GET A LIFE: SELECTED BIOGRAPHIES, AUTOBIOGRAPHIES & MEMOIRS FOR TEENS

Biographies • Autobiographies & Memoirs
Tips For Finding a Biography

Biographies

Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia
Sasson, Jean (305.42 SAS) 304p
The life of a woman who is part of the royal family in a culture in which women are property.

Cleaning Out My Closet: Eminem: The Stories Behind Every Song
Stubbs, David (782.4216 STU 2003) 144p
Emerging from a poor, stereotypically white-trash childhood in Detroit, this vengeful hip-hop devotee soon turned his anger into an art form and shot to global notoriety.

Sybil
Schreiber, Flora (616.8 SCH) 460p
Case study of a woman who developed 16 personalities as a result of abuse.

Charlie Chaplin: The Beauty of Silence
Schroeder, Alan (921 CHAPLIN) 160p
The greatest comedian in the history of the motion picture.

Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain
Cross, Charles (782.4216 CRO) 381p
An all-access pass to Cobain's heart and mind.

Holler If You Hear Me: Searching for Tupac Shakur
Dyson, Michael (782.4216 DYS) 292p
The life and death of an influential and compelling rap artist.

Michael Jackson: The Man Behind the Mask: An Insider’s Story
Jones, Bob (921 JACKSON) 163p
The truth behind the rumors, ugliness and mystery surrounding Michael Jackson.

Brad Pitt: The Rise To Stardom
Robb, Brian J. (921 PITT) 221p
This intimate biography delves behind Brad Pitt's glamorous image.

Kurt Cobain
Sandford, Christopher (782.4216 SAN 2004) 408p
The first biography to explore, with unflinching and shocking detail, the drama that formed this troubled, tragic rock star.

Lemond: The Incredible Comeback of an American Hero
Abt, Samuel (796.6092 ABT) 206p
The 1st American to win the Tour de France. A near-fatal shooting almost destroyed his bicycling career.

Halle Berry
Naden, Corinne J. (921 BERRY) 103p
Traces Berry’s life and struggle as a biracial child through her success as an actress.

Tiger Woods
Roberts, Jeremy (796.352 ROB) 112p
Examines the life and performance of golfer Tiger Woods.

Leonardo da Vinci
Kallen, Stuart A. (921 LEONARDO) 120p
A biography of the well-known Italian Renaissance man, discussing his personal life, artistic accomplishments, scientific observations, and final legacy.

Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson and the Opening of the American West
Ambrose, Steven (917.804 AMB) 521p
Relive the life of Meriwether Lewis through his journals and the author's retracing of the famous journey.

Into the Wild
Krakauer, Jon (917.98 KRA) 207p
Why did Christopher McCandless trade a bright future for death by starvation in an abandoned bus in the woods of Alaska?

Lydia Maria Child: The Quest for Racial Justice
Kenschaft, Lori (303.484 KEN) 126p
A profile of the remarkable 19th-century author and abolitionist.

The Belly Gunner
Hipperson, Carol (J 940.54 HIP) 160p
The remarkable account of a WWII ball turret gunner who is shot down, captured and interned in a Nazi POW camp.

Bill Gates
Woog, Adam (921 GATES) 127p
Brilliant, intense, competitive, precocious, workaholic, driven, arrogant, obnoxious, eccentric, and charismatic.

A Matter of Character: Inside the White House of George W. Bush
Kessler, Ronald (973.931 KES 2004) 215p
Kessler's unconventional book will help readers understand the real George W. Bush.

Diana: Her True Story
Morton, Andrew (921 DIANA) 416p
The shocking portrait of a woman whose life was lived in the international spotlight.

Behind the Mask: The Life of Queen Elizabeth
Thomas, Jane Resh (921 ELIZABETH) 208p
The queen who successfully maintained power while refusing to bow to the wishes of those who believed no woman was fit to occupy the English throne.

Julia: Her Life
Spada, James (921 ROBERTS) 376p
Julia Roberts is both one of the most famous women in the world and one of the most private. This book goes back to her beginnings in Georgia and follows her career.

Lance Armstrong’s War: One Man’s Battle Against Fate, Fame, Love, Death, Scandal and a Few Other Rivals on the Road to the Tour de France
Coyle, Daniel (921 ARMSTRONG) 326p
The extraordinary story of greatness pushed to its limits.

This Land Was Made for You and Me: The Life and Songs of Woody Guthrie
Partridge, Elizabeth (921 GUTHRIE) 192p
The tragic life of the great American folk singer.

