The ​One I Knew Best of All A ​Memory of the Mind of a Child

Mark Twain - Autobiography ​of Mark Twain
"I've ​struck it!" Mark Twain wrote in a 1904 letter to a friend. "And I will give it away--to you. You will never know how much enjoyment you have lost until you get to dictating your autobiography." Thus, after dozens of false starts and hundreds of pages, Twain embarked on his "Final (and Right) Plan" for telling the story of his life. His innovative notion--to "talk only about the thing which interests you for the moment"--meant that his thoughts could range freely. The strict instruction that many of these texts remain unpublished for 100 years meant that when they came out, he would be "dead, and unaware, and indifferent," and that he was therefore free to speak his "whole frank mind." The year 2010 marks the 100th anniversary of Twain's death. In celebration of this important milestone and in honor of the cherished tradition of publishing Mark Twain's works, UC Press is proud to offer for the first time Mark Twain's uncensored autobiography in its entirety and exactly as he left it. This major literary event brings to readers, admirers, and scholars the first of three volumes and presents Mark Twain's authentic and unsuppressed voice, brimming with humor, ideas, and opinions, and speaking clearly from the grave as he intended.

Jonathan Franzen - The ​Discomfort Zone
The ​excruciating dynamics of a Christian youth fellowship in the 1970's... the effects of Kafka's fiction on a young man protracted quest to lose his virginity... the web of connections between birdwatching, a collapsing marriage, and global warming: in this comic memoir of self-consciousness, the author of The Corrections tells the story of his life and of the strange country in which he's lived it.

Jeannette Walls - The ​Glass Castle
Jeannette ​Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their salvation. Rex and Rose Mary Walls had four children. In the beginning, they lived like nomads, moving among Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains. Rex was a charismatic, brilliant man who, when sober, captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and above all, how to embrace life fearlessly. Rose Mary, who painted and wrote and couldn't stand the responsibility of providing for her family, called herself an "excitement addict." Cooking a meal that would be consumed in fifteen minutes had no appeal when she could make a painting that might last forever. Later, when the money ran out, or the romance of the wandering life faded, the Walls retreated to the dismal West Virginia mining town -- and the family -- Rex Walls had done everything he could to escape. He drank. He stole the grocery money and disappeared for days. As the dysfunction of the family escalated, Jeannette and her brother and sisters had to fend for themselves, supporting one another as they weathered their parents' betrayals and, finally, found the resources and will to leave home. What is so astonishing about Jeannette Walls is not just that she had the guts and tenacity and intelligence to get out, but that she describes her parents with such deep affection and generosity. Hers is a story of triumph against all odds, but also a tender, moving tale of unconditional love in a family that despite its profound flaws gave her the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms. For two decades, Jeannette Walls hid her roots. Now she tells her own story. A regular contributor to MSNBC.com, she lives in New York and Long Island and is married to the writer John Taylor.

Stephen King - Apt ​Pupil
If ​you don’t believe in the existence of evil, you have a lot to learn. Todd Bowden is an apt pupil. Good grades, good family, a paper route. But he is about to meet a different kind of teacher, Mr. Dussander, and to learn all about Dussander’s dark and deadly past…a decades-old manhunt Dussander has escaped to this day. Yet Todd doesn’t want to turn his teacher in. Todd wants to know more. Much more. He is about to face his fears and learn the real meaning of power—and the seductive lure of evil. A classic story from Stephen King, Apt Pupil reveals layers upon layers of deception—and horror—as finally there is only one left standing.

Anne Sexton - A ​Self-Portrait in Letters
An ​expression of an extraordinary poet's life story in her own words, this book shows Anne Sexton as she really was in private, as she wrote about herself to family, friends, fellow poets, and students. Anne's daughter Linda Gray Sexton and her close confidant Lois Ames have judiciously chosen from among thousands of letters and provided commentary where necessary. Illustrated throughout with candid photographs and memorabilia, the letters -- brilliant, lyrical, caustic, passionate, angry -- are a consistently revealing index to Anne Sexton's quixotic and exuberant personality.

Cyndi Lauper - A ​Memoir
Legendary ​and iconic singer, songwriter, actress and activist Cyndi Lauper offers a personal account of the journey that led her to become an international superstar.

