Celebrity Women with Must-Listen Audiobook Memoirs

Female writers are my jam! Sure, they comprise a broad group (pun intended), but I'm especially partial to celebrity memoirs and essay collections—so much so that they have become my foolproof listening-slump busters. I will always, always go with the audiobook if it’s narrated by the celebrity. Rather than sitting down with a book, it feels like I’m hanging out with a girlfriend who has endless insights and stories. So, I'm here to share with you celebrity memoir audiobooks by awesome women, narrated by said awesome women. These are human stories that take us on a tour of someone else’s life path, narrated in the most authentic voice possible. Good luck not wanting to make best-friend bracelets for these famous female authors.

Around the Way Girl

A Memoir

By: Taraji P. Henson

Narrated by: Taraji P. Henson

Length: 7 hrs and 27 mins

Release date: 10-11-16

Language: English

5 out of 5 stars 9,483 ratings

Henson will have you laughing, crying, and then laughing hysterically again, because as gifted as she is as an actress, she’s an equally gifted storyteller. From her difficult upbringing to the challenges of raising a child as a single mother, Henson never waivers in her drive or humor, making you feel like you’re listening to that friend who always tells you how it is while cracking you up and keeping you inspired.
Troublemaker

Surviving Hollywood and Scientology

By: Leah Remini

Narrated by: Leah Remini

Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins

Release date: 11-03-15

Language: English

5 out of 5 stars 21,975 ratings

Remini is a hilarious, in-your-face actress who broke ties with the Church of Scientology and wrote a tell-all about her experience. From becoming a member at a young age to the teachings of Scientology and her eventual painful decision to leave, Remini tells her story with a quick tongue and sharp wit. There are also plenty of Hollywood insider stories, from auditioning for Friends to attending Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes's wedding. Loud, funny women like Leah Remini will always have a special place in my heart.
In the Country We Love

My Family Divided

By: Diane Guerrero, Michelle Burford

Narrated by: Diane Guerrero

Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins

Release date: 05-03-16

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 3,314 ratings

If I had the power to gift every single person with an audiobook, I would do it with Guerrero’s memoir. She shares her experience of being born in the United States to undocumented parents and the day she came home from school to find they had been taken for deportation. She fell through the cracks of the system and struggled to finish high school and pursue her dream of acting—but she made it. You might have seen her on the shows Jane the Virgin and Orange Is the New Black. Listening to her story as she lays herself bare detailing her struggles (including with mental illness) is a reminder of the resilience of the human spirit and how important it is to tell and hear stories like this.
Being Jazz

My Life as a (Transgender) Teen

By: Jazz Jennings

Narrated by: Jazz Jennings

Length: 4 hrs

Release date: 06-07-16

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 348 ratings

Jennings, star of the I Am Jazz reality series on TLC, has an infectious zest for life that you won't be able to resist as you listen to her narrate her life growing up as a transgender child and now teenager. Even with all the support from her family and her community, her book is a reminder of how difficult and cruel the world can be to transgender people. I wish to be a small percentage of how cool and inspirational she is—seriously, her personality shines through every word.
Dear Mr. You

By: Mary-Louise Parker

Narrated by: Mary-Louise Parker

Length: 5 hrs and 44 mins

Release date: 11-10-15

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 627 ratings

For a truly unique take—in the best possible way—on the memoir/essay genre, Parker has written stream-of-consciousness letters to men who are important to her, ranging from former boyfriends to the honchos at NASA. Her way of speaking directly to those she’s addressing reveals so much about herself and the human condition that her writing and voice burrowed into my skin. She certainly made me feel every emotion while I listened, and she left me thinking for days. And if you were a fan of her acting on Weeds, you may imagine her biting a coffee straw after every essay—at least, I did.
You Can't Touch My Hair

And Other Things I Still Have to Explain

By: Phoebe Robinson, Jessica Williams - foreword

Narrated by: Phoebe Robinson, John Hodgman

Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins

Release date: 10-04-16

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 2,208 ratings

Robinson’s range of topics is amazing. She has really important conversations that center around race and gender, but also swings wildly into fun pop culture conversations, all done with silly, biting, and sarcastic humor. The foreword is written by Jessica Williams, making this audiobook fantastic all the way through. Plus, a comedian narrating her own essays is obviously going to be gold! And lucky us, Robinson has a second audiobook that is equally ah-mazing: Everything's Trash, But It's Okay.
Where Am I Now?

True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame

By: Mara Wilson

Narrated by: Mara Wilson

Length: 7 hrs and 22 mins

Release date: 09-13-16

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 740 ratings

Quiet and self-effacing doesn’t usually feel like the typical celebrity personality, but after starring in the movie Matilda as a child, I’m not sure Wilson will ever not be viewed as a star by her fans. In her memoir, she takes you into her childhood, her acting career, and her decision to step away from it all. She says the scary and often-unsaid bits out loud, and I love her so much for that. She’s incredibly smart and insightful, and I find her voice to be so soothing—I look forward to anything she may write.
Forward

A Memoir

By: Abby Wambach

Narrated by: Abby Wambach

Length: 5 hrs and 18 mins

Release date: 09-13-16

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 1,533 ratings

You don’t have to be a fan of soccer, or sports, to enjoy Wambach’s memoir, but you’ll still most likely find yourself cheering for her through life’s ups and downs—personal and professional. She takes you into the pressures we put on ourselves, our sometimes self-destructive natures, and our desire to find love, self-understanding, and a sense of belonging. Get ready to feel a whole array of feelings alongside Wambach.
Love, Loss, and What We Ate

A Memoir

By: Padma Lakshmi

Narrated by: Padma Lakshmi

Length: 12 hrs and 37 mins

Release date: 03-08-16

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 1,142 ratings

This memoir tracks Lakshmi's journey from immigrant child to celebrity, model, host, and onetime wife of Salman Rushdie, but it’s also about her passion for food and life in general, and the people who helped shape her. And Lakshmi speaks really openly and frankly about things that don’t get discussed, like endometriosis. It definitely fits in nicely with the recent additions of memoirs for foodies.

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