Audible's Celebrity Memoir of the Year, 2022

Though actor, writer, director, and podcaster Jennette McCurdy broke out initially for her role as Sam on the hit Nickelodeon show iCarly, she’s now using her platform for self-expression and honest discourse on abuse, recovery, and self-love. As encapsulated in the audiobook’s title and playfully grim cover, McCurdy’s buzzy debut is simultaneously vulnerable and funny. But what truly makes I’m Glad My Mom Died the best memoir of the year (aside from it being a feat of gutsy honesty, laden with reflections on trauma, survival, and child stardom) is McCurdy’s narration: Soul-baring, visceral, witty, and real, her performance is as brave as it is immersive. —Seth H.

Viola Davis and I go way back to the days when she appeared on my favorite show, Law & Order. Watching, I often wondered why she wasn’t dolled up, suspecting the rationale was her dark skin that didn’t elicit glamour once upon a time. That certainly was the reason that she had to run home every day, in shoes a few sizes too small and peppered with holes, away from a pack of boys who called her names and threatened her. She shares that, at 53, she finally started doing the work on her scars from the past. Her therapist pointed out that the little girl from Central Falls, Rhode Island, was the hero, and here she is, folks. And as she proves time and again in this memoir, Viola Davis is a knockout! She’s one of the best in the business, delivering seamless and powerful performances—including in this memoir. —Yvonne D.

I thought Matthew Perry’s memoir was going to be simple and filled with '90s nostalgia. Instead, the sitcom icon begins with a harrowing story from just a few years ago when he found himself in a coma with a two percent chance of survival. From there, the memoir proceeds in a nonlinear fashion, alternating between this event and its aftermath, and his own personal history, starting in childhood. So while, yes, Friends fans will enjoy Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, it’s really a story for addicts, recovering addicts, and their families. Perry believes he’s still here and alive today to help people, and his writing and performance conveys and delivers on that conviction. —Katie O.

In one selection from her memoir-in-essays, Constance Wu recounts her time spent working at a local bakery: the peaceful quiet of early morning pastry shifts, the soothing repetition of kneading and shaping loaves, and the delight of watching customers enjoy the kitchen’s handiwork. It’s a moment that reveals her true gift for storytelling, both in earnest, vulnerable prose and in performance, her fine voice alight with humility and the warm glow of nostalgia. Her skills continue to shine through each and every recollection, whether it be in quiet moments of childhood and young love, or headline-grabbing stories of surviving harassment and making it in the entertainment industry. —Alanna M.

You don’t need to be a Top 40 devotee to recognize that the artists of this generation are poised to shake up the music industry forever. And if you’re wondering where these disruptors, innovators, creators, and game-changers got their start, look no further. Featuring some of today’s biggest artists and rising stars, this Audible Original series explores the diverse backgrounds and journeys of musicians including Billie Eilish, Camilo, Doja Cat, Flying Lotus, King Princess, Koffee, Mickey Guyton, and Tobe Nwigwe through spoken and musical performance and dynamic sound design. Both an examination of personal identity and a chronicle of creative discovery, this podcast is a must for modern music aficionados and memoir enthusiasts alike. —A.M.

While you may know Molly Shannon best from her Saturday Night Live original characters, including quirky, armpit-sniffing Mary Katherine Gallagher or high-kicking quinquagenarian Sally O’Malley, her memoir, Hello Molly!, is the real deal. In turns shattering and self-deprecating, Shannon takes listeners through a life lived in the shadow of tragedy, from navigating a complex relationship with her grieving father to honing the improv skills foundational to her career. As you’d expect from the comic, this memoir is funny, charming, and indefatigably empathetic. But it’s also so much more: a touching portrait of how the spirit can survive in spite of it all. —A.M.

Few listens in recent years have made an impact as lasting as Michelle Obama’s brilliant Becoming, a bestseller that demonstrated the former FLOTUS’s gift for memoir. Her eagerly awaited follow-up, The Light We Carry, glimmers with Obama’s signature sense of compassion in a voice that’s warm and empowering. A blend of memoir and self dev that converses directly with the listener, encouraging them to develop inner strength in the face of great change, it's also a reflection on the author’s own experiences in the White House and beyond. This is another instant classic from a cultural powerhouse. —A.M.

