Biographies & Memoirs
Explore the stories of remarkable lives in our Biographies & Memoirs section at Thryft. Discover firsthand accounts of influential figures and captivating memoirs that'll inspire and educate. Our collection is carefully curated to ensure you find the perfect narrative to delve into.
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Tim Wise
White Like Me : Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son
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"White Like Me" is a thought-provoking memoir about the realities of how privilege can shape one's experience in society. Tim Wise shares his personal stories and insights in a powerful polemic that urges readers to challenge injustice and resist white supremacy. This book would be a good read for anyone interested in understanding the impact of racism and privilege in America and looking for ways to promote social change.
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Ibram X. Kendi
How To Be An Antiracist
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How to Be an Antiracist is a must-read for anyone interested in contributing to the formation of a just and equitable society. Kendi weaves together his own personal journey with ethics, history, law, and science to create a remarkable instruction manual on antiracism. He helps readers understand the poisonous consequences of racism and work towards opposing them in themselves and our systems.
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Michael Lewis
The Undoing Project : A Friendship that Changed the World
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Bestselling author Michael Lewis examines how a Nobel Prize–winning theory of the mind altered our perception of reality.Forty years ago, Israeli psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky wrote a series of breathtakingly original studies undoing our assumptions about the decision-making process. Their papers showed the ways in which the human mind erred, systematically, when forced to make judgments about uncertain situations. Their work created the field of behavioral economics, revolutionized Big Data studies, advanced evidence-based medicine, led to a new approach to government regulation, and made much of Michael Lewis’s own work possible. Kahneman and Tversky are more responsible than anybody for the powerful trend to mistrust human intuition and defer to algorithms.The Undoing Project is about the fascinating collaboration between two men who have the dimensions of great literary figures. They became heroes in the university and on the battlefield―both had important careers in the Israeli military―and their research was deeply linked to their extraordinary life experiences. In the process they may well have changed, for good, mankind’s view of its own mind.
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J.D. Vance
Hillbilly Elegy : A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis
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Hillbilly Elegy could be a good read for someone who wants to understand the struggles of America's working class and the impact of generational neglect. The author shares his personal story of growing up in poverty and struggling with abuse and trauma, while also addressing broader social and political issues. The book has been praised for its frank and unflinching portrayal of a segment of society often overlooked by mainstream media.
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Eula Biss
Having And Being Had
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An incisive collection from award-winning author Eula Biss,
Having and Being Had
is a personal reckoning with the intricacies of money, class and capitalism.'My adult life can be divided into two distinct parts,' Eula Biss writes, 'the time before I owned a washing machine and the time after.' Having just purchased her first home, she now embarks on a roguish and risky self-audit of the value system she has bought into. The result is a radical interrogation of work, leisure and capitalism. Described by the New York Times as a writer who 'advances from all sides, like a chess player', Biss brings her approach to the lived experience of capitalism. Playfully ranging from IKEA to Beyoncé to Pokémon, across bars and laundromats and universities, she asks, of both herself and her class, 'In what have we invested?''Having and Being Had offers us a probing tour of capitalism and class that sidesteps posturing and jargon in favor of clarity, humility, and incitement.' Maggie Nelson'In this witty, genre-bending book, Eula Biss smashes the taboo against talking about money with exhilarating results . . . [and] disarming honesty and grace.' Jenny Offill'Eula Biss's prescient new book gave me new language for things I didn't know I felt . . . A brilliant, lacerating re-examination of our relationship to what we own and why, and who in turn might own us.' Alexander Chee'No contemporary writer I know explores and confronts her own societal responsibilities better than Eula Biss.' Aleksandar HemonA meditation on race, consumerism and the American caste system. And a wry, vivd assessment of our spiritual moment. It is no accident that Having and Being Had reads like the poems money would write if money wrote poems.' Jeet Thayil
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J.D. Vance
Hillbilly Elegy - A Memoir Of A Family And Culture In Crisis
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If you want to understand the challenges faced by the white working class in America, "Hillbilly Elegy" is a must-read. J.D. Vance takes you on a deeply personal journey through his upbringing in a poor Rust Belt town, painting a vivid picture of the struggles and complexities of his family and community. This powerful memoir offers valuable insights into a often overlooked segment of society and provokes necessary reflection on the state of working-class America.
