A Twenty-Something’s Reading List: Must-Read Memoirs

As twenty-somethings, we struggle daily to remind ourselves that others know what we’re going through. This morning, I rushed out of the house, spilled coffee on my white shirt, wore the entirely wrong shoes with my outfit and got a text message from my ex that read, “I miss you, let’s hang out.” It may be Wednesday, but it feels like Monday reincarnate. Does anyone else understand the stress and frustration I feel as a twenty-one-year-old girl trying to get through my school day, trying to make it through life, trying to find myself? The answer is yes. The life of a twenty-something is full of indecisiveness, full of not knowing, full of mystery, love, adventure, fun, stress and friends. When you are doubting whether or not anyone feels the same way as you do, is thinking the same thoughts as you are, or is struggling in the same vein as you are, pick up a memoir written by an empowered woman and read their calming words. Here are three must-read memoirs.

1. Mindy Kaling, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

The Goodreads summary of Mindy Kaling’s witty memoir describes her best: “Mindy Kaling has lived many lives: the obedient child of immigrant professionals, a timid chubster afraid of her own bike, a Ben Affleck–impersonating Off-Broadway performer and playwright, and, finally, a comedy writer and actress prone to starting fights with her friends and coworkers with the sentence ‘Can I just say one last thing about this, and then I swear I’ll shut up about it?’” She’s a quirky, self-made woman, full of satirical commentary on topics ranging from romance and childbirth to being a celebrity and the world of Hollywood. If you’re looking for a solid, belly-rumbling laugh, I suggest you pick up this novel.

2. Lena Dunham, Not That Kind of Girl

This collection of essays was one of the first memoirs I picked up and it inspired me to read a slew of books just like it, including Kaling’s novel, Amy Poehler’s memoir and all of the others that so many readers rave about. Lena Dunham’s novel started it all. Let me tell you why.

I have never felt more at home with a novel than I did between the pages of this memoir. I have never felt more understood than I did while reading Dunham’s essays. She gets it; she gets me. I remember reading through the prologue of the novel and thinking to myself, “Her authorial voice is exactly what I want narrating my everyday life.” She speaks eloquently, her words full of candor and vigor, every sentence causing me to sigh or murmur in agreement. She is loquacious, but in the best way possible.

She discusses falling in love (in the most magical words, really), having “sex” on set for her TV show Girls, being ten pounds overweight, feeling alone, finding yourself, making mistakes and so, so much more. And, she does it in such a beautiful, real way.

In comparison to Mindy Kaling’s memoir, Dunham’s is a little more gritty. Both books will make you feel comfort in times of twenty-something stress – one will supply you with intense laughter, one will have you nodding your head and proclaiming “Yes! So true!” Read one, read the other, read both and feel comfort.

3. Jeanette Walls, The Glass Castle 

​This book is rowdy, intense, and attention-grabbing from the first sentence: “I was sitting in a taxi, wondering if I had overdressed for the evening, when I looked out and saw Mom rooting through a Dumpster.”

If you are searching for an unconventional memoir, pick up The Glass Castle. It is starkly different from the previous two collections of essays in that Jeanette Walls family is quite the rowdy bunch. The writing style, the stories, the crazy things that happen within the front and back covers of this book had me eating up the words. I remember finishing this novel in less than 24 hours; I could not put it down. She goes from living in the wild, camping and sleeping near the mountains with her nomad parents, to running out of the hospital in an attempt to avoid the bills. They lived a wandering life – until they didn’t. I refuse to ruin anything, though that may not be entirely possible; you’ll never quite guess what will happen next in this story of Jeanette Walls’ life.

A summary I found of this piercing memoir says this of Walls’ novel: “Hers is a story of triumph against all odds, but also a tender, moving tale of unconditional love in a family that despite its profound flaws gave her the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms. For two decades, Jeannette Walls hid her roots. Now she tells her own story. A regular contributor to MSNBC.com, she lives in New York and Long Island and is married to the writer John Taylor.” 

Need another reason to read this memoir? A movie is being made based on the book, coming out in 2017, and starring Brie Larson as Jeanette Walls. Have I convinced you yet?  

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