Braxton, Joanne M.
Black Women Writing Autobigoraphy: A Tradition Within a Tradition
. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1989.
The book offers a fascinating study of the works of black female autobiographers, from slave narratives to contemporary books. Of particular interest is Braxton’s concept of the “outraged mother” which is traced and explained through a number of works.
Coe, Richard N.
When the Grass Was Taller: Autobiography and the
Experience of Childhood
. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1984.
The book is a study of what is now considered to be an autonomous literary genre, the autobiography of childhood and adolescence. The author has drawn widely from world literature. Most helpful were discussions of magic and abundance, elements of the genre.
Moyers, Bill.
A World of Ideas
. New York: Doubleday, 1989.
Moyers’ interview with Sarah Lawrence Lightfoot offers both autobiographical reminiscences and a strong statement of educational philosophy.
Spacks, Patricia Meyer.
Imagining a Self
. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1976.
A study of eighteenth-century fiction and autobiography. The focus is on selfhood and consistent identity, whether by illusionmaking or through collaboration with experienced actuality.