Celebrity, at its core, implies a talent for capturing and maintaining attention. Whether it's through scandalizing comments repeatedly shared online, a series of songs that leave teenage girls in enjoyable despair, or the latest high-profile relationship, there are many ways to pique the public’s interest. Much like a book, celebrities are tasked with continuously creating tension around the narrative of their lives, making sure to remain relevant as the media cycle (and audience's attention span) churns.
With this authorial approach to their own lives and an acute awareness of the public’s shifting tastes, it's no surprise many a celeb turns to the memoir. For some stars, penning their story is an opportunity to set the record straight, for others, it's a shot at cultural resurgence. This literary phenomenon extends beyond A-listers to include those in their orbit—family members, collaborators, and industry insiders—whose tangential perspectives offer equally compelling insights into the world of fame. Whatever the motivation, the celebrity memoir can deliver a salacious, fascinating read. In that vein, CULTURED rounded up a list of 9 celebrity memoirs to sink into during the summer doldrums.
The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir by Griffin Dunne
Griffin Dunne's upbringing outshines many a celebrity childhood: He partied with Janis Joplin and Tom Wolfe at his aunt Joan Didion’s parties, went out with international movie stars like Carrie Fisher, and starred in art house favorites like Scorcese’s After Hours. Amidst the fanfare came unparalleled devastation when his sister Dominique was strangled to death by her ex-boyfriend at age 22, setting off one of the ’80s most infamous trials, which inspired Dunne's father to pivot into crime reporting for Vanity Fair. Through Dunne's lens, the memoir documents the story of a family that helped define the cultural zeitgeist of their era.
Inside Out: A Memoir by Demi Moore
In the ’80s and ’90s, the press portrayed Demi Moore as three things: promiscuous, greedy, and internationally successful. 30 years after her box-office hay-day, Moore embarked on the therapeutic journey to come to terms with her life story and the prevailing public narrative. Known to be a very private person, Moore dives deep in Inside Out, delving into her mother’s struggles with mental illness, her own history of drug abuse, and her fight for equal pay for women in Hollywood with a disarming level of introspection and compassion.
Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself by Crystal Hefner
Controversial but undeniably influential, Playboy built an empire of hedonism and glamour, and the women seemed empowered while doing so. Decades later, Crystal Hefner pulls back the curtain on Playboy’s mystique, chronicling her journey from being chosen by Hugh Hefner at a party to their tumultuous relationship and five-year marriage, even exploring her quest for self-discovery after Hefner’s death in 2017.
Coming Home by Brittney Griner
In February 2022, Brittney Griner was fresh off her 9th WNBA season, having just led her team to their first tournament final in 7 years. That February, however, Griner saw her life change forever when she faced an unprecedented 10-month detention in Russia. Her incarceration was the subject of international news, and the White House began planning a prisoner swap shortly after, ultimately succeeding in bringing her back to U.S soil in December 2022. In Coming Home, Griner reclaims her narrative, and shares how her family, faith, and the support of millions who rallied for her freedom enabled her to endure the ordeal.
A Year on Earth with Mr. Hell by Young Kim
This memoir presents a candid, diaristic exploration of Young Kim's 10-month affair with punk icon and erotic writer Richard Hell. What began as a request for Kim to write an immodest account of their first night together sparked a relationship driven by both physical attraction and creative chemistry. The result is an unconventional exploration of desire with an older male figure as a creative muse and a frank female perspective on sexuality.
A Visible Man by Edward Enninful
At 18, when his peers were busy graduating high school, Edward Enninful was becoming i-D’s youngest-ever fashion editor, a position he held for two decades. After working for Vogue Italia and W Magazine, he was selected as British Vogue’s first Black male Editor-in-Chief in late 2017 (a role from which he stepped down last year). He became known as “the guy who shoots Black girls,” a label he found reductive but inconsequential “if it meant more women of color in the pages.” In his memoir, he generously gives credit to those that opened doors as he made sure to do for others.
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
In the New Yorker essay that spurred her memoir, Japanese Breakfast lead and shoegaze superstar Michele Zauner addresses a poignant reality for many mixed-race kids in America: “Am I even Korean anymore if there’s no one left in my life to call and ask which brand of seaweed we used to buy?” Zauner agonizes, complains, and aches through the loss of her mother, and, refreshingly, refuses to search for emotional silver linings, instead reflecting on the unending nature of loss.
Julia Fox’s memoir became an Internet obsession before it was even out. For fans hoping to get a glimpse into her month-long affair with Kanye West or learn about her time as a dominatrix, to Fox’s own comments calling her then-unfinished manuscript a “masterpiece,” Down the Drain was the perfect fodder for conversation, and even inspiration. At its core, it’s a story about a girl becoming a woman—who just so happens to get incredibly famous while doing so.
Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk by Kathleen Hanna
A pioneer of the punk scene and one of the first stewards of the Riot Grrrl movement, Kathleen Hanna has historically refused to engage in any press. As the leader of punk rock band Bikini Kill, she and her band received so much media backlash that they called for a mass boycott from their supporters. Now, two band-breakups, a family, and a successful battle against Lyme disease later, Hanna has gained the emotional and creative freedom to finally share the haunting but candid stories that she has hinted at in her music for so long.
