A History of African American Autobiography

This book explores innovations in African American autobiography,examining the literary and cultural history of Black self-representation.

Joycelyn Moody (Edited by)

9781108835541, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 22 July 2021

432 pages
23.5 x 15.8 x 2.7 cm, 0.75 kg

'Readers looking for one book illuminating the range and value of African American life writings will find Moody's book ideal. This collection demonstrates that critical race theory matters now more than ever. … Essential.' F. L. Gardaphe, CHOICE

This History explores innovations in African American autobiography since its inception, examining the literary and cultural history of Black self-representation amid life writing studies. By analyzing the different forms of autobiography, including pictorial and personal essays, editorials, oral histories, testimonials, diaries, personal and open letters, and even poetry performance media of autobiographies, this book extends the definition of African American autobiography, revealing how people of African descent have created and defined the Black self in diverse print cultures and literary genres since their arrival in the Americas. It illustrates ways African Americans use life writing and autobiography to address personal and collective Black experiences of identity, family, memory, fulfillment, racism and white supremacy. Individual chapters examine scrapbooks as a source of self-documentation, African American autobiography for children, readings of African American persona poems, mixed-race life writing after the Civil Rights Movement, and autobiographies by African American LGBTQ writers.

1. Introduction Joycelyn K. Moody
Part I. Origins and Histories: 2. Black life writing and print culture before 1800 Rhondda Robinson Thomas
3. Reading the edited 'I' Eric D. Lamore
4. An overview of nineteenth-century slavery narratives William L. Andrews
5. 19th-century autobiographical writings by freeborn African Americans John Ernest
6. African American life writing, 1865-1900 Andreá N. Williams
7. Black life writing in print cultures at the turn into the twentieth century Lois Brown
8. New negro autobiographies Cherene Sherrard Johnson
9. Transnational and postcolonial Afro-Caribbean life writings Nicole Aljoe
10. Writing race and remembrance in the Civil Rights Movement years Brian J. Norman
11. The biomedicalization of black life narratives Moya Bailey and Whitney Peoples
Part II. Individuals and Communities: 12. Spiritual autobiography, past and present Cedrick May
13. Life writings of contemporary African American women Barbara McCaskill
14. The Autobiography of Malcolm X James Smethurst
15. Black queer life writing Aliyyah Abdur-Rahman
16. Black celebrity auto/biographies Anthony Foy
17. Mixed race autobiographical narratives Caroline Streeter
18. Black biography and the complexities of telling another's life Tara D. Green
19. Black lives in persona poems Howard Rambsy II
20. Depicting African American life in graphics and visual cultures Michael Chaney
21. Life writing for Black children and youth Giselle Anatol
22. Telling African American lives in literature for young readers Jonda McNair
23. Can cups be books? Frances Smith Foster.

Subject Areas: History of the Americas [HBJK], African history [HBJH], Literary studies: from c 1900 - [DSBH], Literary studies: c 1800 to c 1900 [DSBF], Literary studies: c 1500 to c 1800 [DSBD], Literature: history & criticism [DS]