100 Best Actors Books of All Time

We've ranked the best actors books using expert recommendations, sales data, and millions of reader ratings. At Shortform, we know books. Our book guides are the best in the world. Learn why.

Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly book cover1

Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly

Anthony Bourdain

5.0
A deliciously funny, delectably shocking banquet of wild-but-true tales of life in the culinary trade from Chef Anthony Bourdain, laying out his more than a quarter-century of drugs, sex, and haute cuisine—now with all-new, never-before-published material.

New York Chef Tony Bourdain gives away secrets of the trade in his wickedly funny, inspiring memoir/expose. Kitchen Confidential reveals what Bo
Open Book book cover2

Open Book

Jessica Simpson

5.0
Jessica reveals for the first time her inner monologue and most intimate struggles. Guided by the journals she's kept since age fifteen, and brimming with her unique humor and down-to-earth humanity, Open Book is as inspiring as it is entertaining.

This was supposed to be a very different book. Five years ago, Jessica Simpson was approached to write a motivational guide to living your best life. Sh
Voice-Over Voice Actor: The Extended Edition book cover3

Voice-Over Voice Actor: The Extended Edition

Yuri Lowenthal

4.8
Interested in Pursuing a Career in VO? Curious what goes on behind the scenes in a business where people talk funny for money? This updated edition of the award-winning first book offers a fun and comprehensive look at what it takes, what goes on, and what it's like behind the mic from two (still) working pros who started from scratch. In this book you will discover: - The ins and outs of audition
Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life book cover4

Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life

Steve Martin

4.8
In the midseventies, Steve Martin exploded onto the comedy scene. By 1978 he was the biggest concert draw in the history of stand-up. In 1981 he quit forever. This book is, in his own words, the story of "why I did stand-up and why I walked away."

Emmy and Grammy Award winner, author of the acclaimed New York Times bestsellers Shopgirl and The Pleasure of My Company, and a regular contributor to T
I Can't Make This Up: Life Lessons book cover5

I Can't Make This Up: Life Lessons

Neil Strauss - contributor

4.8
INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Superstar comedian and Hollywood box office star Kevin Hart turns his immense talent to the written word by writing some words. Some of those words include: the, a, for, above, and even even. Put them together and you have the funniest, most heartfelt, and most inspirational memoir on survival, success, and the importance of believing in yourself since Old Yelle
Power of the Actor book cover6

Power of the Actor

Ivana Chubbuck

4.7
The Hollywood Survival Guide For Actors book cover7

The Hollywood Survival Guide For Actors

Kym Jackson, Hannah Cowley, et al.

4.7
This text shares all of the current information an actor needs to have a successful career in film and television today.

Proofed and edited by over forty top Hollywood professionals, the book covers basics like headshots and resumes, but flows quickly into hundreds of more intricate and rarely revealed topics like audition protocols, how films are financed, how TV shows are created, how and where t
The Rose That Grew From Concrete book cover8

The Rose That Grew From Concrete

Tupac Shakur

4.7
Tupac Shakur's most intimate and honest thoughts were uncovered only after his death with the instant classic The Rose That Grew from Concrete.

His talent was unbounded -- a raw force that commanded attention and respect.
His death was tragic -- a violent homage to the power of his voice.
His legacy is indomitable -- as vibrant and alive today as it has ever been.


For the first time in paperback, t
Beastie Boys Book book cover9

Beastie Boys Book

Michael Diamond

4.7
A panoramic experience that tells the story of Beastie Boys, a book as unique as the band itself--by band members ADROCK and Mike D, with contributions from Amy Poehler, Colson Whitehead, Spike Jonze, Wes Anderson, Luc Sante, and more.

Formed as a New York City hardcore band in 1981, Beastie Boys struck an unlikely path to global hip hop superstardom. Here is their story, told for the first time in
The Actor's Life: A Survival Guide book cover10

The Actor's Life: A Survival Guide

Jenna Fischer and Steve Carell

4.7
Jenna Fischer’s Hollywood journey began at the age of 22 when she moved to Los Angeles from her hometown of St. Louis. With a theater degree in hand, she was certain everything would fall easily into place. Never mind that she didn’t know a single person in the entertainment industry. She was determined, she was confident, she was ready to work hard. So, what could go wrong?

Uh, basically everythin
Bossypants book cover11

Bossypants

Tina Fey

4.7
Tina Fey is one of of the world's greatest comic writers and performers. Here she reveals all, and proves what we've all suspected - you're no one until someone calls you bossy.
The Voice Over Actor's Handbook: How to Analyze, Interpret, and Deliver Scripts book cover12

The Voice Over Actor's Handbook: How to Analyze, Interpret, and Deliver Scripts

John Burr

4.7
This voice over guide will teach you how to break down, understand, and read aloud scripts for expert delivery.

Prominent voice over coach John Burr developed this handbook when he recognized that his students didn't understand the fundamentals of the English language and grammar-the first step in analyzing voice over scripts.

In this in-depth guide, you'll discover what it takes to become a success
Sanford Meisner on Acting book cover13

Sanford Meisner on Acting

Sanford Meisner, Dennis Longwell, et al.

4.7
This book, written in collaboration with Dennis Longwell, follows an acting class of eight men and eight women for fifteen months, beginning with the most rudimentary exercises and ending with affecting and polished scenes from contemporary American plays. Throughout these pages Meisner is delight--always empathizing with his students and urging them onward, provoking emotion, laughter, and growin
Acid For The Children book cover14

Acid For The Children

Flea

4.7
The iconic bassist and co-founder of the Red Hot Chili Peppers tells his fascinating origin story, complete with all the dizzying highs and the gutter lows you'd want from an LA street rat turned world famous rock star.

