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The Best New Biographies and Memoirs to Read in 2024

This year sees some riveting and remarkable lives—from artist ai weiwei to singer-songwriter joni mitchell—captured on the page..

A life story can be read for escapist pleasure. But at other times, reading a memoir or biography can be an expansive exercise, opening us up to broader truths about our world. Often, it’s an edifying experience that reminds us of our universal human vulnerability and the common quest for purpose in life.

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Biographies and memoirs charting remarkable lives—whether because of fame, fortune or simply fascination—have the power to inspire us for their depth, curiosity or challenges. This year sees a bumper calendar of personal histories enter bookshops, grappling with enigmatic public figures like singer Joni Mitchell and writer Ian Fleming , to nuanced analysis of how motherhood or sociopathy shape our lives—for better and for worse.

SEE ALSO: The Best Addiction Memoirs for the Sober Curious

Here we compile some of the most rewarding biographies and memoirs out in 2024. There are stories of trauma and recovery, art as politics and politics as art, and sentences as single life lessons spread across books that will make you rethink much about personal life stories. After all, understanding the triumphs and trials of others can help us see how we can change our own lives to create something different or even better.

Zodiac: A Graphic Memoir by Ai Weiwei and illustrated by Gianluca Costantini

Ai Weiwei , the iconoclastic artist and fierce critic of his homeland China, mixes fairy tales with moral lessons to evocatively retrace the story of his life in graphic form. Illustrations are by Italian artist Gianluca Costantini . “Any artist who isn’t an activist is a dead artist,” Weiwei writes in Zodiac , as he embraces everything from animals found in the Chinese zodiac to mystical folklore tales with anamorphic animals to argue the necessity of art as politics incarnate. The meditative exercise uses pithy anecdotes alongside striking visuals to sketch out a remarkable life story marked by struggle. It’s one weaving political manifesto, philosophy and personal memoir to engage readers on the necessity of art and agitation against authority in a world where we sometimes must resist and fight back.

Alphabetical Diaries by Sheila Heti

Already well-known for her experimental writings, Sheila Heti takes a decade of diary entries and maps sentences against the alphabet, from A to Z. The project is a subversive rethink of our relationship to introspection—which often asks for order and clarity, like in diary writing—that maps new patterns and themes in its disjointed form. Heti plays with both her confessionals and her sometimes formulaic writing style (like knowingly using “Of course” in entries) to retrace the changes made (and unmade) across ten years of her life. Alphabetical Diaries is a sometimes demanding book given the incoherence of its entries, but remains an illuminating project in thinking about efforts at self-documentation.

Splinters: Another Kind of Love Story by Leslie Jamison

Unlike her previous work The Empathy Exams , which examined how we relate to one another and on human suffering, writer Leslie Jamison wrestles today with her own failed marriage and the grief of surviving single parenting. After the birth of her daughter, Jamison divorces her partner “C,” traverses the trials and tribulations of rebound relationships (including with “an ex-philosopher”) and confronts unresolved emotional pains born of her own life living under the divorce of her parents. In her intimate retelling—paired with her superb prose—Jamison charts a personal history that acknowledges the unending divide mothers (and others) face dividing themselves between partners, children and their own lives.

Radiant: The Life and Line of Keith Haring by Brad Gooch

Whether dancing figures or a “radiant baby,” the recognizable cartoonish symbols in Keith Haring ’s art endure today as shorthand signs representing both his playfulness and politicking. Haring (1958-1990) is the subject of writer Brad Gooch ’s deft biography, Radiant , a book that mines new material from the archive along with interviews with contemporaries to reappraise the influential quasi-celebrity artist. From rough beginnings tagging graffiti on New York City walls to cavorting with Andy Warhol and Madonna on art pieces, Haring battled everything from claims of selling out to over-simplicity. But he persisted with work that leveraged catchy quotes and colorful imagery to advance unsavory political messages—from AIDS to crack cocaine. A life tragically cut short at 31 is one powerfully celebrated in this new noble portrait.

