Recommendations based on The Lost Child of Philomena Lee: A Mother, Her Son and a 50 Year Searchby Martin Sixsmith

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

    by Jean-Dominique Bauby
    A paralyzed man's memoir, transcribed through blinking his left eye.

    On December 8, 1995, Bauby, the editor-in-chief of French, Elle, magazine, suffered a stroke and lapsed into a coma . He awoke 20 days later, mentally aware of his surroundings, but physically ... (Wikipedia)

  2. Farewell to the East End: The Last Days of the East End Midwives

    by Jennifer Worth
    Memoir of a midwife in the East End of London, chronicling the lives of her patients.

    This final book in Jennifer Worth's memories of her time as a midwife in London's East end brings her story full circle. As always there are heartbreaking stories such as the family devastated by ... (Goodreads)

  3. The Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times

    by Jennifer Worth
    A midwife's story of bringing life into the world and the joys and struggles of living in poverty-stricken East London.

    At the age of twenty-two, Jennifer Worth leaves her comfortable home to move into a convent and become a midwife in post war London's East End slums. The colorful characters she meets while ... (Goodreads)

  4. Half Broke Horses

    by Jeannette Walls
    A novel based on the life of the author's grandmother, Lily Casey Smith, a resilient and adventurous woman who overcomes numerous obstacles in the American West.

    Jeannette Walls's memoir The Glass Castle was "nothing short of spectacular" (Entertainment Weekly). Now, in Half Broke Horses, she brings us the story of her grandmother, told in a first-person ... (Goodreads)

  5. Life Will Be the Death of Me: . . . and You Too!

    by Chelsea Handler
    A humorous and introspective memoir about Handler's journey towards self-discovery and personal growth after a midlife crisis.

    In a haze of vape smoke on a rare windy night in L.A. in the fall of 2016, Chelsea Handler daydreams about what life will be like with a woman in the White House. And then Donald Trump happens. In a ... (Goodreads)

  6. Get Your Sh*t Together: How to Stop Worrying About What You Should Do So You Can Finish What You Need to Do and Start Doing What You Want to Do

    by Sarah Knight
    A humorous self-help book that provides practical advice on how to organize your life and achieve your goals without stressing out.

    The, New York Times, bestseller from the author of, The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck, and, You Do You,. The no-f*cks-given, no-holds-barred guide to living your best life. Ever find ... (Barnes & Noble)

  7. Barefoot Contessa Parties!: Ideas and Recipes for Easy Parties That Are Really Fun

    by Ina Garten
    A guide to hosting stress-free and enjoyable parties with simple yet delicious recipes and entertaining ideas.

    After more than twenty years of running Barefoot Contessa, the acclaimed specialty food store, Ina Garten published her first collection of recipes. The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook was an overnight ... (Barnes & Noble)

  8. The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment

    by Eckhart Tolle
    A journey of self-transformation, learning to live in the present moment and liberate oneself.

    Eckhart Tolle's message is simple: living in the now is the truest path to happiness and enlightenment. And while this message may not seem stunningly original or fresh, Tolle's clear writing, ... (Goodreads)

  9. In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer

    by Irene Gut Opdyke
    A young Polish woman's harrowing experiences during WWII, including hiding Jews and working for the German army, and her journey to America.

    "You must understand that I did not become a resistance fighter, a smuggler of Jews, a defier of the SS and the Nazis all at once. One's first steps are always small: I had begun by hiding food under ... (Goodreads)

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

    by Adam Kay
    A candid and darkly humorous account of a doctor's time working in the NHS.

    Welcome to the life of a junior doctor: 97-hour weeks, life and death decisions, a constant tsunami of bodily fluids, and the hospital parking meter earns more than you. Scribbled in secret after ... (Goodreads)

  11. My Mother Was Nuts

    by Penny Marshall
    A memoir of Penny Marshall's life, from her childhood in the Bronx to her successful career in Hollywood.

    At the age of twenty-six, Penny Marshall was a divorced mother of one living in the Bronx. One year later she starred in a Head & Shoulders commercial (she was the one with the dandruff) with Farah ... (Barnes & Noble)

  12. Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire

    by Amanda Foreman
    A captivating biography of the 18th century aristocratic society, highlighting the life of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire.

    The winner of Britain's prestigious Whitbread Prize and a bestseller there for months, this wonderfully readable biography offers a rich, rollicking picture of late-eighteenth-century British ... (Goodreads)

  13. Etched in Sand: A True Story of Five Siblings Who Survived an Unspeakable Childhood on Long Island

    by Regina Calcaterra
    True story of five siblings who survive abuse and neglect, finding strength to rise above their circumstances.

    #1 International Bestseller Regina’s Calcaterra memoir,, Etched in Sand, is an inspiring and triumphant coming-of-age story of tenacity and hope.,, Regina Calcaterra is a successful lawyer, former ... (Barnes & Noble)

  14. Strength in What Remains: A Journey of Remembrance and Forgiveness

    by Tracy Kidder
    A young man escapes genocide in Burundi and arrives in New York City with nothing. His journey to rebuild his life is a testament to the human spirit.

    Strength in What Remains is a wonderfully written, inspiring account of one man’s remarkable American journey and of the ordinary people who helped him – a brilliant testament to the power of will ... (Goodreads)

  15. Enrique's Journey

    by Sonia Nazario
    A young man's perilous search for his mother in the US, crossing the Mexican border.