Michael Peter Balzary was born in Melbourne, Australia, on October 16, 1962. His more famous stage name, Flea, and his wild ride as the renowned bass player for the Red Hot Chili Pe
Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets, & Advice for Living Your Best Life book cover15

Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets, & Advice for Living Your Best Life

Ali Wong

4.6
Ali Wong's heartfelt and hilarious letters to her daughters (the two she put to work while they were still in utero), covering everything they need to know in life, like the unpleasant details of dating, how to be a working mom in a male-dominated profession, and how she trapped their dad.

In her hit Netflix comedy special Baby Cobra, an eight-month pregnant Ali Wong resonated so heavily that she b
Black Privilege: Opportunity Comes to Those Who Create It book cover16

Black Privilege: Opportunity Comes to Those Who Create It

Charlamagne Tha God

4.6
Charlamagne Tha God—the self-proclaimed “Prince of Pissing People Off,” co-host of Power 105.1’s The Breakfast Club, and “hip-hop’s Howard Stern”—shares his unlikely success story as well as how embracing one’s truths is a fundamental key to success and happiness.

In his new book, Charlamagne Tha God presents his comic, often controversial, and always brutally honest insights on how living an authe
Inside Out book cover17

Inside Out

Demi Moore

4.6
Famed American actress Demi Moore at last tells her own story in a surprisingly intimate and emotionally charged memoir.

For decades, Demi Moore has been synonymous with celebrity. From iconic film roles to high-profile relationships, Moore has never been far from the spotlight—or the headlines.

Even as Demi was becoming the highest paid actress in Hollywood, however, she was always outrunning her p
An Actor's Companion: Tools for the Working Actor book cover18

An Actor's Companion: Tools for the Working Actor

Seth Barrish, Anne Hathaway

4.6
"I was totally unprepared for the transformation that Seth's technique created in me. . . . I realized that what I thought I knew about acting up to that point was largely misguided . . . but I now had a great, talented, dedicated teacher who generously wanted to share his tools with everyone. There is muscularity, not to mention wisdom and truth to Seth's techniques. He is a wonderful teacher, an
Me Talk Pretty One Day book cover19

Me Talk Pretty One Day

David Sedaris

4.6
David Sedaris' move to Paris from New York inspired these hilarious pieces, including the title essay, about his attempts to learn French from a sadistic teacher who declares that every day spent with you is like having a caesarean section. His family is another inspiration. You Can't Kill the Rooster is a portrait of his brother, who talks incessant hip-hop slang to his bewildered father. And no
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) book cover20

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)

Mindy Kaling

4.6
Mindy Kaling has lived many lives: the obedient child of immigrant professionals, a timid chubster afraid of her own bike, a Ben Affleck–impersonating Off-Broadway performer and playwright, and, finally, a comedy writer and actress prone to starting fights with her friends and coworkers with the sentence “Can I just say one last thing about this, and then I swear I’ll shut up about it?”

Perhaps yo
Small Doses book cover21

Small Doses

Amanda Seales

4.6
Insightful essays, poignant life advice, and pithy pearls of wisdom from one of comedy’s brightest rising stars

Comedian, writer, actress, and social media star Amanda Seales is a force of nature who has fearlessly and passionately charted her own course through life and career. Now, in her one-of-a-kind voice that blends academic intellectualism, Black American colloquialisms, and pop culture fa
Howard Stern Comes Again book cover22

Howard Stern Comes Again

Howard Stern

4.6
The John Wayne Code: Wit, Wisdom and Timeless Advice book cover23

The John Wayne Code: Wit, Wisdom and Timeless Advice

Media Lab Books, Editors of the Official John Wayne Magazine

4.6
John Wayne was more than a movie star. He was a symbol for everything good and decent about America, inspiring everyday people to reach just a little bit more and try a little bit harder. During his 72 years and more than 150 movies, John Wayne imparted a seemingly-endless amount of advice, wisdom and good old-fashioned common sense to his audiences, and that wealth of knowledge has been collected
Actions: The Actors' Thesaurus book cover24

Actions: The Actors' Thesaurus

Marina Caldarone and Maggie Lloyd-Williams

4.6
Actors need actions. They cannot act adjectives, they need verbs. This thesaurus of active verbs helps the actor to refine the action-word until they hit exactly the right one to make the action come alive.
Rabbit book cover25

Rabbit

Patricia Williams and Jeannine Amber

4.6
A remarkably bold and inspiring story of crime, motherhood, and redemption—not since Cupcake Brown’s A Piece of Cake has there been a memoir this unforgettable.

You want to know about the struggle of growing up poor, black, and female? Ask any girl from any ’hood. You want to know what it takes to rise above your circumstances when all the cards are stacked against you? Ask me.

Comedian Patricia Wil
Self-Management for Actors: Getting Down to (Show) Business book cover26

Self-Management for Actors: Getting Down to (Show) Business

Bonnie Gillespie

4.6
No other book for actors focuses so succinctly on the business of self-management. Whether an actor has an agent or manager or is building toward assembling that team, "Self-Management for Actors" will provide a roadmap for surviving--and thriving--in the entertainment industry. There is nothing magic or even a little mystical about the business side of the business. There is, however, a cloak of
The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl book cover27

The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl

Issa Rae

4.6
In the bestselling tradition of Sloan Crosley’s I Was Told There’d Be Cake and Mindy Kaling’s Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, a collection of humorous essays on what it’s like to be unabashedly awkward in a world that regards introverts as hapless misfits, and black as cool.

