Books by Zito Madu
“Madu weaves in family stories, of growing up as the son of Nigerian immigrants in Detroit, with his experience as a Black man moving and living in spaces where there are very few Black people. The book really transports the reader to Venice, and then uses a surreal twist to bring to the foreground Madu’s experiences with being Othered. I don’t want to give away too much. People should just read it! It’s a smart, deeply engrossing book.” Read more...
The Best Memoirs: The 2025 NBCC Autobiography Shortlist
May-lee Chai, Short Story Writer
Interviews where books by Zito Madu were recommended
-
1
Mother Mary Comes to Me
by Arundhati Roy -
2
107 Days
by Kamala Harris -
3
All the Way to the River: Love, Loss, and Liberation
by Elizabeth Gilbert -
4
This is for Everyone: The Unfinished Story of the World Wide Web
by Tim Berners-Lee -
5
Raising Hare
by Chloe Dalton -
6
The Minotaur at Calle Lanza
by Zito Madu
New Memoirs
New Memoirs
New memoirs continue to come out hard and fast, testimony to our enduring interest in hearing people tell the stories of their own lives. So far in 2025, these have included candid tales told in painful detail by talented writers, as well as books that combine personal history with other objectives—such as, for example, saving the internet.
The Best Memoirs: The 2025 NBCC Autobiography Shortlist, recommended by May-lee Chai
The last year has been one of the best for autobiography and memoir in recent memory, says May-lee Chai, chair of the judging committee for the National Book Critic Circle Prize for Autobiography. Their 2025 shortlist includes a posthumous memoir by Alexei Navalny, former leader of the opposition in Russia, and a travel memoir with a surrealist twist.
