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How to Start an Autobiography – 8 Great Examples

How to start your autobiography can be a tricky issue.

Do you begin with your birth? With a description of your parents, or maybe even your grandparents?

How about beginning with the first notable thing you did? Or starting off with the biggest crisis point in your life, and then going back to the beginning?

There is no single “best” way to start an autobiography. But there are different approaches. The key is to find the one that works best for your story.

If you’d like to hire a ghostwriter to help you with your autobiography, contact Barry Fox & Nadine Taylor.

Eight ways to start an autobiography

Here are excerpts showing four interesting ways that have been used to open an autobiography. One author uses his birth name to foreshadow the life that lies ahead; one paints a simple sketch of his parents; one talks about the beliefs that shaped him; and one reflects on the influence of chance.

Each opening is different, and each is just right for its subject. Perhaps one of these approaches will be right for you! (I’ve linked the titles of each book below to Amazon so you can click on the “Look Inside” button and read more.)

Long Walk to Freedom, how to start an autobiography

With a hint…

In the opening paragraph of Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela, the former President of South Africa hints at the tumultuous life he must face:

Apart from life, a strong constitution, and an abiding connection to the Thembu royal house, the only thing my father bestowed upon me at birth was a name, Rolihlahla. In Xhosa, Rolihlahla literally means “pulling the branch of a tree,” but its colloquial meaning more accurately would be “trouble maker.” I do not believe that names are destiny or that my father somehow divined my future, but in later years, friends and relatives would ascribe to my birth name the many storms I have both caused and weathered.

Why it works:

Mandela begins with a name; simple, symbolic, and deeply cultural. The passage instantly establishes his heritage and foreshadows the struggles to come. He gives us a glimpse of destiny through language and tradition.

Take Me Home, how to begin an autobiography

With a sketch…

In Take Me Home, singer-songwriter John Denver uses only a few words to sketch a portrait of his parents:

They met in Tulsa. Dad was a ploughboy from western Oklahoma; Mom was a hometown girl. He was in the Army Air Corps, studying the mechanics of flight at the Spartan School of Aeronautics, and she had been first-prize winner in a jitterbug contest the year before. It was 1942: She was just turning eighteen, a high-school senior; and he was twenty-one.

Why it works:

With a few brushstrokes, Denver evokes time, place, and personality. We can already sense the blend of music, movement, and Americana that will shape his story. It’s a warm beginning that sets the emotional tone.

With a list…

Chris Kyle begins his American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History, by listing the lifelong beliefs he inherited from his family and environment:

Every story has a beginning.

Mine starts in north-central Texas. I grew up in small towns where I learned the importance of family and tradition. Values, like patriotism, self-reliance, and watching out for your family and neighbors. I’m proud to say that I still try to live my life according to those values. I have a strong sense of justice. It’s pretty much black-and-white. I don’t see too much gray. I think it’s important to protect others. I don’t mind hard work. At the same time, I like to have fun; life’s too short not to.

Why it works:

Kyle’s straightforward, bullet-point style mirrors the mindset of a soldier: direct, orderly, and rooted in principle. The rhythm of his sentences reflects his worldview: clarity, conviction, and loyalty. Readers understand who he is before any action begins.

With reflection…

Former President Ronald Reagan opens An American Life by talking about the effects of chance:

If I’d gotten the job I wanted at Montgomery Ward, I suppose I never would have left Illinois.

I’ve often wondered at how lives are shaped by what seem like small and inconsequential events, how an apparently random turn in the road can lead you a long way from where you intended to go—and a long way from wherever you expected to go. For me, the first of these turns occurred in the summer of 1932, in the abyss of the Depression.

Why it works:

Reagan’s opening is thoughtful and humble. That reflective tone draws readers in by showing that the twists of fate—rather than ambition alone—shaped his life. It’s conversational yet profound.

With a scene…

Open: An Autobiography by tennis champion Andre Agassi begins with immediate motion and emotion:

I open my eyes and don’t know where I am or who I am. Not all that unusual. I’ve spent half my life not knowing. Still, this feels different. This confusion is more frightening.

Why it works:
Agassi starts mid-action, in disorientation rather than triumph. The reader feels his fatigue and humanity before learning anything about his fame. It’s a visceral, cinematic way to launch a story defined by pressure, rebellion, and self-discovery.

With voice and candor…

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin opens with a conversational, humorous note of self-awareness:

Dear Son: I have ever had pleasure in obtaining any little anecdotes of my ancestors. You may remember the inquiries I made among the remains of my relations when you were with me in England; and the journey I undertook for that purpose. Imagining it may be equally agreeable to you to know the circumstances of my life, many of which you are yet unacquainted with, and expecting the enjoyment of a week’s uninterrupted leisure, I sit down to write them for you.

Why it works:

Franklin begins with an intimate letter, speaking directly to his son: and by extension, to the reader. It’s personal, instructive, and full of self-confidence, the perfect opening for a life of invention and reflection.

With a moment of transformation…

The Autobiography of Malcolm X, as told to Alex Haley, opens with a shocking moment that sets the tone for his life story:

When my mother was pregnant with me, she told me later, a party of hooded Ku Klux Klansmen galloped up to our home, brandishing guns and shouting for my father to come out. My mother went to the door where they could see her pregnant condition and told them my father was away preaching in Milwaukee. The Klansmen shouted threats and warnings that we had better get out of town because “the good Christian white people” were not going to stand for my father’s “spreading trouble” among the “good” Negroes…

Why it works:

Malcolm X begins his story before his birth, in a moment of racial terror. The scene is cinematic and symbolic: violence, fear, and defiance are present from the very first line. It tells readers that his life will be shaped by conflict and courage from the start — a fitting overture to a story of awakening and resistance.

With historical grounding…

Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story by Arnold Schwarzenegger opens by situating the reader firmly in the moment of his birth, against the backdrop of a nation rebuilding from war:

I was born into a year of famine. It was 1947, and Austria was occupied by the Allied armies that had defeated Hitler’s Third Reich. In May, two months before I was born, there were hunger riots in Vienna, and in Styria, the southeastern province where we lived, the food shortages were just as bad.

Why it works:

Schwarzenegger begins not with triumph, but with scarcity. By placing his origins in the ruins of postwar Europe, he instantly establishes the dramatic contrast that will define his life, from deprivation to abundance, obscurity to global fame. It’s a powerful, cinematic way to start an autobiography built on resilience, ambition, and transformation.

How to start an autobiography?

There is no single best way. The goal is to draw your readers in with your first sentence—to make them want to read more by telling them something about you that makes you and your life story irresistible.

If you can do that, you’ve figured out how to start an autobiography.

Before deciding how you’d like to open your autobiography, go back and review the purpose of the autobiography and consider what it must contain.

Once you know where you’re headed, you’ll be able to zero in on the “right” opening more effectively.

If You’d Like Help Writing Your Autobiography or Memoir…

Barry Fox explains how to begin a business memoir or autobiography

Contact us!

We’re Barry Fox and Nadine Taylor, professional ghostwriters and authors with a long list of satisfied clients and editors at major publishing houses.

You can learn about our ghostwriting work and credentials on our Home Page.

For more information, call us at 818-917-5362 or use our contact form to send us a message.

We’d love to talk to you about your exciting idea for writing an autobiography or memoir!