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Writing Your Author Bio? Here Are 20 Great Examples. (Plus a Checklist!)

October 15, 2020 by Diana Urban

Writing your author bio can be a daunting task, but a well-crafted bio can help readers learn more about what makes you and your books so interesting. You should regularly maintain your bio on places like your BookBub Author Profile so fans and potential readers seeking you out can learn more about you and why they should pick up your latest book.

Stuck on what to include? While there is no one-size-fits-all formula, here are some examples of author bios we love so you can get some inspiration when crafting your own bio. We’ve also created an Author Biography Checklist with recommendations on what to include, as well as where to keep your author bio up to date online.

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1. Ramona Emerson

Ramona Emerson is a Diné writer and filmmaker originally from Tohatchi, New Mexico. She has a bachelor’s in Media Arts from the University of New Mexico and an MFA in Creative Writing from the Institute of American Indian Arts. After starting in forensic videography, she embarked upon a career as a photographer, writer, and editor. She is an Emmy nominee, a Sundance Native Lab Fellow, a Time-Warner Storyteller Fellow, a Tribeca All-Access Grantee and a WGBH Producer Fellow. In 2020, Emerson was appointed to the Governor’s Council on Film and Media Industries for the State of New Mexico. She currently resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she and her husband, the producer Kelly Byars, run their production company Reel Indian Pictures. Shutter is her first novel.

Why we love it: Ramona makes a splash as a new author by detailing her extensive experience in both writing and filmmaking. Her background makes an effective setup for her debut novel about a forensic photographer.

2. Courtney Milan

Courtney Milan writes books about carriages, corsets, and smartwatches. Her books have received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly , Library Journal , and Booklist . She is a New York Times and a USA Today Bestseller. Courtney pens a weekly newsletter about tea, books, and basically anything and everything else. Sign up for it here: https://bit.ly/CourtneysTea Before she started writing romance, Courtney got a graduate degree in theoretical physical chemistry from UC Berkeley. After that, just to shake things up, she went to law school at the University of Michigan and graduated summa cum laude. Then she did a handful of clerkships. She was a law professor for a while. She now writes full-time. Courtney is represented by Kristin Nelson of the Nelson Literary Agency.

Why we love it: Courtney concisely leads with her accolades and bestseller status before diving into more personal information with a witty tone. She also includes a call-to-action for readers to sign up to Weekly Tea, one of her mailing lists.

3. Adam Silvera

Adam Silvera is the number one New York Times bestselling author of More Happy Than Not , History Is All You Left Me , They Both Die at the End , Infinity Son , Infinity Reaper , and—with Becky Albertalli— What If It’s Us . He was named a Publishers Weekly Flying Start for his debut. Adam was born and raised in the Bronx. He was a bookseller before shifting to children’s publishing and has worked at a literary development company and a creative writing website for teens and as a book reviewer of children’s and young adult novels. He is tall for no reason and lives in Los Angeles. Visit him online at www.adamsilvera.com .

Why we love it: Adam begins his bio with his bestseller accolades and a list of his popular titles. But we especially love how he also includes his previous experience in children’s literature. It’s a fantastic way an author can craft a unique and credible bio using information besides accolades or bestseller status.

4. Farrah Rochon

USA Today Bestselling author Farrah Rochon hails from a small town just west of New Orleans. She has garnered much acclaim for her Crescent City-set Holmes Brothers series and her Moments in Maplesville small town series. Farrah is a two-time finalist for the prestigious RITA Award from the Romance Writers of America and has been nominated for an RT BOOKReviews Reviewers Choice Award. In 2015, she received the Emma Award for Author of the Year. When she is not writing in her favorite coffee shop, Farrah spends most of her time reading, cooking, traveling the world, visiting Walt Disney World, and catching her favorite Broadway shows. An admitted sports fanatic, she feeds her addiction to football by watching New Orleans Saints games on Sunday afternoons. Keep in touch with Farrah via the web: Website: https://www.farrahrochon.com/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/farrahrochonauthor Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/FarrahRochon Instagram: https://instagram.com/farrahrochon/ Newsletter: http://bit.ly/2povjuZ Join my online Fan Club, the Rochonettes! https://www.facebook.com/groups/FarrahRochon/ Farrah’s Books In Order: The Holmes Brothers Deliver Me (Mar. 2007) Release Me (May 2008) Rescue Me (Jan. 2009) Chase Me (Jan. 2017) Trust Me (May 2017) Awaken Me (Jan. 2018) Cherish Me (Jun. 2018) Return To Me (Aug. 2019) New York Sabers Huddle With Me Tonight (Sept. 2010) I’ll Catch You (Mar. 2011) Field of Pleasure (Sept. 2011) Pleasure Rush (Mar. 2012) Bayou Dreams A Forever Kind of Love (Aug. 2012) Always and Forever (Jan. 2013) Yours Forever (Mar. 2014) Forever’s Promise (Apr. 2014) Forever With You (Feb. 2015) Stay With Me Forever (Aug. 2015) Moments in Maplesville A Perfect Holiday Fling (Nov. 2012) A Little Bit Naughty (Mar. 2013) Just A Little Taste (Jan. 2014) I Dare You! (Nov. 2014) All You Can Handle (June 2015) Any Way You Want It (Feb. 2016) Any Time You Need Me (June 2016) Standalones In Her Wildest Dreams (Jan. 2012) The Rebound Guy (July 2012) Delectable Desire (Apr. 2013) Runaway Attraction (Nov. 2013) A Mistletoe Affari (Nov. 2014) Passion’s Song (Feb. 2016) Mr. Right Next Door (Sept. 2016) Anthologies A Change of Heart (The Holiday Inn Anthology – Sept. 2008) No Ordinary Gift (Holiday Brides Anthology – Oct. 2009) Holiday Spice (Holiday Temptation Anthology – Sept. 2016) Christmas Kisses (Reissue–Contains Tuscan Nights and Second-Chance Christmas previously published by Harlequin Kimani

Why we love it: Farrah packs a lot of information into that first paragraph, elegantly describing the awards she’s received and has been nominated for. We also love how she makes it easy for readers to find her on whichever social media platform they prefer and to discover which book to start with for each series.

5. Angie Fox

New York Times bestselling author Angie Fox writes sweet, fun, action-packed mysteries. Her characters are clever and fearless, but in real life, Angie is afraid of basements, bees, and going up stairs when it is dark behind her. Let’s face it. Angie wouldn’t last five minutes in one of her books. Angie is best known for her Southern Ghost Hunter mysteries and for her Accidental Demon Slayer books. Visit her at www.angiefox.com

Why we love it: We love how Angie distinguishes herself from her characters, making herself relatable to readers. She also mentions her bestseller status and best-known works in a humble way.

6. Tiffany D. Jackson

Tiffany D. Jackson is the critically acclaimed author of Allegedly , Monday’s Not Coming , and Let Me Hear a Rhyme . A Walter Dean Myers Honor Book and Coretta Scott King–John Steptoe New Talent Award winner, she received her bachelor of arts in film from Howard University, earned her master of arts in media studies from the New School, and has over a decade in TV and film experience. The Brooklyn native still resides in the borough she loves. You can visit her at www.writeinbk.com .

Why we love it: This is an excellent example of a short, concise bio — a perfect snippet for journalists, bloggers, or event coordinators who need to grab Tiffany’s bio for their article or programming.

7. Kwame Alexander

Kwame Alexander is the New York Times Bestselling author of 32 books, including The Undefeated ; How to Read a Book ; Solo ; Swing ; Rebound , which was shortlisted for prestigious Carnegie Medal; and his Newbery medal-winning middle grade novel, The Crossover . He’s also the founding editor of Versify, an imprint that aims to Change the World One Word at a Time. Visit him at KwameAlexander.com

Why we love it: We adore how Kwame calls out his aim to “change the world one word at a time” along with a handful of his best-known books. Short and sweet!

8. Glynnis Campbell

For deals, steals, and new releases from Glynnis, click FOLLOW on this BookBub page! Glynnis Campbell is a USA Today bestselling author of over two dozen swashbuckling action-adventure historical romances, mostly set in Scotland, and a charter member of The Jewels of Historical Romance — 12 internationally beloved authors. She’s the wife of a rock star and the mother of two young adults, but she’s also been a ballerina, a typographer, a film composer, a piano player, a singer in an all-girl rock band, and a voice in those violent video games you won’t let your kids play. Doing her best writing on cruise ships, in Scottish castles, on her husband’s tour bus, and at home in her sunny southern California garden, Glynnis loves to play medieval matchmaker… transporting readers to a place where the bold heroes have endearing flaws, the women are stronger than they look, the land is lush and untamed, and chivalry is alive and well! Want a FREE BOOK? Sign up for her newsletter at https://www.glynnis.net Tag along on her latest adventures here: Website: https://www.glynnis.net Facebook: bit.ly/GCReadersClan Goodreads: bit.ly/GlynnisGoodreads Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/GlynnisCampbell Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/GlynnisCampbell Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/GlynnisCampbell BOOK LIST: The Warrior Maids of Rivenloch: THE SHIPWRECK A YULETIDE KISS LADY DANGER CAPTIVE HEART KNIGHT’S PRIZE The Warrior Daughters of Rivenloch: THE STORMING A RIVENLOCH CHRISTMAS BRIDE OF FIRE BRIDE OF ICE BRIDE OF MIST The Knights of de Ware: THE HANDFASTING MY CHAMPION MY WARRIOR MY HERO Medieval Outlaws: THE REIVER DANGER’S KISS PASSION’S EXILE DESIRE’S RANSOM Scottish Lasses: THE OUTCAST MacFARLAND’S LASS MacADAM’S LASS MacKENZIE’S LASS California Legends: THE STOWAWAY NATIVE GOLD NATIVE WOLF NATIVE HAWK

Why we love it: Like other authors, Glynnis leads with her bestseller status, but not before making sure readers know to follow her on BookBub! We like how her personality shines through in her all-caps calls to action and that she includes the characteristics of her books in a fun way so readers will know what to expect from her work.

