These memoirs are more than just accounts of lives, they give personal perspectives on significant moments in history. Chosen by best-selling author and ghostwriter Joshua Lisec, these memories have influenced global politics – and even Hollywood.
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
Through two deeply personal essays, Baldwin helped America understand the pressing demands of the Civil Rights movement in a work that remains influential decades later.
The Heart Has Its Reasons by Wallis Warfield Simpson
King Edward VIII’s determination to marry a divorced American socialite led to a constitutional crisis and his abdication. The ultimate ghostwriting assignment for a mysterious public figure sheds light on how it came about.
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Always With Honor by General Pyotr Wrangel
The memoirs of the fabled – ultimately failed – leader of the anti-communist military forces during the Bolshevik Revolution shows why it’s not always the winners who write history.
Nicaragua Betrayed by Anastasio Somoza Debayle
Former Nicaraguan President Anastasio Somoza Debayle wrote an account of his administration and its downfall from exile in Paraguay not long before he was assassinated. A fascinating inside look at a terrible period in the country’s history.
Seven Pillars of Wisdom by TE Lawrence
British Army Col TE Lawrence’s memoirs of his time as an adviser to Bedouin forces fighting the Ottoman Empire are historically important but also such a great narrative they were made into the film Lawrence of Arabia.
