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12 Hot Celebrity Memoirs Coming This Fall

Al Pacino, Cher, Lisa Marie Presley and more stars dish on their lives and loves (and, in some cases, their recipes)

By

Christina Ianzito,

 
AARP
Comments
Published September 06, 2024
different celebrity memoirs that are being released this fall
Photo Collage: AARP; (Source: Penguin Press; Frank Micelotta/Disney via Getty Images; Random House; Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Wonderwall; Dey Street Books; Photo by Rocco Spaziani/Archivio Spaziani/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)

It’s almost a requisite these days for famous people: Write a memoir. At least it seems that way, based on the stacks of them coming out this season from legendary musicians and Hollywood stars, plus journalist Connie Chung, tennis legend Venus Williams and more.  

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actors that wrote memoirs that are coming out in the fall
Photo Collage: AARP; (Source: Penguin Press; Frank Micelotta/Disney via Getty Images; Gallery Books; Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic; Viking; Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)

Actors

The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop (September 17)

There’s something about Gilmore Girls, the early-2000s dramedy centered around a single mom and her teenage daughter, that inspires fierce devotion among its fans. (In October, there’s even Gilmore Girls: The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge by Erika Berlin, a roundup of all 339 books referenced by characters in the series.) Bishop, 80, played matriarch Emily Gilmore on the show, along with many other roles on screen and stage; for one, she was the mother of Jennifer Grey’s character, Baby, in Dirty Dancing. Here she shares her story and lessons learned.

Sonny Boy by Al Pacino (October 15)

Fans of Pacino, 84, will enjoy the actor’s nostalgic telling of his humble beginnings, raised by a single mom and grandparents in the South Bronx, and long career. He describes his early passion for the stage and how he would wander the streets of New York at night, bellowing lines from Shakespeare in that booming voice of his (“Hoo-ah!”). He also writes about how he was cast as Michael Corleone in The Godfather, a life-changing role, and his thoughts on aging and parenting (he’s now dad to 1-year-old Roman Pacino, his son with girlfriend Noor Alfallah).

The Wall of Life: Pictures and Stories From This Marvelous Lifetime by Shirley MacLaine (October 22)

Inspired by a wall of pictures in her home that elicits conversation and memories, MacLaine, 90, highlights seminal moments from her life with the help of more than 150 personal photos. She discusses growing up with brother Warren Beatty, performing on Broadway, spending time with friend Elizabeth Taylor and many other stars, plus other remarkable experiences.

Made Up, But Still True by Donald Sutherland (November 12)

Sutherland passed away in June at age 88, before he could see the publication of his memoir, described by his publicists as “bracingly candid” and “utterly unpredictable.” It includes behind-the-scenes stories from the esteemed Canadian actor’s most well-known roles in shows and films such as The Dirty Dozen, M*A*S*H, Ordinary People, JFK, The Eye of the Needle and The Hunger Games.

From Under the Truck: A Memoir by Josh Brolin (November 19)

You may know Brolin, 56, from hits like The Goonies and No Country for Old Men. Now he offers his personal story, beginning with his childhood living on a California ranch with his volatile mother, whose early death in a car accident still haunts him. He also has a famous dad, James Brolin, 84.

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musicians that wrote memoirs that are coming out in the fall
Photo Collage: AARP; (Source: Blackstone Publishing, Inc.; Photo by John Parra/Getty Images for The Sarasota Film Festival; Harper; Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic; Dey Street Books; Photo by Rocco Spaziani/Archivio Spaziani/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)

Musicians

Life in the Key of G by Kenny G (September 24)

Hear the name Kenny G and you think of his long curly locks and easy-listening jazz. Well, he wants you to know that there’s more to the saxophonist born Kenneth Gorelick — including that he has a great sense of humor. “I’d like to let you get to know me better,” he writes. “I’ll let you in on the little secrets about how I write my songs, as well as the biggest secret of all: how I got that luscious hair!”  

