Stephanie Foo is known for insightful nonfiction that tackles complex personal and social themes. Her memoir, What My Bones Know, beautifully explores healing from childhood trauma with honesty and courage.
If you enjoy reading books by Stephanie Foo then you might also like the following authors:
Tara Westover writes memoirs with honesty and vulnerability, showing us how education can completely change someone's life. If you liked Stephanie Foo's writing about overcoming trauma, you'll connect with Westover's Educated.
It's the story of her childhood growing up isolated in a strict household and how she bravely leaves to seek a world of knowledge and acceptance.
Bessel van der Kolk is an expert in understanding and treating trauma, exploring how trauma physically affects the mind and body. In The Body Keeps the Score, he explains clearly and compassionately why we react the way we do to traumatic events.
If Foo's writing about therapy and healing spoke to you, van der Kolk's insights can offer a deeper understanding and hope for recovery.
Lori Gottlieb combines her perspectives as a therapist and as someone who has sought therapy herself. Her book Maybe You Should Talk to Someone is warm, funny, and totally relatable—capturing the awkwardness and insights of therapy sessions.
Fans of Foo's honest and personal style will likely appreciate Gottlieb's approachable voice and reflections on the complexities of being human.
Jeannette Walls shares personal stories with openness and resilience. Her memoir The Glass Castle describes a childhood filled with neglect yet mixed with moments of humor, love, and adventure.
Like Stephanie Foo, Walls explores complicated family dynamics with grace, compassion, and a clear-eyed authenticity that readers will find familiar and moving.
Jenny Lawson approaches difficult topics with humor, wit, and lots of honesty. Her memoir, Furiously Happy, is a funny yet deeply touching account of her struggles with anxiety and depression.
If you appreciate Foo's ability to write bravely and even humorously about serious issues, Lawson's authentic voice and playful spirit might resonate with you.
Esmé Weijun Wang writes thoughtfully and honestly about her personal experiences with mental illness, identity, and belonging. In her memoir, The Collected Schizophrenias, she explores her complex relationship with schizophrenia.
Readers who appreciate Stephanie Foo's openness and empathy in talking about trauma will find Wang's compassionate, direct style both comforting and insightful.
Roxane Gay's writing is sharp, witty, and unapologetically frank. She tackles tough subjects such as trauma, race, feminism, and body image. In her memoir Hunger, Gay reflects openly on her complicated relationship with her body and the lasting impacts of trauma.
Readers who value Stephanie Foo's honesty, vulnerability, and thoughtfulness may connect deeply with Gay's candid and personal approach.
Carmen Maria Machado uses bold storytelling and vivid imagination to talk openly about difficult and often taboo subjects. Her memoir, In the Dream House, is incredibly original and painfully honest in its portrayal of abuse in a queer relationship.
Readers who are inspired by Stephanie Foo's rawness and courage in facing uncomfortable truths may resonate with Machado's creative storytelling and fearless exploration of trauma.
Cathy Park Hong examines race, identity, language, and cultural belonging with clarity and insight.
In her essay collection Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning, she candidly reflects on her experiences as an Asian American, touching on anger, shame, and the complexities of identity.
Hong's intelligent yet accessible style will resonate with readers who appreciate Stephanie Foo's ability to discuss difficult, complicated topics clearly and personally.
Chanel Miller writes sensitively and powerfully about surviving trauma and reclaiming one's voice. Her memoir Know My Name shows her reclaiming her story after sexual assault, discussing the legal process, personal resilience, and healing.
Readers moved by Stephanie Foo's willingness to explore trauma with vulnerability and strength will deeply connect with Miller's clear, courageous storytelling.
Kiese Laymon writes honestly and powerfully about race, family, and identity. His memoir, Heavy, openly confronts personal trauma, societal expectations, and the complexity of Black experience in America.
Readers who appreciate Stephanie Foo's candid, courageous storytelling will find much to admire in Laymon's work.
Susannah Cahalan excels at sharing deeply personal stories backed by solid research and investigative journalism. In Brain on Fire, she takes readers through her own mysterious illness and the long journey toward diagnosis.
Like Foo, Cahalan clearly and compassionately describes complex emotional and medical experiences.
David Sedaris is known for sharp wit and personal storytelling filled with humor. His book, Me Talk Pretty One Day, cleverly explores the absurdity found in everyday life, family, and identity struggles.
Readers who find humor in the personal journeys Stephanie Foo describes may enjoy Sedaris' insights and playful observations.
Augusten Burroughs writes openly and humorously about unusual and painful experiences from his childhood and adult life. In his memoir, Running with Scissors, he narrates his unconventional upbringing with honesty and dark humor.
Like Stephanie Foo, Burroughs combines emotional vulnerability with vivid storytelling.
Alexandra Fuller writes vividly about her upbringing in southern Africa, digging into complicated family dynamics and stark realities.
Her memoir, Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight, skillfully portrays the challenges and complexity of growing up amid conflict and an unpredictable environment. Fans of Stephanie Foo will connect strongly with Fuller's honesty and narrative depth.