The House of Hidden Meanings by RuPaul Charles

In The House of Hidden Meaning , celebrated drag queen, RuPaul , reckons with a murky inner world that has shaped—and hindered—a lifetime of gender-bending theatricality. The figurative house at the center of the story is his “ego,” a plaguing barrier that apparently long inhibited the performer from realizing dreams of greatness. Now as the world’s most recognizable drag queen—having popularized the art form for mainstream audiences with the TV show RuPaul’s Drag Race —RuPaul reflects on the power that drag and self-love have long offered across his difficult, and sometimes tortured, life. Readers expecting dishy stories may be disappointed, but the psychological self-assessment in the pages of this memoir is far more edifying than Hollywood gossip could ever be.

Sociopath: A Memoir by Patric Gagne

Patric Gagne is an unlikely subject for a memoir on sociopaths. Especially since she is a former therapist with a doctorate in clinical psychology. Still, Gagne makes the case that after a troubled childhood of antisocial behavior (like stealing trinkets and cursing teachers) and a difficult adulthood (now stealing credit cards and fighting authority figures), she receives a diagnosis of sociopathy. Her memoir recounts many episodes of bad behavior—deeds often marked by a lack of empathy, guilt or even common decency—where her great antipathy mars any ability for her to connect with others. Sociopath is a rewarding personal exposé that demystifies one vilified psychological condition so often seen as entirely untreatable or irreparable. Only now there’s a familiar face and a real story linked to the prognosis.

Ian Fleming: The Complete Man by Nicholas Shakespeare

Nicholas Shakespeare is an acclaimed novelist and an astute biographer, delivering tales that wield a discerning eye to subjects and embrace a robust attention to detail. Ian Fleming (1908-1964), the legendary creator of James Bond, is the latest to receive Shakespeare’s treatment. With access to new family materials from the Fleming estate, the seemingly contradictory Fleming is seen anew as a totally “different person” from his popular image. Taking cues from Fleming’s life story—from a refined upbringing spent in expensive private schools to working for Reuters as a journalist in the Soviet Union—Shakespeare reveals how these experiences shaped the elusive world of espionage and intrigue created in Fleming’s novels. Other insights include how Bond was likely informed by Fleming’s cavalier father, a major who fought in WWI. A martini (shaken, not stirred) is best enjoyed with this bio.

Knife: Meditations after an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie

Salman Rushdie , while giving a rare public lecture in New York in August 2022, was violently stabbed by an assailant brandishing a knife . The attack saw Rushdie lose his left hand and his sight in one eye. Speaking to The New Yorker a year later , he confirmed a memoir was in the works that would confront this harrowing existential experience: “When somebody sticks a knife into you, that’s a first-person story. That’s an ‘I’ story.” Knife: Meditations after an Attempted Murder is promised to be his raw, revelatory and deeply psychological confrontation with the violent incident. Like the sword of Damocles, brutality has long stalked Rushdie ever since the 1989 fatwa issued against the author, following the publication of his controversial novel, The Satanic Verses . The answer to such barbarity, Rushdie is poised to argue, is by finding the strength to stand up again.

The Art of Dying: Writings, 2019–2022 by Peter Schjeldahl (Release: May 14)

Peter Schjeldahl (1942-2022), longstanding art critic of The New Yorker , confronted his mortality when he was diagnosed with incurable lung cancer in 2019. The resulting essay collection he then penned, The Art of Dying , is a masterful meditation on one life preoccupied entirely with aesthetics and criticism. It’s a discursive tactic for a memoir that avoids discussing Schjeldahl’s coming demise while equally confirming its impending visit by avoiding it. Acknowledging that he finds himself “thinking about death less than I used to,” Schjeldahl spends most of the pages revisiting familiar art subjects—from Edward Hopper ’s output to Peter Saul ’s Pop Art—as vehicles to re-examine his own remarkable life. With a life that began in the humble Midwest, Schjeldahl says his birthplace was one that ultimately availed him to write so plainly and cogently on art throughout his career. Such posthumous musings prove illuminating lessons on the potency of American art, with whispered asides on the tragedy of death that will come for all of us.

Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell by Ann Powers (Release: June 11)

Joni Mitchell has enjoyed a remarkable revival recently, even already being one of the most acclaimed and enduring singer/songwriters. After retiring from public appearances for health reasons in the 2010s, Mitchell, 80, has returned to the spotlight with a 2021 Kennedy Centers honor , an appearance accepting the 2023 Gershwin Prize and even a live performance at this year’s Grammy Awards . It’s against this backdrop of public celebration of Mitchell that NPR music critic Ann Powers retraces the life story and musical (re)evolution of the singer, from folk to jazz genres and rock to soul music, across five decades for the American songbook. “What you are about to read is not a standard account of the life and work of Joni Mitchell,” she writes in the introduction. Instead, Powers’ project is one showing how Mitchell’s many journeys—from literal road trips inspiring tracks like “All I Want” to inner probings of Mitchell’s psyche, such as the song “Both Sides Now”—have always inspired Mitchell’s enduring, emotive and palpable output. These travels hold the key, Powers says, to understanding an enigmatic artist.

• SEE ALSO : Will Keen On Playing Vladimir Putin On Broadway in ‘Patriots’

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The Best New Biographies of 2023

CJ Connor is a cozy mystery and romance writer whose main goal in life is to make their dog proud. They are a Pitch Wars alumnus and an Author Mentor Match R9 mentor. Their debut mystery novel BOARD TO DEATH is forthcoming from Kensington Books. Twitter: @cjconnorwrites | cjconnorwrites.com

View All posts by CJ Connor

Read on to discover nine of the best biographies published within the last year. Included are life stories of singular people, including celebrated artists and significant historical figures, as well as collective biographies.

The books included in this list have all been released as of writing, but biography lovers still have plenty to look forward to before the year is out. A few to keep your eye out for in the coming months:

• The World According to Joan Didion by Evelyn McDonnell (HarperOne, September 26)
• Einstein in Time and Space by Samuel Graydon (Scribner, November 14)
• Overlooked: A Celebration of Remarkable, Underappreciated People Who Broke the Rules and Changed the World by Amisha Padnani (Penguin Random House, November 14).

Without further ado, here are the best biographies of 2023 so far!

Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom by Ilyon Woo

Ellen and William Craft were a Black married couple who freed themselves from slavery in 1848 by disguising themselves as a traveling white man and an enslaved person. Author Ilyon Woo recounts their thousand-mile journey to seek safety in the North and their escape from the United States in the months following the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act.

The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel

Written over a period of 11 years with exclusive journalistic access to the subject, author Michael Finkel explores the motivations, heists, and repercussions faced by the notorious and prolific art thief Stéphane Breitwieser. Of special focus is his relationship with his girlfriend and accomplice, Anne-Catherine Kleinklaus.

King: A Life by Jonathan Eig

While recently published, King: A Life is already considered to be the most well-researched biography of Civil Rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. published in decades. New York Times bestselling journalist Jonathan Eig explores the life and legacy of Dr. King through thousands of historical records, including recently declassified FBI documents.

Why Willie Mae Thornton Matters by Lynnée Denise

This biography is part of the Why Music Matters series from the University of Texas. It reflects on the legendary blues singer’s life through an essay collection in which the author (also an accomplished musician) seeks to recreate the feeling of browsing through a box of records.

Young Queens: Three Renaissance Women and the Price of Power by Leah Redmond Chang

Historian Leah Redmond Chang’s latest book release focuses on three aristocratic women in Renaissance Europe: Catherine de’ Medici, Elizabeth de Valois, and Mary, Queen of Scots. As a specific focus, she examines the juxtaposition between the immense power they wielded and yet the ways they remained vulnerable to the patriarchal, misogynistic societies in which they existed.

Daughter of the Dragon: Anna May Wong’s Rendezvous with American History by Yunte Huang

Anna May Wong was a 20th-century actress who found great acclaim while still facing discrimination and typecasting as a Chinese woman. University of California professor Yunte Huang explores her life and impact on the American film industry and challenges racist depictions of her in accounts of Hollywood history in this thought-provoking biography.

