I’m writing this piece on Empathy Day and thinking about how sharing our stories lets us meet each other on the same page. Writing from lived experience fosters empathy by helping us learn, connect, break barriers, and find common ground. We read books to see what others see, feel what others feel, and remind ourselves that we are all part of the same unfolding narrative. And as Fred Rogers said: “There isn’t anyone you couldn’t learn to love once you’ve heard their story.”

Here are 5 brilliant books that tell stories rooted in lived experience. I’ve chosen a mix to show how writers use the adage ‘write what you know ’across forms to describe, illuminate and reimagine the world with new eyes. Remember: writing from lived experience doesn’t have to mean writing something factual. It means writing something true, or at least true for you.

Small by Small: Becoming a Doctor in 1990s Nigeria by Ike Anya

Canongate Books

This heartfelt and often hilarious medical memoir is based on Ike Anya’s journey as a trainee doctor in 1990s Nigeria. Anya’s vivid storytelling plunges the reader into the high-stakes drama of young medics learning on the fly, against a backdrop of coups and dictators. Small By Small is a fantastic example of a writer making an unfamiliar world familiar through rich sensory detail, powerful recall, and intensive research.

All Fours by Miranda July

Canongate Books

Miranda July is an author, filmmaker and artist who’s notorious for mining her personal life for raw and provocative art. Her novel about a midlife woman unravelling caused a stir with its unflinching take on ageing, motherhood, marriage and sexual desire. Beyond the feverish prose and unreliable narrator, July’s own life insights pulsate throughout a wildly entertaining read

The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey

Penguin

Godfrey’s bestselling debut describes a 12-year-old girl growing up in Thatcher’s Britain under the shadow of the Yorkshire Ripper. While the story is fictional, the author was inspired by a documentary that brought back childhood memories. Her intimacy with the details and textures of that period create an immersive and cinematic reading experience.

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

Penguin

This stunning work of auto-fiction explores the coming of age of a young Vietnamese American man. Author and poet Ocean Vuong draws from his own life to reveal how the protagonist handles a complicated (often abusive) mother, his sexual awakening, and the generational trauma of war. By articulating what so many of us cannot name, he shows how our stories might not save us, but they can remake us.

Let the Sun Pour In by Lemn Sissay

Canongate Books

Lemn Sissay is most famous for his bestselling memoir, My Name Is Why. I’ve chosen his poetry to show how writing from life can be impactful whether you’re pulling from major events or from the everyday. This radiant collection comes from Lemn’s morning practice of sharing a quatrain (a 4-line rhyming poem) daily on social media. Some verses are silly and fun, some take your breath away. All of life is here, captured through the poet’s empathetic lens.

Uju Asika

Uju Asika is a multi‑award‑nominated blogger, speaker, creative writing mentor, and author of three acclaimed books. Her debut, Bringing Up Race, was an Evening Standard Best Books pick. She also wrote the picture book A World For Me And You and the recent Raising Boys Who Do Better, praised by Rob Delaney, Julia Samuel, Jeffrey Boakye and Eve Rodsky.

A former journalist and screenwriter for Nigerian TV dramas, Uju’s work has appeared in outlets including The Observer, Woman’s Hour, and Good Housekeeping. She is a sought‑after speaker and workshop facilitator, and in 2025 chaired the Children’s Wainwright Prize for Fiction and judged The Week Jr Book Awards. Learn more at ujuasika.com or follow her @babesabouttown.