"If there's one thing I've learned in life, it's the power of using your voice" - Michelle Obama
March is a month significant to women’s history. On International Women’s Day, we celebrate the achievements of women and offer them accolades for their inspiring examples of resilience, sacrifice, grit, and determination. A look at the top autobiographies by women certainly seems to fit the occasion. Like Michelle Obama, they carried so much on their shoulders and showed grace and dignity in the face of adversity.
These brilliant memoirs are available in the British Council Digital Library collection: https://bit.ly/35n3QPG
Becoming by Michelle Obama
In her memoir, Michelle invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that shaped her - from her childhood, to her years as an executive balancing motherhood and work, to her time spent at the White House. With honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and disappointments, and tells the story about the stuff women are made of.
The Story of My Life by Helen Keller
Helen Keller's autobiography tells of her early life and her experiences with Annie Sullivan, her teacher and companion. It was first published in 1903. Keller was the first deaf-blind person to attain a Bachelor of Arts degree, became well-travelled and a prolific author, and was outspoken in her campaign against war and other causes. This inspiring story shows how Annie Sullivan helped Keller break through her isolation and absence of language to blossom and learn to live in the world of people.
Inside Out by Demi Moore
Famed actress Demi Moore tells her story in an intimate and emotionally charged memoir. Throughout childhood and her rise to fame as the highest-paid Hollywood actress, Demi battled addiction, body image issues, and trauma that followed her for years. As much as her story is about adversity, it is also about tremendous resilience. In this memoir, Demi pulls back the curtain and opens up about her career and personal life. Hers is a story of survival and success, and a portrayal of one woman's ordinary and iconic life.
Rude by Katie Hopkins
Katie Olivia Hopkins is an English media personality, columnist, political commentator, and former businesswoman. Laughing through the chapters of her life, Katie shares her disasters and her biggest disappointments. From being kicked out of the army for being an epileptic, to her first husband leaving her in the maternity ward, to the reality behind Celebrity Big Brother, she has plenty of surprises to share and lessons she thinks we should learn. Katie doesn't sugar-coat anything, and neither does she hold back, making her as honest in her book as she is in life. She takes us beyond her front door and into the privacy of her home, sharing things even she feels awkward saying.
Charlotte Bronte – A Life by Claire Harman
This definitive biography provides a bold new view of one of Britain's extraordinary writers, uncovering an inner life that touches the varying shades of human emotion. Harman, the biographer, gives us an insight into an intense and troubled young woman from an astonishingly creative family, whose early works were produced in total secrecy. Love, loss, ambition and heartbreak: Charlotte poured everything into her ground-breaking books, but she lived them first.
Read these and thousands of other books, penned by bestselling authors, in British Council’s Digital Library. You can also watch thousands of award-winning films and popular musical concerts at only INR 1800 for one year (comes to INR 150 per month!)
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