My name is “J” and I’m awkward—and black. Someone once told me those were the two worst things anyone could be. That som
The World According to Mister Rogers: Important Things to Remember book cover28

The World According to Mister Rogers: Important Things to Remember

Fred Rogers

4.6
A timeless collection of wisdom on love, friendship, respect, individuality, and honesty from the beloved PBS series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.

There are few personalities who evoke such universal feelings of warmth as Fred Rogers. An enduring presence in American homes for over 30 years, his plainspoken wisdom continues to guide and comfort many. The World According to Mister Rogers distills the
Year of Yes book cover29

Year of Yes

Shonda Rhimes

4.5
In this poignant, hilarious and deeply intimate call to arms, Hollywood's most powerful woman, the mega-talented creator of Grey's Anatomy and Scandal and executive producer of How to Get Away with Murder and Catch, reveals how saying YES changed her life - and how it can change yours too. With three hit shows on television and three children at home, Shonda Rhimes had lots of good reasons to say
Incomparable book cover30

Incomparable

Brie Bella

4.5
A raw, honest, and revealing co-memoir by Brie and Nikki Bella: twin sisters, WWE Hall of Fame inductees, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, and stars of the hit E! shows Total Bellas and Total Divas.

As twins, the Bellas have always competed. Legend has it that Nikki drop-kicked Brie in the womb so that she could make her grand entrance first. But the rest of the world often treated them as identical
Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated book cover31

Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated

Alison Arngrim

4.5
Confessions of a Prairie Bitch is Alison Arngrim’s comic memoir of growing up as one of television’s most memorable characters—the devious Nellie Oleson on the hit television show Little House on the Prairie. With behind-the-scenes stories from the set, as well as tales from her bohemian upbringing in West Hollywood and her headline-making advocacy work on behalf of HIV awareness and abused childr
The Fifth Vital Sign: Master Your Cycles & Optimize Your Fertility book cover32

The Fifth Vital Sign: Master Your Cycles & Optimize Your Fertility

Lisa Hendrickson-Jack

4.5
MENSTRUATION ISN'T JUST ABOUT HAVING BABIESYour menstrual cycle is a vital sign, just like your pulse, temperature, respiration rate, and blood pressure. And it provides you with essential information about your health. The Fifth Vital Sign: Master Your Cycles and Optimize Your Fertility brings together over 1,000 meticulously researched scientific references in a textbook-quality guide to unders
Scar Tissue book cover33

Scar Tissue

Anthony Kiedis

4.5
Now in paperback, the New York Times bestseller by one of rock's most provocative figures Scar Tissue is Anthony Kiedis's searingly honest memoir of a life spent in the fast lane.

In 1983, four self-described "knuckleheads" burst out of the mosh-pitted mosaic of the neo-punk rock scene in L.A. with their own unique brand of cosmic hardcore mayhem funk. Over twenty years later, the Red Hot Chili Pe
The Mother of Black Hollywood: A Memoir book cover34

The Mother of Black Hollywood: A Memoir

Jenifer Lewis

4.5
The "Mega Diva" and legendary star of Black-ish looks back on her memorable journey to fame and the unforgettable life lessons she learned along the way.

Jenifer Lewis keeps it real in this provocative and touching memoir by a mid-western girl with a dream whose journey from poverty to Hollywood will move, shock, and inspire readers.

Told in the audacious voice her fans adore, Jenifer describes a ro
Recovery: Freedom from Our Addictions book cover35

Recovery: Freedom from Our Addictions

Russell Brand

4.5
This program is read by the author.

A guide to all kinds of addiction from a star who has struggled with heroin, alcohol, sex, fame, food, and eBay, that will help addicts and their loved ones make the first steps into recovery.

"This manual for self-realization comes not from a mountain but from the mud.... My qualification is not that I am better than you but I am worse." (Russell Brand)

With a rar
As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride book cover36

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride

Cary Elwes, Joe Layden, Rob Reiner

4.5
From actor Cary Elwes, who played the iconic role of Westley in The Princess Bride, comes a first-person account and behind-the-scenes look at the making of the cult classic film filled with never-before-told stories, exclusive photographs, and interviews with costars Robin Wright, Wallace Shawn, Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, and Mandy Patinkin, as well as author and screenwriter William Goldm
The Young Actor's Handbook book cover37

The Young Actor's Handbook

Jeremy Kruse

4.5
The way some introductory acting books are written, it seems that a literal leg break is your best option. In The Young Actor's Handbook, Jeremy Kruse, an actor, writer, producer, and director who teaches method acting, acting for camera, improvisation, and sketch comedy at The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York, mends this mangled genre, distilling invaluable lessons and years o
The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo book cover38

The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo

Amy Schumer

4.5
#1 New York Times Bestseller

"Amy Schumer's book will make you love her even more. For a comedian of unbridled (and generally hilarious) causticity, Schumer has written a probing, confessional, unguarded, and, yes, majorly humanizing non-memoir, a book that trades less on sarcasm, and more on emotional resonance." —Vogue

"The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo is an alternatingly meditative, sexually e
Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years book cover39

Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years

Julie Andrews

4.5
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
In this follow-up to her critically acclaimed memoir, Home, Julie Andrews shares reflections on her astonishing career, including such classics as Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, and Victor/Victoria.