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Dylan Evans
The Utopia Experiment
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The Utopia Experiment is a great read for individuals who are interested in thought-provoking accounts of real-life scenarios. The book stands out for its unique blend of adventure, self-discovery, and mental health themes. It offers a captivating and harrowing account of how an ambitious vision can turn into a psychological nightmare. Ultimately, it's an introspective journey that will leave readers wondering how they may fare in a catastrophic scenario and how mental health support can be crucial in such situations.
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Jacqueline Novogratz
The Blue Sweater : Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World
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This book is a great read for anyone interested in understanding the complexities of global poverty and the challenges of traditional charity. It offers a new perspective on philanthropy, introducing the concept of "patient capital," which aims to make individuals self-sufficient. The book is also a call to action that challenges us to rethink our engagement with the world, and provides gripping stories and unforgettable characters. The author, Jacqueline Novogratz, is a practical idealist who has devoted her life to tackling poverty. She shares her personal journey from a young idealist in Africa to creating a trailblazing organization that is changing millions of lives.
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Leslie T. Chang
Factory Girls : Voices from the Heart of Modern China
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This book is a poignant depiction of the plight of the millions of Chinese migrant workers who make clothes, toys, and designer handbags for very little remuneration. Through the stories of two young women, Leslie T. Chang brings to life the harsh realities of life in the city for these workers, who suffer the loss of loved ones, social isolation, and the constant grind of working long hours without rest. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the human cost of China's economic boom.
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Stuart Jeffries
Grand Hotel Abyss : The Lives of the Frankfurt School
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“Marvelously entertaining, exciting and informative.” — Guardian“An engaging and accessible history.” — New York Review of BooksThis group biography is “an exhilarating page-turner” and “outstanding critical introduction” to the work and legacy of the Frankfurt School, and the great 20th-century thinkers who created it ( Washington Post ).In 1923, a group of young radical German thinkers and intellectuals came together to at Victoria Alle 7, Frankfurt, determined to explain the workings of the modern world. Among the most prominent members of what became the Frankfurt School were the philosophers Walter Benjamin, Theodor Adorno, Max Horkheimer, and Herbert Marcuse. Not only would they change the way we think, but also the subjects we deem worthy of intellectual investigation. Their lives, like their ideas, profoundly, sometimes tragically, reflected and shaped the shattering events of the twentieth century.Grand Hotel Abyss combines biography, philosophy, and storytelling to reveal how the Frankfurt thinkers gathered in hopes of understanding the politics of culture during the rise of fascism. Some of them, forced to escape the horrors of Nazi Germany, later found exile in the United States. Benjamin, with his last great work—the incomplete Arcades Project —in his suitcase, was arrested in Spain and committed suicide when threatened with deportation to Nazi-occupied France. On the other side of the Atlantic, Adorno failed in his bid to become a Hollywood screenwriter, denounced jazz, and even met Charlie Chaplin in Malibu.After the war, there was a resurgence of interest in the School. From the relative comfort of sun-drenched California, Herbert Marcuse wrote the classic One Dimensional Man , which influenced the 1960s counterculture and thinkers such as Angela Davis; while in a tragic coda, Adorno died from a heart attack following confrontations with student radicals in Berlin.By taking popular culture seriously as an object of study—whether it was film, music, ideas, or consumerism—the Frankfurt School elaborated upon the nature and crisis of our mass-produced, mechanized society. Grand Hotel Abyss shows how much these ideas still tell us about our age of social media and runaway consumption.
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Caroline Moorehead
Human Cargo - A Journey Among Refugees
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Human Cargo could be a good read for someone who wants to explore and better understand the current refugee crisis and the experiences of displaced people around the world. Caroline Moorehead writes in an empathetic and engaging style that helps the reader connect with the stories of ordinary people caught in extraordinary circumstances. The book does an excellent job of looking at the refugee crisis from multiple angles - from the perspectives of refugees themselves, as well as government officials and aid workers - and offering historical context to current issues. Overall, Human Cargo is both a sobering and inspiring read that will leave readers with a greater appreciation for the courage and resilience of refugees.