9. Laurelin Paige

Laurelin Paige is the NY Times , Wall Street Journal , and USA Today bestselling author of the Fixed Trilogy . She’s a sucker for a good romance and gets giddy anytime there’s kissing, much to the embarrassment of her three daughters. Her husband doesn’t seem to complain, however. When she isn’t reading or writing sexy stories, she’s probably singing, watching edgy black comedy on Netflix or dreaming of Michael Fassbender. She’s also a proud member of Mensa International though she doesn’t do anything with the organization except use it as material for her bio. You can connect with Laurelin on Facebook at facebook.com/LaurelinPaige or on twitter @laurelinpaige. You can also visit her website, laurelinpaige.com , to sign up for emails about new releases. Subscribers also receive a free book from a different bestselling author every month.

Why we love it: We love Laurelin’s bio because she lets her fun personality shine through! She also includes information about a monthly giveaway she runs through her mailing list, which is enticing and unique.

10. Mia Sosa

Mia Sosa is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance and romantic comedies. Her books have received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly , Kirkus Reviews , Booklist , and Library Journal , and have been praised by Cosmopolitan , The Washington Post , Buzzfeed , Entertainment Weekly , and more. Book Riot included her debut, Unbuttoning the CEO , in its list of 100 Must-Read Romantic Comedies, and Booklist recently called her “the new go-to author for fans of sassy and sexy contemporary romances.” A former First Amendment and media lawyer, Mia practiced for more than a decade before trading her suits for loungewear (okay, okay, they’re sweatpants). Now she strives to write fun and flirty stories about imperfect characters finding their perfect match. Mia lives in Maryland with her husband, their two daughters, and an adorable dog that rules them all. For more information about Mia and her books, visit www.miasosa.com .

Why we love it: This is such a well-constructed bio, with a paragraph for each (1) listing accolades and praise from trade reviews, (2) including a blurb about Mia’s overall author brand, (3) describing her previous work experience and how she became an author, and (4) sharing personal information and directing readers to where they could learn more.

11. Aiden Thomas

Aiden Thomas is a trans, Latinx, New York Times Bestselling Author with an MFA in Creative Writing from Mills College. Originally from Oakland, California, they now make their home in Portland, OR. Aiden is notorious for not being able to guess the endings of books and movies, and organizes their bookshelves by color. Their books include Cemetery Boys and Lost in the Never Woods .

Why we love it: A well-known advocate of diverse books, Aiden leads with their identity markers to connect right away with readers of similar identities. The rest of their concise bio fits information about their bestseller status, education, location, personality, and popular titles into just a few short sentences!

12. Wayne Stinnett

Wayne Stinnett is an American novelist and Veteran of the United States Marine Corps. Between those careers, he’s worked as a deckhand, commercial fisherman, divemaster, taxi driver, construction manager, and over the road truck driver, among many other things. He now lives on a sea island, in the South Carolina Lowcountry, with his wife and youngest daughter. They also have three grown children, five grand children, three dogs and a whole flock of parakeets. Stinnett grew up in Melbourne, Florida and has also lived in the Florida Keys, the Bahamas, and Cozumel, Mexico. His next dream is to one day visit and dive Cuba.

Why we love it: What better way to introduce an author of novels about travel, seafaring, and military adventures than to share his first-hand experiences! By weaving in relevant professional background and a glimpse of his home life by the sea, Wayne demonstrates deep knowledge of his subjects to his readers, as well as connecting with them on a personal level by describing his family and goals for the future.

13. June Hur

June Hur was born in South Korea and raised in Canada, except for the time when she moved back to Korea and attended high school there. She studied History and Literature at the University of Toronto. She began writing her debut novel after obsessing over books about Joseon Korea. When she’s not writing, she can be found wandering through nature or journaling at a coffee shop. June is the bestselling author of The Silence of Bones , The Forest of Stolen Girls , and The Red Palace , and currently lives in Toronto with her husband and daughter.

Why we love it: We love how June includes her background and what inspired her writing. Sharing a story’s origins is a wonderful way to meaningfully connect with readers.

14. Claire Delacroix

Bestselling author Claire Delacroix published her first medieval romance in 1993. Since then, she has published over seventy romance novels and numerous novellas, including time travel romances, contemporary romances and paranormal romances. The Beauty , part of her successful Bride Quest series, was her first book to land on the New York Times list of bestselling books. Claire has written under the name Claire Cross and continues to write as Deborah Cooke as well as Claire Delacroix. Claire makes her home in Canada with her family, a large undisciplined garden and a growing number of incomplete knitting projects. Sign up for Claire’s monthly medieval romance newsletter at: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/622ca9849b7136a9e313df83 Visit Claire’s website to find out more about her books at http://delacroix.net

Why we love it: While Claire has an extensive backlist, she succinctly describes her publishing success and subgenres. She also includes all of her pen names so readers can easily find her, no matter which name they’re looking for.

15. Vanessa Riley

Vanessa Riley writes Historical Fiction and Historical Romance (Georgian, Regency, & Victorian) featuring hidden histories, dazzling multi-culture communities, and strong sisterhoods. She promises to pull heart strings, offer a few laughs, and share tidbits of tantalizing history. This Southern, Irish, Trini (West Indies) girl holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering and a MS in industrial engineering and engineering management from Stanford University. She also earned a BS and MS in mechanical engineering from Penn State University. Yet, her love of history and lattes have overwhelmed her passion for math, leading to the publication of over 20+ titles. She loves writing on her southern porch with proper caffeine.

Why we love it: Vanessa launches into her bio by sharing the specific time periods she writes in, as well as the diverse characters and emotions her readers can look forward to, appealing directly to her ideal audience . She then shares a bit of personal info, leaving readers with an image of her in her element: writing on a porch while sipping tea.

16. April White

April White has been a film producer, private investigator, bouncer, teacher and screenwriter. She has climbed in the Himalayas, survived a shipwreck, and lived on a gold mine in the Yukon. She and her husband share their home in Southern California with two extraordinary boys and a lifetime collection of books. Her first novel, Marking Time , is the 2016 winner of the Library Journal Indie E-Book Award for YA Literature, and her contemporary romantic suspense, Code of Conduct , was a Next Generation Indie Award and RONE Award Finalist. All five books in the Immortal Descendants series are on the Amazon Top 100 lists in Time Travel Romance and Historical Fantasy. More information and her blog can be found at www.aprilwhitebooks.com .

Why we love it: April’s bio is short and sweet, but is packed with interesting information. She was a private investigator and survived a shipwreck? How can you not want to learn more about this author? She also elegantly includes her books’ status and subgenre in the last paragraph, along with a call-to-action for readers to learn more.

17. Julia Quinn

#1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn loves to dispel the myth that smart women don’t read (or write) romance, and if you watch reruns of the game show The Weakest Link you might just catch her winning the $79,000 jackpot. She displayed a decided lack of knowledge about baseball, country music, and plush toys, but she is proud to say that she aced all things British and literary, answered all of her history and geography questions correctly, and knew that there was a Da Vinci long before there was a code. On December 25, 2020, Netflix premiered Bridgerton , based on her popular series of novels about the Bridgerton family. Find her on the web at www.juliaquinn.com .

Why we love it: Julia takes a unique approach, making her bio more voicey and focused on her interests. Yet she keeps it up to date, including her latest news in the last sentence (above the call-to-action).

18. Rick Mofina

USA Today bestselling author Rick Mofina is a former journalist who has interviewed murderers on death row, flown over L.A. with the LAPD and patrolled with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police near the Arctic. He’s also reported from the Caribbean, Africa and Kuwait’s border with Iraq. His books have been published in nearly 30 countries, including an illegal translation produced in Iran. His work has been praised by James Patterson, Dean Koontz, Michael Connelly, Lee Child, Tess Gerritsen, Jeffery Deaver, Sandra Brown, James Rollins, Brad Thor, Nick Stone, David Morrell, Allison Brennan, Heather Graham, Linwood Barclay, Peter Robinson, Håkan Nesser and Kay Hooper. The Crime Writers of Canada, The International Thriller Writers and The Private Eye Writers of America have listed his titles among the best in crime fiction. As a two-time winner of Canada’s Arthur Ellis Award, a four-time Thriller Award finalist and a two-time Shamus Award finalist, the Library Journal calls him, “One of the best thriller writers in the business.” Join Rick Mofina’s newsletter from his website and receive a free eBook! You can also find Rick Mofina’s new exclusive serialized thriller, The Dying Light , by subscribing to Radish Fiction com For more information please visit www.rickmofina.com https://www.facebook.com/rickmofina or follow Rick on Twitter @Rick Mofina

Why we love it: Including Rick’s first-hand experiences as a journalist lends him credibility in his genres of Crime Fiction and Thrillers. He also includes a list of well-known authors who have praised his work, and these endorsements may encourage those authors’ fans to give Rick a try. The free ebook offer effectively sweetens the deal!

