages, and his struggle with MS.
Matthew Perry's 2022 memoir dives into his years working on the hit show 'Friends,' as well as his personal struggles with addiction. Perry reportedly signed a seven-figure deal with Flatiron Books for his memoir, but his motivation goes far beyond finances. "There has been so much written about me by others in the past," he told People. "I thought it was time people heard it directly from the horse's mouth. In this case, the horse's mouth being me."
Former child star Jennette McCurdy rose to fame on the Nickelodeon show 'iCarly,' but in her 2022 memoir she pulls back the curtain on what early show business was really like. Titled provocatively, 'I'm Glad My Mom Died,' the memoir comes after years of working through her trauma and, of course, reveals shocking truths about the abuse she suffered at the hands of her mother, who died in 2013. But the memoir also touches on everything from the dark side of early fame, the eating disorders she developed, being sexualized and given alcohol while a minor on 'iCarly,' the jealousy she felt towards Ariana Grande on 'Sam & Cat,' and why she ultimately quit acting. It's a bold work, and one Nickelodeon perhaps never wanted to come out as McCurdy wrote that the network offered her US$300,000 to "'never talk publicly about your experience at Nickelodeon,'" though fortunately she turned it down all those years ago.
Kelly Ripa's memoir 'Live Wire' was released on September 27, 2022. The book spurred headlines about the nature of Ripa and the late Regis Philbin's relationship, which has upset Kathie Lee Gifford to the point where she said during an interview with Fox 5 NY that she isn't going to read it, ET reports. Gifford co-hosted with Philbin from 1985-2000, before Ripa replaced her in 2001, but she maintained that for those 15 years Philbin was not only "the best partner a person could ever, ever have professionally," but also her "dear friend." Ironically, Ripa's book shares that her relationship with Philbin was mostly just professional, and she describes him as "warm and friendly," though they lost touch after the show. Ripa told ET of her relationship to the late TV personality that "to expect two people from such different generations to have some sort of weird, forced friendship when they never knew each other is a very strange thing to put on one person. It was only put on one person and that is how I describe it [in the book]."
Prince Harry first announced that he was working on a memoir in June 2021, and given the explosive interviews and documentary series that were released in the following year and half, it was clear that the Duke of Sussex would pull no punches. In the end, 'Spare' was leaked a week prior to its official release date and the extracts shared by various news outlets were simply unbelievable. The stories include a physical attack mounted by his brother, Prince William, a night high on magic mushrooms at Courteney Cox's house, and a frostbitten... appendage. Needless to say, the world was simply gagging to get their hands on a copy of the book by the time it hit shelves on January 10. It broke records by selling 1.4 million copies on the first day of publication. In comparison, Barack Obama's 2020 memoir 'A Promised Land' sold under 900,000 copies on its first day. It continued its incredible commercial success and sold 3.2 million copies worldwide within the first week. Harry pledged to donate the profits to a charity close to his mother's heart.
Celebrity news can be quite far from the truth, which is why many stars decide to take their stories into their own hands.
So many people have tried to tell the story of Britney Spears and her mind-boggling 13-year conservatorship from their own angles, but now the Princess of Pop is ready to tell her story herself. After a bidding war, Spears landed a bombshell book deal with Simon & Schuster of US$15 million, one of the biggest of all time, for her tell-all memoir about her career, personal life, and family. After some drama regarding “strongly worded legal letters” from famous figures who fear what the singer has written, the book is finally slated for release.
The pop icon will release her much-anticipated memoir, 'The Woman in Me,' on October 24, People reports. Spears released the cover image, which is a black-and-white topless photo of herself from her younger days. The memoir promises to be “a brave and astonishingly moving story about freedom, fame, motherhood, survival, faith, and hope,” per the press release.
Penning a memoir can be a vulnerable and enlightening experience, and it can also stir up controversy over what really happened. Click through to see the must-read celebrity memoirs.
Social activist and former NFL star Colin Kaepernick released a memoir in the form of a graphic novel called 'Change the Game.' Kaepernick was adopted and raised by two white parents, and he delves into the challenges he faced growing up as a Black child in a white household. "I know my parents loved me, but there were still very problematic things that I went through," he said in an interview with CBS News on March 9. For example, when he wanted to get cornrows, his mom rejected the idea saying it was an "unprofessional" hairstyle and that he'd look like a "thug." He continued, "I think it was important to show, 'No, this can happen in your own home.' And how do we move forward collectively while addressing the racism that is being perpetuated."
The graphic novel tells the story of Kaepernick's life from the perspective of his teenage self. It was co-written with Eve L. Ewing and illustrated by Orlando Caicedo.
Read up on these revealing celebrity memoirs
Britney Spears sets release date for "brutally honest" memoir 'The Woman in Me,' reveals cover image
CELEBRITY Books
Celebrity news can be quite far from the truth, which is why many stars decide to take their stories into their own hands.
So many people have tried to tell the story of Britney Spears and her mind-boggling 13-year conservatorship from their own angles, but now the Princess of Pop is ready to tell her story herself. After a bidding war, Spears landed a bombshell book deal with Simon & Schuster of US$15 million, one of the biggest of all time, for her tell-all memoir about her career, personal life, and family. After some drama regarding “strongly worded legal letters” from famous figures who fear what the singer has written, the book is finally slated for release.
The pop icon will release her much-anticipated memoir, 'The Woman in Me,' on October 24, People reports. Spears released the cover image, which is a black-and-white topless photo of herself from her younger days. The memoir promises to be “a brave and astonishingly moving story about freedom, fame, motherhood, survival, faith, and hope,” per the press release.
Penning a memoir can be a vulnerable and enlightening experience, and it can also stir up controversy over what really happened. Click through to see the must-read celebrity memoirs.