Twice as Hard: The Stories of Black Women Who Fought to Become Physicians, from the Civil War to the 21st Century by Jasmine Brown

Written by Rhodes Scholar and University of Pennsylvania medical student Jasmine Brown, this collective biography shares the experiences and accomplishments of nine Black women physicians in U.S. history — including Rebecca Lee Crumpler, the first Black American woman to earn a medical degree in the 1860s, and Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders.

Larry McMurtry: A Life by Tracy Daugherty

Two years after the Pulitzer Prize-winning author’s death, this biography presents a comprehensive history of Larry McMurtry’s life and legacy as one of the most acclaimed Western writers of all time.

The Kneeling Man: My Father’s Life as a Black Spy Who Witnessed the Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. by Leta McCollough Seletzky

Journalist Leta McCollough Seletzky examines her father, Marrell “Mac” McCollough’s complicated legacy as a Black undercover cop and later a member of the CIA. In particular, she shares his account as a witness of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. at the Lorraine Motel.

Are you a history buff looking for more recommendations? Try these.

• Best History Books by Era
• Books for a More Inclusive Look at American History
• Fascinating Food History Books

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Hot New Releases in Biographies & Memoirs

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Bios & Memoirs

Explore bios & memoirs by topic, actors & filmmakers, business & tech giants, historical leaders, scientists & engineers, sports stars, true crime profiles, musicians & artists, religious & spiritual, popular biographies & memoirs discover the distinctive profiles and intimate perspectives that listeners are loving now..

Chasing Boaz Manor

• By: Leah McLaren
• Narrated by: Serinda Swan
• Length: 3 hrs and 56 mins
• Original Recording
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 208
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 206
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 206

Boaz Manor was a finance wunderkind. He started a hedge-fund company in Canada and later burst onto Wall Street with a product that could transform the crypto market. By all accounts, he was incredibly hard-working. Possibly brilliant. And...a shameless con man who ended up wanted in multiple countries. Chasing Boaz Manor explores Boaz’s schemes through the perspective of those he left in his wake.

• 3 out of 5 stars

Drawn out and unresolved waste of time

• By DC on 06-06-24

Team of Rivals

• The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
• By: Doris Kearns Goodwin
• Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
• Length: 41 hrs and 32 mins
• Overall 5 out of 5 stars 10,871
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 9,620
• Story 5 out of 5 stars 9,628

On May 18, 1860, William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Edward Bates, and Abraham Lincoln waited in their hometowns for the results from the Republican National Convention in Chicago. When Lincoln emerged as the victor, his rivals were dismayed and angry. Throughout the turbulent 1850s, each had energetically sought the presidency as the conflict over slavery was leading inexorably to secession and civil war.

• 5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful, Heartbreaking, and Informative

• By JJ on 09-10-12

From the Streets to the Suites

• Words + Music, Vol. 36
• By: Snoop Dogg
• Narrated by: Snoop Dogg
• Length: 1 hr and 33 mins
• Overall 5 out of 5 stars 931
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 829
• Story 5 out of 5 stars 828

Launching during the 30th anniversary year of Doggystyle , Snoop Dogg’s installment of Words + Music reflects on his coming-of-age journey from the streets of Long Beach to around the world and his decision to pursue love and life over death and destruction.

• 4 out of 5 stars

Revisionist history

• By R. MCRACKAN on 06-16-23

• The Ashley Madison Hack
• By: Sophie Elmhirst, Maria Luisa Tucker
• Narrated by: Sophie Nélisse
• Length: 3 hrs and 13 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 937
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 910
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 910

Millions of people–looking to cheat on their partners–signed up for Ashley Madison in the early 2000s, seeking a private space to share their public desires. The promise of discretion was shattered in the summer of 2015, when anonymous hackers stole the company’s cache of user information and published it worldwide. The result? One of the most shocking data breaches of the internet age. Overnight, millions of unfaithful spouses had their real names, addresses and sexual preferences published online in a searchable database that anyone could browse.

