Cultural Literacy: Reading - Biography
 

 

 
Author Title Nationality Year Call Number
Angelou, Maya  I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings   American  1969  B ANGELOU 

This portrait of the childhood and adolescence of an African American woman is the first in a series of remembrances by actress and poet Angelou

Augustine, Saint  Confessions  Italian  397-401  242 AUG

A spiritual autobiography of St. Augustine’s early life, and his conversion to Christianity.

Delany, Sara and A. Elizabeth  Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters’ First One Hundred Years   American 1993 B DELANEY

Two daughters of former slaves tell their stories of fighting racial and gender prejudice during the twentieth century.

Douglass, Frederick Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass American 1845 B DOUGLASS

After escaping from slavery, Douglass became an abolitionist, a journalist, and the writer of this popular autobiography.

Frank, Anne  Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl   Dutch  1952  B FRANK 

The diary of a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl, written in an Amsterdam warehouse attic where she and her family hid from the Germans during World War II.

Franklin, Benjamin  Autobiography   American  1867  B FRANKLIN 

An account of Franklin’s life and achievements during the first 51 years of his life. In it, Franklin appears as an embodiment of the American spirit.

Haley, Alex  The Autobiography of Malcolm X   American  1965  B MALCOLM X 

Haley, better known as the author of Roots, helped Malcolm X write this revealing, personal account of life in the ghetto, in prison, and as a Black Muslim.

Liang, Ji-Li Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution Chinese 1997 on order

Government demands clashed with traditional family values during the Cultural Revolution in Communist China.

Karr, Mary The Liars' Club: A Memoir American 1995 B KARR
Mary Karr's painful and traumatic childhood is described with sympathy and humor.
Keller, Helen Adams  The Story of My Life   American  1903  B KELLER 

Her sight and hearing destroyed before the age of two, Helen Keller proves that she can still lead a useful, if not exemplary, life.

McBride, James and Ruth McBride-Jordan The Color of Water: a Black Man's Tribute to his White Mother American 1996 B McBRIDE
McBride tells his own story and his mother's, a Jewish immigrant raised in the South who, despite poverty and racism, succesfully raised her twelve African-American children.
McCourt, Frank Angela's Ashes American 1996 B McCourt
McCourt's impoverished childhood in Ireland is characterized by alcholism and death, yet his spirit remains strong.
Moody, Ann Coming of Age in Mississippi American 1968 replacement on order
Young Ann Moody was one of those who challenged the status quo and helped to create the Civil Rights movement.
McCullough, David G. Truman American 1992 B TRUMAN
McCullough's masterful style tells the story of the president who ended World War II and is remembered as one of the country's greatest.

Also by David McCullough John Adams (2001)
Mathabane, Mark  Kaffir Boy    South African  1986  B MATHABANE

The story of a teenager coming of age in South Africa.

Washington, Booker T.  Up From Slavery   American  1901  B WASHINGTON 

In this autobiography, Washington tells of his determination to build a great school for African Americans in Alabama.

Wiesel, Elie  Night   French-American  1960  940.5315 WIE 

Night describes Wiesel’s boyhood experiences in Auschwitz, the Nazi death camp, which he alone of all his family survived. His work is mostly fiction, but this stands out as a powerful autobiographical work.

Wolfe, Tobias  This Boy’s Life  American  1989 B WOLFE
This difficult story of Wolff’s difficult adolescence is stark and honest.
Wright, Richard Black Boy: A Record of Childhood and Youth American 1945 B WRIGHT

Wright describes his boyhood in the years before World War II, surrounded by racism and obstacles that appeared impossible to overcome.

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updated 07/29/03