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Asad-ul Iqbal Latif, Huay Leng Lee
George Yeo On Bonsai, Banyan And The Tao
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Since his undergraduate days in Cambridge, George Yeo has spoken and written much in and out of government. Many remember the things which he said or wrote years ago. This book is a compilation of some of his best speeches and writings which were selected by Asad Latif and Lee Huay Leng in consultation with him. The book has a rather unusual title because there are many aspects to George Yeo which makes him difficult to classify. As a student leader, he was radical but conciliatory. In the Singapore Armed Forces, he was atypical, moving from the Army to the Air Force before becoming Director of Joint Operations and Planning. In politics, he is fondly remembered by artists, journalists, doctors, businessmen and foreign diplomats, and by his colleagues and constituents. His own staff said he had a curious mind. They complained that he rarely used the drafts which they had prepared for him. George Yeo describes himself as a Taoist even though he is a Roman Catholic and is now on the Papal staff. Buddhists are surprised he championed the revival of Nalanda University as an international project. He remains close to Singaporeans of different races and religions even though he has a deep sense of his own ancestral roots and religion. In politics, he has been described both as a liberal and a conservative. In his Parliamentary maiden speech, he spoke of the importance of democracy but has repeated many times that democracy is only a means and not an end in itself. He has a deep interest in history which partly explains his seeing the re-emergence of China and India earlier than most others. The bonsai and the banyan are metaphors he uses for Singapore. Singapore is a city-state and must never have an inflated view of itself. The bonsai describes Singapore modestly, but he adds that the bonsai can be intensely interesting and valuable. The banyan provides shade and we are grateful for it, but too much makes us weak. As for the Tao, that perhaps is what gives unity to his many interests.
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David Kirkpatrick
The Facebook Effect : The Inside Story of the Company That is Connecting the World
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The inside story of Facebook, told with the full, exclusive cooperation of founder Mark Zuckerberg and the company's other leaders.In little more than half a decade, Facebook has gone from a dorm-room novelty to a company with 500 million users. It is one of the fastest growing companies in history, an essential part of the social life not only of teenagers but hundreds of millions of adults worldwide. As Facebook spreads around the globe, it creates surprising effects—even becoming instrumental in political protests from Colombia to Iran.Veteran technology reporter David Kirkpatrick had the full cooperation of Facebook’s key executives in researching this fascinating history of the company and its impact on our lives. Kirkpatrick tells us how Facebook was created, why it has flourished, and where it is going next. He chronicles its successes and missteps, and gives readers the most complete assessment anywhere of founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the central figure in the company’s remarkable ascent. This is the Facebook story that can be found nowhere else.How did a nineteen-year-old Harvard student create a company that has transformed the Internet and how did he grow it to its current enormous size? Kirkpatrick shows how Zuckerberg steadfastly refused to compromise his vision, insistently focusing on growth over profits and preaching that Facebook must dominate (his word) communication on the Internet. In the process, he and a small group of key executives have created a company that has changed social life in the United States and elsewhere, a company that has become a ubiquitous presence in marketing, altering politics, business, and even our sense of our own identity. This is the Facebook Effect.
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Suketu Mehta
This Land Is Our Land : An Immigrant's Manifesto
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"This Land Is Our Land" might intrigue you if you're interested in understanding immigration beyond the headlines. Suketu Mehta offers an in-depth exploration of the subject, infusing his own family's journey with global perspectives. He unpacks complex issues with personal stories that could shift the way you think about the world's moving populations and their impact. It's a potent read for anyone keen on socio-political narratives or those looking to deepen their empathy towards the immigrant experience.
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Jeremy Paxman
The English
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This book is an excellent read for someone interested in understanding the complexities of English identity. Paxman provides a thorough exploration of the subject matter, covering everything from history to current events with wit and insight. His interviews with various people add depth to the book and make it an engaging read for those who want to learn more about English culture and society.
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Richard Sennett
Respect : The Formation of Character in an Age of Inequality
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Recommendation: Respect by Richard Sennett is a bold and thought-provoking book that delves into the diminishing value of respect in modern society. Sennett presents his childhood experiences, as well as that of others, to not only provide insight but to connect with the reader in a profound way. Through interviews, anecdotes, and thorough research coupled with his writing style, Sennett examines the roots of our discontents and posits ways to preserve respect and strive for equality. Highly recommended for anyone seeking thought-provoking and insightful inspiration towards making the world a better place.