Hard to feel sorry for the cheaters

• By Kim Kormylo on 02-21-24

Entre nous [Closer Together]

• Mieux se connaître, mieux s'aimer [Knowing Ourselves, Loving Each Other]
• By: Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau
• Narrated by: François Trudel, Marie Bernier, Annick Bergeron, and others
• Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins
• Overall 0 out of 5 stars 0
• Performance 0 out of 5 stars 0
• Story 0 out of 5 stars 0

Dans Entre nous. Mieux se connaître, mieux s’aimer , Sophie Grégoire Trudeau nous invite à entreprendre un voyage à travers notre paysage émotionnel, de l’enfance à l’âge adulte, en s’appuyant sur l’intervention de spécialistes parmi les plus réputés dans les domaines de la santé mentale et du bien-être (psychologues, neuroscientifiques, experts en relations, enseignants de la pleine conscience).

Something Ain't Right

• By: Roger Stringer, Zachary Stringer
• Narrated by: Roger Stringer, Zachary Stringer
• Length: 1 hr and 53 mins
• Overall 5 out of 5 stars 1,662
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 1,598
• Story 5 out of 5 stars 1,598

Roger Stringer grew up in rural Mississippi, hunting and eating everything from deer to rabbits. When he had two sons, Zac and Justin, he gave them guns and took them to the woods as well. Then one day when the boys were home alone, he got a call from Zac that Justin had been shot. What follows is an intimate and gripping memoir about the shooting’s aftermath. The story moves between the perspectives of Roger and Zac as they take us through their journey of betrayal, redemption, and ultimately confrontation with a company that had kept its corruption a secret for decades.

The Journey for Truth

• By samsararose on 05-19-23

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100 Author-Read Memoirs That Are Simply Unforgettable

9 Captivating New Autobiographies and Memoirs

This season, curl up with an eye-opening new narrative.

A great autobiography or memoir speaks to the shared human experience as it captures the magic of a unique life story. Below is a diverse list of new autobiographies and memoirs that will open your eyes to fresh and memorable perspectives this fall.

By LaDoris Hazzard Cordell

As the first Black woman to sit on the Superior Court of Northern California, Judge LaDoris Hazzard Cordell has a unique outlook on American justice. She’s witnessed its flaws and biases, and yet she believes in the essential value of the system. In her newly released memoir , Judge Cordell invites you into her courtroom for a behind-the-scenes look at America’s legal process, exploring what works and what needs fixing, from juvenile law and jury selection to the intricate ways that judges make sentencing decisions. Cordell draws on real-life cases to craft her wise and provocative account, chronicling a lifetime of experience on the bench while highlighting the steps we can take to make our imperfect system more equitable for all Americans.

Fox & I

By catherine raven.

Catherine Raven’s celebrated new autobiographical account is a deeply personal meditation on friendship and the extraordinary beauty of our shared natural world. Her narrative chronicles the time she spent living alone in a tiny cottage in Montana and the unlikely friendship she developed with one surprising visitor: a fox. At the time, Raven had just completed her Ph.D. in biology and was leading field classes at nearby Yellowstone National Park while she applied for full-time work. Life at the cottage was emotionally and physically isolating, until a mangy fox began appearing on her property every afternoon. As Raven’s interspecies connection with the fox deepened, so too did her understanding of loneliness and her sense of belonging in the wild world around us.

Beautiful Country

By qian julie wang.

In her celebrated coming-of-age memoir , Qian Julie Wang recounts the story of her immigrant family, who emigrated from China and moved to America without documentation. Desperate for work, her former professor parents became sweatshop workers in New York City, while Wang struggled to fit in as a 7-year-old transplant. Wang’s lyrical narrative details how she sought refuge in books, found magic in the streets of Brooklyn, and navigated life as the child of a family whose “illegality” forced them into the shadows.