In Home, the number one New York Times international bestseller, Julie Andrews recounted her difficult childhood and her emergence as an acclaimed singer and performer on
Apropos of Nothing book cover40

Apropos of Nothing

Woody Allen

4.5
The long-awaited, enormously entertaining memoir by one of the great artists of our time.

In this candid and often hilarious memoir, the celebrated director, comedian, writer, and actor offers a comprehensive, personal look at his tumultuous life. Beginning with his Brooklyn childhood and his stint as a writer for the Sid Caesar variety show in the early days of television, working alongside comedy
Summary: We're Going to Need More Wine: Stories That Are Funny, Complicated, and True book cover41

Summary: We're Going to Need More Wine: Stories That Are Funny, Complicated, and True

Gabrielle Union

4.5
We're Going to Need More Wine: Stories That Are Funny, Complicated, and True by Gabrielle Union Book Summary Abbey Beathan

(Disclaimer: This is NOT the original book. If you're looking for the original book, search this link: http: //amzn.to/2GygI4e)




A collection of essays of what it means to be a modern woman by hollywood actress Gabrielle Union.

A heartbreaking and crude title from a former victim
42
The ultimate hustle is to move freely between the street and corporate worlds, to find your flow and never stay locked in the same position. This is a manifesto for how to operate in the twenty-first century, where everything has been turned on its head. Building on the runaway success of Robert Greene's The 48 Laws of Power (almost five million copies sold), the 'modern Machiavelli' teams up with
Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls (and Everything in Between) book cover43

Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls (and Everything in Between)

Lauren Graham and Random House Audi

4.5
In this collection of personal essays, the beloved star of Gilmore Girls and Parenthood reveals stories about life, love, and working as a woman in Hollywood—along with behind-the-scenes dispatches from the set of the new Gilmore Girls, where she plays the fast-talking Lorelai Gilmore once again.

In Talking as Fast as I Can, Lauren Graham hits pause for a moment and looks back on her life, sharing
Scrappy Little Nobody book cover44

Scrappy Little Nobody

Anna Kendrick

4.5
A collection of humorous autobiographical essays by the Academy Award-nominated actress and star of Up in the Air and Pitch Perfect.

Even before she made a name for herself on the silver screen starring in films like Pitch Perfect, Up in the Air, Twilight, and Into the Woods, Anna Kendrick was unusually small, weird, and “10 percent defiant.”

At the ripe age of thirteen, she had already resolved to
Hurricanes: A Memoir book cover45

Hurricanes: A Memoir

Rick Ross

4.5
The highly anticipated memoir from hip-hop icon Rick Ross chronicles his coming of age amid Miami’s crack epidemic, his star-studded controversies and his unstoppable rise to fame.

Rick Ross is an indomitable presence in the music industry, but few people know his full story. Now, for the first time, Ross offers a vivid, dramatic and unexpectedly candid account of his early childhood, his tumultuou
Nigger: An Autobiography by Dick Gregory book cover46

Nigger: An Autobiography by Dick Gregory

Dick Gregory

4.5
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I understand there are a good many Southerners in the room tonight. I know the South very well. I spent twenty years there one night..."
There'll Be Peace When You Are Done: Actors and Fans Celebrate the Legacy of Supernatural book cover47

There'll Be Peace When You Are Done: Actors and Fans Celebrate the Legacy of Supernatural

Lynn S. Zubernis

4.4
Fifteen years. Two brothers. Angels and demons. A story like no other. And one of the most passionate fan bases of all time.

That’s Supernatural.

There’ll Be Peace When You Are Done: Actors and Fans Celebrate the Legacy of Supernatural is an emotional look back at the beloved television show Supernatural as it wraps up its final season after fifteen unprecedented years on air.

With heartfelt chapte
There's Money Where Your Mouth Is (Fourth Edition): A Complete Insider's Guide to Earning Income and Building a Career in Voice-Overs book cover48

There's Money Where Your Mouth Is (Fourth Edition): A Complete Insider's Guide to Earning Income and Building a Career in Voice-Overs

Elaine A. Clark

4.4
“The bible of our industry” —Harlan Hogan. How to sell your voice and make a living from it.

Voices are increasingly in demand for commercials, video games, audio books, cartoon characters, announcements, and other spots. This outstanding handbook explains how to launch a career and work in the field of professional voice-overs. Along with sample commercials and script copy, the author gives advice
Physical Expression on Stage and Screen: Using the Alexander Technique to Create Unforgettable Performances book cover49

Physical Expression on Stage and Screen: Using the Alexander Technique to Create Unforgettable Performances

Bill Connington

4.4
A tight throat; held breath; stiff muscles; stage fright: impediments to performance come in many guises, but they all spring from the same source—tension.

In Physical Expression on Stage and Screen Bill Connington, a renowned teacher of the Alexander Technique, shows you how to recognize and release the tension that keeps you from performing at your best. If you're ever not certain of what to do w
Around the Way Girl: A Memoir book cover50

Around the Way Girl: A Memoir

Taraji P. Henson

4.4
From Academy Award nominee, Golden Globe winner, and star of the new motion picture Hidden Figures, Taraji P. Henson, comes an inspiring and funny book about family, friends, the hustle required to make it from DC to Hollywood, and the joy of living in your own truth.

With a sensibility that recalls her beloved screen characters, including NASA physicist mathematician Katherine G. Johnson, Yvette,
Robin book cover51

Robin

Dave Itzkoff

4.4
From New York Times culture reporter Dave Itzkoff, the definitive biography of Robin Williams – a compelling portrait of one of America’s most beloved and misunderstood entertainers.

From his rapid-fire stand-up comedy riffs to his breakout role in Mork & Mindy and his Academy Award-winning performance in Good Will Hunting, Robin Williams was a singularly innovative and beloved entertainer. He of
Yes Please book cover52

Yes Please

Amy Poehler

4.4
In Amy Poehler’s highly anticipated first book, Yes Please, she offers up a big juicy stew of personal stories, funny bits on sex and love and friendship and parenthood and real life advice (some useful, some not so much), like when to be funny and when to be serious. Powered by Amy’s charming and hilarious, biting yet wise voice, Yes Please is a book full of words to live by.
It's a Long Story: My Life book cover53

It's a Long Story: My Life

Willie Nelson

4.4
The definitive autobiography of Willie Nelson.

"Unvarnished. Funny. Leaving no stone unturned." . . . So say the publishers about this book I've written. What I say is that this is the story of my life, told as clear as a Texas sky and in the same rhythm that I lived it.

