Reading memoirs and autobiographies is akin to having a conversation with another person.
Reading works of this nature adds richness to one's life.
Listen carefully to what the authors of memoirs and autobiographies have to say for themselves.
Practice and cultivate the fine art of listening. It is one of the best ways to get to know another person and their culture.
The works listed on this page are from African American writers.
Works from a variety of cultures are listed on other pages in this guide.
The Audacity of Hope, Barack Obama
Coming of Age in Mississippi, Anne Moody
Dust Tracks on the Road, Zora Neale Hurston
Finding Fish, Antwone Fisher
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou
I Put a Spell on You, Nina Simone
Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, Frederick Douglass
A Lonely Rage, Robert George Seale
Makes Me Wanna Holler: A Young Black Man in America, Nathan McCall
The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography, Sidney Poitier
Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gangster, Sanyika Shakur
My Father's Name: A Black Virginia Family after the Civil War, Lawrence P Jackson
Up from the Projects: An Autobiography, Walter E. Williams
Twelve Years a Slave, Solomon Northup
It is sometimes difficult to tell the difference between a memoir and an autobiography. These are the main differences. They are generalities.
| AUTOBIOGRAPHIES | MEMOIRS |
| Autobiographies cover the author's entire life | Memoirs usually cover only part of the author's life |
| Autobiographies are usually about famous and important people. People read them to learn about the author. | Memoirs can be about anybody. People read them because of their subject, theme, or style. |
| Autobiographies are usually written in chronological order, from birth to the present day. | Memoirs can be written chronologically but often move back and forth in time. |
| Autobiography places greater emphasis on facts and history. | Memoir places greater emphasis on emotional experience and interiority. |
| https://bookriot.com/difference-between-memoir-and-autobiography |
The inclusion of book titles in this guide is for the purpose of providing examples and, perhaps, a place to begin for those unfamiliar with African American fiction. It is not meant as a recommendation.
Becoming, Michelle Obama
Black Boy, Richard Wright
Bone Black: Memories of a Girlhood, bell hooks
Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, Barack Obama
Fire Shut Up in My Bones: A Memoir, Charles M. Blow
Growing Up X: A Memoir by the Daughter of Malcolm X, Ilyasah Shabazz
Life on the Color Line: The True Story of a White Boy Who Discovered He Was Black, Gregory Howard Williams
Negroland: A Memoir, Margo Jefferson
Ordinary Light: A Memoir, Tracy K. Smith
Promised Land, Barack Obama
Soul on Ice, Eldridge Cleaver
The Truths We Hold, Kamala Harris
When They Call You a Terrorist, Patrisse Khan-Callors