On Writing : Turning diaries into a book by Allen R. Nelson

Hi everyone. I wish you all a great Monday. As I can't wait to get Monday's motivational quotes of this week I'm working on a novel based on a childhood memory with real characters. It's a true story containing everything they have experienced during childhood to college. As writing through the diaries I have to use references of our reality. For example referring to some events happened back in years ago or a pubic figure, a song or album of a famous singer, some tv shows and movies, books and real places characters had been there and etc. I was wondering, as it is a true life story, that if I have to refer to those examples as it is for a fiction story or screenplay or no and since it is a true story based on someone's memories, so I'm free to mention whatever it needs to be in the story.