It's a story of restlessness and the purity of the moment and living right. Of my childhood in Abbott, Texas, to the Pacific No
I Must Say: My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend book cover54

I Must Say: My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend

Martin Short

4.4
In this engaging memoir, written with heart, wisdom, and a huge helping of hilarity, Martin Short shares stories of his life, revealing how a Canadian kid obsessed with American show business became the comedian s comedian ("Vanity Fair").

Martin Short is one of few celebrities in show business who has continually worked hard, found success, and maintained a normal, happy family life. His memoir is
Find Your Path: Honor Your Body, Fuel Your Soul, and Get Strong with the Fit52 Life book cover55

Find Your Path: Honor Your Body, Fuel Your Soul, and Get Strong with the Fit52 Life

Carrie Underwood

4.4

"I want to be healthy and fit 52 weeks of the year, but that doesn't mean I have to be perfect every day. This philosophy is a year-round common-sense approach to health and fitness that involves doing your best most of the time—and by that I don't mean being naughty for three days and good for four. I mean doing your absolute best most of the time during every week, 52 weeks of the year."—Carrie

Acting for Young Actors: The Ultimate Teen Guide book cover56

Acting for Young Actors: The Ultimate Teen Guide

Mary Lou Belli and Dinah Lenney

4.4
Do you know a teen that's been bitten by the acting bug? Here's just the book they need! Acting for Young Actors, aimed at teens and tweens, lets kids hone their skills and develop their craft. It begins with the five W's: WHO am I? WHAT do I want? WHY do I want it? WHERE am I? WHEN does this event take place? Sounds basic - but many young child actors are told simply to "get up there and act." Th
Duke in His Own Words: John Wayne's Life in Letters, Handwritten Notes and Never-Before-Seen Photos Curated from His Private Archive book cover57

Duke in His Own Words: John Wayne's Life in Letters, Handwritten Notes and Never-Before-Seen Photos Curated from His Private Archive

Editors of the Official John Wayne…

4.4
Duke In His Own Words gives readers an intimate look into the life of an American legend. But the letters, correspondence and chronicles that fill this 215-page book prove the Wild West's leading man was much more than another face on the silver screen. He was a loving father, a faithful friend and an unparalleled patriot. Read as John Wayne consoles his kids, jokes with celebrity friends, answers
Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography book cover58

Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography

Rob Lowe

4.4
A wryly funny and surprisingly moving account of an extraordinary life lived almost entirely in the public eye

A teen idol at fifteen, an international icon and founder of the Brat Pack at twenty, and one of Hollywood's top stars to this day, Rob Lowe chronicles his experiences as a painfully misunderstood child actor in Ohio uprooted to the wild counterculture of mid-seventies Malibu, where he emb
Whiskey In a Teacup book cover59

Whiskey In a Teacup

Reese Witherspoon

4.4
Academy award-winning actress, producer, and entrepreneur Reese Witherspoon invites you into her world, where she infuses the southern style, parties, and traditions she loves with contemporary flair and charm.

Reese Witherspoon’s grandmother Dorothea always said that a combination of beauty and strength made southern women “whiskey in a teacup.” We may be delicate and ornamental on the outside, sh
Shook One: Anxiety Playing Tricks on Me book cover60

Shook One: Anxiety Playing Tricks on Me

Charlamagne Tha God

4.4
8 Hours

Charlamagne Tha God, New York Times bestselling author of Black Privilege and cohost of Power 105.1’s The Breakfast Club, reveals his blueprint for breaking free from your fears and anxiety to reach that elusive next level of success.

Fear is holding you back. It’s time to turn the tables and channel your fears to actually fuel your success.

Being “shook” is more than a rap lyric for Charlama
F*ck, That's Delicious: An Annotated Guide to Eating Well book cover61

F*ck, That's Delicious: An Annotated Guide to Eating Well

Action Bronson

4.4
New York Times bestseller
Winner of the IACP Cookbook Design Award


This ain’t no cookbook. This ain’t no memoir. This is Action Bronson’s devotional, a book about the overwhelming power of delicious—no, f*cking amazing—food. Bronson is this era’s Homer, and F*ck, That’s Delicious is a modern-day Odyssey, replete with orgiastic recipes, world travel, siren songs, and weed.

Illustrated, packed with
62

Dirt: Adventures, with Family, in the Kitchens of Lyon, Looking for the Origins of French Cooking

Bill Buford

4.4
Bill Buford turns his inimitable attention from Italian cuisine to the food of France. Baffled by the language, but convinced that he can master the art of French cooking--or at least get to the bottom of why it is so revered-- he begins what becomes a five-year odyssey by shadowing the esteemed French chef Michel Richard, in Washington, D.C. But when Buford (quickly) realizes that a stage in Fran
From This Moment On book cover63

From This Moment On

Shania Twain

4.4
Now in paperback from superstar Shania Twain, a poignant, heartfelt, and beautifully told account of her hard-scrabble childhood, rise to worldwide fame, and recent personal tragedies.

The world may know Shania Twain as many things: a music legend, a mother, and recently, a fixture in the news for her painful, public divorce and subsequent marriage to a cherished friend. But in this extraordinary a
Paint by Sticker: Music Icons: Re-create 12 Classic Photographs One Sticker at a Time! book cover64

Paint by Sticker: Music Icons: Re-create 12 Classic Photographs One Sticker at a Time!