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Slavenka Drakulić
Cafe Europa : Life After Communism
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Croatian journalist, novelist, and essayist Slavenka Drakulić notes that Eastern Europeans are so anxious to become like their Western counterparts that every city and town has a Cafe Europa that is a pale imitation of similar establishments in cities like Paris and Rome. She presents here a collection of essays that explore life in various Eastern European countries since the fall of communism. As a citizen of Croatia (formerly part of Yugoslavia) living now in Vienna with her Swedish husband, she writes knowingly as a survivor of a communist regime, as one who realizes that pitfalls still lie ahead for nations emerging from the Soviet yoke. In Albania, she observes rage everywhere in people who seem to want to smash all vestiges of the Hoxha regime. In Romania, she comments on the execrable state in which public toilets are maintained: "[T]he standard of Romanian toilets reflects the nature of the communist system of which it is a legacy"; "the absence of any improvement is... a warning for the future of democracy" there. Drakulic's pungent and insightful ruminations not only describe life in her part of the world?she makes us feel it as well.--Publishers Weekly
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Marco Politi, William McCuaig
Pope Francis Among the Wolves : The Inside Story of a Revolution
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Marco Politi takes us deep inside the power struggle roiling the Roman Curia and the Catholic Church worldwide, beginning with Benedict XVI, the pope who famously resigned in 2013, and intensifying with the contested and unexpected election of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, archbishop of Buenos Aires, now known as Pope Francis. Politi's account balances the perspectives of Pope Francis's supporters, Benedict's sympathizers, and those disappointed members of the Catholic laity who feel alienated by the institution's secrecy, financial corruption, and refusal to modernize.Politi dramatically recounts the sexual scandals that have rocked the church and the accusations of money laundering and other financial misdeeds swirling around the Vatican and the Italian Catholic establishment. Pope Francis has tried to shine a light on these crimes, but his work has been met with resistance from entrenched factions. Politi writes of the decline in church attendance and vocations to the priesthood throughout the world as the church continues to prohibit divorced and remarried Catholics from receiving the communion wafer. He visits European parishes where women now perform the functions of missing male priests--and where the remaining parishioners would welcome the admission of women to the priesthood, if the church would allow it.Pope Francis's emphasis on pastoral compassion for all who struggle with the burden of family life has also provoked the ire of traditionalists in the Roman Curia and elsewhere. He knows from personal experience what life is like for the poor in Buenos Aires and other metropolises of the globalized world, and highlights the contrast between the vital, vibrant faith of these parishioners and the disillusionment of European Catholics. Pope Francis and his supporters are locked in a battle with the defenders of the traditional hard line and with ecclesiastical corruption. In this conflict, the future of Catholicism is at stake--and it is far from certain Francis will succeed in saving the institution from decline.
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Paul Stoller
The Sorcerer's Burden : The Ethnographic Saga of a Global Family
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This book emerges from the author's 35 years of research and thought about the Songhay people of Niger. This ethnographic novel follows the life of Omar Dia, the oldest son of a West African sorcerer. When his father falls ill and dies, the great sorcerer vomits a small metal chain onto his chest. Following the path of his ancestors, Omar swallows the chain, becoming his father's successor, which means that he takes on the sorcerer's burden. The book also describes how custodians of traditional knowledge are creatively adapting to the forces of globalization―all in a highly accessible narrative text.
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Biodun Jeyifo
Conversations with Wole Soyinka
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Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka is the most prominent writer from the African continent and one of the greatest living playwrights in the English language. His plays have been produced by the leading professional and repertory companies and stages in the English-speaking world including the National Theatre in Britain and the Lincoln Center in New York.At the same time, Soyinka has been the most consistent campaigner against civil and human rights violations and abuses, on occasion using his drama, poetry, and essays to speak out powerfully and eloquently in defense of the freedom of ordinary citizens and of the conscience and autonomy of the African continent's writers and intellectuals.Featuring interviews with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Anthony Appiah, and the editor, among others, Conversations with Wole Soyinka is the first collection of Soyinka's interviews. The volume helps to clarify the place of Soyinka in the canon of modern African literature and the international currents of world literature in English of the last half century.Within the interviews, Soyinka is forthright, clear, and eloquent. He specifically addresses many facets of his writing and plumbs pressing issues of culture, society, and community in the present period of increasing globalization. With interviewers in Africa, America, and the United Kingdom he discusses the rise of extreme nationalist and fundamentalist movements and ideologies in his homeland.In particular, the volume throws welcome light on many of the difficulties and obscurities of form and “message” that both academic and non-academic readers find in the most ambitious works of Soyinka. Soyinka says, “I never set out to be obscure. But complex subjects sometimes elicit from the writer complex treatments.”
