Reading biographies and autobiographies

By Melissa Thibault

How good is that biography your students are reading? Here's how to make sure they get the most out of their reading and research.

An important goal of biographical reports is to have students read and appreciate biographical literature, but assigning a report may not meet that goal. Biographies are not equally readable, and most trade series biographies are designed for student research, not to be enjoyed cover-to-cover. If we want students to learn enough about the life and character of a famous person to identify influences and connect causes and effects, providing a good biographical read is essential.

Look for unique perspectives in the biographies you select. Does the biography offer more of the same old information? Worse, does it perpetuate myth? For example, most biographies of Franklin Delano Roosevelt gloss over his paralysis, a condition so unique among world leaders and so essential to who he was and how he acted that it cannot be ignored. A biography that addresses this taboo subject head-on offers a more compelling read. As Will Manley writes in his review of Hugh Gallagher’s FDR’s Splendid Deception (Dodd, Mead, 1985), “Roosevelt’s disease shaped his character and prepared him for the extraordinary challenges he would be faced with as president, and despite the strength of his character, it was absolutely necessary to live a life of deception by hiding the fact that he was unable to stand and walk.” Looking at FDR’s life through this lens provides an opportunity to analyze his actions and words with a new perspective.

Students are also drawn to memoirs; it seems the more adverse the circumstances of the subject’s life, the better. Experienced media specialists will tell you that students are drawn to the lives of people who have managed to overcome poverty, disability, or otherwise difficult childhoods to become successful adults. These survival stories can be powerful to students as they approach an age where responsibility increases and their actions have lasting repercussions. Memoirs also have a personal element, an intimacy lacking in most biography. Just the fact that these stories are told at all is remarkable; after all, the authors share both decisions that they were proud of and those that they may have made differently if they had been given a chance to go back! As Jane Kurtz says, “Talking about such painful subjects is hard, but it’s easy compared to the task of writing the pain in a way that will encourage others to inhabit, if just for a few minutes, someone else’s world.” Candid portrayal of the experiences and actions of people faced with situations that required hard choices will ring true with older students. They may even consider writing, perhaps in a private journal, as they experience the power of sharing a life story.

Book recommendations for biography and autobiography

Periodicals listed are available in the Professional Collection of NC Wise Owl’s online periodicals services. See your media specialist for more information about NC Wise Owl and for more biography review resources.

For younger students

  • “Biography.” BookHive website, accessed 1/20/03.
  • Stuart Hannabuss and Rita Marcella, Biography and Children: A Study of Biography for Children and Childhood in Biography. London: Library Association, 1993.
  • Catherine Barr, ed., From Biography to History; Best Books for Children’s Entertainment and Education. New York: R. R. Bowker, 1998.
  • Carol Hurst, “Biographies and Memoirs.” Carol Hurst’s Children’s Literature Site website, accessed 1/30/03.
  • National Council for the Social Studies, “Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People.” Available in PDF format (Adobe Acrobat required).

For older students

References

  • Jane Kurtz, “Memoirs and the Teenage Reader.” Booklist, 96:2 (Sept 15, 1999), p. 250.
  • Will Manley, “The Deception Continues (the art of a good biography)” Booklist, 93:22 (August 1997), p. 1852(1).