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Quick answer: If you loved The Glass Castle, read Jeannette Walls's Half Broke Horses, then Educated, Running with Scissors, The Liars' Club and Angela's Ashes. All are gripping memoirs about unusual families, poverty and resilience.
Jeannette Walls's 2005 memoir recounts a childhood with brilliant, eccentric parents who moved the family around, left them hungry and sometimes forgot them, and how she and her siblings built new lives. It is vivid, funny and sad. The books below offer similar memoirs of difficult childhoods and hard-won independence.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Half Broke Horses | Jeannette Walls | Adult | true-life novel |
| Educated | Tara Westover | Adult | memoir of education |
| Running with Scissors | Augusten Burroughs | Adult | chaotic family memoir |
| The Liars' Club | Mary Karr | Adult | Texas memoir |
| Angela's Ashes | Frank McCourt | Adult | readers who like Irish memoirs |
| Hunger | Roxane Gay | Adult | body and trauma |
| Crying in H Mart | Michelle Zauner | Adult | grief and food |
| Born a Crime | Trevor Noah | Adult | funny and moving |
| Girl, Interrupted | Susanna Kaysen | Adult | memoir of hospitalisation |
| Know My Name | Chanel Miller | Adult | survivor memoir |
| Maybe You Should Talk to Someone | Lori Gottlieb | Adult | therapy memoir |
| Wild | Cheryl Strayed | Adult | hiking and grief |
| Wishful Drinking | Carrie Fisher | Adult | Hollywood memoir |
| An Unquiet Mind | Kay Redfield Jamison | Adult | memoir of bipolar disorder |
| Dry | Augusten Burroughs | Adult | rehab memoir |
1. Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls
Walls writes about her grandmother, a tough Western woman. Lively and warm.
Best for: true-life novel.
2. Educated by Tara Westover
A woman raised off the grid teaches herself and goes to university. Powerful and moving.
Best for: memoir of education.
3. Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs
A teenager's years in the household of his mother's psychiatrist. Dark and funny.
Best for: chaotic family memoir.
4. The Liars' Club by Mary Karr
Karr recalls her chaotic childhood in a refinery town. Funny, raw and brilliant.
Best for: Texas memoir.
5. Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
McCourt's childhood in poverty in Limerick. Funny and heartbreaking.
Best for: readers who like Irish memoirs.
6. Hunger by Roxane Gay
Gay writes honestly about trauma and body image. Fierce and tender.
Best for: body and trauma.
7. Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
A musician writes about her Korean mother and food. Touching and honest.
Best for: grief and food.
8. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
Noah recounts growing up in apartheid South Africa. Humorous and humane.
Best for: funny and moving.
9. Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
Kaysen recalls her time in a psychiatric hospital. Short and haunting.
Best for: memoir of hospitalisation.
10. Know My Name by Chanel Miller
Miller reclaims her story after a sexual assault case. Powerful and lyrical.
Best for: survivor memoir.
11. Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb
A therapist becomes a patient. Warm, funny and wise.
Best for: therapy memoir.
12. Wild by Cheryl Strayed
After her mother's death and her divorce, a woman hikes the Pacific Crest Trail alone. Funny, raw and gripping.
Best for: hiking and grief.
13. Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher
Fisher writes frankly about fame, addiction and bipolar disorder. Funny and honest.
Best for: Hollywood memoir.
14. An Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield Jamison
A leading psychologist writes about her own illness. Beautiful and frank.
Best for: memoir of bipolar disorder.
15. Dry by Augusten Burroughs
Burroughs recounts his time in rehab and recovery from alcoholism. Funny and raw.
Best for: rehab memoir.
How to Choose
For more Walls read Half Broke Horses. For hard childhoods choose Educated, The Liars' Club or Angela's Ashes. For chaotic families pick Running with Scissors. For healing stories read Wild, Hunger or Maybe You Should Talk to Someone. The Glass Castle is dark but warm, so these picks suit readers who like memoirs with humour. The Glass Castle was adapted into a 2017 film starring Brie Larson and Woody Harrelson, and it has been on bestseller lists for years. Many readers use it in book clubs to talk about parenting and forgiveness.
Related: The Glass Castle Book Club Discussion Questions (With Summary and Themes) · 15 Books Like Throne of Glass You’ll Love: Assassins, Fae and Epic Fantasy
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Glass Castle about?
Walls's childhood with eccentric, neglectful parents and her path to independence.
Who wrote it?
Jeannette Walls.
When was it published?
2005.
Is there a film?
Yes, a 2017 film.
Is it a sad book?
It is moving, funny and sometimes shocking.
Is it suitable for teens?
Older teens can read it, but it has mature themes.
Is it all true?
It is a memoir, as remembered by Walls.
What should I read next?
Try Half Broke Horses or Educated.
Which book here is best for Texas memoir?
Try The Liars' Club by Mary Karr, which suits readers looking for Texas memoir.
Which book here is best for grief and food?
Try Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner, which suits readers looking for grief and food.
Which book here is best for survivor memoir?
Try Know My Name by Chanel Miller, which suits readers looking for survivor memoir.
Which book here is best for Hollywood memoir?
Try Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher, which suits readers looking for Hollywood memoir.
Which book here is best for memoir of education?
Try Educated by Tara Westover, which suits readers looking for memoir of education.
Which book here is best for readers who like Irish memoirs?
Try Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt, which suits readers looking for readers who like Irish memoirs.