Workman Publishing

4.4
Paint by Sticker is the most exciting new idea in activity books, both for grown-ups and kids. A compelling activity for crafters and artists, doodlers and colorers of all ages, each Paint by Sticker book includes everything you need to create twelve vibrant, full-color “paintings.” The original images are rendered in low-poly, a computer graphics style using geometric polygon shapes to create a 3
Reel Inequality: Hollywood Actors and Racism book cover65

Reel Inequality: Hollywood Actors and Racism

Nancy Wang Yuen

4.4
When the 2016 Oscar acting nominations all went to whites for the second consecutive year, #OscarsSoWhite became a trending topic. Yet these enduring racial biases afflict not only the Academy Awards, but also Hollywood as a whole. Why do actors of color, despite exhibiting talent and bankability, continue to lag behind white actors in presence and prominence?

Reel Inequality examines the structur
The New One: Painfully True Stories from a Reluctant Dad book cover66

The New One: Painfully True Stories from a Reluctant Dad

Mike Birbiglia

4.4
A new book by award-winning comedian and New York Times bestselling author Mike Birbiglia.
In Pieces book cover67

In Pieces

Sally Field

4.3
In this intimate, haunting literary memoir and New York Times Notable Book of the year, an American icon tells her own story for the first time -- about a challenging and lonely childhood, the craft that helped her find her voice, and a powerful emotional legacy that shaped her journey as a daughter and a mother.


One of the most celebrated, beloved, and enduring actors of our time, Sally Field has
Like Brothers book cover68

Like Brothers

Mark Duplass

4.3
The multitalented writers, directors, producers, and actors (as seen on The League, Transparent, and The Mindy Project) share the secrets of their lifelong partnership in this unique memoir.

Whether producing, writing, directing, or acting, the Duplass Brothers have made their mark in the world of independent film and television on the strength of their quirky and empathetic approach to storytellin
I, Rhoda book cover69

I, Rhoda

Valerie Harper

4.3
The heartwarming memoir of beloved television actress Valerie Harper, best known for her role as Rhoda Morgenstern on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and on Rhoda.

Valerie Harper was an unknown actress when she won the groundbreaking role of Rhoda Morgenstern, Mary Tyler Moore’s lovable and self-deprecating on-screen best friend. Bold and hilarious, the native New Yorker and struggling working girl was u
The Michael Chekhov Handbook: For the Actor book cover70

The Michael Chekhov Handbook: For the Actor

Lenard Petit

4.3
'Petit's words go right to the heart of Chekhov's technique ... Anyone looking for a key to understanding more about Michael Chekhov's technique will devour it.' - Jessica Cerullo, Michael Chekhov Association, NYC



The Michael Chekhov technique is today seen as one of the most influential and inspiring methods of actor training in existence. In The Michael Chekhov Handbook, Lenard Petit draws on twe
Box Set: Ingrid Bergman, Bette Davis, Katharine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor book cover71

Box Set: Ingrid Bergman, Bette Davis, Katharine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor

Grace May Carter

4.3
How to Be Black book cover72

How to Be Black

Baratunde Thurston

4.3
Baratunde Thurston shares his 30-plus years of expertise in being black, with helpful essays like “How to Be the Black Friend,” “How to Speak for All Black People,” “How To Celebrate Black History Month,” and more, in this satirical guide to race issues—written for black people and those who love them. Audacious, cunning, and razor-sharp, How to Be Black exposes the mass-media’s insidiously racist
Naturally Tan: A Memoir book cover73

Naturally Tan: A Memoir

Tan France

4.3


'The book is meant to spread joy, personal acceptance, and most of all understanding. Each of us is living our own private journey, and the more we know about each other, the healthier and happier the world will be.'

Growing up gay in a traditional South Asian family in South Yorkshire, Tan France could never have imagined he’d become part of a worldwide phenomenon. One of the few people of col

Theater Games for the Lone Actor book cover74

Theater Games for the Lone Actor

Viola Spolin, Paul Sills

4.3
This handbook presents theatre games and side coaching for the solo player. It contains over 40 exercises which allow actors to side coach themselves, at home, in rehearsal, or in performance. The author asks the actor to develop the ability to enter present time, a moment of full consciousness and awareness with all the responses awake and alert, ready to guide you.... allowing you, the real you,
Paddle Your Own Canoe: One Man's Fundamentals for Delicious Living book cover75

Paddle Your Own Canoe: One Man's Fundamentals for Delicious Living

Nick Offerman

4.3
Parks and Recreation actor Nick Offerman shares his humorous fulminations on life, manliness, meat, and much more in his first book.

Growing a perfect moustache, grilling red meat, wooing a woman—who better to deliver this tutelage than the always charming, always manly Nick Offerman, best known as Parks and Recreation’s Ron Swanson? Combining his trademark comic voice and very real expertise in w
Robert Taylor: A Biography book cover76

Robert Taylor: A Biography

Charles Tranberg

4.3
Robert Taylor was one of Hollywood's biggest stars for over thirty-years and starred in such classic films as Magnificent Obsession, Camille, A Yank at Oxford, Waterloo Bridge, Johnny Eager, Quo Vadis, Ivanhoe and The Last Hunt. He worked with the cream of Hollywood leading ladies: Irene Dunne, Joan Crawford, Greta Garbo, Vivien Leigh, Lana Turner, Katharine Hepburn and Barbara Stanwyck, who he la
I'm Judging You: The Do-Better Manual book cover77