Joshua Fields Millburn - Ryan Nicodemus - Minimalism: ​Essential Essays
Joshua ​and Ryan both jettisoned most of their material possessions at age 30 to pursue more meaningful lives. Essential Essays highlights essays from the first nine months of their journey into minimalism. Essential Essays is an edited collection of 29 of The Minimalists' favorite essays about living a more meaningful life with less stuff. This collection also contains a special forward by Joshua and Ryan, as well as two bonus essays you can't find anywhere else: "Dealing with Overwhelm" and "Focus On What's Important." The book is organized into seven interconnected themes: Living in the Moment, Emotional Health, Growth, Contribution, Taking Action, Passion and Mission, and Change and Experimentation. The order of this collection is deliberate; it is meant to be read from beginning to end. Doing so will result in a better overall experience--a different experience from reading these essays all over the web--connecting various concepts that might otherwise seem unconnected.

Kathleen Norris - The ​Noonday Demon
A ​memoir that resurrects the ancient term acedia, or soul-weariness, and explores its relevance to the modern individual and culture.

Michael Ausiello - Spoiler ​Alert: The Hero Dies
In ​this evocative and gorgeously wrought memoir reminiscent of Rob Sheffield's Love Is a Mixtape and George Hodgman's Bettyville, Michael Ausiello--a respected TV columnist and co-founder of TVLine.com--remembers his late husband, and the lessons, love, and laughter that they shared throughout their fourteen years together. For the past decade, TV fans of all stripes have counted upon Michael Ausiello's insider knowledge to get the scoop on their favorite shows and stars. From his time at Soaps in Depth and Entertainment Tonight to his influential stints at TV Guide and Entertainment Weekly to his current role as co-founder of the wildly popular website TVLine.com, Michael has established himself as the go-to expert when it comes to our most popular form of entertainment. What many of his fans don't know, however, is that while his professional life was in full swing, Michael had to endure the greatest of personal tragedies: his longtime boyfriend, Kit Cowan, was diagnosed with a rare and very aggressive form of neuroendrocrine cancer. Over the course of eleven months, Kit and Michael did their best to combat the deadly disease, but Kit succumbed to his illness in February 2015. In this heartbreaking and darkly hilarious memoir, Michael tells the story of his harrowing and challenging last year with Kit while revisiting the thirteen years that preceded it, and how the undeniably powerful bond between him and Kit carried them through all manner of difficulty--always with laughter front and center in their relationship. Instead of a tale of sadness and loss, Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies is an unforgettable, inspiring, and beautiful testament to the resilience and strength of true love.

Marcia Clark - Without ​a Doubt
The ​most recognized female attorney in America opens up about life during -- and after -- the trial of the century. Without a Doubt is not just a book about a trial. It's a book about a woman. Marcia Clark takes us inside her head and her heart with a story that is both sweeping and deeply personal -- and shocking in its honesty. Her voice is raw, disarming, unmistakable. She tells us how a woman, when caught up in an event that galvanized an entire country, rose to that occasion with singular integrity, drive, honesty, and grace. How did she do it, day after day? What was it like, orchestrating the most controversial case of her career in the face of the media's relentless klieg lights? How did she fight her personal battles -- those of a working mother balancing a crushing workload and a painful, very public divorce? Who stood by her and who abandoned her? As Clark shares the secrets of her own life, we understand for the first time why she identified so closely with Nicole Brown Simpson, in a way no man ever could. Sparing no one in this unflinching account -- least of all herself -- Clark speaks frankly about the mesmerizing and controversial personalities in the Simpson case: Lance Ito, Kato Kaelin, Johnnie Cochran, Mark Fuhrman, and Christopher Darden, among others. She also takes on her critics, the "armchair warriors" who scapegoated her after the verdict, and tells us why they were wrong. In a case that tore America apart, and that continues to haunt us as few events in our recent history have, Marcia Clark emerges as the one true heroine, because she stood for justice, fought the good fight, and fought it well.

Ryan Higa - Ryan ​Higa's How to Write Good
Did ​you know that one of the most popular people on YouTube doesn't have a book yet? It's true! I guess making videos for over 18 million subscribers keeps you kind of busy. But soon, Ryan Higa (whose Twitter bio reads: that asian on youtube) will be making the leap from screen to page with his unconventional, irreverent, yet heartfelt memoir inspired by his Draw My Life video, which has been viewed over 27 million times. Ryan's fans (aka higaholics) (aka lamps) will flock to his first book and won't be disappointed. And people who've never heard of him will find his story of overcoming bullying inspiring.