Brothers by Alex Van Halen (October 22)

The Van Halen drummer, 71, wrote his book (with New Yorker writer Ariel Levy) while mourning the loss of his beloved younger brother and bandmate, Eddie, who died in 2020 at age 65. As the title suggests, Eddie is a ubiquitous presence in Alex’s story of growing up with immigrant parents, forming the band and living a bad-boy rock-and-roll life.

Cher: The Memoir (Part One) by Cher (November 19)

The contents of Cher’s memoir are under tight wraps, but we do know that there will eventually be a second volume. As her publisher puts it, “It is a life too immense for only one book.”

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celebrities that wrote memoirs that are coming out in the fall
Photo Collage: AARP; (Source: Amistad; Photo by Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for Dove; Random House; Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Wonderwall; Grand Central Publishing; Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)

Other celebs

Strive: 8 Steps to Find Your Awesome by Venus Williams (September 10)

Tennis legend Williams, 44, has had challenges off the court too; she’s wrestled with an autoimmune disease called Sjogren’s syndrome, which causes fatigue and muscle aches, among other symptoms unwelcome to anyone but particularly to an athlete at her sky-high level. Here Williams describes some of her most trying times and offers, as she puts it, “the tools that kept me from burning out on a lifestyle that I wanted and believed in, a lifestyle that helped me feel confident, powerful and capable.”

Connie by Connie Chung (September 17)

This once-shy daughter of Chinese parents became an assertive, barrier-breaking journalist and the first woman to coanchor the CBS Evening News. Chung takes us on an entertaining tour through her childhood, marriage to Maury Povich and remarkable career, including her coverage of George McCarthy’s presidential campaign — she was one of the “boys on the bus,” surrounded by few women and lots of smack-talking guys that she kept in check with her quick sense of humor. (Look for our interview with Chung in AARP Members Edition around the book’s pub date).

What in the World?! A Southern Woman’s Guide to Laughing at Life’s Unexpected Curveballs and Beautiful Blessings by Leanne Morgan (September 24)

Comedian Morgan, 59, writes about finding success after 50; referring to herself as the “Mrs. Maisel of Appalachia,” she now has a Netflix comedy special, Leanne Morgan: I’m Every Woman, and a huge social media following (2.6 million on Facebook).

From Here to the Great Unknown: A Memoir by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough (October 8)

Lisa Marie Presley passed away in 2023 at age 54 after spending years taping her thoughts for an eventual memoir. Before she died, she asked her daughter, Riley Keough, 35, to complete it for her. And what stories she had to tell, with none other than Elvis as her father (she describes the horror of seeing his body on the bathroom floor when she was 9). Presley recounts her troubled youth, marriage to Michael Jackson, drug addiction and music career.

the cover of dolly parton's cook book
Ten Speed Press

Cooking With the Stars

Other celebs are sharing their favorite recipes rather than their autobiographies — while a famous foodie, Ina Garten, writes about her life.

  • Good Lookin’ Cookin’: A Year of Meals by Dolly Parton and her sister Rachel Parton George (September 17)
  • Does This Taste Funny? Recipes Our Family Loves by Stephen Colbert and his wife, Evie McGee Colbert (September 17)
  • Be Ready When the Luck Happens: A Memoir by Ina Garten (October 1)
  • What I Ate in One Year (and Related Thoughts) by Stanley Tucci (October 15)
  • I Love You: Recipes From the Heart by Pamela Anderson (October 15)
  • My Mexican Kitchen: 100 Recipes Rich With Tradition, Flavor and Spice by Eva Longoria (October 29)
  • Cannabis Cookbook by Willie Nelson and his wife, Annie Nelson (November 12)

Christina Ianzito covers scams and fraud, and is the books editor for aarp.org and AARP The Magazine. Also a longtime travel writer and editor, she received a 2020 Lowell Thomas Award for travel writing from the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation.​

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