I'm Judging You: The Do-Better Manual

Luvvie Ajayi

4.3
Comedian, activist, and hugely popular culture blogger at AwesomelyLuvvie.com, Luvvie Ajayi, serves up necessary advice for the common senseless in this hilarious book of essays. "This truth-riot of a book gives us everything from hilarious lectures on the bad behavior all around us to the razor sharp essays on media and culture" (Shonda Rhimes, New York Times best-selling author of Year of Yes an
An Actor's Guide: Your First Year in Hollywood book cover78

An Actor's Guide: Your First Year in Hollywood

Michael St. Nicholas and Lisa Mulcahy

4.3
For every actor beginning a career in Hollywood, this indispensable guide will lay out a clear and comprehensible path with tried-and-true advice. Up-to-date resources and new interviews with recently established actors experiencing the current movieland scene—as well as the timeless voices of established actors and industry pros—make this a rich compendium of Hollywood know-how. Delve into the in
Behind the Mask of the Horror Actor book cover79

Behind the Mask of the Horror Actor

Doug Bradley

4.3
Actor Doug Bradley, who portrays Pinhead in Clive Barker's Hellraiser films, gives his own unique and personal guide to cinema monsters and the men who portray them, including legends Lon Chaney and Boris Karloff, and unforgettable creatures like The Wolf Man, Frankenstein's Monster, The Phantom of the Opera and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. He also examines the many roles the mask has played throu
Voice Acting For Dummies (For Dummies (Career/Education)) book cover80

Voice Acting For Dummies (For Dummies (Career/Education))

David Ciccarelli and Stephanie Ciccarelli

4.3
Voice acting is like acting, but just using your voice! It's a unique career where the actor's voice can be heard worldwide-in commercials, on audiobooks, in animated movies, documentaries, telephone systems and much, much more. The point is to bring the written word to life with the human voice. With step-by-step explanations, screen shots, and an abundance of examples, this will be the ultimate
Contemporary Scenes for Young Actors book cover81

Contemporary Scenes for Young Actors

Douglas M. Parker

4.2
Contemporary Scenes for Young Actors features 34 fun, instantly involving scenes written specifically for actors aged 8-16, and for the teachers, directors and acting coaches who work with them.

Written by award-winning New York City playwright Douglas M. Parker, Contemporary Scenes provides young actors with the material they need to have fun while exploring a full spectrum of emotions, situation
You Can't Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have to Explain book cover82

You Can't Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have to Explain

Phoebe Robinson, Jessica Williams

4.2
A hilarious and affecting essay collection about race, gender, and pop culture from celebrated stand-up comedian and WNYC podcaster Phoebe Robinson.

Phoebe Robinson is a stand-up comic, which means that, often, her everyday experiences become points of comedic fodder. And as a black woman in America, she maintains, sometimes you need to have a sense of humor to deal with the absurdity you are hande
Wow, No Thank You. book cover83

Wow, No Thank You.

Samantha Irby

4.2
A new rip-roaring essay collection from the smart, edgy, hilarious, unabashedly raunchy, and bestselling Samantha Irby about aging, marriage, settling down with step-children in white, small-town America, health food and skincare obsessions, money trouble, the real story of glamorous Hollywood life and more.

Beloved writer Samantha Irby returns to the printed page for her much-anticipated, sidespli
The Big Goodbye: Chinatown and the Last Years of Hollywood book cover84

The Big Goodbye: Chinatown and the Last Years of Hollywood

Sam Wasson

4.2
From the New York Times bestselling author of Fifth Avenue, Five A.M. and Fosse comes the revelatory account of the making of a modern American masterpiece

Chinatown is the Holy Grail of 1970s cinema. Its twist ending is the most notorious in American film and its closing line of dialogue the most haunting. Here for the first time is the incredible true story of its making.

In Sam Wasson's telling,
The Director's Eye: A Comprehensive Textbook for Directors and Actors book cover85

The Director's Eye: A Comprehensive Textbook for Directors and Actors

John Ahart

4.2
Can a theatre class textbook be both inspirational and informative? Yes! This holistic book on directing and acting does it all. Students will keep it as a lifelong career reference on how to make things work. Written subjectively, it's based on nearly a half-century of teaching and directing. A theatre text that compels involvement in all layers of creating memorable theatre. Thirty-five chapters
Claude Rains: An Actor's Voice book cover86

Claude Rains: An Actor's Voice

David J. Skal and Jessica Rains

4.2
Late in Claude Rains's distinguished career, a reverent film journalist wrote that Rains "was as much a cinematic institution as the medium itself." Given his childhood speech impediments and his origins in a destitute London neighborhood, the ascent of Claude Rains (1889--1967) to the stage and screen is remarkable. Rains's difficulties in his formative years provided reserves of gravitas and sen
Asa (Marked Men, #6) book cover87

Asa (Marked Men, #6)

Alistair Cooke

4.2
Starting over in Denver with a whole new circle of friends and family, Asa Cross struggles with being the man he knows everyone wants him to be and the man he knows he really is. A leopard doesn’t it change its spots and Asa has always been a predator. He doesn’t want to hurt those who love and rely on him, especially one luscious arresting cop who suddenly seems to be interested in him for far mo
The Sun and Her Stars: Salka Viertel and Hitler's Exiles in the Golden Age of Hollywood book cover88

The Sun and Her Stars: Salka Viertel and Hitler's Exiles in the Golden Age of Hollywood

Donna Rifkind

4.2
The little-known story of screenwriter Salka Viertel, whose salons in 1930s and 40s Hollywood created a refuge for a multitude of famous figures who had escaped the horrors of World War ll.

