Unread: My Favorite Memoir for April

I first learned about Unread: A Memoir of Learning (and Loving) to Read on TikTok, by Oliver James, from a Substack newsletter and I’m glad I did. While memoirs are not typically my go-to-genre, this one will stay in my consciousness for a long time. I listened to the audio version narrated both by the author, Oliver James, and the main narrator, James Shipply.

The book is a candid and inspirational story of a young man who graduated from high school without ever learning to read and the struggles he faced trying to maneuver life without that skill. After some mishaps, he decided to change his trajectory by teaching himself to read and did that publically, finishing100 books in a year with the help and encouragement of his TikTok followers.

Oliver James became the recipient of the 2023 Barbara Bush National Literary Award. The president of that foundation wrote about his book this way: “An inspiring and deeply human story about resilience, courage, and the transformative power of literacy.”

In addition to Oliver James’ personal story, the book has a memorable message about the power we all have to change our life through determination, grit, and persistence. And it’s a reminder that it’s never too late to learn and grow. If you like against-the-odds memoirs, I recommend this book.