Most anticipated biographies and memoirs of fall: Gloria Steinem, Bob Woodward, Kyle MacLachlan and more
Fall 2026 is stacked with biographies and memoirs for every kind of reader. Love the movies? This fall has memoirs from Hollywood heroes like Ke Huy Quan, Kyle MacLachlan, Sylvester Stallone—plus agent to the stars Ari Emanuel. Or maybe you’re looking for the riveting inside stories from those who have shaped history—Joe Biden, Gloria Steinem, Bob Woodward, and one of the Cold War’s most extraordinary spies? Or maybe you’re in the mood to contemplate love, family, and the moments that make up a life? Like I said, fall is stacked. So here are some of the biographies and memoirs that we’re most looking forward to:
I was lovestruck by Ke Huy Quan’s memoir: he is funny, humble, caring, kind, and doesn’t shy away from talking about the ruts in life—and the peaks too. But more than his vulnerability, what makes this memoir sing is the momentum you feel rooting for him. Quan tells readers how he went from refugee to Hollywood star as a kid (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Goonies), then as an adult (Everything Everywhere all at once), and how he struggled in between. It’s one of the best celebrity memoirs I've read in a long time. —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
(September 15, 2026)
With her trademark honesty and resolve, the one and only Gloria Steinem returns to the page to offer the stand-out lessons she's learned over her life. From growing up in poverty in the Midwest to the streets of India where she first discovered nonviolence, to the empathy and equality that has guided her throughout her career, Steinem's incandescent spirit is a bright light in a world that can sometimes feel dim. —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
(September 22, 2026)
Ari Emanuel is Hollywood royalty, a feared, powerful super-agent who has represented Oprah Winfrey, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Martin Scorsese, and countless others. He’s beyond well connected (and not just because his brother Rahm is the former White House chief of staff to President Barack Obama, and mayor of Chicago, and his brother Ezekiel is a world-renowned oncologist and surgeon) and was even the inspiration for Ari Gold in the TV show, Entourage. So he has no shortage of fascinating stories to tell, and in Roll the Calls, he’ll have an assist from co-author J.R. Moehringer, the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer of Tender Bar, which was adapted into a movie, and who helped craft Prince Harry’s Spare and Andre Agassi’s Open.—Lindsay Powers, Amazon Editor
(September 22, 2026)
Charles Spencer knew Diana before the world did—back when she was simply “Carlos,” his sister. In this memoir, he recounts the agonizing week after her death, and traces her transformation from the girl he grew up with to the Princess of Wales. —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
(September 22, 2026)
If Strangers was the memoir of the winter, this is the memoir of the fall—a satisfying and illuminating look at our desire for love and how hard it can be to find. Over the course of three (failed) relationships, Sarah Hepola (Blackout) wrestles with her innate desire to be loved and what success means as a forty-something woman. She is funny, vulnerable, and you can't help but think of your own love life, and those of your friends, as she recounts her own with page-turning zesty insight. —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
(September 29, 2026)
Is there a more iconic scene than Sylvester Stallone climbing the steps in Rocky? The actor and writer named his memoir after that ascent—and it's no coincidence. The Steps is the story of how he wrote himself out of poverty and misunderstanding, one rung at a time, and the relentless climb that turned a struggling artist into a legend. This not just a celebrity memoir. It's a Rocky story—because it is the Rocky story. —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
(September 29, 2026)
You’ve probably read the shocking headlines about Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich being arrested in Russia and accused of espionage, sentenced to jail in a scam trial, being name-checked by Putin, and then returned to America in a dramatic prisoner swap. But you’ll be swept away by the story of what really happened in this reported memoir, which sucked me in from the first page, and had me weeping by the end. Yes, this is a news-making book that will once again grace headlines, but it’s also a story about belonging, adapting, strength, and resilience that I won’t soon forget. —Lindsay Powers, Amazon Editor
(September 29, 2026)
Robert Kolker has written another enthralling medical mystery that is both heartbreaking and mesmerizing—only a few years after Hidden Valley Road topped best-seller lists with its revelatory exploration into how schizophrenia swept through a single family. The Vanishing Family is about two parents and nine siblings, many of whom begin displaying unusual symptoms that soon reveal themselves to be a fast-moving version of early onset dementia. But this is not just an account of a devastating brain disease, it’s about a family—how we exist individually and together, how our roles change throughout our lives, how we care for each other, and run from the truth. It’s also packed with insights about how the brain and mind works, and may hold the key to curing a disease that so many of us encounter. —Lindsay Powers, Amazon Editor
(September 29, 2026)
Kyle MacLachlan opens his dishy memoir with an intimate, almost diary-like entry contemplating the difference—and his confusion—between his fictional selves on screen and his actual self. It's a juicy opening, and one that sets the tone for recounting what it was like to star in Dune, Twin Peaks, Sex and the City, and countless other cult dramas. If you're a fan, add this to your TBR immediately. Byline here and release date
There’s not much we can reveal about this jaw-dropping book given that it’s under a strict embargo, but we have read an early copy and can promise you that everyone will be talking about it once it’s released. Collin Gosselin is one of the sextuplets made famous by the reality show Jon and Kate Plus 8. His childhood played out on television, and then his damning accusations (which his mom Kate has denied over the years) played out in the tabloids. Now he’s all grown up and fully sharing his side of the story, which is sure to send shockwaves through the media. —Lindsay Powers, Amazon Editor
(October 13, 2026)
Haruki Murakami, one of the most celebrated novelists of our time, returns to nonfiction this fall, giving readers a slim but powerful meditation on his relationship with his father and Japan post-WWII. Estranged for more than 20 years, Murakami reveals how he reconciled with his father before he died. And because it's Murakami, there is (of course) a beguiling cat woven throughout the narrative. —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
(October 20, 2026)
Eric Dane's memoir will make your heart lurch—and it's not because he played McSteamy on Grey's Anatomy. He will make you gasp as you read his short daily meditations on what it is to live after being diagnosed with ALS. It's also about becoming famous, getting sober, and becoming a dad...but what lingers far more is his vulnerability in grappling with mortality. —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
(November 3, 2026)
LeVar Burton influenced generations of readers and viewers with his kindness, candor, and passion for books. And now the Emmy Award-winning actor pulls back the curtain on his own life—growing up during the Civil Rights Movement, finding fame starring in Roots, and building a devoted following with Reading Rainbow and Star Trek. Written with his trademark generosity and care, readers will find it both a comfort and a joy to be back in Burton's company. —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
(November 10, 2026)
No matter your politics, presidential memoirs are usually fascinating reading. It’s a high-pressure job, with countless tests, complicated calculations, and no days off. Former president Joe Biden is not long out of the White House, but his son, Hunter, recently announced his cancer was progressing, so this book may be especially reflective. Biden represented Delaware as a senator for 36 years, served for eight years as vice president, and four years in America’s highest office, which remains perhaps the most powerful one in the world. This book will lay out what he hopes to be his legacy.—Lindsay Powers, Amazon Editor
(November 17, 2026)
Bob Woodward may be best known as the journalist who, along with Carl Bernstein, broke the Watergate scandal that led to Richard Nixon’s resignation, but he has tirelessly continued to report on the most consequential issues of the day. In this fascinating memoir, he takes readers behind the scenes, even revealing sources that had to remain under wraps until recently. But just as fascinating as these stories are what Woodward reveals about himself. So, expect the same top-notch reportage, as well as some personal tea. —Erin Kodicek, Amazon Editor
(November 24, 2026)
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