By Tarana Burke

In this powerful new autobiography, Tarana Burke – the activist who founded the Me Too movement – shares her story of struggle, strength, and advocacy. Burke bravely chronicles her life story, documenting the sexual abuse she suffered as a child and the inspiration she found in supporting young Black and brown girls. By empowering others and fostering community, Burke freed herself from the guilt, shame, and isolation she experienced as a survivor of abuse – and rose to become the leader of a worldwide movement.

There's a Hole in My Bucket

By royd tolkien.

Royd Tolkien is the great-grandson of J.R.R. Tolkien, and his new memoir proves that inspired storytelling runs in the family. Royd’s narrative pays tribute to his brother, Mike, who was diagnosed with ALS and who passed away at an early age. After Mike’s diagnosis, the brothers made it their mission to tick off as much as possible on Mike’s bucket list. After Mike’s death, however, Royd discovered a second list that his brother had left behind: 50 things for Royd to complete on his own. The challenges send Royd on an inspiring new journey, one that pushes him far outside his comfort zone and reminds him to cherish the fleeting beauty of life.

Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography

By laurie woolever.

Food writer and editor Laurie Woolever offers an unprecedented look into the life of Anthony Bourdain, the beloved chef who passed away in 2018. Woolever was Bourdain’s longtime assistant and confidante. In her new release, she draws on her personal experiences and interviews with Bourdain’s close family and friends to celebrate a life cut short. The food memoir traces Bourdain’s journey from his childhood through his years of success as a globe-trotting gourmand, producing an intimate portrait of the culinary icon.

Somebody's Daughter

By ashley c. ford.

Ashley C. Ford’s bestselling new autobiography is a heart-wrenching account of her experience growing up as the daughter of an incarcerated parent. During her childhood, Ford’s father was in prison – for what, she did not know. Young Ashley and her mother struggled to get by in Indiana. With unflinching prose, Ford chronicles her search for meaning while facing poverty and a racist system, laying bare the hardships and abuse she endured as a young Black girl and her reckoning with the truth about her father’s crimes.

By Bernardine Evaristo

In her celebrated new memoir, Booker Prize–winning author Bernadine Evaristo delivers an impassioned narrative about finding your voice and staying true to your vision. The famed writer, teacher, and activist chronicles her creative journey and her commitment to sharing “untold” stories, alongside examining contemporary social issues of sex, race, class, gender, and age. The result is an inspirational and multifaceted account that urges readers to never give up, no matter the obstacle.

Real Estate

By deborah levy.

Deborah Levy’s latest release is the third entry in her Living Autobiography series. In it, she delivers a thoughtful examination of “home” and how it intersects with concepts such as ownership, patriarchy, and belongingness. Drawing on gender theory and philosophy as well as her own personal experiences, Levy crafts a moving meditation on the ways we value and devalue womanhood and women’s lived experiences.

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Where Is Gypsy Rose Blanchard Now?

Released from prison in December 2023, Gypsy Rose Blanchard just announced she’s having her first child.

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Blanchard, 32, announced in a video posted to her YouTube channel Tuesday that she is expecting her first child with boyfriend Ken Urker in January 2025. “We’re both very excited; this was not planned at all,” she said. “It was completely unexpected, but we’re both very excited to take on this new journey of parenthood.”

The new baby is the latest surprise from Blanchard, who has stayed in the public eye ever since her release on December 28, 2023. She is already the subject of two television series and has revealed plans for her memoir, My Time to Stand , available this December.

Here’s what to know about all the recent changes in Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s life.

She wants people to learn from her mistake

Her first book published, plus she has another on the way, gypsy is getting divorced from her estranged husband, she’s having a baby with her new boyfriend, gypsy stars in a new reality series, she’s still learning to navigate social media as a public figure, gypsy was released from prison in december 2023.

According to The Cincinnati Enquirer , Blanchard was released on parole from the Chillicothe Correctional Center at around 3:30 a.m. on December 28, 2023, after serving 85 percent of her 10-year sentence for second-degree murder. “I’m ready for freedom,” she told People in an interview just before her release. “I’m ready to expand, and I think that goes for every facet of my life.”