Ariel Levy - The ​Rules Do Not Apply
When ​thirty-eight-year-old New Yorker writer Ariel Levy left for a reporting trip to Mongolia in 2012, she was pregnant, married, financially secure, and successful on her own terms. A month later, none of that was true. Levy picks you up and hurls you through the story of how she built an unconventional life and then watched it fall apart with astonishing speed. Like much of her generation, she was raised to resist traditional rules—about work, about love, and about womanhood. “I wanted what we all want: everything. We want a mate who feels like family and a lover who is exotic, surprising. We want to be youthful adventurers and middle-aged mothers. We want intimacy and autonomy, safety and stimulation, reassurance and novelty, coziness and thrills. But we can’t have it all.” In this profound and beautiful memoir, Levy chronicles the adventure and heartbreak of being “a woman who is free to do whatever she chooses.” Her own story of resilience becomes an unforgettable portrait of the shifting forces in our culture, of what has changed—and of what is eternal.

Augusten Burroughs - Kiszáradva
Mit ​tehet az ember, ha egy nap közlik vele a munkahelyén, hogy ha azonnal nem vonul be egy alkoholelvonóra, akkor búcsút mondhat az állásának? Kihez fordulhat, ha a szüleivel nincsen beszélő viszonyban, a barátai egytől egyig alkoholisták, a szerelme pedig halálos beteg? „A reklámszakmában néha előfordul, hogy az ember kap egy terméket, ami egy kalap szar, és úgy kell tennie, mintha egy fantasztikus, a minőségi élethez nélkülözhetetlen valamivel lenne dolga. Egyszer például egy hajkondicionálóhoz kellett reklámot készítenem. A stratégia a következő volt: Érezhető puhaság, látható tartás. Valójában vi­szont a termék elég silány volt. Összeragadt tőle az ember haja, a nők pedig rühellték a fókuszcsoport felmérésekben. Ráadásul büdös is volt. Olyan szaga lett tőle a hajnak, mintha rágógumival és hipóval kenték volna be. Nekem azonban valahogy azt kellett elhitetnem az emberekkel, hogy ez a legjobb hajkondicionáló, amelyet valaha gyártottak. El kellett hitetnem velük, hogy egy­szerre gyönyörű és szexi. Elérhető és kívánatos. A reklámszakmában minden jobbnak látszik, mint amilyen valójában. És pont ezért ez a tökéletes hivatás számomra. Egy iparág, amely arra épül, hogy hamis várakozásokat kelt az emberekben. Kevesen vannak, akik olyan jók benne, mint én, és ezt annak köszönhetem, hogy évek óta alkalmazom ezt a módszert a saját életemben is. Tizenhárom éves koromban elmebeteg anyám odaadott az agybajos pszichiáterének, aki örökbefogadott. Fertőben éltem, pedofilokkal és korlátlan mennyiségű pirulával egy fedél alatt, miközben nem jártam iskolába. Amikor végre kiszabadultam onnan, jelentkeztem egy reklámügynökségnél mint autodidakta, enyhén különc fiatal tehetség, aki tele van szenvedéllyel és ötletekkel. Azt kihagytam az önéletrajzomból, hogy nem tudok helyesen írni, és hogy tizenhárom éves korom óta rendszeresen leszopok másokat.” Augusten Burroughsnak eddig öt önéletrajzi könyve jelent meg. Rend­szeresen tart előadásokat egyetemeken és főiskolákon az alkoholizmusról. Az Entertainment Weekly eddig kétszer választotta be Amerika 25 legviccesebb embere közé. A szer­ző második magyarul megjelenő regénye még sokkolóbb, mint a nagy sikerű Farkas az asztalnál. Lefegy­verző humorral, mégis torokszorítóan meséli el alkoholizmusa és tragikus szerelme történetét.

Lauren Graham - Talking ​As Fast As I Can
In ​her first work of nonfiction, the beloved star of Gilmore Girls and Parenthood recounts her experiences on Gilmore Girls—the first and second time—and shares stories about life, love, and working in Hollywood. This collection of essays is written in the intimate, hilarious, and down-to earth voice that made her novel, Someday Someday Maybe, a New York Times bestseller. “This book contains some stories from my life: the awkward growing up years, the confusing dating years, the fulfilling working years, and what it was like to be asked to play one of my favorite characters again. You probably think I’m talking about my incredible achievement as Dolly in Hello, Dolly! as a Langley High School junior, a performance my dad called “you’re so much taller than the other kids.” But no! I’m talking about Lorelai Gilmore, who, back in 2008, I wasn’t sure I’d ever see again. Also included: tales of living on a houseboat, meeting guys at awards shows, and that time I was asked to be a butt model. A hint: all three made me seasick.”—Lauren Graham

John Muir - My ​First Summer in the Sierra
Picturesque ​descriptions and sketches by one of America's most important and influential naturalists describes the author's 1869 stay in California's Yosemite River Valley and the Sierra Mountains. Muir's engaging journal describes majestic vistas, flora and fauna, as well as the region's other breathtaking natural wonders. 21 black-and-white illustrations.

