The last 12 months have been a doozy, with no shortage of personal loss, upheaval, reinvention and occasionally a bit of hope. We captured all that drama and more in dozens of intimate first-person stories from front-line workers, park dwellers and even an opera singer who brought some joy to her neighbours with a balcony concert. Here are our top memoirs from 2020.

No. 1: “I used to own a condo in Toronto. How I ​ended up living in Dufferin Grove Park”

“I rigged a shelter out of a plastic tablecloth and a beach umbrella” | By Antonietta Corrado | February 13