– My Bondage and My Freedom by Frederick Douglass (Amazon) and The Autobiography of Malcolm X (Amazon), two of the most inspiring men of the last 150 years. (also in this vein, My Life and Battles by Jack Johnson (Amazon) and Up from Slavery by Booker T. Washington (Amazon).
– The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris (Amazon) Dr. Drew recommended this book to me, it is spectacular. He’s my favorite president.
The Fish That Ate the Whale: The Life and Times of America’s Banana King by Rich Cohen (Amazon) The book sucked me in completely. Everyone I’ve recommended it to loves it.
–Asylum: An Alcoholic Takes the Cure and No Hiding Place by William Seabrook (Amazon) (I actually ended up helping get Asylum back in print if you want to hear that story)
For more biography recommendations from me, see this list.