19. J.T. Ellison

J.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 25 novels, and the EMMY® award winning co-host of the literary TV show A Word on Words . She also writes urban fantasy under the pen name Joss Walker. With millions of books in print, her work has won critical acclaim, prestigious awards, been optioned for television, and has been published in 28 countries. J.T. lives in Nashville with her husband and twin kittens, where she is hard at work on her next novel.

Why we love it: This is a great example of a concise bio suitable for use in any blog or publication. J.T. keeps to just the essential ingredients of a professional author bio: accolades, genres, experience, and a bit of what she’s up to today for a personal touch.

20. James S.A. Corey

James S.A. Corey is the pen name for a collaboration between Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. James is Daniel’s middle name, Corey is Ty’s middle name, and S.A. are Daniel’s daughter’s initials. James’ current project is a series of science fiction novels called The Expanse Series. They are also the authors of Honor Among Thieves: Star Wars (Empire and Rebellion).

Why we love it: We love co-author bios that reveal how the duo came up with their pseudonym as a fun fact for readers! We also like that the reminder of this bio simply points readers straight to their buzziest works.

Want to share this post? Here are ready-made tweets:

Click to tweet: If you’re writing your author bio, these examples are so helpful! #writetip #pubtip http://bit.ly/1OSBcDO

Click to tweet: Make sure to keep your author bio updated! Here are some great bio examples, PLUS a printable checklist of what to include and where to keep it up to date. #amwriting http://bit.ly/1OSBcDO

This post was originally published on October 15 2015 and has been updated with new examples and a PDF checklist!

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Trending Post : Books Made Into Movies

75 Best Picture Book Biographies for Kids, 2024

This post may contain affiliate links.

I love introducing kids to ordinary people who did amazing things by reading picture book biographies for kids. Don’t you? These biographies for kids are inspirational narrative nonfiction texts that are written like a story, appealing to children with beautiful illustrations.

I chose these books after reading thousands of picture books and understanding what children like because my background isn’t only in book reviews but in education. Plus, I’m a parent of two. I update this book list with the best newly published books, with the most recent update in November 2023.

A reading strategy I like to use with children reading nonfiction is connecting to background knowledge. As you read these biographies, both picture books for preschool and elementary ages, as well as biographical story collections for upper elementary and middle school, help your kids connect to what they’re reading. 

Start with prompts like:

How are you like or not like this person?

Do you know someone who is like this person?

What other biographies or famous people does this person remind you of?

Reading biographies is informative and instructive. We learn more about people which helps us learn more about ourselves– who we are and who we want to be.

The Best Picture Book Biographies for Kids

Table of Contents:

Artists and Musicians

Famous americans.

• More Picture Books & Biography Collections

STEM (Scientists, coders, engineers, and mathematicians)

Stand as Tall as the Trees : How an Amazonian Community Protected the Rain Forest written by Patricia Gualinga and Laura Resau, illustrated by Vanessa Jaramillo ACTIVIST Beautifully crafted with emotional resonance, get inspired by this true story of Patricia Gualinga’s life. Paty is a Kichwa girl who lives deep in the rain forest of Ecuador; a place alive with “trees towering, vines winding, and frogs singing” and the mystical beings who rule the forest — the Amazanga. Paty moves to the noisy city for her education. But when Paty’s forest home is destroyed by a greedy company, she helps her people gather, unite, and protest, making the destructive company leave the forest! Heartfelt writing and luminous illustrations make this a memorable biography (autobiography) that shows how one person can make a difference in the world!

Contenders: Two Native Baseball Players, One World Series by Traci Sorell, illustrated by Arigon Starr Learn about two Native baseball players who loved the game but endured huge racism from everywhere — name calling, derogatory chants, and more. Charles Bender and John Meyers were groundbreaking athletes. You’ll read their history and how they got to the 1911 World Series. Interesting and important.

More Picture Book Biographies & Collections

Melissa Taylor, MA, is the creator of Imagination Soup. She's a mother, former teacher & literacy trainer, and freelance education writer. She writes Imagination Soup and freelances for publications online and in print, including Penguin Random House's Brightly website, USA Today Health, Adobe Education, Colorado Parent, and Parenting. She is passionate about matching kids with books that they'll love.

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Is this available as a printable list by any chance?! 🙂

I’ll work on it for you and email it to you!

Wow, just wow. Thank you. I was googling and googling for a specific kind of pb bio, and nothing was coming up. Found 3 of what I was looking for in your list

I’m so happy to hear this list was helpful!

What an amazing list! Thank you so much for sharing!

Glad it’s helpful!

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The Best Biography Series for Kids

All of my children lean heavily toward fiction in their personal reading, but in the last year or so, my two older girls have developed an interest in biographies and our dinner conversations often sounds like a game show as they quiz us about famous people.

Whether you’re looking for biographies for a school project or because your child loves learning more about famous individuals, these biography books for kids are a perfect place to start.

Any favorite biography series for kids I missed? Please let me know in the comments!

If you liked this list of biography books for kids, you might like these posts too:

• 20 favorite picture book biographies 
• The Best Picture Books to Read Aloud in a Classroom
• 13 Fantastic Easy Reader Chapter Books

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The Best Autobiography & Biography Books for Kids

As kids begin to understand the larger world around them, there’s nothing more expansive than learning about the lives of others. So it’s no wonder biographies are a hit with curious young readers. Learning about amazing people who shaped the world through bravery and dedication isn’t just a way to inspire your child’s own dreams—it’s a path to building stronger empathy and relationships. 

That’s why we’ve created this list of the best biographies for kids of all ages and reading levels, from preschool to middle school. Featuring stories of dreamers and doers from all walks of life, these books will have your reader thinking big about their boundless potential!

Mahatma Gandhi: My First Mahatma Gandhi (Little People, Big Dreams)

By Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara

This picture book is a gentle introduction for babies and toddlers to the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. The charmingly illustrated tale tells the story of young Mohandas and his upbringing in India under British rule. All the while, Mohandas dreamed of a world where all living beings were treated with kindness—and dared to chase it into reality. Your toddler or preschool reader will light up as they learn from Gandhi about nonviolence, peace, and unwavering kindness.

David Bowie (Little People, Big Dreams)

This one’s for all the diaper-dancers and future rockstars. Even the youngest baby learners will be inspired by the one-of-a-kind Starman and his message of fearless individuality. Young David Jones may have looked like an ordinary boy on the outside, but on the inside, he was full of dreams, music, and creativity. Show your child that gigantic dreams are as close as the karaoke microphone in this motivational depiction of David Bowie’s story. The board book format is sturdy enough for little readers to thumb through on their own—and with the bold, bright illustrations, they’ll want to!

Where’s Jane?

By Jaye Garnett

If your growing reader is a naturalist-in-training, this wonderfully engaging board book is just what the biologist ordered. Designed for children ages 3 to 5, this board book is a lighthearted introduction to Jane Goodall’s fascinating chimpanzee research. Your reader will be so busy searching for hidden pictures in the illustrations that they won’t realize they’re learning facts well beyond their science curriculum. Vocabulary words and questions on every page also help encourage discussion and develop more advanced communication skills.

Dinosaur Lady: The Daring Discoveries of Mary Anning, the First Paleontologist

By Linda Skeers

Got an up-and-coming paleontologist in the family? Then this is the biography you’re looking for! Mary Anning was a true scientific pioneer. Every young dino fan will be enraptured by the story of how her earth-shaking scientific career began by hunting for fossils in her own backyard. This fully illustrated picture book invites 4- to 9-year-olds to turn over pages and stones as they advance their exploratory skills .

Who Was Ruth Bader Ginsburg? (Who Is/Was)

By Patricia Brennan Demuth

The Who Was … books are among the best biographies for kids, presenting accurate history in an easy-to-read style. Who Was Ruth Bader Ginsburg? introduces kids to one of the renowned legal minds of our time while making her feel accessible, relatable, and wholeheartedly human. This story of Ginsburg’s advocacy for gender equality and women’s rights will empower readers from ages 8 to 11 to stand up for what they believe in as they learn to read independently and think critically.

Women Who Dared: 52 Stories of Fearless Daredevils, Adventurers, and Rebels

If your 10- to 13-year-old reader loves adventure-packed stories, this book is a must-have. They might’ve heard about Amelia Earhart in school, but they’ll marvel at the lesser-known stories of Russian astronaut Valentina Tereshkova, stuntwoman Helen Gibson, and oceanographer Sylvia Earle in this riveting collection. Each profile is short and readable, yet brimming with value and heart. Try reading one profile with your child before bed each night and watch as they gravitate toward certain adventurers, navigate moral complexities, and relate the stories to their own lives.

Help Your Child Dream Big With Biographies From Literati Book Clubs

Once your kids start learning about the real lives of influential people like the ones above, they’ll realize how endless their own potential really is. You can make sure your reader is always stocked up with the best biographies for kids—along with all the other genres they love—by becoming a Literati Kids Book Club member. We’ll send your child the best-in-class literature suited perfectly to their reading level and interests. The result? A passion for reading, a thirst for learning, and ideas that flow as freely as David Bowie’s melodies. To get started, complete our quick personalization quiz and open the gates to your young reader’s literary adventure today.

