Biography * Memoir: Women & Persons of Color

Pay Day

by ReShonda Tate Billinglsey & Richelle Denise; read by Janina Edwards & Leon Nixon

When the office lotto pool lands the winning ticket for four friends, each will embark on journeys that change their lives forever. Learn More

A Plausible Man

by Susanna Ashton; read by Leon Nixon

NEW! Now Available

The remarkable story of the man behind the book that helped spark the Civil War, in a stunning historical detective story. Learn More

Playing Dead

by Monique Faison Ross, with Gary M. Krebs; read by Janina Edwards

Monique Faison Ross presents her must-listen memoir Playing Dead. Learn More

National Book Critics Circle Award John Leonard Prize Finalist
A Buzzfeed Most Anticipated Book of the Year
A Literary Hub Most Anticipated Book of the Year
One of The Millions' Most Anticipated Books of the Year

Like a song that feels written just for you, Larissa Pham's debut work of nonfiction captures the imagination and refuses to let go. Learn More

The Power of Days

by Celeste Mergens; read by Celeste Mergens

An inspiring personal story of resilience, hope, and proof that we can all make a difference, from the founder of the award-winning global organization Days for Girls.
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Practical Equality

by Robert Tsai; read by David Shih

A path-breaking account of how Americans have used innovative legal measures to overcome injustice—and an indispensable guide to pursuing equality in our time. Learn More

Queen Victoria

by Michael Ledger-Lomas; read by Anne Flosnik

This biography evokes the pervasive importance of religion to Queen Victoria's life but also that life's centrality to the religion of Victorians around the globe. The first comprehensive exploration of Victoria's religiosity, it shows how moments in her life—from her accession to her marriage and her successive bereavements—enlarged how she defined and lived her faith. Learn More

Quilt of Souls

by Phyllis Biffle Elmore; read by Phyllis Biffle Elmore

The Yellow House meets Hidden in Plain View in this multigenerational memoir that celebrates African American quilting, family, and honoring the past. Learn More

Radical

by Xiaolu Guo; read by Raechel Wong

Xiaolu Guo has been lauded as a "voice . . . speaking with full freedom" (Wall Street Journal), which has made her one of the most acclaimed Chinese-born writers of her generation. Her new memoir, Radical, is an exploration of a city, an electrically honest rendering of what it means to be an outsider, and the sojourn that upended her sense of self as a woman, partner, mother, and artist. Learn More

The Radical Imagination of Black Women

by Pearl K. Ford Dowe; read by L. Malaika Cooper

Including interviews with Black women holding political office at the national, state, and local levels, as well as focus group data, The Radical Imagination of Black Women explores how Black women decide to seek political office. Pearl K. Ford Dowe argues that Black women's political ambition often manifests outside formal politics, in activism and community building, a process that is linked to a wider radical vision for a full democracy. Learn More

Real Estate

by Deborah Levy; read by Henrietta Meire

In this vibrant memoir, Deborah Levy employs her characteristic indelible writing, sharp wit, and acute insights to craft a searing examination of womanhood and ownership. Learn More

The Receptionist

Janet Groth; read by Judith West

Janet Groth’s seductive and entertaining look back at her 21 years (1957 to 1978—the William Shawn years) of lateral trajectory at America’s most literary of institutions. Learn More

The Receptionist (Digital Edition)

Janet Groth; read by Susanna Burney

Janet Groth’s seductive and entertaining look back at her 21 years (1957 to 1978—the William Shawn years) of lateral trajectory at America’s most literary of institutions. Learn More

Reckless Daughter

by David Yaffe; read by Xe Sands

Washington Post Notable Book

Reckless Daughter tells the story of Joni Mitchell and also of the fertile, exciting musical time of which she was an integral part, one that had a profound effect that can still be felt today on American music and the industry. Learn More

Reckoning

by V; read by V

The work of a lifetime from the Tony Award–winning, bestselling author of The Vagina Monologues—political, personal, profound, and more than forty years in the making. Learn More

Red Paint

by Sasha LaPointe; read by Sasha LaPointe

NPR Best Books of 2022
A NYLON Must-Read Book of the Month
A Bustle Most Anticipated Book of the Month

An Indigenous artist blends the aesthetics of punk rock with the traditional spiritual practices of the women in her lineage in this bold, contemporary journey to reclaim her heritage and unleash her power and voice while searching for a permanent home. Learn More

Rhythm Man

by Stephanie Stein Crease; read by James Fouhey

The first comprehensive biography of the Swing Era's pioneering virtuoso drummer and bandleader. Learn More

Russell Rules

Bill Russell with David Falkner; read by Rif Hutton

More than any other sports figure of the modern era, Bill Russell combined sheer athletic dominance with a depth of character that truly set him apart, both on and off the basketball court. Learn More

Ruthie Fear

by Maxim Loskutoff; read by Corey M. Snow

In this haunting parable of the American West, a young woman faces the violent past of her remote Montana valley. Learn More

Said I Wasn't Gonna Tell Nobody

by James H. Cone; read by Bill Andrew Quinn

In this powerful and passionate memoir—his final work—James H. Cone describes the obstacles he overcame to find his voice, to respond to the signs of the times, and to offer a voice for those—like the parents who raised him in Bearden, Arkansas, in the era of lynching and Jim Crow—who had no voice. Learn More

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