Combining excerpts from thirty-five of the most notable twentieth-century memoirs, a biographical treasury includes the works of Russell Baker, James Baldwin, Margaret Mead, Maxine Hong Kingston, and Henry Adams. Annie Dillard and publisher Cort Conley have collected excerpts from the memoirs of 35 20th-century American authors. The selections represent the best in autobiographical writing published between 1917 and 1992. Included are nine women and 26 men, both black and white, some better known than others, all distinguished writers and wonderful storytellers. Chris Offutt's "The Same River Twice" tells about the author's stint working in the circus; Anne Moody's "Coming of Age in Mississippi" describes her participation in the 1963 Woolworth sit-in. The editors precede each entry with a biographical and contextual note. There's an opening essay on the art of the memoirist and an afterword listing additional classics in the genre. This rich collection serves as an introduction to the nation's best modern writers and a primer on the American experience. Highly recommended for all libraries.?Carol A. McAllister, Coll. of William and Mary Lib., Williamsburg, Va. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. In her introduction to this anthology of well-chosen excerpts from memoirs by a satisfyingly diverse group of writers, Dillard muses on the many forms memoirs take. The author is free to interpret his or her life in any way he or she chooses. Memoirists are shrewd editorialists, leaving out entire facets of their lives--husbands, wives, siblings, bad habits, boring everydayness, outrageous behavior--anything that doesn't conform to the image they want to project. Many memoirs focus sharply on the author's childhood, that time in every life when even the most ordinary things loom menacingly or magically large. Some memoirs resemble fiction, others have the pleasing momentum of essays. Dillard and Conley have selected vibrant examples of all these approaches, showcasing the work of a distinctive and, in some cases, unexpected group of writers, including Wallace Stegner, Kate Simon, Maureen Howard, Frank Conroy, Richard Selzer, Harry Crews, Loren Eiseley, James Baldwin, Margaret Mead, and Maxine Hong Kingston. Whatever tinkering these writers may have done with the facts of their past, they've done nothing to conceal the truth of their lives which shines from every beautifully, often courageously composed page. Donna Seaman Compiled by Annie Dillard and publisher Cort Conley, this astonishing collection of excerpts drawn from extraordinary 20th century American memoirs delights, surprises, and enriches. memoir books online memoir books for sale memoir book amazon modern american memoirs what is a memoir book