6 Memoirs From '90s Stars To Add To Your Reading List

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There's a very worthwhile archive of memoirs that have emerged from 1990s stars. That decade was, after all, a remarkable time for art and culture. There was the looming anxiety of Y2K, which spurred on the richly generative Y2K aesthetic; just look at all of the '90s trends that are making a comeback. There was also a compelling music scene, marked by talent like Sinéad O'Connor, Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill, and Liz Phair, who also penned memoirs about their time in the spotlight. And just because a memoir comes from a celebrity who's not a professional writer doesn't mean it's not worth a read. Plenty of engaging celebrity memoirs make great book club picks, as well as books that are celebrity-author collaborations.

But the '90s weren't just aesthetically rich for musicians. Actors were trying new things, breaking out onto the scene in innovative ways. The '90s were also the era of the supermodel; the golden age of these global sensations who redefined beauty standards (sometimes in impossible ways) and dazzled the world. So, for every interest and proclivity, there's a memoir that leads back to the mayhem, fun, and essence of the '90s.

There might be no figure that captures the '90s in quite the same way as Cindy Crawford. She was one of the "Big Six," a group of supermodels that also included Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, and Claudia Schiffer. These stars went from models to global celebrities and pop icons, ushering in a new era of model stardom. So it comes as no surprise that Crawford's 2015 memoir, "Becoming," taps into this distinct pocket of '90s culture. 

Using both photographs and autobiographical writing, Crawford takes the reader through her early life and into the pinnacle of '90s stardom. Since she was a model, working more in the medium of photography than text, it makes sense that photographs are a big part of Crawford's memoir. Through these, she pulls the reader into a time capsule of her best work. Readers on Goodreads were touched by the genuine voice that came through in Crawford's writing, giving her memoir an average rating of 3.9 out of 5 stars. "[Crawford] is very down to earth, beautiful inside and out, and smart as a whip," one happy reader wrote, while others praised Crawford's brutal honesty about what it took to become and remain such a successful model. Crawford captured people's imaginations with a vulnerable story paired with a visual accompaniment of what life was like in the '90s. 

Cher transcends any decade. Since blowing up in 1965 as one half of Sonny & Cher, the singer has reinvented herself time and time again, proving relevant in every era. But the '90s were a particularly meaningful time for the star. Cher faced a lull in her career and infamously referred to herself as the "Infomercial Queen" due to her sponsorship from Lori Davis haircare, and was also dealing with some serious health issues. However, in 1998, she released "Believe" and had one of the greatest pop reinventions of all time. She proved that she could and would come back, and the '90s were the time to do it.

This incredible stint, among many other memorable moments, is chronicled in Cher's 2024 memoir "Cher: The Memoir, Part One," to be followed by "Cher: The Memoir, Part Two, " in November 2026. "Part One" became an instant New York Times bestseller, giving the star a new outlet with which to dazzle fans and express herself. It was also a huge hit on Goodreads, earning 4.22 out of 5 stars. "Honestly, everything a celebrity memoir should be," said one reviewer. "So introspective, detailed, and constantly interesting. I feel like I just lived Cher's life." While the singer chronicles her whole life, the memoir gets right into that dark era in the '90s, followed by her dazzling resurrection at the end of the decade.

Kathleen Hanna was part of feminist punk bands Bikini Kill and Le Tigre, and wrote a memoir that prods at the essence of fame in the 1990s. Hanna's 2024 memoir "Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk" describes, in vivid detail, what it was like being in the punk scene in the '90s. She gets raw about what it meant to be not only a woman in this world, but also the lead singer of a 'girl band.' It was a hard and dangerous life, and Hanna captures it with striking precision.

Hanna deftly walks the reader through this era with the skill of the artist she is. The memoir earned a whopping 4.38 stars out of 5 on Goodreads, proving that this '90s-saturated memoir is worth your time. People were deeply moved by Hanna's rigorous honesty and how vulnerable she was throughout, and many readers appreciated a walk down memory lane with other punk greats who were Hanna's contemporaries. It's a richly rewarding read for fans of punk history, as well as those who embody feminist values.

