Open: An Autobiography
Andre Agassi's 2009 memoir, written with Pulitzer-winning journalist J.R. Moehringer, in which he admits he hated tennis for much of his career. It's my favorite answer to anyone who asks what a ghostwriter is for.
Tag: Memoir
Articles on writing and publishing a memoir: where to start, structure, what to include, the legal and family risks, and why your life story is worth getting down.
Book ReviewsLife
Keith Richards's memoir of the Rolling Stones, written with journalist James Fox after years of interviews. It debuted at number one on the New York Times list and won the Norman Mailer Prize for biography.
Book ReviewsDid I Ever Tell You This?: A Memoir
Sam Neill's memoir, written in a burst in 2022 while he was being treated for blood cancer. It's funny, gossipy and self-deprecating, and it's how he told the world he was ill.
LeadershipSoldier for Life: Leader Lessons from the 12th Sergeant Major of the Army
The memoir and leadership book of Jack Tilley, who rose from Vietnam-era private to the 12th Sergeant Major of the Army. Written with Army historian Dan Elder, it ends every chapter with the lesson behind the story.
LeadershipIt Doesn’t Take a Hero
The autobiography of General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, written with Peter Petre, covering his childhood, two tours in Vietnam and his command of the 1991 Gulf War from Central Command at MacDill. He retired to Tampa afterward.
LeadershipAmerican Soldier
General Tommy Franks's memoir, written with Malcolm McConnell, runs from an enlisted soldier in 1965 to the commander of U.S. Central Command who led the 2001 Afghanistan campaign and the 2003 invasion of Iraq from MacDill. It debuted at number…
LeadershipThe Melting Point: High Command and War in the 21st Century
General Frank McKenzie's account of commanding U.S. Central Command from MacDill between 2019 and 2022, a stretch that included the Soleimani strike, the fight against ISIS and the withdrawal from Afghanistan. He now leads a national security institute at the…
LeadershipSea Stories: My Life in Special Operations
Admiral William McRaven's memoir of a life in special operations, from a childhood in France through SEAL training to the capture of Saddam Hussein, the Captain Phillips rescue and the bin Laden raid. He later commanded U.S. Special Operations Command…
LeadershipTop Sergeant: The Life and Times of Sergeant Major of the Army William G. Bainbridge
The autobiography of William Bainbridge, the fifth Sergeant Major of the Army, written with retired Sergeant Major Dan Cragg. It runs from a World War II prison camp to the Army's top enlisted post.
MemoirA Tiger among Us: A Story of Valor in Vietnam’s A Shau Valley
Medal of Honor recipient Bennie Adkins, a retired command sergeant major, tells the story of the 1966 fight for Camp A Shau, where 17 Green Berets held out against a far larger North Vietnamese force. He wrote it with journalist…
Hiring a Ghostwriter50 Years of Duty: One Police Officer’s Compelling Journey from State Trooper to County Sheriff
The memoir of Gene Wriggelsworth, a Michigan state trooper and undercover narcotics supervisor who served seven terms as Ingham County sheriff. Written with his wife, Sandy, and a credited ghostwriter, for the family first.
LeadershipBlack in Blue: Lessons on Leadership, Breaking Barriers, and Racial Reconciliation
Former Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best on 28 years of policing, becoming the first Black woman to lead the department and resigning in 2020 over budget cuts. Written as a leadership book as much as a memoir.