2016: The year in celebrity memoirs
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The public's hunger for celebrities has never been higher — and this season's book offering is a bountiful feast. Want insights into the life of Bruce Springsteen? Or Ruth Bader Ginsburg? Want to know what life is like as Princess Leia? Or a reality TV star? Read up.
The definition of "celebrity" does get a little hazy here: Does having 200,000 Twitter followers make you well-known? Or do you have to have to sell 150 million albums? Here's a sampling of new and forthcoming books from famous names — some more famous than others.
2016's celebrity memoirs
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Amy Schumer, "The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo"
The comedian cuts loose in a memoir that's as candid as her comedy. The book is brutally funny and unapologetic, diving into dark moments of Schumer's life and following her rise to stardom. She skewers the idea that she somehow represents all women in comedy, especially after her film "Trainwreck" was released:
After putting in so much effort to make a good movie, it felt pretty demeaning when they called it a "female comedy." This meaningless label painted me into a corner and forced me to speak for all females, because I am the actual FEMALE who wrote the FEMALE comedy and then starred as the lead FEMALE in that FEMALE comedy. They don't ask Seth Rogan to be ALL MEN! They don't make "men's comedies." They don't ask Ben Stiller, "Hey, Ben, what was your message for all male-kind when you pretended to have diarrhea and chased that ferret in 'Along Came Polly'?"
Bruce Springsteen, "Born to Run"
NPR dubbed The Boss's memoir "a 500-page Springsteen show." The book follows his rise from age 7, when he rents his first guitar, to his juggernaut success.
"Writing about yourself is a funny business," Springsteen notes in the book. "But in a project like this, the writer has made one promise, to show the reader his mind. In these pages, I've tried to do this."
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, "My Own Words"
Fans of the Supreme Court Justice got a glimpse into her life when "The Notorious R.B.G." hit bookshelves last year. Now, they can hear from Ginsburg herself. The book is a collection of Ginsburg's writings and speeches on everything from popular culture to women's rights.
Taraji P. Henson, "Around the Way Girl: A Memoir" – Oct. 11
The star of "Empire" reveals her difficult past in her new memoir. Henson has both Oscar and Emmy nominations to her name, but in the book, she talks about her father's violent outbursts and her family's struggle to make a living in their impoverished D.C. neighborhood. Though Henson has found success, her memoir challenges the limited roles available for black actresses in Hollywood.
Brian Wilson, "I Am Brian Wilson" – Oct. 11
You can't keep Brian Wilson down: The co-founder of the Beach Boys has had more comebacks than almost any public figure in history. He's been derailed by drug use, changing musical tastes and irreconcilable falling-outs in his band. In "I Am Brian Wilson," he talks about his musical inspirations, his inner demons and how he's found peace and music again in his 70s.
Bryan Cranston, "A Life in Parts" – Oct. 11
The internet is full of pictures of Bryan Cranston in his tightie-whities. And, appropriately, his book is equally baring. Cranston writes about the many roles he's played in life: "paperboy, farmhand, security guard, dating consultant, murder suspect, dock loader, lover, husband, father."
Nick Offerman, "Good Clean Fun: Misadventures in Sawdust at Offerman Workshop" – Oct. 18
When Ron Swanson wins an award for chair-making on "Parks and Rec," it's not entirely fiction. Nick Offerman, who played Swanson for seven seasons with mustachioed delight, is an accomplished carpenter and woodworker in his own right. His shop churns out everything from high-end furniture to canoes and kazoos. In this book, Offerman and his shop staff share the art of woodworking, complete with projects you might actually be able to make yourself.
Nicole Curtis, "Better Than New" – Oct. 18
If you just can't get enough of HGTV, this memoir from "Rehab Addict" host Nicole Curtis might fill your D.I.Y. craving.
Phil Collins, "Not Dead Yet" – Oct. 25
Completing the trifecta of male rock stars in their 60s and 70s now turning a thoughtful eye on their paths to fame, Phil Collins also has a new memoir. He pulls back the curtain on his songs, his successes, his marriages and his divorces.
Joel McHale, "Thank for the Money" – Oct. 25
Joel McHale, who rose to fame with his snark on "The Soup" and "Community," offers a hybrid memoir/how-to guide that exposes just how he got famous — and how he does his hair.
Trevor Noah, "Born a Crime" – Nov. 15
Comedian Trevor Noah, the current host of "The Daily Show," spends a lot of time in the spotlight, but his memoir opens with the story of why his family kept him hidden when he was a child. Born to a white father and a black mother in apartheid-era South Africa, he was proof of his parents' relationship, which was illegal at the time. Noah explains how his background led him to comedy, and how his career landed him behind the desk that Jon Stewart made famous.
Megyn Kelly, "Settle for More" – Nov. 15
Fox News' Megyn Kelly shares the view from her sometimes-embattled seat as a prominent woman in the news industry. The book addresses Kelly's run-in with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during the primary, among other top-of-the-news topics.
Anna Kendrick, "Scrappy Little Nobody" – Nov. 15
Still can't get that "Cups" song out of your head? This essay collection is for you. The actress charts her path from her childhood in Portland, Me., to her breakout roles in "Up in the Air" and "Pitch Perfect." (She was in "Twilight," too. But she didn't play a vampire or a werewolf, so does it really count?)
Carrie Fischer, "The Princess Diarist" – Nov. 22
What was it really like on the set of "Star Wars"? Luckily Carrie Fisher kept her journals from the time she left college to star as Princess Leia. She was just an unknown teenage actor in soon-to-be-iconic hair buns, scribbling details and love poems down in her notes. In "The Princess Diarist," she writes about how the trilogy took over her life, and how it felt to reprise her role in "The Force Awakens" last year.
Lauren Graham, "Talking as Fast as I Can" – Nov. 29
Lauren Graham — who made her mark as the million-word-a-minute Lorelai Gilmore on "Gilmore Girls" — reminisces about life on the set and her career in television. Her personal essays cover her awkward teenage years, bad dates and her struggle to make it in the industry. ("Did you, um, make it?" she asks herself.) When you're done bingeing on the new "Gilmore Girls" episodes headed to Netflix in November, you can settle down with this and keep the Stars Hollow dream alive a little longer.