Jennie Garth broke onto the scene thanks to her character Kelly Taylor in the '90s TV show "Beverly Hills, 90210." Then, in 2002, she landed a role in "What I Like About You" alongside Amanda Bynes, and later appeared in various shows and TV movies. She started a clothing line with QVC and wrote an earlier memoir in 2014 called "Deep Thoughts from a Hollywood Blonde." Garth has clearly had a full and busy career, and while she's already written one memoir, her 2026 book — "I Choose Me: Chasing Joy, Finding Purpose & Embracing Reinvention" — offers a whole new perspective.

Garth takes the wisdom and perspective from entering her 50s and looks back on her life as a young star in the '90s, and nostalgic fans of Garth's earlier work particularly enjoyed this memoir. "'Beverly Hills, 90210' was such an iconic show for many Gen X's including myself," a fan began on Goodreads. She continued, "Kelly Taylor's scene where she stood before the two heartthrobs on the show — good boy, Brandon and bad boy Dylan and said 'I choose me' instead of dating one of them was iconic." For those who need a jolt of '90s nostalgia, this is a great memoir to turn to.

In 2022, Sinéad O'Connor came out with her memoir "Rememberings," which captured her global fame from the late 1980s to its height in the 1990s. While she covers her childhood, the primary focus of this powerful memoir is on her life as a '90s music icon. O'Connor doesn't shy away from her controversial moments, like the instance when she tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II on Saturday Night Live in 1992. Her interactions with Prince also function as a big plot point of the memoir, too, particularly after O'Connor covered his hit "Nothing Compares 2 U".

The memoir captures the essence of the '90s as O'Connor experienced it, and readers responded to the tale with awe and appreciation. On Goodreads, "Rememberings" earned 4.10 stars out of 5. On Reddit, under the group r/books, fans flocked in droves to talk about the authenticity of the memoir. "While most authors get a ghost writer, I suspect Sinead wrote this on her own," a fan commented. "It's far too rough, unpolished and quite disorganized at times to be written by anyone else. It's a very emotional read because of it." O'Connor's raw and real voice truly shines through, giving the memoir that much more gravitas.

Liz Phair blew up in 1993 thanks to her album "Exile in Guyville," which was ranked as the #56 best album of all time by "Rolling Stone" in 2020. Since then, she's become a famous feminist voice in music, remaining widely beloved and essential listening. She proved this further with her 2019 memoir "Horror Stories," in which she recounts her rise to fame and shares personal stories throughout her life. Readers on Goodreads gave this book 3.69 stars out of 5, and many noted how much the essay format of Phair's memoir reminded readers of her songs. "Loved the format of a series of personal essays rather than traditional memoir. Prose is just as brilliant and honest as her songwriting," a fan remarked. 

For those who love the '90s music scene, this is a great read, as Phair describes the experience of coming up in the music world with her contemporaries. "Nirvana really changed it for everybody," Phair said in an interview with Q101. "I think that's what started off that hunger ... I was on a continuum [...] of female artists being outspoken and frank and daring to lead a band." The singer went on to describe her relationship with up-and-coming female artists who reach out to her for guidance, and she's able to offer support. Phair explained that part of her legacy is letting other women see what she did so that they can feel emboldened to do the same.

We chose these six memoirs based on an intersection of careful criteria. For starters, each of the authors was a widespread sensation in the '90s, giving this particular list of celebrity memoirs a unique angle. This was important in being able to offer readers books that would immerse them in the distinct feel of the '90s scene that each author inhabited in such a unique way. Secondly, we chose from a wide range of stardom. There were musicians and performers, but we also wanted voices from other circles, like Cindy Crawford's world of supermodels, to richly flesh out this list of book recommendations.

Finally, we wanted to ensure that each memoir was a worthwhile read. Of course, we'd never want to diss anyone's memoir, because it's always an impressive feat when someone makes the effort to write a book. But of all of the memoirs out there that captured 1990s stardom, we wanted to make sure we curated a list that would please the most elite readers, while still scratching that lovely itch of pop culture celebrity life.