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6 Amazing Biography Book Series Teachers and Students will Love

I love having my students read biographies.  Not only does this expose them to a new genre of writing, but there is quite often a great social studies or history connection too!  And . . . if that wasn’t enough, there are so many amazing people that can inspire our students to do anything, go anywhere, be all they can dream of being!  I’m excited to share some of my favorite biographies for elementary students and activities we use when studying this genre.

Amazing Biographies for Kids

1. ordinary people change the world by brad meltzer.

2. You Should Meet . . . by Ready to Read

3.  Step into Reading Biographies

4. The Story Of . . .  A Biography Series for New Readers

5.  Easy Reader Biographies by Scholastic

6. National Geographic Kids Biographies

You Can’t Go Wrong with Biographies

• Not all books with illustrations are fiction
• Real-life events and people can be engaging and entertaining like a story
• Books can help us learn and inspire us

Biography Activities

1. fact and opinion, 2. non-fiction text features.

Many of these biographies series I love to use are written with a variety of non-fiction text features.  This is a great way to teach students about how these text features can help them improve their understanding of the non-fiction books they read.  

• Headings & Sub-Headings
• Photos & Captions
• Table of Contents

3. Introductory Research and Note Taking

Grab these free biography note taking templates.

Biography Research Project

Save these Biography Books and Teaching Ideas

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The 21 most captivating biographies of all time

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• Biographies illuminate pivotal times and people in history. 
• The biography books on this list are heavily researched and fascinating stories.
• Want more books? Check out the best classics , historical fiction books , and new releases.

For centuries, books have allowed readers to be whisked away to magical lands, romantic beaches, and historical events. Biographies take readers through time to a single, remarkable life memorialized in gripping, dramatic, or emotional stories. They give us the rare opportunity to understand our heroes — or even just someone we would never otherwise know. 

To create this list, I chose biographies that were highly researched, entertainingly written, and offer a fully encompassing lens of a person whose story is important to know in 2021. 

The 21 best biographies of all time:

The biography of a beloved supreme court justice.

"Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg" by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik, available on Amazon and Bookshop from $16.25

Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a Supreme Court Justice and feminist icon who spent her life fighting for gender equality and civil rights in the legal system. This is an inspirational biography that follows her triumphs and struggles, dissents, and quotes, packaged with chapters titled after Notorious B.I.G. tracks — a nod to the many memes memorializing Ginsburg as an iconic dissident. 

The startlingly true biography of a previously unknown woman

"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot, available on Amazon and Bookshop from $8.06

Henrietta was a poor tobacco farmer, whose "immortal" cells have been used to develop the polio vaccine, study cancer, and even test the effects of an atomic bomb — despite being taken from her without her knowledge or consent. This biography traverses the unethical experiments on African Americans, the devastation of Henrietta Lacks' family, and the multimillion-dollar industry launched by the cells of a woman who lies somewhere in an unmarked grave.

The poignant biography of an atomic bomb survivor

"A Song for Nagasaki: The Story of Takashi Nagai: Scientist, Convert, and Survivor of the Atomic Bomb" by Paul Glynn, available on Amazon and Bookshop from $16.51

Takashi Nagai was a survivor of the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki in 1945. A renowned scientist and spiritual man, Nagai continued to live in his ruined city after the attack, suffering from leukemia while physically and spiritually helping his community heal. Takashi Nagai's life was dedicated to selfless service and his story is a deeply moving one of suffering, forgiveness, and survival.

The highly researched biography of Malcolm X

"The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X" by Les Payne and Tamara Payne, available on Amazon and Bookshop from $18.99

Written by the investigative journalist Les Payne and finished by his daughter after his passing, Malcolm X's biography "The Dead are Arising" was written and researched over 30 years. This National Book Award and Pulitzer-winning biography uses vignettes to create an accurate, detailed, and gripping portrayal of the revolutionary minister and famous human rights activist. 

The remarkable biography of an Indigenous war leader

"The Journey of Crazy Horse: A Lakota History" by Joseph M. Marshall III, available on Amazon and Bookshop from $14.99 

Crazy Horse was a legendary Lakota war leader, most famous for his role in the Battle of the Little Bighorn where Indigenous people defeated Custer's cavalry. A descendant of Crazy Horse's community, Joseph M. Marshall III drew from research and oral traditions that have rarely been shared but offer a powerful and culturally rich story of this acclaimed Lakota hero.

The captivating biography about the cofounder of Apple

"Steve Jobs" by Walter Isaacson, available on Amazon and Bookshop from $16.75

Steve Jobs is a cofounder of Apple whose inventiveness reimagined technology and creativity in the 21st century. Water Issacson draws from 40 interviews with Steve Jobs, as well as interviews with over 100 of his family members and friends to create an encompassing and fascinating portrait of such an influential man.

The shocking biography of a woman committed to an insane asylum

"The Woman They Could Not Silence: One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear" by Kate Moore, available on Amazon and Bookshop from $22.49

This biography is about Elizabeth Packard, a woman who was committed to an asylum in 1860 by her husband for being an outspoken woman and wife. Her story illuminates the conditions inside the hospital and the sinister ways of caretakers, an unfortunately true history that reflects the abuses suffered by many women of the time.

The defining biography of a formerly enslaved man

"Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" by Zora Neale Hurston, available on Amazon and Bookshop from $12.79

50 years after the Atlantic slave trade was outlawed in the United States, Cudjo Lewis was captured, enslaved, and transported to the US. In 1931, the author spent three months with Cudjo learning the details of his life beginning in Africa, crossing the Middle Passage, and his years enslaved before the Civil War. This biography offers a first-hand account of this unspoken piece of painful history.

The biography of a famous Mexican painter

"Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo" by Hayden Herrera, available on Amazon and Bookshop from $24.89

Filled with a wealth of her life experiences, this biography of Frida Kahlo conveys her intelligence, strength, and artistry in a cohesive timeline. The book spans her childhood during the Mexican Revolution, the terrible accident that changed her life, and her passionate relationships, all while intertwining her paintings and their histories through her story.

The exciting biography of Susan Sontag

"Sontag: Her Life and Work" by Benjamin Moser, available on Amazon and Bookshop from $20.24

Susan Sontag was a 20th-century writer, essayist, and cultural icon with a dark reputation. Drawing on hundreds of interviews, archived works, and photographs, this biography extends across Sontag's entire life while reading like an emotional and exciting literary drama.

The biography that inspired a hit musical

"Alexander Hamilton" by Ron Chernow, available on Amazon and Bookshop from $11.04

The inspiration for the similarly titled Broadway musical, this comprehensive biography of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton aims to tell the story of his decisions, sacrifice, and patriotism that led to many political and economic effects we still see today. In this history, readers encounter Hamilton's childhood friends, his highly public affair, and his dreams of American prosperity. 

The award-winning biography of an artistically influential man

"The New Negro: The Life of Alain Locke" by Jeffrey C Stewart, available on Amazon and Bookshop from $25.71

Alain Locke was a writer, artist, and theorist who is known as a leader of the Harlem Renaissance. Outlining his personal and private life, Alain Locke's biography is a blooming image of his art, his influences, and the far-reaching ways he promoted African American artistic and literary creations.

The remarkable biography of Ida B. Wells

"Ida: A Sword Among Lions" by Paula J. Giddings, available on Amazon and Bookshop from $15.99

This award-winning biography of Ida B. Wells is adored for its ability to celebrate Ida's crusade of activism and simultaneously highlight the racially driven abuses legally suffered by Black women in America during her lifetime. Ida traveled the country, exposing and opposing lynchings by reporting on the horrific acts and telling the stories of victims' communities and families. 

The tumultuous biography that radiates queer hope

"The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life and Times of Harvey Milk" by Randy Shilts, available on Amazon and Bookshop from $11.80

Harvey Milk was the first openly gay elected official in California who was assassinated after 11 months in office. Harvey's inspirational biography is set against the rise of LGBTQIA+ activism in the 1970s, telling not only Harvey Milk's story but that of hope and perseverance in the queer community. 

The biography of a determined young woman

"Obachan: A Young Girl's Struggle for Freedom in Twentieth-Century Japan" by Tani Hanes, available on Amazon and Bookshop from $9.99

Written by her granddaughter, this biography of Mitsuko Hanamura is an amazing journey of an extraordinary and strong young woman. In 1929, Mitsuko was sent away to live with relatives at 13 and, at 15, forced into labor to help her family pay their debts. Determined to gain an education as well as her independence, Mitsuko's story is inspirational and emotional as she perseveres against abuse. 

The biography of an undocumented mother

"The Death and Life of Aida Hernandez: A Border Story" by Aaron Bobrow-Strain, available on Amazon and Bookshop from $18.40

Born in Mexico and growing up undocumented in Arizona, Aida Hernandez was a teen mother who dreamed of moving to New York. After being deported and separated from her child, Aida found herself back in Mexico, fighting to return to the United States and reunite with her son. This suspenseful biography follows Aida through immigration courts and detention centers on her determined journey that illuminates the flaws of the United States' immigration and justice systems.

The astounding biography of an inspiring woman

"The Black Rose: The Dramatic Story of Madam C.J. Walker, America's First Black Female Millionaire" by Tananarive Due, available on Amazon for $19

Madam C.J. Walker is most well-known as the first Black female millionaire, though she was also a philanthropist, entrepreneur, and born to former slaves in Louisiana. Researched and outlined by famous writer Alex Haley before his death, the book was written by author Tananarive Due, who brings Haley's work to life in this fascinating biography of an outstanding American pioneer.