Blanchard conspired with an ex-boyfriend to kill her mother, Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard, in June 2015 after suffering years of abuse. Experts have surmised that Dee Dee suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a mental disorder in which a caretaker makes someone sick or gives the illusion of being ill to garner attention. She led doctors and the community to believe that Gypsy suffered from an array of fake illnesses, such as asthma, leukemia, and muscular dystrophy, subjecting her to unnecessary treatments and procedures.

In 2021, Gypsy told The Springfield News-Leader she hoped to rebuild relationships with the rest of her family upon her eventual release. Her stepmother, Kristy Blanchard, told NewsNation host Ashleigh Banfield she looked forward to belatedly celebrating Christmas with Gypsy Rose upon her release and also planned a spa day for her. Today, Gypsy lives with Kristy and her father, Rod, in Cut Off, Louisiana.

In an interview with People , Blanchard expressed remorse about her mother’s murder and the events that preceded it.

Blanchard testified she met ex-boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn on a Christian dating website in 2012, and they initially carried out a secret relationship. They met in person for the first time in March 2015 and, shortly after, began plotting to kill her mother. Godejohn stabbed Dee Dee 17 times inside her home in June 2015. Gypsy said in 2018 , she “talked him into it” because she wanted to be free from her mother. Godejohn was eventually found guilty of first-degree murder in 2018 and sentenced to life in prison.

“If I had another chance to redo everything, I don’t know if I would go back to when I was a child and tell my aunts and uncles that I’m not sick and mommy makes me sick. Or, if I would travel back to just the point of that conversation with Nick and tell him, ‘You know what, I’m going to go tell the police everything.’ I kind of struggle with that,” she told People in December 2023.

Gypsy Rose wants to use her story to help people in abusive relationships. No matter how dire the circumstances, she wants to make sure they don’t resort to murder. “It may seem like every avenue is closed off, but there is always another way. Do anything, but don’t take this course of action,” she said.

Released: Conversations on the Eve of Freedom

Hoping to be an advocate for other victims of Munchausen by proxy, Blanchard first told The News-Leader in 2021 that she was writing a book detailing the years-long abuse by Dee Dee and her incarceration. True to her word, Blanchard published an e-book titled Released: Conversations on the Eve of Freedom in January 2024. The book includes exclusive information about Blanchard’s time in prison and personal photos, drawings, and illustrations from her past.

Even before the book’s release, Blanchard had already opened up about the effect of her incarceration on her life. “I’m the type of person that, I will make a mistake, learn from it and move on, and hopefully never make it again,” she told The Hollywood Reporter . “So I definitely think that that level of maturity kicked in, and you can see the transformation from when I first got to prison to me actually walking out of prison and feeling, as a confident woman like I could stand my ground, say no when I need to, be my best advocate.”

On April 29, 2024, Blanchard revealed plans for her next writing project—a full memoir titled My Time to Stand —set for publication in December 2024. “Now, I can stand with other victims as they take steps toward doing whatever work is necessary to stand for themselves. My Time to Stand is about reclaiming my footing so others can be inspired to walk a life of purpose and meaning and build a future sturdy enough so others can stand for something, too,” she told People .

Years removed from her relationship with Godejohn, Blanchard found love while imprisoned. She married Ryan Anderson, a teacher from Louisiana, in June 2022. According to People , Anderson, now 38, picked up Blanchard from prison when she was released.

Before gaining her freedom, Blanchard told People , “When I’m at home with my family, with my husband’s arms around me and I’m surrounded by my loved ones, that is when I will be happy.” However, she had an apparent change of heart. Blanchard announced in a March 2024 post to Facebook she had moved in with her father and stepmother amid a separation from Anderson and, on April 8, filed for divorce, according to Louisiana court records. The legal grounds for the filing weren’t made public.

Anderson later told Daily Mail.com the pair separated over Blanchard’s rekindled relationship with her ex-fiancé, Ken Urker. “I’m not doing well with it. For me it just came out of the blue,” Anderson said.

