13 Memoirs That Prove There’s Nothing You Can’t Overcome

Bustle
January 19, 2016

I don’t know about you, but the early days of 2016 have been sloooow going for me. All my resolutions were kind of lame, I haven’t really stuck to them anyway, and a that totally organized, energetic, go-get-‘em lady I planned to be this year still hasn’t shown up yet. But never fear — I’ve found that when I’m in a slump like this, few things motivate me to shake it off and move on more than devouring some totally inspiring memoirs.

Pretty much anyone who’s ever met me knows that I love me a good memoir. I love memoirs of family and memoirs of travel, cooking memoirs, political memoirs, and every memoir ever written by a comedian named Mindy or Amy — the whole nine yards, I’m telling you. But I think the best memoirs prove that you really can overcome anything; and are just maybe inspiring enough to give you that final oomph you need to push through whatever it is you’re dealing with.

So get ready for some major motivation, because the memoirs on this list kind of have it all: they’re totally sad, and a little funny, hugely empowering, and sometimes completely unbelievable. But most of all, they’re 13 memoirs that prove there is nothing you can’t overcome.

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1. White Walls by Judy Batalion

Growing up, Judy Batalion lived with a compulsively hoarding mother and a father who largely looked away from her mother’s consuming habits. As an adult, all she wanted was a space of her own in which to establish order: white walls, empty shelves, minimal possessions. But then Judy falls in love, gets married, and starts a family of her own — three major changes that threaten to disrupt her long-coveted order forever. White Walls is a beautiful memoir about being the daughter of a hoarder, becoming a mother, and how to heal through it all.