A biography of the long-buried memories of a Hiroshima survivor

"Surviving Hiroshima: A Young Woman's Story" by Anthony Drago and Douglas Wellman, available on Amazon and Bookshop from $15.59

When Kaleria Palichikoff was a child, her family fled Russia for the safety of Japan until the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima when she was 22 years old. Struggling to survive in the wake of unimaginable devastation, Kaleria set out to help victims and treat the effects of radiation. As one of the few English-speaking survivors, Kaleria was interviewed extensively by the US Army and was finally able to make a new life for herself in America after the war.

A shocking biography of survival during World War II

"Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival" by Laura Hillenbrand, available on Amazon and Bookshop from $8.69

During World War II, Louis Zamperini was a lieutenant bombardier who crashed into the Pacific Ocean in 1943. Struggling to stay alive, Zamperini pulled himself to a life raft where he would face great trials of starvation, sharks, and enemy aircraft. This biography creates an image of Louis from boyhood to his military service and depicts a historical account of atrocities during World War II.  

The comprehensive biography of an infamous leader

"Mao: The Unknown Story" by Jung Chang and Jon Halliday, available on Amazon and Bookshop from $15.39

Mao was a Chinese leader, a founder of the People's Republic of China, and a nearly 30-year chairman of the Chinese Communist Party until his death in 1976. Known as a highly controversial figure who would stop at very little in his plight to rule the world, the author spent nearly 10 years painstakingly researching and uncovering the painful truths surrounding his political rule.

The emotional biography of a Syrian refugee

"A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea: One Refugee's Incredible Story of Love, Loss, and Survival" by Melissa Fleming, available on Amazon and Bookshop from $15.33

When Syrian refugee Doaa met Bassem, they decided to flee Egypt for Europe, becoming two of thousands seeking refuge and making the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean. After four days at sea, their ship was attacked and sank, leaving Doaa struggling to survive with two small children clinging to her and only a small inflation device around her wrist. This is an emotional biography about Doaa's strength and her dangerous and deadly journey towards freedom.

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The Who Was Biography Series: A Children’s Chapter Book Series Overview

Series Stats

• Various Authors
• 50+ Biographies

One of the more difficult subjects to teach children is history. Since the topics are usually old enough to feel unrelated to our current time, the challenge comes in finding how to present these moments as exciting and important for a younger generation.

In a continued effort to encourage students of all ages to read, publisher Penguin Random House has produced biographies on a variety of topics for almost twenty years. While they have series written for a variety of ages, one of their most popular is the Who Was series of children’s biographies.

These books are apart of a larger network of historical children's books called the Who HQ, which includes the What Was and Where Is series.

These biographies for children cover a variety of historical figures and time periods. There are books about important people like Walt Disney and Rosa Parks, or ones on time periods like The Gold Rush and D-Day. There are also books on famous or influential celebrities, like Elton John or Mahammed Ali.

These books share a common goal: providing a comprehensive yet easy to digest biography for children that are fun and interesting to read. 

With almost 200 entries, over 20 million copies sold, and even a Netflix sketch comedy show, it’s clear these books have made an impact on children. After reading through them, it’s easy to see why.

The books usually are usually just over 100 pages long, which is an intentional choice according to publisher Penguin Random House. The goal is to have books that can engage children in a variety of topics, but also be long enough to be used in book reports.

The biographies are usually structured like a story, using the life of a person or the timeline of a famous event to bring up other important topics. They describe the person’s life, focusing on certain important moments that would later impact them.

For example, the book Who Was King Tut looks at the life of Ancient Egyptian King Tutankhamen. Rather than beginning with his birth, the book starts with Tut’s father, Amenhotep, and how he attempted to change Egypt’s customs. From there it details how Tut was thrown into power, his early death, and how his mummy came into modern prominence.

The books also describe historical events, concepts, or people related to these historical figures. If certain topics are of particular interest or need more explanation, the author will dedicate a page to this topic, giving a brief synopsis of the topic.

In King Tut , author Roberta Edwards goes into great detail about Egyptian culture, describing the hieroglyphic writing style, Egyptian burial rituals, and even the various gods the Egyptians worshipped. After Tut’s early death, the book then goes into detail about how his tomb was founded by archaeologist Howard Carter, discussing how this discovery helped to popularize King Tut and the myths behind cursed mummies.

These books are also full of illustrations, depicting images or recreating famous photographs related to the discussion on the page. They work to heighten the stories, providing visuals for the person’s life.

In Who Was Rosa Parks , author Yona Zeldis McDonough uses the illustrations along with the descriptive pages to describe important events and figures in the Civil Rights movement. There are pages on Brown vs. The Board of Education, the use of the song “We Shall Overcome”, and Claudette Colvin, all accompanied with an illustration or two . 

One of the more interesting tangents is that of Claudette Colvin. She was a woman who was arrested after not giving up her seat on a segregated bus nine months before Rosa Parks’ famous incident. McDonough explains that while Colvin’s case was considered to represent the Civil Rights movement at that time, the NAACP ultimately went with Parks since she seemed like a better “role model”

McDonough adds at the end of this section “Claudette was every bit as brave as Rosa but her name is often left out of the story of the Civil Rights movement. 

This leads into the issue of how to present sensitive topics to children. History is full of complex people and dark situations, many that can be difficult for children to fully comprehend. The Who HQ often tackles these controversial or dark events and people head on with books about the Holocaust, Che Guevara and The Vietnam War.

When Michael LeSauvage, writer for Geekdad.com, asked publisher Penguin Random House about this subject, they responded by saying “[We] try to present kids with a rounded, realistic portrait of every subject. Sometimes that means touching upon extramarital relationships, sexual orientation, drug use, even legal matters. However, we are very careful to treat these aspects in a way that is appropriate for a young audience.”  

Essentially, the writers and publishers of the Who Was series aim to write biographies that are appropriate for young readers, but still give a complete overview of a person’s life or of a historical event. They aren’t afraid to discuss topics of racism, death, and religion. 

Many of these topics are central to influential and important people, making it difficult to avoid them when discussing what makes them worth learning about. The Who Was series finds a balance between presenting the facts and knowing how to present them for a young audience.

In the case of Rosa Parks , her life story is directly tied into the racist history of America, including Jim Crow Laws, the Ku Klux Klan, and daily violence against African Americans.

McDonough doesn’t shy away from these topics, but instead finds ways to directly tie them into Parks’ story and contextualize them. There’s the Claudette Colvin story from earlier, but there’s also the inclusion of the KKK’s involvement in Parks’ hometown growing up.

Growing up in the segregated American South, Parks faced racism every day of her life. She could only ride certain buses, eat at certain restaurants, and she would be harrassed by the white people living in her small town.

McDonough brings up the Ku Klux Klan during one of the first chapters, describing how they would burn black people’s homes and churches while the police did nothing to stop them. She also describes how Parks’ father would sit outside their house with a shotgun whenever the Klan marched. 

Rather then go into extreme details, McDonough rather describes in plain words what these people did. The very next page after their initial mention is a side note describing the KKK in more detail, clearly stating that they are a hate group that gained popularity in the early 1900’s. 

By not shying away from this ugly part of Rosa Parks’ life, and an ugly part of American history, McDonough is able to clearly define what the KKK is by relating it directly to this person’s life, and without getting into graphic detail about the atrocities the group committed. 

In this case, and many others throughout the Who Was series, the dark and sensitive topic is directly addressed by connecting it to the main person of history of the book. The author also doesn’t go into greater detail so as to ensure the topic is equally appropriate for children and not shied away from.

WhoHQ continues to release books in the Who Was, What Was, and Where Is series. By writing engaging stories, full of accurate facts and historical context, these biographies are perfect for young readers looking to learn more about history and the world around them. 

A wide variety of WhoHQ children’s biography books can be found on the Book Bundler website. Ranging from inspiring historical figures, life-changing events, and even histories of famous fictional characters, the WhoHQ has something for everybody and is one of the most requested series on the entire website.

