22 Best Biographies to Inspire you.

People have this self-thought that their life isn’t interesting enough to be written into a book. But, the irony is that some people had the notion that theirs were. This is the reason why we have some of the best biographies that are available for us to read and get inspired and take away some positivity from it. The majority of the authors who have written a biography about themselves have struggled through situations that people like you and me might be facing. Having that guiding hand through the process of struggle is quite amazing, isn’t it? 

This is where these biographies come into play and help boost your understanding of the lives of some of your favourite celebrities and scientists and artists and famous people in general. The biographies aren’t a way to claim bragging rights, but a genuine way to provide the people with a glimpse into the writer’s life. 

To help you pick out the best biography, we are going to help you go through a list of some of the best ones available to date.

1. Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike

We all love wearing Nike shoes and merchandise, don’t we? But, knowing what it took for the owner to establish the brand and taste sweet success is what this book is all about. The book  written by  Phil knight (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Philknightfootball.jpg)

delves into the dark side of success.

This book highlights some of the shameful, heartbreaking, and agonizing shades of success that the people don’t necessarily see outside. The book is for any entrepreneur who is having a hard time finding a grip on reality and make it through the stem to finally achieve what their vision has always been like. 

2. All We Know: Three Lives

Written by Liza Cohen, https://www.amazon.com/All-We-Know-Three-Lives/dp/0374534489

All We Know: Three Lives is all about the story of Esther Murphy, Mercedes de Acosta, and Madge Garland, who made several great choices, faced failure, and even had to endure a whole bout of controversies in their personal lives.

The biography isn’t necessarily what you would expect from the normal book, but highlights some of the intimate portraits, the struggle with delving around with one’s sexuality and last but not the least, finding better ways to unravel the life of a celebrity.

3. Plutarch’s Lives Volumes One & Two

Written by Plutarch, (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallel_Lives)

this book delves into the history, explores the possible bout of the western culture in the way the author depicts them. The story isn’t the easiest to understand, owing to the period and the era it was written in, but that doesn’t necessarily stop on from being one of the favourite writers in the era back then and now as well.

4. A Beautiful Mind

Written by Slyvia Nasar, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvia_Nasar

A Beautiful Mind is the biography of John Nash and finding on and about the kind of life he lived and experienced. The story was so well received that it also bagged the finalist position in the 1998 Pulitzer prize.

The author has delved and dug through Nash’s life and profession and the kind of prestigious name that he had in the world back then. The story takes one along a journey through Nash’s travel and teachings in the MIT to his work in the RAND Corporation. The impact that the condition of schizophrenia had on his life is also something that’s depicted in the story.

5. Elon Musk: How the Billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla is Shaping our Future

Written by Ashley Vance, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashlee_Vance

 this biography on Elon Musk is something that every single person needs to read, irrespective of what their professional life is. This book is a reflection of Musk’s thoughts and the kind of way that he thinks as a successful billionaire. The book shows you how you can dream like him and help you achieve things that you possibly didn’t even think was something on the cards for you.

In addition to that, the story also walks the reader through the life of Musk and how he went on through the days to achieve the kind of achievements that he has acquired. Reports suggest that the author had to interview over 300 people to get an insight into everything that she needed for the book.

6. The Power Broker

Written by Robert Caro, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Caro

the book emphasizes the former parks commissioner of New York and finds the kind of legacy and the downfall that he experienced through his time. The book is about Robert Moses and establishes a very clear idea of some of the critical aspects of things around.

The story shows how Robert Moses, who acquired power and loved it and then got transformed by it. The story is everything that you need to read about when it comes to what not to become once you do acquire power. 

7. Alan Turing: The Enigma

Written by Andrew Hodges, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Hodges

 Alan Turing: The Enigma is yet another masterpiece that you need to add to your reading list. If you haven’t watched The Imitation Game, reading this book will walk you through everything you need to know about the man who was behind the designing and development of the world’s first computer.

He was an ingenious mathematician and an individual who dedicated his entire life, helping the British army to fight against the Nazis in breaking the enigma code. His hidden secret of being a homosexual man was something that takes you through a ride of how injustice was served to someone of such high honour.

8. The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon

Written by Brad Stone, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brad_Stone_(journalist)

The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon is the perfect depiction of the world’s richest man, Jeff Bezos, and his empire of online shopping stores, Amazon. The story walks you through a journey of how Amazon became the biggest bet on the internet.

The only downside to this book was the fact that there has been no first-hand data input from the man himself, but the book has predominantly been written based on secondary data. If you are looking to enter into entrepreneurship and want to learn about how to start a business, this is your safest bet.

9. Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window

Written by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetsuko_Kuroyanagi

Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window is a biography on Totto Chan, who is quite a popular figure in Japan when it comes to celebrity life. With her news show and exalted position to boot, this book walks you through the prospects of stardom and its impacts on one’s life.

The story highlights through the tough life that the girl endured during the tough times of the pre-WWII era and also how suffering from attention disorders and excess energy ended up being a curse for her. It was later when she met one of her school principals, who got her, that her life changed for the better. 

10. Alexander Hamilton

Written by Ron Chernow https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Chernow

, Alexander Hamilton is yet another popular biography, which is not just a beacon of hope for the broadway musical lovers but anyone in general. The story focuses on the life of the Foundling Father’s life. 

