Author Guide · Memoir
Books Written by
“Sonny Boy” is what Al Pacino’s mother called him when he was a child in the South Bronx, where she raised him with her parents after his father left. More than sixty years later, after The Godfather, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon and an Oscar for Scent of a Woman, he used the name as the title of his memoir, published in 2024, and recorded the audiobook himself. It is his only book. This guide covers his 1 book, in order, and where to begin.
By Lisanne Swart · 1 key books · 2024–2024 · Updated October 2026
ClickTap a spine to jump to that book below.
Quick answer
Al Pacino has written one book: Sonny Boy: A Memoir (2024), published by Penguin Press, which covers his childhood in the South Bronx, his years in the theatre and his film career. He reads the audiobook himself. Read on for what the book covers and where to go next.
Where to Start with Al Pacino
If you want his life story
→ Sonny Boy (2024) — the 2024 memoir.
If you want to hear it in his voice
→ Sonny Boy (2024) — the audiobook, read by Pacino.
1 Al Pacino Book
Sonny Boy
His memoir, published by Penguin Press in October 2024. It begins with his childhood in the South Bronx, raised by his mother and her parents after his father left, then follows his years of odd jobs and avant-garde theatre in New York, his casting as Michael Corleone in The Godfather, the films of the early 1970s such as Serpico and Dog Day Afternoon, and his later career.
How to Read Al Pacino
There is only one book, so start there. The audiobook is read by Pacino himself.
If you want more about his work after reading it, his career is also the subject of interviews and books by others, but Sonny Boy is the only account in his own words.
A reading path
1. Sonny Boy: A Memoir (2024)
2. The audiobook of Sonny Boy, read by Al Pacino (2024)
The years · 1940–2024
Quick facts about Al Pacino
- Known for
- Playing Michael Corleone in The Godfather films, and roles in Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon and Scarface
- 1940
- Born in New York City
- 1969
- Tony Award for Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?
- 1972
- The Godfather
- 1993
- Oscar for Scent of a Woman
- 2024
- Sonny Boy
- Born
- 25 April 1940, New York City; raised in the South Bronx
- Breakthrough
- The Godfather (1972)
- Academy Award
- Best Actor for Scent of a Woman (1992)
- Tony Awards
- Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie? (1969) and The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel (1977)
- Training
- HB Studio and the Actors Studio
- Book
- Sonny Boy: A Memoir (2024)
The red mark is 2024: Sonny Boy, his only book.
How Al Pacino Writes: A Life Told Out Loud
Sonny Boy is a personal account rather than a film-by-film career summary. Pacino has said he wrote it “to express what I’ve seen and been through in my life”.
Much of the book is about the years before fame: the South Bronx, his mother, the friends he grew up with, and the New York theatres where he learned to act. The films come later, including how close he came to losing the part of Michael Corleone.
His publisher describes it as being about “the vexed marriage between creativity and commerce”. For more memoirs by actors, see books about Hollywood.
Watch
Al Pacino on becoming Al Pacino
Al Pacino talks to CBS Sunday Morning in 2024 about his life and how he became Al Pacino.
Frequently asked questions about Al Pacino’s book
How many books has Al Pacino written?
One: Sonny Boy: A Memoir (2024).
What are Al Pacino’s books in order?
He has published one book, Sonny Boy: A Memoir, in 2024.
Where should I start with Al Pacino?
With Sonny Boy (2024), in print or as the audiobook he reads himself.
What is Al Pacino’s most famous book?
Sonny Boy: A Memoir (2024), his only book, published by Penguin Press.
Why is Al Pacino’s memoir called Sonny Boy?
It was his mother’s nickname for him, taken from the Al Jolson song she used to sing to him.
Does Al Pacino narrate the Sonny Boy audiobook?
Yes. The audiobook, from Penguin Audio, is read by Pacino himself.
Does Sonny Boy talk about The Godfather?
Yes. It describes how he was cast as Michael Corleone and how he was nearly fired from the film, as well as his later work.
Is Sonny Boy worth reading if you’re not a fan?
Much of it is about growing up in the South Bronx and learning to act in New York theatre before he was famous, so it also works as a book about New York and about acting.
Is Al Pacino still alive?
Yes. He was born on 25 April 1940 in New York City.
Footnotes
- Al Pacino — Wikipedia
- Al Pacino to publish memoir Sonny Boy with Penguin Press — Penguin Random House
- Sonny Boy, read by Al Pacino — AudioFile
- Al Pacino was almost fired from The Godfather — Gulf Today, 2024
- Listen to Al Pacino narrate his life story in Sonny Boy — Rolling Stone
Bibliography last verified 9 October 2026. Where sources give different first-publication years, this page uses the year in library catalogues or the publisher’s own record.
This list was not put together by a machine.
The notes are all mine,
and the books are all his.
Lisanne x
Written by Lisanne Swart, who has curated reading lists and author guides at lisanneswart.com since 2021.
See more on her personal bookshelf.
“My whole life has been a moonshot, and I’ve been a pretty lucky guy so far.”
— Al Pacino, on the announcement of Sonny Boy by Penguin Press, 2024
If this shelf interested you, the full bookshelf has more: reading lists by theme, author guides, and notes on what is actually worth your time.
Browse the full bookshelf Get book recommendations