Hollywood was created by its "others"; that is, by women, Jews, and immigrants. Salka Viertel was all three and so much more. She was the screenwriter for five of Greta Garbo's movies and also her most inti
Changing Direction: A Practical Approach to Directing Actors in Film and Theatre: Foreword by Ang Lee book cover89

Changing Direction: A Practical Approach to Directing Actors in Film and Theatre: Foreword by Ang Lee

Lenore DeKoven

4.2
The second edition of this elegant and accessible primer offers a helpful reference and resource for directing actors in film, television, and theatre, useful to directors, actors, and writers. Combining underlying theory with dozens of exercises designed to reveal the actor's craft, Lenore DeKoven discusses constructing the throughline; analyzing the script; character needs; the casting and rehea
The Ultimate Scene and Monologue Sourcebook: An Actor's Guide to over 1000 Monologues and Dialogues from More Than 300 Contemporary Plays book cover90

The Ultimate Scene and Monologue Sourcebook: An Actor's Guide to over 1000 Monologues and Dialogues from More Than 300 Contemporary Plays

Ed Hooks

4.1
Preparing for an audition and unsure of what you want to do? The Ultimate Scene and Monologue Sourcebook is the book you've been waiting for.



Unlike “scene books” that reprint 50 to 75 monologues excerpted from plays but don't include any background information, this annotated guide tells you what you really need to know about audition material from more than 300 contemporary plays.



Here is how th
Monologues They'll Remember You by: 80 Unique and Compelling Monologues That Leave a Lasting Impression book cover91

Monologues They'll Remember You by: 80 Unique and Compelling Monologues That Leave a Lasting Impression

Andrew Biss

4.1
Finding the right monologue can often be a frustrating task. Too frequently, monologue books rely on time-worn staples that have been heard a million times before, or are padded out with aimless, insipid pieces that often aren't even taken from actual plays. In Monologues They'll Remember You By you'll find 80 (40 male, 40 female) fresh, engaging monologues that will allow you to create memorable
The Actor's Book of Contemporary Stage Monologues book cover92

The Actor's Book of Contemporary Stage Monologues

Nina Shengold

4.1
This is the only book that offers a comprehensive collection of contemporary stage monologues for a complete range of roles. An invaluable tool for actors looking for new audition material or for anyone interested in theater.
C'mon, Get Happy . . .: Fear and Loathing on the Partridge Family Bus book cover93

C'mon, Get Happy . . .: Fear and Loathing on the Partridge Family Bus

David Cassidy

4.1
This memoir by David Cassidy tells the real story behind his phenomenal ’70s stardom—and the sadness that shadowed it. Includes photos and a new afterword.

Barely out of his teens, David Cassidy landed a role on a new sitcom about a musical family that toured in a psychedelic bus. The critics blasted it—but TV viewers loved it! And the young female audience especially loved Keith Partridge. Not on
Voice and the Young Actor: A Workbook and DVD book cover94

Voice and the Young Actor: A Workbook and DVD

Rena Cook

4.1
"Many high school theatre teachers do not have access to intensive voice instruction. Rena's book will fill that void. It is instructive, concise, easy to understand, and most importantly for the high school student, fun. High school teachers will find the book an invaluable voice and acting resource. It would be beneficial to all high school theatre programs to have Voice and the Young Actor as a
The Actor's Scenebook: Scenes and Monologues From Contemporary Plays book cover95

The Actor's Scenebook: Scenes and Monologues From Contemporary Plays

Michael Schulman and Eva Mekler

4.0
Here is wonderful, up-to-date material for scene study, selected from the best plays from recent theater seasons. More than 20 monologues for both men and women, carefully chosen to display the widest range of dramatic ability, are essential for auditioning actors. A large selection of parts for woman provide exciting opportunities to sharpen acting skills in roles that brought accolades from New
This Van Could Be Your Life book cover96

This Van Could Be Your Life

Mishka Shubaly

4.0

From the bestselling author of The Long Run comes an emotional and adventurously funny true story of a man, a van, and a family on an epic journey of rediscovering what matters most.

It’s been a rough time for Mishka Shubaly and the women in his family. In a failed quest for something stable, they’ve all arrived at a crossroads. Divorce, unemployment, eviction, addiction, sobriety, an abusive mar

Acting the Truth: The Acting Principles of Constantin Stanislavski and Exercises: A Handbook for Actors, Directors, and Instructors of T book cover97

Acting the Truth: The Acting Principles of Constantin Stanislavski and Exercises: A Handbook for Actors, Directors, and Instructors of T

Albert Pia

4.0
To Me, He Was Just Dad: Stories of Growing Up with Famous Fathers book cover98

To Me, He Was Just Dad: Stories of Growing Up with Famous Fathers

Joshua David Stein

4.0
My Father the Chef. My Father the Cult Leader. My Father the Front Man. My Father the Daredevil. These men (Jacques Pépin, Saul Newton, Jon Bon Jovi, and Evel Kneivel, respectively) are among the famous—and infamous—dads featured in My Father The . . . , a collection of 50 first-person essays written by the children of some of the world’s most fascinating men. Though these men may be familiar to t
Working on a New Play: A Play Development Handbook for Actors, Directors, Designers & Playwrights book cover99

Working on a New Play: A Play Development Handbook for Actors, Directors, Designers & Playwrights

Edward M. Cohen

4.0
"�The� invaluable Working on a New Play...arrived, to my overwhelming delight and mental profit; I began and finished it in one long, insatiable, and educational night. Everything in it is new, illuminating and informative, lively and clarifying." -Cynthia Ozick
You Can Be An Actor Too! (Acting for Beginners) book cover100

You Can Be An Actor Too! (Acting for Beginners)

Nyna Lyle and Emma Rayne Lyle

4.0