The story walks you through the initial days of the Revolutionary War time to the kind of affair that he had with Maria Reynolds. He might not have been the President, but his life and his constant unique figure is something that every person needs to have complete knowledge about.

11. Sam Walton: Made in America

Written by Sam Walton https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Walton

and John Huey, Sam Walton: Made in America is yet another popular biography, which is perfect for people who are into business and retail and need involved insights into the prospects and better knowledge around the mark left around.

The story walks you through the whole journey of how one works along as an entrepreneur, from the struggles to the shortcoming. The book also shows you ways by which Sam Walton made it big by focusing solely on the low price model. The majority of the market experts who have read this book say that this needs to be part of the MBA model without fail.

12. Eisenhower in War and Peace

Written by Jean Edward Smith, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Edward_Smith

Eisenhower in War and Peace highlights everything that Eisenhower was and is. The story highlights the political and strategic power that he possessed.

The story walks you through everything that he was involved in, from winning WWII to keeping people out of Vietnam and then indulging in nuclear weapons. He is believed to be the master of making everything seem easy and subtle when it could even mean the end of the world.

13. Barracoon

Written by Zora Neale Hurston, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zora_Neale_Hurston

and talks about the last survivor of the Middle Passage slave trade, Cudjo Lewis. The story is based on the last interview with him to gain a better insight into everything wrong happened and how it had direct impacts on the African-American vernacular.

The book and the overall writing of the study will take you along a ride to the era that holds darkness and an extreme bout of shortcomings that people faced after being traded as slaves. The book was kept under lock and was finally published in the year of 2018.

14. Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography

Written by Walter Isaacson, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Isaacson

Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography is everything that you possibly want to know about the tech mogul behind Apple. The book consists of 40 exclusive interviews with the man himself and around 100 interviews with family and friends and even the adversaries involved with him.

Everything in the book about Steve Jobs is real and stems from first-hand facts and actual information. The story focuses on highlighting everything one would need to know about the prospects of criticism and how to lead a team forward. It lets you get a glimpse into the life of Steve Jobs and how he performed around. 

15. Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War

Written by Robert Coram, https://robertcoram.com/

the Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War is about one of the most fearless world-class fighter pilot who was responsible for changing the warfare and strategy but did that on the ground and the sea.

His theory with the OODA loop, which is meant to help with problem-solving and better analysis, is something that this book focuses on. You get to learn about the quality of how to get things done without imposing any secondary backlog.

16. Churchill: A Life

Written by Martin Gilbert, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Gilbert

Churchill: A Life is all about the life of Winston Churchill. The story highlights the kind of life that Britain’s most known prime minister led. The story has been written based on first-hand facts and research, which is something that further makes this book worth the while when you do come to think of it. The book walks you through Winston’s leadership through World War II, where he led Britain to victory.

17. Alibaba: The House That Jack Ma Built

Jack Ma’s lhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Ma

ife story is the perfect rendition of what rags to riches is like. The Alibaba: The House That Jack Ma Built, written by Duncan Clark, is all about how a person with basic and zero knowledge of business and entrepreneurship goes on to build one of the world’s biggest multi-billion-dollar companies.

The author of the book met Jack Ma in the year of 1999 in a small apartment from where he got the information and then wrote the book when Ma made it big and gained the recognition that he had always envisioned for himself. The story also highlights some of the socio-political situations happening around China.

18. Edison: A Biography

Written by Matthew Josephson, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Josephson

Edison: A Biography is everything you need to know about the scientist who made the very first light bulb. This book was written over 50 years back, which is one of the highlights of the book and makes it a must-have if you want to read about the man himself.

The book doesn’t delve much into anything but Thomas Alva Edison and the kind of researchers and inventions that he has indulged in. The story also highlights Edison’s friendship with Henry Ford and the kind of businessman that Edison was. 

19. E=mc²

Written by David Bodanis, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bodanis

E=mc² is a unique biography that emphasizes on the genre of the equation and science rather than being straight up about Einstein. The story highlights the history behind the infamous equation and from where it came up.

It also highlights through the process of the origins and the development of the individual elements involved in the equation to the kind of ramifications the same has had on the century we currently live in. 

21. Empire State of Mind: How Jay-Z Went from Street Corner to Corner Office

Written by Zack O’Malley Greenburg, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zack_O%27Malley_Greenburg

Empire State of Mind: How Jay-Z Went from Street Corner to Corner Office highlights the life of famous American rapper, Jay Z. The book is often considered as a combination of a biography as well as a business book. The books walk you through the ways that Jay Z worked to hustle between techniques to finally build his empire in the music industry. 

22. Enrique’s Journey

Written by Sonia Nazario, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonia_Nazario

Enrique’s Journey is not your typical biography of a big name in the industry. The story highlights through the life of a five-year-old Enrique who has his mother promising him that she would return soon but never does.

Eleven years later, Enrique takes it to himself to fight through ways to see her again. He travels through Central and South America via railway to see his mother and possibly reunite with her. The story rages through an emotional journey, one that you didn’t even think could exist.

Biographies are amazing if you want to inspire yourself and break through the barriers of self-doubts and struggles. They are quite amazing in helping transform the excess bout of motivation and even provide proper guidance that one could need to function through life. All of these biographies that we mentioned here talk about things that one could be struggling with generally daily in their lives.