Summertime is celebrity memoir time — here are a dozen that bring the heat

If you're looking for a book-length profile in humility, well, this ain't that. But we wouldn't have La Streisand any other way, for she is a giant. Those too young to know or too old to remember will learn just what a juggernaut Babs was when she came on the scene in the '60s. Aside from being, quite literally, a new voice, she brought a new celebrity gestalt, redefining beauty and busting down doors for female creatives to come — she was Madonna before Madonna, Gaga before Gaga.

Now, 50 albums and an EGOT later, she's telling her story, and for any student of American pop culture, it's pretty dang indispensable.

This reader appears to be something of a fan: "Be SURE to get My Name is Barbra in EVERY form ... the ULTIMATE TRIPLE CROWN — hardcover, e-book and audio! It's the GREATEST GIFT from this world's GREATEST GIFT, the BEAUTIFUL, BRILLLLLLIANT, MAGNIFICENT, Barbra Streisand! It's a MASTERPIECE, just like her."

Whoopi is no stranger to the authorial game, having published volumes of social commentary, self-help and even a series of children's novels. This time around, the erstwhile Caryn Johnson takes the memoir form to a very specific place. In poignant, down-to-earth style, she documents growing up with — and the devastating loss of — Emma and Clyde, respectively. 

"I felt like I was in a movie theater watching the memories of her and her mother and brother in real time," said this evocative take. "I am my 90-year-old mother's caretaker. There are many days when I wonder why I am doing this and why even is she still here. I do more for my mom than she ever did for me growing up. It took reading Whoopi's [memoir] to remind me that she is a product of how she was raised, as I am of her."

Joan's been around the block a few times (the memoir-writing block; what did you think I was referring to?!), but with a past like hers, we've no doubt there are plenty of dramatic tales to tell. Expect enough name-dropping, tea-spilling (and perhaps score-settling) to give Alexis Carrington a run for her money.

"From her childhood in England and World War II to the heights of her stardom, Miss Collins takes us on an enticing and sometimes saucy journey, particularly as it relates to the Hollywood machine," said one blurb-tastic review. "I fell in love with her more during the reading of this book. What a strong, unflinching and incomparable woman!"

It stands to reason that anyone capable of bringing Queen Bey into the world must have something on the ball. In this Oprah's Book Club pick, Tina recounts her upbringing as the youngest of seven children in 1950s Galveston, Texas, on into the dazzling, turbulent '60s and the challenges — and evident triumphs — of motherhood. 

"Matriarch is more than a book — it's a crown passed down through generations," said a particularly erudite enthusiast. "Ms. Tina Knowles doesn't just tell stories — she builds altars with her words. Every page radiates strength, style and the quiet power of a woman who's held the culture on her back and never folded." They concluded: "Buy it for yourself. Buy it for your mama. Buy it for the ones still learning how to love where they come from."

Aka What to Expect When You're Expecting ... Hot Flashes, Hormone Insanity, Mood Swings and so Much Other Fun Stuff! How 'bout that cover illo? Frankly, it's enough to want to make you (adoringly) judge a book by its cover. But don't stop there: Admire Watts' menopause-focused memoir, instead, for the wisdom, commiseration and sound medical advice offered by Naomi, some of her closest friends and women's health-care professionals.

"I've been inundated with so many terrible doom-and-gloom menopause stories in my social media feeds that it has stoked so much fear in me," admitted this admirer. "But there are so many things I didn’t know could help me. I’m staring down menopause and now feel really well armed to face it."

As if picking up where Naomi leaves off, Brooke Shields, whose celeb persona was defined by precocious teenage vitality, takes a stand for the relevance, power and vitality of "women of a certain age," taking aim at biases and assumptions that have plagued them for far too long. 

Or, to put it another way: "Brooke Shields defies time with humor, vulnerability and unapologetic grace. A refreshingly candid reminder that getting older doesn't mean fading away — it means shining differently. Thank you, Brooke, for reaffirming what every amazing woman over 50 has been trying to convince the media of!"

As his fans well know, Kelsey Grammer has endured far more than his fair share of tragedy and loss. At age 13, he lost his father to murder during a home invasion gone wrong. Then, eight years later, his eponymous 18-year-old sister was raped and murdered during a robbery attempt at the Colorado Red Lobster where she worked. In this memoir-as-epitaph, Grammer recalls happier days, the love they had and his struggle to carry on. 

"[I] felt like Kelsey Grammer was actually speaking to me," recalled this reviewer. "This man's difficult, tragic pain is wide open within these pages. Read this to share his grief for his beloved sister, and end up loving him for his courage to move on to the joy of her life."

Surely we don't need to sell you on the allure of a Cher memoir; the woman has existed in the center of the pop-culture industrial complex for most of the past century. She's he only recording artist to notch a No. 1 single in each decade from the 1960s to the 2020s, a fashion icon and an Oscar-winning actress who can count Warren Beatty, Sonny Bono, Duane Allman, Gene Simmons, Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer among her "companions." 

Testimonials don't get more glowing than this: "This is the best autobiography I have ever read, and in my 83 years, I have read many." 

Oh, and heads up: Part Two arrives in May 2026.

Here's more Boomer catnip with this self-told life story from another performer who practically defined '70s stardom. And, in the case of Pacino, a particularly analytical, self-aware performer at that. Spoiler alert: Turns out there is a 'Method' to his madness. Har!

"I left this book feeling as if ... we spent an afternoon together over coffee," reflected one shopper. "His intelligence, wisdom, sense of humor, compassion and especially his self-deprecation shine through; even at 84 years of age, Pacino still appears shocked and humbled at all he’s achieved."

Everybody have fun tonight — everybody read Chung tonight! Seriously, though, Connie's ascent is, in its way, a quintessentially American success story. The youngest of 10 children born to Chinese immigrants, she blazed a trail for Asian-Americans and female journalists, eventually earning the anchor chair at The CBS Evening News. 

"I always admired Connie and trusted her," recalled this fan. "Even though I have lived through those times when women had nursing, secretary and teacher as the only career options, [when there was] blatant dismissal of women's value, it did not occur to me that women like Connie were suffering the same humiliations, including sexual abuse. ... I'm glad she chose to share [her story]!"

You know what big Ina fans we are around here, so this pick — a New York Times bestseller and an Amazon Editors' selection as one of the Best Books of 2024 — was a no-brainer. Aside from that, though: Garten's story is one of a modern self-made businesswoman but also a loving, if conflicted, wife. You'll learn plenty about both journeys and some others, with stops at the White House (she worked there!) and the Hamptons (the site of the first Barefoot Contessa store) along the way.

"Excellent memoir, and it has recipes!" trumpeted this tribute. "An unusually frank look at her life, relationships, mistakes and successes along the way. The epilogue is not to be missed. ... I picked it up to read a chapter at lunch and kept reading until I finished."

Thanks to the hilarious new Naked Gun feature unspooling at a multiplex near you, Pam's back in the spotlight, and we couldn't be happier. That she turned out to be a fleet-footed comic actor is just one of the surprises of her post-Baywatch life. This volume contains lots more. 

"So vulnerable and poignant," began this buyer, who offered some praise and some poignancy of her own: "I am so glad to see that Pamela is finally being taken seriously and coming into the well-deserved spotlight of respect. Why do we hold women accountable for things they did or things that happened when they were young for the next 30 years, yet men are mostly allowed to skate?"