The Life and Death of Adolph Hitler
Giblin, James (921 HITLER) 256p
Biography of the deadly charismatic leader and deeply disturbed man who changed the course of the 20th century.

Spellbinder: The Life of Harry Houdini
Lalicki, Tom (J 921 HOUDINI) 96p
The life of the master magician and escape artist.

World at Her Fingertips: The Story of Helen Keller
Dash, Joan (J 921 KELLER) 224p
A biography that goes beyond her younger years and includes many often ignored details of her life, including her time in college and involvement with politics.

LeBron James: The Rise of a Star
Morgan, David Lee (796.323 MOR 2003) 172p
Born in poverty to a 16-year-old single mom, James has become an NBA superstar.

A Beautiful Mind: A Biography of John Forbes Nash, Jr.
Nasar, Sylvia (921 NASH) 464p
The Nobel-prize winning mathematician who battled schizophrenia.

Sojourner Truth: Ain't I a Woman?
McKissack, Patricia (J 921 TRUTH) 186p
The former slave who traveled America, speaking as an abolitionist and feminist.

Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Petry, Ann (921 TUBMAN) 227p
The story of the courageous woman who guided more than 300 slaves to freedom.

Ashlee Simpson: Out of the Shadow and Into the Spotlight
Norwich, Grace (782.4216 NOR 2005) 135p
The story of how Ashlee found her voice and became a chart-topping superstar!

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Autobiographies & Memoirs:

Funny In Farsi
Dumas, Firoozeh (921 DUMAS) 198p
When seven-year-old Firoozeh Dumas's family moved to Whittier, California,
from Iran in 1972, they didn't plan to stay.

Yao: A Life In Two Worlds
Ming, Yao (796.323 MIN 2003) 290p
An inspiring account of how one man's faith in himself, hard work, and drive have taken him from national success story to international icon.

Maiden Voyage
Aebi, Tania (910.45 AEB) 302p
Tania circumnavigated the globe alone to become the first American woman and youngest person ever to complete the journey.

My Thirteenth Winter: A Memoir
Abeel, Samantha (921 ABEEL) 203p
Samantha Abeel couldn't tell time, remember her locker combination, or count out change at a checkout counter -- and she was in seventh grade.

Paula
Allende, Isabel (921 ALLENDE) 336p
The author tells stories of her life to her daughter, who is in a coma.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Angelou, Maya (921 ANGELOU) 289p
An African-American writer, poet and actress traces her coming of age.

E.A.R.L.: Ever Always Real Life: The Autobiography of DMX
Fontaine, Smokey D. (782.4216 SIM) 346p
"To live is to suffer. But to survive, well, that's to find meaning in the suffering..."

American Chica: Two Worlds, One Childhood
Arana, Marie (92 ARA) 320p
Arana uses her life to look at how cultures define, limit and enrich us.

It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life
Armstrong, Lance (796.62 ARM) 304p
A world-class athlete who was nearly struck down by cancer, recovered, and won the grueling Tour de France.

Julian Nava: My Mexican-American Journey
Nava, Julian (921 NAVA) 233p
Julian Nava recounts his rise from a childhood in the barrio to become the first Mexican American to serve as United States Ambassador to Mexico.

Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High
Beals, Melba (J 921 BEALS) 312p
The author's experiences as one of the first African-American kids to integrate into Central High in Arkansas.

Leap Of Faith: Memoirs of an Unexpected Life
Noor, Queen (921 NOOR) 467p
The dramatic story of an emancipated young woman who became the fourth
wife of a powerful Arab monarch.

Gal: A True Life
Bolton, Ruthie (921 BOLTON) 352p
"I was evil because I was being treated evil."

Running with Scissors: A Memoir
Burroughs, Augusten (921 BURROUGHS) 304p
The true story of a boy whose mother gave him away to be raised by her unorthodox psychiatrist, who bore a striking resemblance to Santa Claus.

The Liars’ Club: A Memoir
Karr, Mary (921 KARR) 320p
Karr looks back at her upbringing in a swampy East Texas refinery town.

Flight of Passage
Buck, Rinker (629.13 BUC) 351p
In 1966 Rinker and Kern Buck, two teenaged brothers from New Jersey, flew a Piper Cub airplane across the country.

The Stuff of Life: A Daughter’s Memoir
Karbo, Karen (616.9942 KAR 2003) 280p
When Karen Karbo's father, who lives in a triple-wide in the Nevada desert, is diagnosed with lung cancer, his only daughter rises to the challenge of caring for him.

