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Diane Keaton was not only an accomplished Oscar-winning actress, the outspoken star was also a celebrated author, with a number of bestselling titles to her name.
In her 2011 memoir, “Then Again,” the star wrote that she knew early on that she wanted to stand out, perhaps fortelling her eventual penchant for men’s suits and bold specs. “I didn’t want to be a woman,” she wrote. “I wanted to be me — whoever that was.”
The actress would famously go on to win an Oscar for her role in Annie Hall, while earning critical acclaim for her work across film, television and theater. “I respect women who aren’t afraid to push the envelope,” Keaton declared in her 2014 book, “Let’s Just Say It Wasn’t Pretty.”
“[I like] women who are inappropriate [and] women who do what you aren’t supposed to,” she added. “That’s the point: Why try to appeal to everyone?”
Though she was at-times controversial and at-times combative, there’s no denying Keaton’s enduring appeal as one of the great talents of our time. Now, fans can remember the late actress through her bibliography, which spans an autobiography, a book of advice and even coffee table books that showcased her love for architecture and photography (of course the actress also starred in the acclaimed 2018 comedy, Book Club).
Want to catch up on the legendary actress’ life and career? Here are some of the best Diane Keaton books that you can read and buy online now.
OFFICIAL MEMOIR
Then Again
Released in 2011, “Then Again” was Keaton’s first book and her official memoir, chronicling her upbringing in Los Angeles to her move to Manhattan to pursue an acting career. But the book is also a story about Keaton’s complicated relationship with her mother, Dorothy, and how it influenced the actress’ personal and professional life.
Dorothy reportedly kept dozens of journals and Keaton’s autobiography includes excerpts from the thousands of pages of writing that her mother left behind. As publisher Random House notes in the book description, “To write about herself, Diane realized she had to write about her mother, too, and how their bond came to define both their lives. Diane has sorted through these pages to paint an unflinching portrait of her mother—a woman restless with intellectual and creative energy, struggling to find an outlet for her talents—as well as her entire family, recounting a story that spans four generations and nearly a hundred years.” You can listen to Keaton’s story in her own words too — literally — as the actress narrated the audiobook version of “Then Again” here.
Let’s Just Say It Wasn’t Pretty
Keaton’s follow-up book, released in 2014, was billed as a “candid, hilarious, and deeply affecting look at beauty, aging, and the importance of staying true to yourself—no matter what anyone else thinks.”
Keaton uses first-person anecdotes to dish about her famous exes — including Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson and Al Pacino — while recounting stories about her many memorable looks, and her moments in front of the camera as a model and fashion muse. Per the publisher notes, “Wryly observant and as fiercely original as Diane Keaton herself, ‘Let’s Just Say It Wasn’t Pretty’ is a head-turner of a book that holds up a mirror to our beauty obsessions—and encourages us to like what we see.”
Brother & Sister: A Memoir
In 2020, Keaton released a memoir about her relationship with her younger brother, Randy — her childhood best friend, whose struggles with addiction and mental illness eventually led to their estrangement. Keaton writes eloquently about how Randy’s descent into mental illness paralleled her rise to fame.
Reviewers say the family memoir is a must-read for anyone going through similar struggles, or needing a word of encouragement that you will never regret putting family first.
California Romantica
Aside from being known as a writer and actress, Keaton has long been heralded as an arbiter of good taste, and this hardcover coffee table book pays tribute to her California roots, showcasing the “most important, yet rarely seen, residential exemplars of the California Mission and Spanish Colonial styles.”
Keaton was always passionate about preservation of historical sites, and she helped to curate the pages of this book, with accompanying text from author D. J. Waldie.
Saved: My Picture World
Keaton was also a prolific photographer, and this hardcover tome compiles personal photographs, found portraits, negatives and rare film stills from her own collection as well as pieces she has amassed over the years.
Publisher Rizzoli writes that “‘Saved’ offers an unprecedented glimpse into the mind of the legendary film star, calling it a “visual autobiography of a kind as only Diane Keaton could tell it, via the celebrated star’s idiosyncratic and personal collections and ruminative texts.”
Keaton’s death was announced by her family on Saturday. She was 79.