List of Releases in the Who Was series:

• Who Was Albert Einstein?
• Who Was Annie Oakley?
• Who Was Ben Franklin?
• Who Was Sacagawea?
• Who Is Maria Tallchief?
• Who Was Harry Houdini?
• Who Was Amelia Earhart?
• Who Was Harriet Tubman?
• Who Was Wolfgang Amadeous Mozart?
• Who Was Thomas Jefferson?
• Who Was Helen Keller?
• Who Was Eleanor Roosevelt?
• Who Was Mark Twain?
• Who Was Ferdinand Magellan?
• Who Was Louis Armstrong?
• Who Was John F. Kennedy?
• Who Was Ronald Reagan?
• Who Was Charles Darwin?
• Who Was Johnny Appleseed?
• Who Was Leonardo da Vinci?
• Who Was Thomas Alva Edison?
• Who Were The Beatles?
• Who Was King Tut?
• Who Was Daniel Boone?
• Who Was William Shakespeare?
• Who Was Anne Frank?
• Who Was Marco Polo?
• Who Was Elvis Preseley?
• Who Was Martin Luther King Jr.?
• Who Was Queen Elizabeth?
• Who Was Neil Armstrong?
• Who Was Abraham Lincoln?
• Who Was George Washington?
• Who Was Walt Dinsey?
• Who Was Claude Monet?
• Who Was Pablo Picasso?
• Who Is Barack Obama?
• Who Was Franklin Roosevelt?
• Who Was Jim Henson?
• Who Was Jackie Robinson?
• Who Was Rose Parks?
• Who Was Dr. Seuss?
• Who Was Paul Revere?
• Who Was Babe Ruth?
• Who Was Steve Jobs?
• Who Was J.K. Rowling?
• Who Was Ronald Dahl?
• Who Was Jane Goodall?
• Who Was Bill Gates?
• Who Was Sally Ride?
• Who as Bob Dylan?
• Who Was Christopher Columbus?
• Who Was Maurice Sendak?
• Who Is Michelle Obama?
• Who Was Davy Crockett?
• Who Was Alexander Graham Bell?
• Who Was Nelson Mnadela?
• Who Is Steven Spielberg?
• Who Was Ernest Shackleton?
• Who Was Frida Kahlo?
• Who Was Laura Ingalls Wilder?
• Who Was Milton Hersehy?
• Who Was Abigail Adams?
• Who Is Dolly Parton?
• Who Was Louis Braille?
• Who Is George Lucas?
• Who Was Bruce Lee?
• Who Was Theodore Roosevelt?
• Who Were The Wright Brothers?
• Who Was Robert E. Lee?
• Who Was Ulysses S. Grant?
• Who Was Queen Victoria?
• Who Is Muhammad Ali?
• Who Was Clara Barton?
• Who Was Marie Curie?
• Who Was Henry Ford?
• Who Was Roberto Clemente?
• Who Was Issac Newton?
• Who Was Julius Cesar?
• Who Was Rachel Carson?
• Who Was Susan B. Anthony?
• Who Was Ghandi?
• Who Was Alfred Hitchcock?
• Who Was Ghengis Khan?
• Who Is Gloria Steinem?
• Who Was Stan Lee?
• Who Was Andy Warhol?
• Who Was Betsy Ross?
• Who Was Charles Dickens?
• Who Was Frederick Douglass?
• Who Was Sitting Bull?
• Who Was Wayne Gretzky?
• Who Was Galileo?
• Who Was Jesus?
• Who Was Robert Ripley?
• Who Was Harriet Beecher Stowe?
• Who Was Jacques Cousteau?
• Who Was Winston Churchill?
• Who Was Mother Teresa?
• Who Was Steve Irwin?
• Who Was Woodrow Wilson?
• Who Was Beatrix Potter?
• Who Was J.R.R. Tolkien?
• Who Is Richard Branson?
• Who Was Edgar Allan Poe?
• Who Was Jesse Owens?
• Who Were the Brothers Grimm?
• Who Is Malala Yousafzai?
• Who Is Jeff Kinney?
• Who Is Derek Jeter?
• Who Was Julia Child?
• Who Was Marie Antoinette?
• Who Was Blackbeard?
• Who Was Seabiscuit?
• Who Was Frank Lloyd Wright?
• Who Was George Washington Carver?
• Who Was Michael Jackson?
• Who Was Sojourner Truth?
• Who Was Maya Angelou?
• Who Was Joan of Arc?
• Who Is Elton John?
• Who Was Alexander the Great?
• Who Was Jules Verne?
• Who Is Hillary Clinton?
• Who Was Milton Bradley?
• Who Is Bruce Springsteen?
• Who Is Stevie Wonder?
• Who Were The Three Stooges?
• Who Was Charlie Chaplin?
• Who Was Jacqueline Kennedy?
• Who Was Cesar Chavez?
• Who Was Lucille Ball?
• Who Is Sonia Sotomayor?
• Who Was Princess Diana?
• Who Are the Rolling Stones?
• Who Was Bob Marley?
• Who Was Pete Seeger?
• Who Was Andrew Jackson?
• Who Are Venus and Serena Williams?
• Who Is Pope Francis?
• Who Was Alexander Hamilton?
• Who Was Fidel Castro?
• Who Was Lewis Carroll?
• Who Is Ralph Lauren?
• Who Was Chuck Jones?
• Who Was Coretta Scott King?
• Who Was Jane Austen?
• Who Was Booker T. Washington?
• Who Was Henry VIII?
• Who Was Aretha Franklin?
• Who Is the Dalai Lama?
• Who Is Pele?
• Who Was Leif Erikson?
• Who Was Selena?
• Who Were the Tuskegee Airmen?
• Who Is Bono?
• Who Is Judy Blume?
• Who Was Napoleon?
• Who Was Nikola Tesla?
• Who Is Eric Carle?
• Who Is Michael Jordan?
• Who Was H. J. Heinz?
• Who Was Norman Rockwell?
• Who Was Che Guevara?
• Who Was P. T. Barnum?
• Who Was Stephen Hawking?
• Who Is Oprah Winfrey?
• Who Is R. L. Stine?
• Who Was Mister Rogers?
• Who Was Sam Walton?
• Who Is Ruth Bader Ginsburg?
• Who Is Jackie Chan?
• Who Was Richard Nixon?
• Who Is Temple Grandin?
• Who Was Harvey Milk?
• Who Was Ida B. Wells?

Sources: https://www.kidsbookseries.com/who-was/

http://www.whowasbookseries.com/books/

https://geekdad.com/2015/07/who-was-biography-series/

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20 Biography Books For Kids To Help Them Dream Big

Brandie DeRusha

With her MA in English from Rutgers University-Camden, Brandie spends her days chasing around her toddlers and writing. She loves to pair wine with her reading; preferably a Brontë, or an Elliot, or a Woolf novel. Depending on the mood. She currently lives in Florida with her husband, two kids and furry beast.

View All posts by Brandie DeRusha

Somewhere between childhood and adulthood, I forgot how to dream for my life. It was in between those “you can do anything you put your mind to” platitudes from my mother, to “you’ll never make any money if you get a degree in art” realities — also from my mother. As a good child, I believed everything people would say about my potential. If I expressed interest in writing or journalism, they would scoff at me that it was “too hard” for me; if it was acting or dancing, it was “too competitive.” Clearly it was confusing and sent me into an adolescent identity crisis. Who could I be if I couldn’t be who I was?

Now, as a grown up and a mother, I realize that in order to live our truth…we must follow our curiosity. We must embrace our curiosity. We must be allowed to explore. To get things wrong. To find out how we individually interpret the world around us. That will help us make the world a better place.

Thankfully, the way has been paved before us by millions of amazing people who refused to internalize the negative messages about their dreams. People who were so into what they were doing that nothing else mattered except that one thing. Who knew that what their heart was saying was the way without someone’s expectations of them.

Here are stories of 20 people who made their own way and changed not only their lives but ours. 20 stories of people who followed their curiously, followed their love, and led the way for us to be a better society. These 20 biography books for kids can help your kids dream big.

20 of the Best Biography Books for Kids

The Story of Harriet Tubman by Christine Platt

Before she became known for her fight to free people from enslavement, she was a little girl who was sad to see her family be separated. Tubman is going to be a key person in most kids’ history classes — so this book also gives a timeline of her life, with age appropriate discussion questions. And if you love this, the series also has Barack Obama, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, and Benjamin Franklin biographies, and more.

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Six Dots: A Story of Young Louis Braille by Jen Bryant and Boris Kulikov

This picture book biography tells the story of how Louis Braille lost his sight and invented an alphabet. Young Braille wanted nothing more than to be able to read after an accident causes him to lose his eyesight. His invention gave blind kids all over the world a new way to navigate a world that wasn’t made for them. This book is not only inspiring, it shows children that everyone is capable of doing good things.

Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau by Jennifer Berne and Éric Puybaret

Once there was a boy named Jacques. He loved to explore the oceans. This whimsical and poetic biography of Jacques Cousteau will inspire kids to follow their explorer natures, as well as help them realize that every person who has made history started as a kid with curiosity.

Elizabeth Leads the Way: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Right to Vote by Tanya Lee Stone and Rebecca Gibbon

From a young age, Elizabeth understood that things weren’t equal in her life. How could only a few people have the right to vote? Voting is the foundation of our democracy. So she went to college, gathered like-minded friends, and made their statements, not stopping until women in the United States won the Right to Vote. She was a girl who saw a problem, and grew up to find the solution.

Turning Pages: My Life Story by Sonya Sotomayor and Lulu Delacre

The first Latina on the Supreme Court, Sonya Sotomayor recollects her life and the steps that brought her there. For her, it was books. Books helped her cope with difficulties in her life, connect with her roots, and helped her see that her future was full of possibilities. In her autobiography, Sotomayor encourages kids everywhere to read, dream, and puzzle for themselves.

Malala’s Magic Pencil by Malala Yousafzai and Kera Ascoet

As a girl, Malala wished for a magic pencil. A tool she could use to make everyone happy. To make the world around her a little brighter. As she got older she realized that even if she didn’t have a magic pencil, she could still work hard to make the world a better place. Told in a way that’s appropriate to children, we learn about the struggles that Malala faced to follow her dreams and how even then she held onto a hope for a better future for herself and her friends.

Pablo Neruda: Poet of the People by Monica Brown and Julie Paschkis

Sometimes people create with paint, but for a little boy in a city in Chile, words were better. Pablo wrote poems about all the things he loved. Things he found in nature, things his friends made, and the things he found at the marketplace. He wrote about the people of Chile, their struggles and passions. It all started with a little boy who loved to paint with words.

Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl’s Courage Changed Music by Margarita Engle and Rafael López

Millo Castro Zaldarriaga dreamed of drumming. However, girls weren’t allowed to drum on her little island. She dreamed of pounding tall congas and tapping small bongós. One day, she decided to follow her dream — what happened next when her bright music was heard was magic: people dancing and singing and deciding that boys and girls can make music. Showing that both boys and girls can be free to drum and dream, Millo’s story is an inspiration for children everywhere.

The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles and George Ford

Ruby was just a normal 6-year-old until she was chosen to be the first Black person to be enrolled in an all white elementary school. A lot of people didn’t like that idea and said some mean and threatening things. Ruby did what she was told to do, and went to school anyway. How does a little girl change the world? By being brave in the face of racism and injustice.

A Voice Named Aretha by Katheryn Russel-Brown and Laura Freeman

How did a quiet and shy girl from Detroit become the Queen of Soul and the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? She stayed true to herself and her ideals by refusing to play for segregated audiences and never forgetting her roots. She stood up for what was right. Aretha Franklin proved that with passion, perseverance, and R-E-S-P-E-C-T, you can do anything.

Counting the Stars: The Story of Katherine Johnson, NASA Mathematician by Lesa Cline-Ransome and Raúl Colón

When NASA used mathematicians called “human computers,” one woman stood out among them all. Katherine Johnson was integral in getting John Glen around the world, helping men walk on the moon, and getting Apollo 13 home safely. This book is for girls who love numbers — who don’t let problems stand in the way from the work.

Vincent Can’t Sleep by Barb Rosenstock and Mary Grandpre

Vincent Can’t Sleep is the story of how one of the most beloved and creative artists found his inspiration. When Vincent Van Gogh couldn’t sleep, he’d walk during the night, giving him the inspiration for his famous painting Starry Night . With lovely poetic writing, it tells kids to follow their passion, even if they don’t see the return in their lifetime. (Maybe wait to walk outside at night alone until after they’ve grown up, though.)

Magic Ramen by Andrea Wang and Kana Urbanowicz

“Peace follows a full stomach,” thought Momofuko Ando while working in his lab to find a quick, easy, and tasty way of making ramen soup. He wanted to help those in the long daily lines for soup after WWII. This is the story of one man, his commitment to his cause, and the world’s most popular “easy soup.”

Harlem’s Little Blackbird: The Story of Florence Mills by Renée Watson and Christian Robinson

Florence was a little girl who loved to sing. She also loved her parents, who were formerly enslaved. So when her beautiful singing and dancing inspired patrons and playwrights alike, she knew that she wouldn’t be happy without standing up to the injustice that she saw daily.

I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark by Debbie Levy and Elizabeth Baddeley

“Disagreeing does not make you disagreeable” was something that young Ruth Bader Ginsberg had to learn. This book is the first picture book of Ginsberg’s life. Kids get to see how one girl who stood up for what she believed and became the most beloved Supreme Court justice.

Star Stuff: Carl Sagan and the Mysteries of the Cosmos by Stephanie Roth Sisson

“The Earth and every living thing are made of star stuff.” —Carl Sagan. As a boy, Carl Sagan loved learning about the stars. His trip to the 1939 World’s Fair opened up the universe to Carl. A boy who was captured by the wonder of the cosmos became a man who would launch satellites and teach the world about the stars.

Emmanuel’s Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah by Laurie Ann Thompson and Sean Qualls

Sometimes being told you can’t do a thing gives you all the incentive to do it more, especially if EVERYONE thinks you can’t. Emmanuel Ofosu Yepoah only had one leg — and this is the true story of how he biked across the entire country of Ghana (almost 400 miles!) and went on change the way many people in his country thought about people with disabilities.

She Loved Baseball: The Effa Manley Story by Audrey Vernick and Don Tate

Effa Manley loved baseball. She loved to go Yankee Stadium and see Babe Ruth swing for the fences. Soon she became her own hero by becoming the manager and owner of the Newark Eagles. Effa was the first (and only) woman inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame, because of her work with the Eagles. From a girl growing up in Philly to a Hall of Famer, Manley shows us how to swing for the fences.

Jimi Sounds Like a Rainbow: A Story of the Young Jimi Hendrix by Gary Golio and Javaka Steptoe

Can someone paint pictures with sound? Jimi was a normal kid who loved to paint and listen to music. This is the story of a kid who interpreted the world in his own unique way, and over time learned how to weave music and imagery to become one of the most influential people in the world.

The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read by Rita Lorraine Hubbard and Oge Mora

Mary Walker was born into slavery. She had her first child at the age of 20, lived through a Civil War and two World Wars, and worked many many jobs. Finally, at the young age of 116, Mary Walker learned how to read, proving that it is never too late to follow your dreams and also recognize how incredible life can be.

Want even more after reading this list? Check out historical fiction classics for kids and these picture book biographies of Black leaders and creatives.

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Table of Contents

How many chapters should a nonfiction book have?

Does chapter size really matter, so, how long should a chapter be, how long should book chapters be (what authors need to know).

When I started teaching people how to write their own nonfiction books, I was surprised by how many questions I received about book chapters —especially about chapter length.

“How long should a chapter be?”

“How many chapters do I need?”

“Should my chapters have sections?”

I was stumped as to why there were so many questions about chapters, and then an Author made it all clear:

“I’m just confused and looking for some rules to follow.”

Ahh yes. When we’re doing something new, it’s natural to want guidelines.

Here’s the problem: there are no “rules” for book chapters.

There are some standard ways of doing things and some conventions that most Authors follow. But for any “rule” you can find, I can show you exceptions that break it—and do it well.

That said, it’s worth laying out those standards, conventions, and averages, at least as a place to start.

In this blog post, I’ll answer the most common questions about chapters, and I’ll give you some basic guidelines to help you as you write your book .

Most nonfiction books have between 5 and 20 chapters.

Any less than 5 and your chapters may be running long or may contain too many ideas.

That said, there are plenty of books with 30 or 40 chapters. And some books, usually with very short chapters, can have 50+.

There’s no “right” answer to this question.

The standard conventions I’ll lay out in this post aren’t unbreakable rules written in stone. You should always make your own decisions about what works for your book.

If you’re looking for help structuring your book into parts and chapters, try this outline template as a starting point.

Why does it matter how long your chapters are? It matters because of:

• what readers need
• what a chapter is

Understanding what a chapter is can really help when you’re deciding how to structure your book.

A chapter is one of the main ways to divide and separate your book into distinct ideas.

Generally speaking, a single chapter of a nonfiction book is:

• a single cohesive idea, and/or
• a step in the process you are describing, and/or
• a single argument or position

It can be one or all of those things.

So, the length of your chapters should be determined by the number of words it takes to present that idea, step, or argument fully, without over explaining it.

Rule 1. Short enough, and long enough

If chapters break your book into digestible ideas, the right chapter length comes down to how to present those ideas.

Readers need to grasp the content of your book so they can come away with a deep enough understanding to apply their new knowledge.

Readers also need to stay interested so they’ll read the whole thing.

Complex ideas might need longer chapters, but those run the risk of dragging and losing your reader’s attention.

Shorter chapters are easier to digest, but they run the risk of not giving the reader enough information.

Putting those together, here’s the first “rule” of chapter length. A chapter should be:

• Short enough to hold a reader’s interest
• Long enough to give that reader what they need

Rule 2. Shorter is better than longer

One mistake I see a lot of Authors make is trying to tell the reader everything there is to know about a subject.

But most readers aren’t reading your book out of general curiosity.

They’re reading your book to learn how to solve a problem.

Your readers want:

• all the information they need to solve that problem
• only what they need (and no more)

Authors tend to be great at the first part and lousy at the second. They offer a ton of extra information that might feel interesting to them but doesn’t help the reader.

Because of that natural tendency, err on the side of short chapters over long chapters. You’re far better off leaving your readers wanting more than you are boring them.

If they want more, they’ll find you. If you bore them, they’ll just walk away.

Rule 3. It’s good to be average

When it comes to chapter word count, it’s good to be average.

For one thing, being average meets readers’ expectations. If they thumb through your book and see chapters that fit their expectations, they’ll feel more comfortable about their ability to digest them.

Longer chapters, on the other hand, come with the possibility of turning readers off before they even buy the book.

If a reader starts looking through your book on Amazon and that next chapter feels like it never comes, or if the table of contents presents monstrous 40-page chapters, there’s a good chance they’ll feel intimidated by the content.

If you’d like some guidelines, you can assume that the average nonfiction book is about 50k words and that most nonfiction books have about 12 chapters.

So around 4,000 words would be an “average” chapter length.

That number actually lines up pretty well with the data we have on this. But again, that number should neither be a goal nor a constraint. It’s just a convention.

But it’s a convention that fits within your reader’s attention span.

One thing to remember about average chapter lengths is that they’re driven by:

• how much information most readers need to understand a good chapter topic
• the average attention span most readers have in absorbing a single idea

Rule 4. The Goldilocks limits

Chapters can be 500 words, or even 10,000. It all depends on how much you dive into an idea and how far you go with that idea.

That said, you never want your readers to think:

• “That chapter was too short,” or
• “That chapter was too long”

You want your chapters to be just right.