I Am Jackie Chan: My Life in Action
Chan, Jackie (921 CHAN) 356p
From big star in Asia to big star in America, and before.

My Own Two Feet
Cleary, Beverly (J 921 CLEARY) 288p
The creator of the popular Ramona and Beezus books remembers her life, beginning with her college years.

Educating Esme: Diary of a Teacher's First Year
Codell, Esme Raji (372.11 COD) 216p
Madame Esme's emotional, difficult, challenging first year as a teacher.

The Journey is the Destination: The Journals of Dan Eldon
Eldon, Dan (921 ELDON) 224p
The extraordinary life of a photojournalist who was stoned to death in Somalia at the age of 22.

Zoya’s Story: An Afghan Woman’s Struggle for Freedom
Zoya (921 ZOYA) 239p
An epic tale of fear and suffering, courage and hope.

Lucky Man: A Memoir
Fox, Michael J. (921 FOX) 288p
The triumphs and trials of a popular actor.

Diary of a Young Girl
Frank, Anne (921 FRANK) 283p
Through the diary she kept while in hiding, Anne Frank puts a human face on the Holocaust experience.

The Journals of Rachel Scott: A Journey of Faith at Columbine High
Nimmo, Beth (921 SCOTT) 147p
A story of faith, told in Scott's own words. Includes journal entries, drawings from her diary, and notes from her parents and friends at Columbine.

Hole in My Life
Gantos, Jack (921 GANTOS) 208p
From a young man who spent 15 months in a federal prison for drug smuggling and eventually became a successful author.

Stick Figure: A Diary of My Former Self
Gottlieb, Lori (616.8526) 240p
Lori's single goal: To be the thinnest 11 year-old on the planet.

Autobiography of a Face
Grealy, Lucy (362.1 GRE) 240p
Striken with cancer at 9, Lucy returned to school with 1/3 of her jaw removed.

I Have Lived a Thousand Years: Growing Up In the Holocaust
Jackson, Livia Bitton (940.53 BIT) 234p
A graphic narrative describes what happens to a 13-year-old Jewish girl when the Nazis invade Hungary in 1944.

Hawk: Occupation: Skateboarder
Hawk, Tony (796.22 HAW) 320p
The life and career of skateboard superstar Tony Hawk.

Pretty Good for a Girl
Heywood, Leslie (796.42 HEY) 224p
"Running was the way I first carved myself into the world, how I learned to claim a space, throw my shoulders back, and fly."

October Sky: A Memoir
Hickam, Homer (629.1 HIC) 428p
A coal miner's son dreams of sending rockets into space.

The Girl with the White Flag
Higa, Tomiko (940.53 HIG)
Higa's experiences as a 7-year-old separated from her family, wandering through battle-torn Okinawa in 1945.

Little Green: Growing Up in the Cultural Revolution
Yu, Chun (951.056 YU 2005) 112p
“I was born in a small city near the East Sea, when the Great Cultural Revolution began. My name is Little Green, my country Zhong Guo, the Middle Kingdom.”

Sky: A True Story of Resistance During World War II
Ippisch, Hanneke (J 940.53 IPP) 160p
A young girl's involvement with the Dutch Resistance, and her subsequent arrest and imprisonment by the Germans.

Bo Knows Bo
Jackson, Bo (796.092 JAC) 218p
Athletics made possible Bo's rise from poverty, as one of 10 kids in a fatherless family, to a professional career in baseball and football.

Do They Hear You When You Cry
Kassindja, Fauziya (921 KASSINDJA) 528p
The author escapes to America to avoid female genital mutilation and fights for her right to stay.

A Girl From Yamhill: A Memoir
Cleary, Beverly (921 CLEARY) 344p
Follows the popular children's author from her childhood years in Oregon through high school and into young adulthood, highlighting her family life and her interest in writing.

Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution
Jiang, Ji-Li (951.056 JIA) 320p
Growing up in China during the cultural revolution, Ji-Li learns that everything is not as it seems.

Girl, Interrupted
Kaysen, Susan (362.21 KAY) 168p
In 1967, 18-year old Susanna voluntarily admitted herself to a two-year stay at a psychiatric institute, with a diagnosis of "borderline personality."

When I Was a Young Man: A Memoir
Kerrey, Robert (921 KERREY) 270p
This fascinating memoir tells the tale of a young boy's life in Nebraska, his journey as a young man into the dangers of Vietnam and finally to the Nixon White House.

Bruce Lee: The Celebrated Life of the Golden Dragon
Lee, Bruce (791.43 LEE) 180p
A photobiography of the famous martial arts master.