Hannah Hart - Buffering
The ​wildly popular YouTube personality and author of the New York Times bestseller My Drunk Kitchen is back! This time, she's stirring up memories and tales from her past. By combing through the journals that Hannah has kept for much of her life, this collection of narrative essays deliver a fuller picture of her life, her experiences, and the things she's figured out about family, faith, love, sexuality, self-worth, friendship and fame. Revealing what makes Hannah tick, this sometimes cringe-worthy, poignant collection of stories is sure to deliver plenty of Hannah's wit and wisdom, and hopefully encourage you to try your hand at her patented brand of reckless optimism. Personal note: Hello, my darlings! I am incredibly pleased to present BUFFERING: Unshared Tales of a Life Fully Loaded! As a big fan of memoirs, I wanted to try my hand at writing about the events of my life that deserve a little more consideration than can be accomplished in 140-characters or a 6-minute vlog. Now on the cusp of turning 30, I'm ready to expose some parts of my life that I haven't shared before. Before, it was all about privacy, process and time. And now the time has come! I'm ready to put myself out there, for you. I'm a little nervous about all these vulnerable words going into the world, these tales about my love life, the wrestling I've done with faith, how I feel about sex and my family and myself. I've had a lot of trials, a lot of errors, but also a lot of passion. Here's the thing--I've always found comfort in the stories shared by others, so I hope my stories, now that I feel ready to tell them, will bring you some comfort too. And when you read this book please remember: Buffering is just the time it takes to process. Enjoy! Love, Hannah

Carrie Fisher - The ​Princess Diarist
From ​Princess Leia herself: another brilliantly hilarious self-examination of her unlikely life and times. A thoroughly original and intimate memoir by the bestselling author of Postcards from the Edge and Wishful Drinking.

Madison Young - Daddy
In ​a world filled with constant change, we are all looking for a heroic figure to believe in. For Madison Young, that hero is... Daddy. _Daddy_ explores Young's interwoven relationships with the men in her life from the fraught relationship with her biological father to the BDSM "leather daddies" that lead her on a journey of sexual revelation–both on and off camera. When Young finally finds the Daddy that she has been searching for, her fairytale quest is shattered with the flawed realities of human nature that exists outside of this Little Girl's fantasy.

Mark Twain - The ​Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Long ​cherished by readers of all ages, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is both a hilarious account of an incorrigible truant and a powerful parable of innocence in conflict with the fallen adult world. The mighty Mississippi River of the antebellum South gives the novel both its colorful backdrop and its narrative shape, as the runaways Huck and Jim—a young rebel against civilization allied with an escaped slave—drift down its length on a flimsy raft. Their journey, at times rollickingly funny but always deadly serious in its potential consequences, takes them ever deeper into the slave-holding South, and our appreciation of their shared humanity grows as we watch them travel physically farther from yet morally closer to the freedom they both passionately seek.

Joshua Fields Millburn - Ryan Nicodemus - Everything ​That Remains
What ​if everything you ever wanted isn't what you actually want? Twenty-something, suit-clad, and upwardly mobile, Joshua Fields Millburn thought he had everything anyone could ever want. Until he didn't anymore. Blindsided by the loss of his mother and his marriage in the same month, Millburn started questioning every aspect of the life he had built for himself. Then, he accidentally discovered a lifestyle known as minimalism...and everything started to change. That was four years ago. Since, Millburn, now 32, has embraced simplicity. In the pursuit of looking for something more substantial than compulsory consumption and the broken American Dream, he jettisoned most of his material possessions, paid off loads of crippling debt, and walked away from his six-figure career. So, when everything was gone, what was left? Not a how-to book but a why-to book, Everything That Remains is the touching, surprising story of what happened when one young man decided to let go of everything and begin living more deliberately. Heartrending, uplifting, and deeply personal, this engrossing memoir is peppered with insightful (and often hilarious) interruptions by Ryan Nicodemus, Millburn's best friend of twenty years.