As a general rule, if a chapter is under 1,000 words, it might not be a whole idea or chapter. It might be part of something else. See if it makes more sense to combine it with another chapter.

If your chapter is more than 5,000 words, see if you can break it into different ideas. Maybe you can’t, and that’s okay. It’s just something to consider.

But if a chapter is more than 10,000 words, you should probably break it into two or more chapters.

Remember, books are structured in parts, chapters, and sections.

A part is simply a set of chapters that go together and fall under a larger idea.

So, if your chapter is more than 10K words, it might really be a part , not a chapter. See if you can break it into distinct ideas that would make good chapters.

Rule 5. Use chapter breaks wisely

Even the longest chapter in the world can be a page-turner if it’s structured and formatted well.

Chapter structure is about how you use sections to break up your chapter. A chapter might be a single idea, but each section should present a coherent piece of that idea.

If you break your chapters into small enough pieces, readers won’t have any trouble following them. In fact, they won’t even be intimidated if they flip through a long chapter ahead of time—as long as they see those breaks.

This is one of the ways Authors break the “rules” successfully.

Rule 6. Formatting makes a huge difference

Another way to make long chapters seem friendlier is to use smart formatting in your book.

Presenting material with charts, graphs, images, headings, bullet points, and other special formatting breaks up all that text and makes the content feel more manageable to the reader.

But it isn’t just about how to structure your content. It’s about the formatting itself.

Interior book designers use negative space (empty space) to make content feel more approachable.

When it comes to small, tightly-packed, unvarying text versus loose, flowing text with differentiated headings, the loose, flowing text will win out every time.

Your concepts are complex enough as it is. Don’t make your readers work harder by laying those concepts out in a way that’s difficult to take in. Readers won’t buy the book.

For one thing, they don’t want to work harder than they have to. But they also won’t have much faith in you as an Author if your book looks like you didn’t really put the work in.

Rule 7. Your chapters don’t have to be the same length

In fact, having chapters of similar length doesn’t matter at all. If one chapter is 5,000 words, and the next 1,200, and then 3,000, and then 1,000, that’s completely fine.

It might even be beneficial. Varying the flow can make the book read better, depending on what you’re saying.

It’s far more important to worry about the flow of ideas for the reader than to worry about any of these chapter guidelines. Your book is written for your reader, so make chapter decisions based on what makes the best book for them.

Rule 8. There are no rules

When you’re staring at the first chapter of the first draft of your first book, it’s natural to look for writing advice with hard and fast rules.

Should you use 3,000 word chapters or 4,000 word chapters? Where should one chapter end and a new chapter begin?

But there’s no bestseller formula when it comes to chapter length. There just isn’t.

The only real rule is to make your chapters work for your readers. If readers understand each chapter, connect the ideas, and flow easily from one to the next, that’s all that matters.

A book’s structure is never about confining the Author. It’s about serving the reader.

The Scribe Crew

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The Vandals from The Bikeriders Are Based on a Real Motorcycle Club

The movie, starring Tom Hardy and Austin Butler, takes inspiration from a 1968 photobook documenting the Chicago Outlaws Motorcycle Club.

Now in theaters, The Bikeriders— starring Tom Hardy , Austin Butler , Jodie Comer, and Mike Faist—tells the story of the Chicago Vandals, a fictionalized version of the Outlaws and some of their actual members. Inspired by Lyon’s acclaimed 1968 photobook of the same name, the movie examines the Vandals and their transition from a haven for outcasted bikers to something more sinister.

Similar to their onscreen counterparts, the influence and reputation of the Outlaws have changed dramatically since their inception.

The Outlaws originated almost 90 years ago

While The Bikeriders documents the founding and rise of the fictional Vandals starting in the 1960s, the Outlaws’ true story began three decades earlier. According to its official website , the club started as the McCook Outlaws Motorcycle Club in 1935. Riders formed the group outside of Matilda’s Bar in McCook, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. After years of limited inactivity during World War II, the organization held its first major rally at Chicago’s Soldier Field in 1946.

According to Time , the war was a major catalyst for the rise of motorcycle culture in the United States. The resulting military surplus made bikes affordable, and returning veterans sought an adventurous escape from the boredom of civilian life. This led to the formation of other clubs, including the Hells Angels—the Outlaws’ chief rival—in Fontana, California, in 1948.

Meanwhile, the Outlaws continued attracting riders from throughout the Windy City and moved their headquarters from McCook in 1950 to become the Chicago Outlaws. Around this time, the club adopted its signature skull logo on shirts and jackets; the crossed pistons were added four years later.

By 1964, the Outlaws had incorporated chapters from Milwaukee and Louisville, Kentucky—and caught the interest of a young rider named Danny Lyon.

Lyon became an Outlaws member to create his book

Lyon was a first-year history student at the University of Chicago in 1959 when a classmate introduced him to motorcycle culture. The owner of a Triumph TR6 bike, he would soon combine this new passion with his budding journalistic skills.

But first, Lyon left Chicago in 1962 to document the Civil Rights Movement . He served as an official photographer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and befriended key figures like John Lewis and Julian Bond.

One year later, he embarked on his motorcycle project that would become The Bikeriders. Although Lyon said he received a very clean-cut transformation in the new film—Faist, who portrays his fictional stand-in “Danny,” doesn’t ride a motorcycle onscreen—the photographer became a full-fledged Outlaws member by 1965. A self-described “pothead” in the primarily beer-drinking club, he documented his fellow riders through photography and analog tape recordings.

Published in 1968, The Bikeriders book received acclaim and reportedly inspired the 1969 movie Easy Rider starring Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda, and Jack Nicholson . However, Lyon left the group and the biker lifestyle following its release. “I loved my work and loved what I was doing, but it was a subject to me,” Lyon told A Rabbit’s Foot , “so when I thought I had what I needed, I knew it was time to move on, and I did.”

Real recordings from Lyon are used in the movie

The Bikeriders movie draws heavily from Lyon’s source material, including using “verbatim imitations” of his audio recordings, according to Bleak Beauty . Lyon spoke with Outlaws members Cal, Zipco, and Cockroach, who all appear in the new movie. The re-creation treatment is especially true of Comer’s character, Kathy—modeled after the real-life Kathy Bauer—whose interviews form the narrative structure of the plot surrounding the fictional Vandals.

In 1966, the 25-year-old Bauer offered a glimpse into the Outlaws’ tight-knit nature by describing her first meeting with a rider named Benny (played by Butler). She explained in detail how the group, including leader Johnny Davis (Hardy), tricked Bauer into taking a ride on Benny’s motorcycle. “He takes off, he goes through the stoplights and everything so that I wouldn’t jump off,” Bauer told Lyon . “And I wouldn’t have jumped off anyway because I was scared s—less; I’d never been on a motorcycle in all my life.

“Johnny was real nice to me. He says, ‘Don’t worry, I’m the president of this club, and I wouldn’t let nothing happen to you. They’re only having fun, and this one guy wanted to go out with you,’” Bauer said. The unusual courtship worked as Bauer and Benny later married. Their relationship is featured prominently in the movie.

But while this cordiality is illustrated through the Outlaws’ onscreen stand-ins, the club has been linked to much more antagonistic activity in the decades since.

The Outlaws of today are pretty different from the movie

The Outlaws have spread far beyond their Chicago hub in the decades since, with the organization now boasting chapters across at least 26 states and reaching countries like France, Ireland, Japan, and Russia. According to the Chicago Reader , the Outlaws were estimated to have more than 1,500 members by 2014.

However, the club has developed a treacherous reputation. As of November 2023, the U.S. Justice Department classifies the Outlaws as one of 300 “outlaw motorcycle gangs,” or OMGs. These are described as “highly structured criminal organizations whose members engage in criminal activities such as violent crime, weapons trafficking, and drug trafficking.”

Much of this stems from the group’s ongoing feud with the Hells Angels. The Chicago Sun-Times has reported the two factions waged a violent turf war in the city during the 1990s—including a series of bombings, shootings, and stabbings—before reaching an uneasy truce. According to TwinCities.com , the Outlaws reportedly use the coded acronym ADIOS, which stands for “Angels die in Outlaw states.”

In a November 2016 interview with the Sun-Times , a former Outlaws member named Peter James said the Hells Angels’ presence in the Chicago area has grown more influential and could ignite more conflict. However, he suggested modern Outlaws have shifted away from crime and violence. “The times have changed. Somehow, there’s no testosterone out there,” James said. “It used to be the boss’ word was law. He says, ‘Ride off the cliff,’ and guys would ride off a cliff. The quality of the members has gone down.”

In any case, most riders have maintained that the club merely embraces an alternative lifestyle and isn’t an organized crime syndicate.

See The Bikeriders in Theaters Now

Director Jeff Nichols has said The Bikeriders isn’t meant to be a documentary of the Chicago Outlaws, nor to show disrespect toward the club in any way. He simply hopes to give viewers a sense of the time and societal conditions that allowed the group to thrive.

“When you’re looking at these guys, if you want to, you can simply dismiss them, but if you watch the film, you start to see how their brains work, and hopefully you start to identify with them a little bit,” he told A Rabbit’s Foot . “Not feeling like you belong, that’s something that everybody feels. It should be a unifying trait.”

The movie cruised into theaters on Friday and stars Tom Hardy as Johnny, Austin Butler as Benny, Jodie Comer as Kathy, and Mike Faist as Danny.

Get Tickets

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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