Career Memoirs and Nonfiction Books from the USA

Memoirs and biographies and some nonfiction that focus on people’s careers. A spin off of my other lists that focuses on memoirs from folks in the UK. This list focuses on career memoirs from people in the USA.

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created by mxbookworm

last updated June, 2026

7 books

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Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed

Lori Gottlieb

The Trauma Cleaner: One Woman's Extraordinary Life in the Business of Death, Decay, and Disaster

Sarah Krasnostein

Tell Me Where It Hurts: A Day of Humor, Healing, and Hope in My Life as an Animal Surgeon

Nick Trout

That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America

Amanda Jones

Becoming Trader Joe: How I Did Business My Way and Still Beat the Big Guys

Joe Coulombe

This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor

Adam Kay

Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly

Anthony Bourdain

Comments

spacedox

This is a cool list concept! I have a truly unnecessary number of firefighter, paramedic, and EMT memoirs on my First Responders list, but the ones I can remember hearing good things about (that also fit the description) are A Thousand Naked Strangers, Lights and Sirens, and Wild Rescues if you want to take a look at those