Unique in an age when stories are gleaned from headlines and tweets, Jeanette Winterson’s memoir is a deeply personal account of a life spent challenging the question Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?

In 1985, Winterson’s semi-autobiographical book, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit was published and won the Whitbread Award for Best First Novel. Twenty-six years later, Winterson gives readers an intimate look at the story behind the story. She relates what has driven her brilliant career and fuelled her quest for identity and belonging.

Many chapters of Winterson’s life are unbelievably grim but the autobiography—like its sardonic title—is also cuttingly funny and filled with emotional acuity. As a contemporary Scheherazade, Winterson inspires us to have the courage to shape and share our stories. What I loved about this book is that it is more than a memoir, it is also about our will to love and the tough decisions we make along the way.

If you like Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? check out Evelyn Lau’s memoir Inside Out.