Biography

ISABEL ALLENDE


Paula. Isabel Allende. 1995.


At the bedside of her dying daughter, Allende spins tales of childhood, of ancestors, and of becoming a novelist.


[
Isabel Allende Home Page]




AMERICAN SERVICE PERSONNEL


Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam. Bernard Edelman, editor. 1985.


Letters from those who made it back and from those who did not return provide a glimpse into the lives of the men and women who served during the Vietnam War.




MAYA ANGELOU


I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Maya Angelou. 1970.


An African American writer, poet, and actress traces her coming of age.




RUSSELL BAKER


Growing Up. Russell Baker. 1982.


A columnist with a sense of humor takes a gentle look at his childhood in Baltimore during the Depression.




MARIE CURIE


Madam Curie: a Biography. Eve Curie. 1937.


In sharing personal papers and her own memories, a daughter pays tribute to her unique and generous mother, a scientific genius.




FREDERICK DOUGLASS


Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself. Frederick Douglass. 1845.


Former slave and famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass describes the horrors of his enslavement and eventual escape.


[
Frederick Douglass National Historic Site]




RICHARD FEYNMAN


Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman: Adventures of a Curious Character. Richard P. Feynman as told to Ralph Leighton. 1985.


This Nobel Prize-winning physicist was also a bongo drummer, a practical joker, and a loving husband.


[
Information and Links from Feynman Online]




ANNE FRANK


Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. Anne Frank. 1952


Through the diary she kept while in hiding, thirteen-year-old Anne Frank puts a human face on the Holocaust experience.


[
Official Site of the Anne Frank Center]




JOHN HOCKENBERRY


Moving Violations: War Zones, Wheelchairs, and Declarations of Independence. John Hockenberry. 1995.


Journalist Hockenberry is fearless and funny as he relates the personal and professional experiences he encounters from his wheelchair.




STONEWALL JACKSON


Stonewall Jackson: The Man, the Soldier, the Legend. James I. Robertson. 1997


Both the genius and the failings of this confederate Civil War general are chronicled in this meticulous account.




JI-LI JIANG


Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution. Ji-li Jiang. 1997


A young Chinese girl must make difficult choices when the government urges her to repudiate her ancestors and inform on her own parents.




MARY KARR


The Liars' Club: A Memoir. Mary Karr. 1995.


Growing up in "a family of liars and drunks" is never easy, and yet, despite alcoholism, rape, and other dark secrets, the author makes childhood in an East Texas refinery town sound as funny as it was painful.


[
Interview with Mary Karr from Salon Magazine]




HELEN KELLER


The Story of My Life. Helen Keller. 1902.


Overcoming deafness and blindness to become an outstanding citizen, Helen Keller embodies courage, passion, and perseverance.






YELENA KHANGA


Soul to Soul: A Black Russian American Family, 1865-1992. Yelena Khanga and Susan Jacoby. 1992.


A young Russian journalist of African American and Jewish heritage analyzes and compares attitudes on race, religion, and sexism in Russia and America.


[
Brief Biographical Sketch of Yelena Khanga from New Hampshire College]




JAMAICA KINCAID


My Brother. Jamaica Kincaid. 1997.


The author returns to the Caribbean island of her birth to help care for her younger brother who is dying of AIDS.


[
Interview with Jamaica Kincaid from Salon Magazine]




MERIWETHER LEWIS


Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West. Stephen E. Ambrose. 1996.


Lewis and Clark brave the wilds of North America in this vivid account of exploration and adventure.


[
Companion site to the PBS Series "Lewis and Clark"]




JAMES McBRIDE AND RUTH McBRIDE-JORDAN


The Color of Water: a Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother. James McBride. 1996.


McBride blends his story with that of his mother, who battled poverty and racism to raise twelve children.




FRANK McCOURT


Angela's Ashes: A Memoir. Frank McCourt. 1996.


Illness, hunger, alcoholism, and death plague McCourt's childhood in Ireland, but somehow he survives with his spirit intact.




MARK MATHABANE


Kaffir Boy: The True Story of a Black Youth's Coming of Age in Apartheid South Africa. Mark Mathabane. 1986.


Growing up under the brutalities of apartheid South Africa, Mathabane describes the growing unrest in his country and his eventual escape through his ties to the tennis community.


[
Truth and Reconciliation Commission -- documents and links dealing with the aftermath of apartheid]




VED MEHTA


Sound-Shadows of the New World. Ved Mehta. 1985.


Leaving his home, family, and culture behind, a blind Indian boy travels to Arkansas to attend a special school where he is challenged by handicap, loneliness, poor preparation, and culture shock.




ANN MOODY


Coming of Age in Mississippi. Ann Moody. 1968.


One of the first brave young African American students to participate in a lunch counter sit-in, Moody becomes a heroine of the civil rights movement.

PAT MORA


House of Houses. Pat Mora. 1997.


With magic and imagination, author Pat Mora weaves the voices of her ancestors into her own personal account of growing up in a Mexican-American family in El Paso, Texas.




LUIS RODRIGUEZ


Always Running: La Vida Loca, Gang Days in L.A. Luis Rodriguez. 1993


Rodriguez tells the story of his life in a Los Angeles gang and his later experiences as a Chicano activist.




RICHARD RODRIGUEZ


Hunger of Memory: the Education of Richard Rodriguez: an Autobiography. Richard Rodriguez. 1982.


Rodriguez's journey through the educational system leads to his belief that family, culture, and language must be left behind to succeed in mainstream America.


[
Links to articles and an interview with Richard Rodriguez]




TSAR NICHOLAS ROMANOV AND TSARINA ALEXANDRA


Nicholas and Alexandra. Robert K. Massie 1967


At the brink of revolution, the last Tsar of Russia and his family become victims of their own mismanagement and personal problems.


[
Nicholas and Alexandra: Exhibition from the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia]




ELEANOR ROOSEVELT


Eleanor Roosevelt: Vol. 1:1884-1933. Blanche Wiesen Cook. 1992.


Born into a privileged world, Eleanor Roosevelt became a champion of the underprivileged and a fighter for human rights.




HARRY S. TRUMAN


Truman. David G. McCullough. 1992.


This notable president earned America's respect by helping to end World War II and reshape the world for postwar peace.


[
Harry S. Truman Library and Museum]




TOBIAS WOLFF


This Boy's Life: A Memoir. Tobias Wolff. 1989


In and out of trouble in his youth, this charter member of the "Bad Boys' Club" survives a boyhood that stretches from Florida to the Pacific Northwest.


[
Interview with Tobias Wolff from Salon Magazine]




RICHARD WRIGHT.


Black Boy: A Record of Childhood and Youth. Richard Wright. 1945.


Wright recalls his pre-World War II youth when racial and personal obstacles seemed insurmountable.

MALCOLM X


Malcolm X with the Assistance of Alex Haley.


The Autobiography of Malcolm X . With the assistance of Alex Haley. 1965


A great and controversial Black Muslim figure relates his transformation from street hustler to religious and national leader.