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True Story

Memoirs for International Women’s Day

Happiest of Fridays, nonfiction readers! This past Tuesday, March 8, was International Women’s Day, “a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.” To celebrate, I’d like to share some of my favorite memoirs by women from across the globe. Here we go!

book cover I should have honor by khalida brohi

I Should Have Honor: A Memoir of Hope and Pride in Pakistan by Khalida Brohi

Khalida Brohi grew up living in a remote tribe in rural Pakistan. Her tribe believed in arranged marriages and strict family structures, but her father was determined she would not be married off as a child. In her teens, Brohi learned that a beloved cousin had been murdered as part of a tradition known as honor killing. This inspired Brohi to become an activist working to end this custom by empowering women and educating men around the world.

book cover the best we could do by thi bui

The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui

This beautiful illustrated memoir tells the story of one family’s journey from war-torn Vietnam to the United States in the 1970s. Thi Bui started to learn more about her parent’s experience when she was a graduate student doing oral history interviews with her parents. Those stories, along with her own experiences as a young mother, anchor the book, while also touching on themes like sacrifice, rebuilding, and the experience of refugees. It’s beautifully done!

book cover reading lolita in tehran

Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi

This memoir is about Azar Nafisi’s experiences as a professor in Iran during and after the Iranian revolution. For two years in the 1990s, Nafisi hosted a book club for some of her most dedicated students where they read Western classics that had been banned in Iran. This is a bit older, but it’s still one of my favorite books to recommend because of the ways it shows life in Iran and the lessons we can all take from literature.

book cover wave sonali deraniyagala

Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala

In December 2004, Sonali Deraniyagala, her husband, her sons, and her parents, were vacationing in Sri Lanka. When a tsunami hit their resort, everyone but Deraniyagala was killed. This memoir is about how she lost her family and how she grapples with that shattering loss afterwards. It’s also the story of her family, filled with beautiful moments from her childhood, marriage, and motherhood. This book is both deeply sad and a very moving meditation on grief and what comes after unimaginable loss. 

Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!

One Thing I Like

As I write this, I am about 24 hours away from being on vacation! This long weekend somewhere warm feels like it’s been a very, very long time coming. Of course, I am stuffing my suitcase with as many books as I can possibly trick the TSA into letting me bring, including a couple of highly-anticipated new nonfiction books. The true stories in my suitcase are: 

I’ve read a few chapters of each one just to make sure they’re worth the trip – I am so, so excited to dig in.


For more nonfiction reads, head over to the podcast service of your choice and download For Real, which I co-host with my dear friend Alice. If you have any questions/comments/book suggestions, you can find me on social media @kimthedork. Happy weekend!