TMZ reported on April 30 that Blanchard and her ex-fiancé Ken Urker were an official couple, with her telling the outlet, “After reconnecting earlier this month, we realized that our love for each other is simply undeniable, and life is too short to not take a chance.” They have repeatedly appeared in public together and were spotted with matching tattoos .

On July 9, Blanchard announced she was 11 weeks pregnant and expecting her first child with Urker in January 2025. “It is so going to be a long journey ahead, but I’m up for it,” said Blanchard, who vowed to focus on her and her child’s health. “I feel a shift in myself. When I found out that I was pregnant, none of anything else mattered.”

In the meantime, Blanchard and her family are currently featured in the Lifetime reality series Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up , which began on June 3. According to the network, the show provides a “raw and revealing look at Gypsy’s new life on the outside,” including her relationship with Anderson and rising media fame. The eight-episode series continues through July 22, with a new episode airing each Monday night at 9 p.m. ET.

Lifetime previously aired the three-night docuseries The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard in January 2024. Prison Confessions was a major hit for the network, averaging 1.1 million viewers with three days of delayed viewing, according to The Hollywood Reporter . “Millions have followed Gypsy’s story and are invested in seeing what is in store for her next,” said Elaine Frontain Bryant, executive vice president and head of programming for Lifetime.

In addition to her TV projects, Blanchard wasted little time establishing a presence on social media upon her release. Only one day after leaving prison, Blanchard posted a photo to her Instagram account with a celebratory caption: “First selfie of freedom!” Then, on New Year’s Eve, she revealed via TikTok that she was celebrating with family members—including her father, her stepmother, and her husband—and had joined Snapchat ( gr_blanchard ).

Blanchard had amassed as many as 7.8 million followers on her public Instagram but, in March 2024, deleted that page as well as several others on social media, including her X and TikTok accounts. “I do my best to live my authentic life, and what’s real to me, and what’s not real is social media,” Blanchard said in a TikTok video before logging off, according to Rolling Stone . “Social media is literally a doorway to hell.”

But Blanchard had an apparent change of heart and has since returned to social media. She regularly posts on her verified Instagram ( gypsy.rose.blanchard.insta ) and TikTok ( gypsyblanchard.tiktok ) accounts. She also posted the first video to her YouTube channel on June 27.

Tyler Piccotti first joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor in February 2023, and before that worked almost eight years as a newspaper reporter and copy editor. He is a graduate of Syracuse University. When he's not writing and researching his next story, you can find him at the nearest amusement park, catching the latest movie, or cheering on his favorite sports teams.

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The Most Memorable Literary Moments of the Last 25 Years

Todgers, vampires and celebrity book clubs: It’s been quite a ride.

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By Tina Jordan

Tina Jordan is deputy editor of the Book Review and the author of “The New York Times Book Review: 125 Years of Literary History.”

While the selections for our 100 Best Books of the 21st Century list were wowing critics and winning awards, other books were making news in different ways. A look back at some of the most memorable moments of the century — so far.

PHILIP ROTH, SAUL BELLOW AND JOHN UPDIKE — “ America’s leading literary icons,” as The Times dubs them — all publish books in 2000, “yet notwithstanding generally strong reviews and tremendous coverage of the daring literary conceits of the works,” sales are dismal. Is it because of the shrinking number of independent bookstores or the generation gap between most book buyers and the three authors? Does it have anything to do with the success of the Harry Potter novels? Roger Straus, the president of Farrar, Straus & Giroux, has another theory. He tells The Times, “They’re all getting old, and critics and the public look for something really delicious, groundbreaking. By the 34th novel, the fourth sequel, they say, ‘So what.’”

Reviewing JONATHAN FRANZEN’s novel “The Corrections” in the Book Review, David Gates calls it “a conventional realist saga … with just enough novel-of-paranoia touches so Oprah won’t assign it and ruin Franzen’s street cred.” However, Oprah Winfrey does pick it for her famous book club, though when Franzen skewers her taste (“She’s picked some good books, but she’s picked enough schmaltzy, one-dimensional ones that I cringe”) she promptly rescinds the invitation .

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