Popular European Memoir Books
Find memoir books written by authors from Europe for the next part of the Read Around The World Challenge. (135)
31.
Down the Drain by Julia Fox EN
ItalyDescription:
"Julia Fox is famous for many things: her captivating acting, such as her breakout role in the film Uncut Gems; her trendsetting style, including bleached eyebrows, exaggerated eyeshadow, and cutout dresses; her mastery of social media, where she entertains and educates her millions of followers. But all these share the trait for which she is most famous: unabashedly and unapologetically being herself. This commitment to authenticity has never been more on display than in Down the Drain. With writing that is both eloquent and accessible, Fox recounts her turbulent path to cultural supremacy: h... continue
32.
Een jihad van liefde by Mohamed El Bachiri, David Van Reybrouck NL
BelgiumDescription:
A heartbreaking plea for tolerance and compassion from Mohamed El-Bachiri, who lost his wife Loubna in the Brussels attack of March 2016.
Mohamed El-Bachiri is a Muslim. He lost his wife Loubna in the Brussels bombing of March 2016 – a young woman murdered by a fanatical jihadist. Mohamed was left to bring up their three sons on his own.
Instead of hating or collapsing into grief, he put together a short book of reflections on love, loss and the ways in which we can live together despite differences of religion and ideology.
It is a plea for tolerance and compassion, a rejection... continue
33.
Everything Is OK by Debbie Tung EN
Country: Europe / 
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Description:
From the bestselling author of Quiet Girl in a Noisy World comes a gently humorous and poignant collection of comics about anxiety and depression--because sometimes even the simple things like getting out of bed every day feel like an uphill battle. Everything Is OK is the story of Debbie Tung's struggle with anxiety and her experience with depression. She shares what it's like navigating life, overthinking every possible worst-case scenario, and constantly feeling like all hope is lost. The book explores her journey to understanding the importance of mental health in her day-to-day life and h... continue
34.
Flight to Arras by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry EN
FranceDescription:
The World War II aviator and author of The Little Prince tells his true story of flying a reconnaissance plane during the Battle of France in 1940. When the Germans first invaded France in May of 1940, the French Air Force had a mere fifty reconnaissance crews, twenty-three of which served in Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s Group II/33. After only a few days, seventeen of the crews in Saint-Exupéry’s unit had already perished. Flight to Arras is the harrowing story of a single mission over the French town of Arras, an endeavor Saint-Exupéry realized the futility of even as he witnessed it unfolding... continue
35.
Free : A Child and a Country at the End of History by Lea Ypi EN
AlbaniaDescription:
For precocious 11-year-old Lea Ypi, Albania’s Soviet-style socialism held the promise of a preordained future, a guarantee of security among enthusiastic comrades. That is, until she found herself clinging to a stone statue of Joseph Stalin, newly beheaded by student protests. Communism had failed to deliver the promised utopia. One’s “biography”—class status and other associations long in the past—put strict boundaries around one’s individual future. When Lea’s parents spoke of relatives going to “university” or “graduating,” they were speaking of grave secrets Lea struggled to unveil. And wh... continue
Ireland37.
Gnarr : How I Became the Mayor of a Large City in Iceland and Changed the World by Jón Gnarr EN
IcelandDescription:
Following the collapse of the Icelandic banking system in 2008, comedian Jn Gnarr was inspired to invent a political party and run for mayor of Reykjavik. He decided to satirise the current political parties and instead promised voters that he wanted to make their lives more fun. In this entertaining memoir Gnarr recounts his experiences with admirable candour, describing his career, his visions and the mistakes he made, while also sharing some lessons from his campaign and his time in office.
38.
Good-Bye to All That : An Autobiography by Robert Graves EN
Country: Europe / United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Description:
English author Robert Graves says goodbye to England, family, friends, and a way of life.
39.
Goodbye Sarajevo : A True Story of Courage, Love and Survival by Atka Reid, Hana Schofield EN
Country: Europe / 
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Description:
A moving and compelling true story about two sisters fighting for survival in Sarajevo during the Bosnian war
40.
Description:
Translated from the French by Tanya Leslie 'Absolutely extraordinary' - Liberation In 1963, Annie Ernaux, 23 and single, realises she is pregnant. Shame arises in her like a plague. Understanding that her pregnancy will mark her and her family as social failures, she knows she cannot keep her child. This is the story, written forty years later, of a trauma Ernaux never overcame. Abortion was illegal at the time and she attempted, in vain, to self-administer with a knitting needle and nearly died. An exceptionally moving account of a tragic experience.