Emmy Award winner Quinta Brunson’s memoir She Memes Well chronicles the Abbott Elementary creator’s journey from viral internet sensation to Hollywood star. Brunson’s infectious energy shines bright as she talks about everything from growing up in West Philly to Black hair care, self-acceptance, and mental health. She Memes Well ends with Brunson selling an unnamed pilot to ABC; that pilot became Abbott, and in an exclusive epilogue recorded for Audible listeners, Brunson reflects on the success of her breakout show and gives a behind-the-scenes look at how she built her diverse writers’ room and enlisted such an endearing ensemble cast. —Margaret H.

Edward Enninful is one of the most impressive creative forces of the 21st century. A Ghanaian, he is the first Black person to head any of the Vogue titles. But he was always destined for great things—at just 18, he became the fashion editor of the influential i-D Magazine in London. Along the way, he created major campaigns for fashion houses including Dolce & Gabbana. In his memoir, he generously gives credit to those who have helped him, as he himself does for others. Yet in spite of all his successes, racism still rears its ugly head: One day, as he entered Vogue’s London HQ, a security guard directed him to the loading dock. She messed with the wrong man. —Y.D.

You likely know John Legend as the musical heavyweight he is today: a Grammy winner gone platinum with no shortage of hits to his name. But this Audible Original offers a window into Legend’s life prior to his rise to stardom, beginning with his roots as a bright young boy singing in his church’s choir. From there, Legend takes us to the nightclub stages of his early years and on to the performances that earned him an EGOT, all while meditating on perseverance, faith, and creativity. Interspersed with exclusive recordings of Legend’s own hits and a few exceptional covers, Legend’s entry into the Words + Music series is as vulnerable, tender, and inviting as they come. —A.M.

The past few years have offered an embarrassment of riches for comic book fans, with new film adaptations rolling out at a truly impressive clip. A standout among them was 2021’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first-ever Asian superhero film, led by Simu Liu. In We Were Dreamers, Liu tangles with his upbringing as a Chinese immigrant living in Canada, raised by parents who, steeled by the Cultural Revolution, sought excellence from their son. In a conversational, authentic tone, Liu unspools his compelling background and his hard-won journey toward success and familial reconciliation without ever losing that lighthearted spark that makes him so easy to root for. —A.M.

This stirring listen from CNN anchor Zain Asher is as much a memoir as it is a heartfelt homage to her mother, who rose from tragedy to raise four exceptionally successful children through unrelenting discipline, a fighting spirit, and a determination to inspire them to greater things. Asher’s performance of her own story, of the heartbreaking death of her father, and the profundity of her mother’s perseverance, elevates this audiobook into a truly moving experience. I appreciated hearing the depth of her emotion in those moments, as times of pain and hope alike shimmer with both resilience and great affection for her family. —K.O.

It’s been four years now since Hannah Gadsby’s genre-bending tragicomic performance Nanette debuted, an act of artistic resistance that at once riffed on the structure of a stand-up routine and upended the medium entirely. And in all that time, I still haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. It was a revolutionary work of storytelling that refused the cheap joke, opting instead for deadpan delivery and observational humor about merely existing as a queer, neurodivergent woman in a world that’s often less-than-welcoming. Though it’s difficult to imagine a piece more raw than the special itself, Gadsby’s memoir cuts to the bone, both a fascinating retelling of the show’s conception and an unfiltered, courageous glimpse inward. —A.M.

U2’s music is a huge part of the soundtrack of my youth—the songs that immediately take me back to the ’80s and ’90s, the days when I’d listen to full albums, in order (no skipping), and on repeat. U2’s songs, and Bono’s voice, made an indelible imprint on my brain and in my heart. U2 also gave me the absolute greatest stadium concert experience of my life. The show ended, and as we exited Brendan Byrne Arena, the entire crowd sang the words of “40” in unison, on repeat, and as one: “How long, to sing this song?” It was truly something special to hear Bono tell his story through these 40 songs that mean so much to me already. —Tricia F.