Best Biographies of the Year (2026): 5 Picks Compared

The best biographies of the year span a Senate titan, a Beatles legend, a soldier who fought for thirty years, a basketball memoirist and a daily book of saints. We compared five biographies by length, subject, edition, publisher and publication date, using only what each listing publishes.

ShelfAnswers earns a commission when you buy through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Affiliate disclosure.

The picks

#	Product	Shelf Score	Buy
1	Master of the Senate	9.8/10	Buy
2	There's Always This Year	9.7/10	Buy
3	Paul McCartney Bio	9.7/10	Buy
4	No Surrender by Onoda	9.6/10	Buy
5	Lives of the Saints	9.6/10	Buy

1

Master of the Senate

Robert A. Caro·9.8/10 Shelf Score

i

The Shelf Score runs from 9.2 to 9.8 and weighs fit for the reader or goal (35 points), contents and edition (25), value (25) and listed reading age or level (10, where the listing gives one), using only what the book listing states. How we pick ›

A 1232-page biography of Lyndon Johnson's Senate years.

Check price on Amazon

Pros

• 1232 pages of deep research
• Book 3 of 4 in The Years of Lyndon Johnson
• Pulitzer Prize Winner, per the listing

Cons

• Reprint edition from 2003
• Long read at 1232 pages
• No reading age or grade level is stated

2

There's Always This Year

Hanif Abdurraqib·9.7/10 Shelf Score

i

The Shelf Score runs from 9.2 to 9.8 and weighs fit for the reader or goal (35 points), contents and edition (25), value (25) and listed reading age or level (10, where the listing gives one), using only what the book listing states. How we pick ›

A 2025 basketball memoir by Hanif Abdurraqib.

Check price on Amazon

Pros

• Won the National Book Critics Circle Award
• Published March 25, 2025
• 353 pages, lyrical and moving

Cons

• No publisher is stated
• Basketball focus may not suit every reader
• No reading age or grade level is stated

3

Paul McCartney Bio

Barry Miles·9.7/10 Shelf Score

i

The Shelf Score runs from 9.2 to 9.8 and weighs fit for the reader or goal (35 points), contents and edition (25), value (25) and listed reading age or level (10, where the listing gives one), using only what the book listing states. How we pick ›

The authorized biography of Paul McCartney.

Check price on Amazon

Pros

• The authorized biography
• Hundreds of hours of interviews over five years
• 696 pages, comprehensive

Cons

• Reprint edition from 1998
• Beatles focus only
• No reading age or grade level is stated

4

No Surrender by Onoda

Estate of Hiroo Onoda·9.6/10 Shelf Score

i

The Shelf Score runs from 9.2 to 9.8 and weighs fit for the reader or goal (35 points), contents and edition (25), value (25) and listed reading age or level (10, where the listing gives one), using only what the book listing states. How we pick ›

Hiroo Onoda's first-person account of thirty years in the jungle.

Check price on Amazon

Pros

• First-person account of a thirty-year ordeal
• 224 pages, quick read
• Naval Institute Press edition

Cons

• 1999 edition
• War focus only
• No reading age or grade level is stated

5

Lives of the Saints

Alban Butler·9.6/10 Shelf Score

i

The Shelf Score runs from 9.2 to 9.8 and weighs fit for the reader or goal (35 points), contents and edition (25), value (25) and listed reading age or level (10, where the listing gives one), using only what the book listing states. How we pick ›

A daily book of saints with a lesson for each day.

Check price on Amazon

Pros

• A saint or two for each day of the calendar
• Each life followed by a lesson
• 464 pages, family-friendly

Cons

• Reprint edition from 1995
• Daily format, not a single story
• No reading age or grade level is stated

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

More picks to compare

• ONE YEAR by PeaceVietnam helicopter pilot memoir, October 2025.Check on Amazon

Compare the picks

Book details are as published, collected 18 October 2026.

How we scored them

The Shelf Score weighs subject and depth, edition and length, value for the stated specs, and publisher. None of the five state a reading age or warranty. How we pick explains the weights.

Scores run from 9.2 to 9.8: each book’s point total is placed on that range, so more points always means a higher score. Reading age or level counts on a list where at least one listing gives one, and a book whose listing gives none then scores zero on it. Where no listing gives one, the score is taken over the other 85 points. Books carry no warranty, so warranty is not scored.

How to choose the best biographies of the year

Politics, music or war

Master of the Senate covers Lyndon Johnson’s years in the Senate from 1949 to 1960. Paul McCartney is the authorized biography of the Beatles songwriter. No Surrender is Hiroo Onoda’s first-person account of thirty years in the Philippine jungle.

Length

Recent or classic

There’s Always This Year was published March 2025 and won the National Book Critics Circle Award. The others are reprints or older editions. For more biography, see best biographies of Mao Zedong.

Before you buy

• Check the edition: Master of the Senate, Paul McCartney and Lives of the Saints are reprint editions.
• Master of the Senate is Book 3 of 4 in The Years of Lyndon Johnson.
• No Surrender is currently the only English edition in print, per the listing.
• The helicopter pilot memoir ONE YEAR is in the more picks below the main five.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the longest?

Master of the Senate: 1232 pages.

Which won a major award?

There’s Always This Year won the National Book Critics Circle Award; Master of the Senate is a Pulitzer Prize Winner.

Which is the authorized biography?

Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now, drawn from hundreds of hours of interviews.

Still deciding? Our top pickMaster of the Senate

Check price on Amazon

Related lists

See every history and biography list and all nonfiction lists.

More lists: best biographies of Mao Zedong, history and biography.