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Studs Terkel
Working : People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do
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Working could be a good read for someone who is curious about different kinds of jobs and wants to understand how people feel about their work. The book provides firsthand accounts from various individuals including a truck driver, a farm worker, and even a prostitute, giving readers unique perspectives. Its enduring relevance lies in its ability to connect with readers from diverse backgrounds, inspiring empathy and understanding.
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Fred Inglis
Clifford Geertz - Culture Custom And Ethics
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Recommendation:
- Geertz's groundbreaking theory of symbolic action challenges traditional scientific inquiry in the human sciences, making it an essential read for those interested in new perspectives on culture and society.
- This comprehensive overview of Geertz's work provides a lively introduction to his influential essays, such as the celebrated and controversial analysis of the Balinese cock fight, which sparks engaging debates.
- With a focus on cultural studies, this book offers a refreshing approach to understanding the intricate relationship between culture and politics, challenging conventional concepts and offering a more nuanced perspective. Highly recommended for students and scholars in anthropology and cultural studies.
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Marjorie Agosín
A Map of Hope : Women's Writing on Human Rights
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Recommendation:
- This book is a powerful anthology that highlights the voices of women from around the world who have endured war, torture, and violence. Their stories of resilience, defiance, and commitment to justice will inspire and empower you. Each page is filled with raw emotions and personal accounts that shed light on the fight for human rights. By reading their words, you will gain a deeper understanding of the challenges women face and the hope they hold for a better world.
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Matthew Stewart
The Management Myth - Why The Experts Keep Getting It Wrong
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This book would be a good read for users who are interested in learning about the reality of the management industry and how it can be better understood. The author offers a fresh perspective on popular business authorities and critiques them, while also providing insights into the industry. Users who enjoy critical analysis and want to learn more about the flaws in common business management advice will appreciate this book.
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Liao Yiwu, Wenguang Huang, Philip Gourevitch
The Corpse Walker : Real-Life Stories, China from the Bottom Up
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The Corpse Walker is a compilation of twenty-seven extraordinary oral histories that opens a window, unlike any other, onto the lives of ordinary, often outcast, Chinese men and women. Liao Yiwu (one of the best-known writers in China because he is also one of the most censored) chose his subjects from the bottom of Chinese people for whom the “new” China--the China of economic growth and globalization-—is no more beneficial than the old. By asking challenging questions with respect and empathy, he manages to get his subjects to talk openly about their lives.Here are a professional mourner, a trafficker in humans, a leper, an abbot, a retired government official, a former landowner, a mortician, a feng shui master, a former Red Guard, a political prisoner, a village teacher, a blind street musician, a Falun Gong practitioner, and many others–people who have been battered by life but who have managed to retain their dignity, their humor, and their essential, complex humanity.Liao crafted the interviews (conducted between 1990 and 2003) with sensitivity and patience, working both from notes and from his own memory of these remarkable conversations. The result is an idiosyncratic, powerful, and richly revealing portrait of a people, a time, and a place we might otherwise have never known.
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Dive Into Real-Life Stories
Biographies and memoirs offer unparalleled insights into the lives and minds of individuals who've shaped our world. Be it political icons, celebrities, or unsung heroes, Thryft brings you a rich assortment of stories that reveal extraordinary experiences and life lessons. Embark on a journey through time as you explore the personal tales that have influenced history and culture.
Our collection includes a wide range of biographies, from influential leaders to pop culture icons. Find engrossing memoirs that give insight into personal journeys and historical events.
Consider what aspects of life you’re curious about. Whether it’s artistic journeys, political memoirs, or overcoming adversity, our collection will have something that resonates with you.
Yes, we include stories about notable religious figures. You might also explore our Religion collection for more faith-based narratives.
Yes, we celebrate local voices and histories. Discover the lives of Singaporean figures that have shaped our city-state's unique culture and heritage.