Celebrity biography readings

(Image credit: Various publishers)

Celebrity culture is a fascinating thing, and while it’s easy to get your fill by following various gossip blogs, scrolling endlessly on social media, and going down Wikipedia rabbit holes about your favorite actors, musicians, and other public figures, there’s nothing quite like hearing about the celebrity experience from the people living it.

Enter the celebrity memoir. A very specific genre of book and even kind of memoir, the best celeb memoirs not only give readers a peek behind the curtain—exposing the inner workings of Hollywood, Buckingham Palace, Washington, D.C., and beyond—but also offer up juicy, hilarious, and sometimes heartbreaking stories that even their most dedicated fans have never heard, painting a much more nuanced picture of a person previously only seen on a TV screen or magazine cover.

Read on for a list of 30 of the best celebrity memoirs ever written—including a National Book Award winner