    A true story from award-winning journalist Sonia Nazario recounting the odyssey of a Honduran boy who braves hardship and peril to reach his mother in the United States. In this astonishing true ... (Goodreads)

  16. The Happiest Refugee

    by Anh Do
    A memoir of an immigrant family's struggles and triumphs as they seek a better life in Australia.

    Anh Do nearly didn't make it to Australia. His entire family came close to losing their lives on the sea as they escaped from war-torn Vietnam in an overcrowded boat. But nothing - not murderous ... (Goodreads)

  17. Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs

    by Elissa Wall
    A memoir of a woman's experience growing up in a polygamous sect, being forced into marriage at 14, and ultimately escaping the cult.

    Stolen Innocence is the gripping New York Times bestselling memoir of Elissa Wall, the courageous former member of Utah’s infamous FLDS polygamist sect whose powerful courtroom testimony helped ... (Goodreads)

  18. Barefoot Contessa Family Style: Easy Ideas and Recipes That Make Everyone Feel Like Family

    by Ina Garten
    Simple recipes and creative dinner ideas for bringing family and friends together.

    Ina Garten, who shared her gift for casual entertaining in the bestselling Barefoot Contessa Cookbook and Barefoot Contessa Parties! , is back with her most enticing recipes yet—a collection of her ... (Barnes & Noble)

  19. The Monk of Mokha

    by Dave Eggers
    The true story of a Yemeni-American man's journey to revive the ancient art of Yemeni coffee and his struggle to bring it to the world.

    The Monk of Mokha, is the exhilarating true story of a young Yemeni American man, raised in San Francisco, who dreams of resurrecting the ancient art of Yemeni coffee but finds himself trapped in ... (Goodreads)

  20. Barefoot Contessa at Home: Everyday Recipes You'll Make Over and Over Again

    by Ina Garten
    Delicious recipes for everyday home cooking from one of America's most beloved chefs.

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Throughout the years that she has lived and worked in East Hampton, Ina Garten has catered and attended countless parties and dinners. She will be the first to tell you, ... (Barnes & Noble)

  21. Victoria The Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire

    by Julia Baird
    Comprehensive account of Queen Victoria's life, from her early childhood to her death.

    The true story for fans of the PBS Masterpiece series Victoria, this page-turning biography reveals the real woman behind the myth: a bold, glamorous, unbreakable queen–a Victoria for our times. ... (Goodreads)

  22. A Fighting Chance

    by Elizabeth Warren
    Autobiographical account of the Senator's rise from a middle-class family to the halls of power.

    An unlikely political star tells the inspiring story of the two-decade journey that taught her how Washington really works—and really doesn't—in A Fighting Chance As a child in small-town Oklahoma, ... (Goodreads)

  23. The Right Stuff

    by Tom Wolfe
    The heroic story of the first American astronauts, and their incredible feats of courage.

    Tom Wolfe began The Right Stuff at a time when it was unfashionable to contemplate American heroism. Nixon had left the White House in disgrace, the nation was reeling from the catastrophe of ... (Goodreads)

  24. Still Foolin' 'Em: Where I've Been, Where I'm Going, and Where the Hell Are My Keys

    by Billy Crystal
    A humorous autobiography of the actor and comedian's life and career.

    Hilarious and heartfelt observations on aging from one of America's favorite comedians as he turns 65, and a look back at a remarkable career in this, New York Times, bestseller., Billy Crystal is ... (Barnes & Noble)

  25. 1421: The Year China Discovered America

    by Gavin Menzies
    Exploration of the mystery behind the Chinese Admiral's journey to the Americas in 1421.

    On 3/8/1421, the largest fleet the world had ever seen set sail from China. Its mission was "to proceed all the way to the ends of the earth to collect tribute from the barbarians beyond the seas" & ... (Goodreads)

  26. The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra

    by Helen Rappaport
    Chronicles the lives of Tsar Nicholas II's daughters, and their struggle to survive the Russian Revolution.

    A 12-WEEK NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "Helen Rappaport paints a compelling portrait of the doomed grand duchesses." —,People, magazine "The public spoke of the sisters in a gentile, superficial manner, ... (Barnes & Noble)

  27. Escape

    by Carolyn Jessop
    Autobiography of a woman's struggle to escape an oppressive polygamous cult.

    The dramatic first-person account of life inside an ultra-fundamentalist American religious sect, and one woman’s courageous flight to freedom with her eight children. When she was eighteen years ... (Goodreads)

  28. 13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened In Benghazi

    by Mitchell Zuckoff
    A gripping account of the 2012 Benghazi attack, told by the security team who fought to defend the American diplomatic compound.

    The harrowing, true account from the brave men on the ground who fought back during the Battle of Benghazi. 13 Hours presents, for the first time ever, the true account of the events of September 11, ... (Goodreads)

  29. The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century

    by Ian Mortimer
    Exploring the history and culture of Medieval England.

    Imagine you could get into a time machine and travel back to the 14th century. This text sets out to explain what life was like in the most immediate way, through taking the reader to the Middle ... (Goodreads)

  30. Seven Years in Tibet

    by Heinrich Harrer
    Exploration of Tibet, told through the story of a man who escapes internment and lives in the region for seven years.

    The book covers the escape of Harrer and his companion, Peter Aufschnaiter , from a British internment camp in India. , Harrer and Aufschnaiter then traveled across Tibet to Lhasa , the capital. Here ... (Wikipedia)