Adelman, Michelle, Et.Al. “Thanks for the Memoirs: There has Never Been a Better
Time to Write the Story of Your Life,” Time. April 12, 1999.
This article is available online and discusses memoir as a popular trend for writers today. The article
discusses major memoirs that have become best sellers as well as popular courses in autobiographical writing at many Universities.
Appiah, Anthony Kwame and Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Eds. Identities. Chicago:
University of Chicago Press, 1995.
This collection of essays provides background on the study of identity in relation to race, class, gender, ethnicity and nationalism.
Atwell, Nancie. In the Middle: Writing, Reading and Learning with Adolescents. NH:
Boynton/Cook Publishers, 1987.
A popular resource for writing teachers, this text provides numerous examples writing workshop programs that work well in all types of classrooms.
Benstock, Shari. “Authorizing the Autobiographical.” Feminisms: An Anthology of
Literary Theory and Criticism. Robyn Warhol and Diane Price Herndl, Eds. NJ:
Rutgers University Press, 1993, p1036-1039.
This article examines women writers who use autobiography as a form of self-expression. The article discusses the concept of voice, authority and reliability of the narrator.
“Esmeralda Santiago” Contemporary Authors Online. The Gale Group. Netscape.
Internet. March 26, 2000.
Contemporary Authors is available online at the public library and in text form. It provides a brief
biography and critical comments on the author’s works.
Foucault, Michael. “What Is an Author?” Paul Rabinow, Ed.”The Foucault Reader. NY:
Pantheon Books, 1984.
Michael Foucault’s famous essay on authority and the text poses an important question, “What difference does it make who is speaking?” The essay also analyzes the relationships between the author and the text and the text and reader.
Gilmore, Leigh. Autobiographics: A Feminist Theory of Women’s Self-
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Representation. NY: Cornell University Press, 1994.
The most useful resource I found on autobiography, this book examines various approaches taken by
women writers when writing autobiographical works.
Hirschberg, Stuart and Terry Hirschberg. First Person Singular. Boston: Allyn and
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Bacon, 1997.
This book is a great text for essays and stories written in first person. It provides students with various
samples for analysis.
Hollander, Kurt, Ed. The Portable Lower East Side: Latinos in New York City.
Vol. 5, Nos. 1 and 2, 1988.
This reference book provides information on the neighborhoods, experiences and history of Latinos in
New York City. It provides valuable information on the relationships between Latinos and other immigrant communities in NYC.
hooks, bell. “Writing Autobiography.” Feminisms: An Anthology of Literary Theory
and Criticism. Robyn Warhol and Diane Price Herndl, Eds. NJ: Rutgers University
Press, 1993, p1036-1039.
Bell hooks essay describes her struggles as a woman writing autobiography. It is a valuable example
of analyzing the process through the author’s eyes.
Roberts, Edgar V., Ed. Writing about Literature. NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc.1999.
A classic Prentice Hall writing text, in its ninth edition, this resource provides literary readings and
sample student essays. While it does not include a chapter specifically on autobiography, it does give
specific information on teaching and on assigning essays to guiding students through rhetorical
analysis.
Santiago, Esmeralda. Almost a Woman. NY: Random House, Inc., 1998.
Santiago’s sequel to When I Was Puerto Rican which chronicles her experiences growing up in New
York City and concludes with her marriage.
Santiago, Esmeralda. When I Was Puerto Rican. NY: Random House, Inc., 1996.
Santiago’s first autobiographical novel that chronicles her experiences as a child in Puerto Rico and her transition into her new life as an immigrant in New York City.
Smith, Michael W. Theory and Research into Practice: Understanding Unreliable
Narrators. NCTE, 1991.
This article was published through the National Council of Teachers of English and provides an analysis of instructional techniques for teaching students to analyze narration.
Smith, Sidonie. “Maxine Hong Kingston’s Woman Warrior: Filiaty and Women’s
Autobiographical Storytelling.” Feminisms: An Anthology of Literary Theory and
Criticism. Robyn Warhol and Diane Price Herndl, Eds. NJ: Rutgers University
Press,1993, p1036-1039.
The article addresses women’s autobiographies as exercises in ‘storytelling’ and analyzes the idea of fictionalized narrative to reveal deeper truths. The article is moderately useful as it focuses most of the analysis on Woman Warrior.
Tomkins, Jane. “Me and My Shadow.” Feminisms: An Anthology of Literary Theory
and Criticism. Robyn Warhol and Diane Price Herndl, Eds. NJ: Rutgers University
Press, 1993, p1036-1039.
The article discusses women’s writing as self-exploration. The essay is useful for analyzing a variety of literary works. Little is focused specifically on autobiographical novels, but it is an extremely useful resource for reading about silencing, self-reflection and writing.