King of the Mild Frontier: An Ill-advised Autobiography
Crutcher, Chris (921 CRUTCHER) 260p
Crutcher tells of growing up in Cascade, Idaho, and becoming a writer.

I Make My Own Rules
LL Cool J (782.4216 LLC) 234p
The famous rapper and actor talks about his troubled childhood, the world of rap, and his own rise to stardom.

Mandela: The Man, the Struggle, the Triumph
Hoobler, Dorothy (J 921 MANDELA) 143p
A riveting biography of the man who has been in the forefront of the struggle
against apartheid.

Miriam's Song: A Memoir
Mathabane, Miriam (968.753 MAT) 315p
Miriam's story about the violence shown to women in South Africa, due to apartheid and traditional African attitudes.

Angela's Ashes
McCourt, Frank (921 MCCOURT) 363p
The author recounts scenes from his childhood in New York City and in Ireland.

Where White Men Fear to Tread: The Autobiography of Russell Means
Means, Russell (921 MEANS) 573p
American Indian activist tells his life story.

There and Back Again: An Actor’s Tale
Astin, Sean (921 ASTIN) 308p
Stories from the set of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and of the actors involved.

Bad Boy: A Memoir
Myers, Walter Dean (921 MYERS) 224p
An award-winning author's life growing up in Harlem.

In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer
Opdyke, Irene (J 940.5318 OPD) 248p
The heroic and horrific experiences of a Polish teenager during WWII.

A Child Called "It"
Pelzer, David (362.75 PEL) 184p
A horrifying account of the bizarre tortures David endured and survived at the hands of his mother.

Always Running: La Vida Loca, Gang Days in Los Angelos.
Rodriguez, Luis (921 RODRIGUEZ) 260p
A former gang member recounts the sense of security and power found in a gang and the grim reality of violence and poverty.

Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez: An Autobiography
Rodriguez, Richard (921 RODRIGUEZ) 195p
Richard describes the high price for a Mexican-American to "make it" in America.

Death Be Not Proud
Gunther, John (921 GUNTHER) 264p
Johnny Gunther was only seventeen years old when he died of a brain tumor. This deeply moving book is a father's memoir of a brave, intelligent, and spirited boy.

The Last Time I Wore a Dress
Scholinski, Daphne (921 SCHOLINSKI) 211p
A terrifying account of three years spent in a mental institution for what her shrinks deemed a "Gender Identity Disorder."

Katie.com: My Story
Tarbox, Katherine (364.153 TAR) 196p
How does a harmless 'Net romance become an encounter with a pedophile?

Little X
Tate, Sonsyrea (297 TAT)
Life in a Nation of Islam family, and what happens when one member rejects the family's chosen religion.

Scar Tissue
Kiedis, Anthony (782.4216 KIE 2004) 465p
Anthony Kiedis is the lead singer of the rock group the Red Hot Chili Peppers. A searingly honest memoir of a life spent in the fast lane.

Teen Angst? Naaah - a Quasi-Autobiography
Vizzini, Ned (305.235 VIZ) 232p
Weird, funny and mortifying moments from a true teen.

Black, White and Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting Self
Walker, Rebecca (921 WALKER) 322p
Too black for some; not black enough for others. A recollection about racism, growing up, growing away, and finding yourself.

Starving: A Personal Journey Through Anorexia
Pettit, Christie (616.8526 PET 2003) 143p
Through journal entries, personal anecdotes, and Scripture, Pettit reflects
on her struggle with eating.

Pedro and Me: Friendship, Loss and What I Learned
Winick, Judge (362.1969 WIN) 187p
Judge shares his experiences as the roommate of an HIV positive AIDS activist on MTV's The Real World.

This Boy's Life
Wolff, Tobias (921 WOLFF) 304p
The author's teenaged life with an abusive stepfather.

Black Boy
Wright, Richard (921 WRIGHT) 419p
A journey from innocence to experience in the Jim Crow South.

Autobiography of Malcolm X
X, Malcolm (921 X) 466p
From street hustler to religious and national leader.

Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter
Yen Ma, Adeline (951 MAH) 205p
Life with a cruel stepmother and neglectful father becomes a struggle for survival.

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Tips For Finding a Biography:

• The time period in which the person lived
     (Example: 19th century inventors biography)
• The type of work the person did
     (Example: singers biography)
• The ethnicity or gender of the person
     (Example: asian women activists biography)
• What the person is best known for
     (Example: nobel peace prize biography)

• A biography is written about someone else's life.
• An autobiography or memoir is someone's writing about their own lives.

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