Unit 3: Nonfiction
Biography
Autobiography
Memoir
Truth is not only stranger than
fiction, it is more telling. To
know that a thing actually
happened gives it a poignancy,
touches a chord, which a piece
of acknowledged fiction misses.
—W. Somerset Maugham
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What is nonfiction?
• Nonfiction is writing about real
– lives
– places
– things
– events
– ideas
What are the most popular
forms of nonfiction?
• The most popular forms of nonfiction are
– biographies
– autobiographies
– memoirs
– essays
– speeches
– informational text
What are your favorite
types of nonfiction?
• Biographies
• Self-help books
• Autobiographies
• Newspaper, magazine,
and Internet articles
• Eyewitness accounts of
newsworthy events
• Essays
• Memoirs
What are the purposes of
nonfiction?
• To entertain readers
• To teach readers by providing information,
explanation, or instruction
• To persuade readers to understand a particular
viewpoint
• To offer readers advice
• To present snapshots of different life
experiences for readers
Biography, Autobiography,
and Memoir
• There are many different types of nonfiction.
• Biography, autobiography, and memoir tend to
be favorites among preteens and teenagers.
• Among the most popular are
books about
– athletes
– entertainers/recording artists
– adventurers
– historical/political figures
Biography is history seen through the prism
of a person.
—Louis Fischer
Why do you think biographies are such a popular
form of nonfiction?
How do biographies provide insight into history?
Biography
• A biography is the story of a person’s life told
by another person.
• Biographies are often written about wellknown people.
• Biographies can also be written about littleknown people who have had interesting lives.
• In all cases, biographers must select the best
details to explain what is remarkable about
their subjects.
Aside from fame, what characteristics or life
experiences might make a person an interesting
subject of a biography?
Characteristics/Experiences of an Interesting Biography Subject
Primary Sources
• Writers of biographies rely on many sources to
tell the story of a person’s life.
• Primary sources provide first-hand accounts of
the life experiences of the subject.
• Primary sources of information
– are original
– come straight from individuals who
experienced, witnessed, or
participated in an event or activity
Primary Sources
• Examples of primary sources include
– letters
– diaries/journals
– interviews
– photographs, films, or artwork
– autobiographies
– business papers
– court documents
Secondary Sources
• Primary sources are not the only sources used
to create a biography.
• Secondary sources are second-hand accounts
of the life experiences of the subject.
• Secondary sources of information
– are based on the interpretation and analysis of
primary sources
– are written by people who were not involved in the
life experiences of the subject
Secondary Sources
• Examples of secondary sources include
– interviews
– other biographies
– specialized dictionaries
– encyclopedias
– textbooks
– newspaper and magazine
articles
Example of Biography
• To write the biography of Abd al-Rahman
Ibrahima, author Walter Dean Myers used both
primary and secondary sources.
• What types of primary and secondary sources
might Myers have drawn from in writing the
passage on the next slide?
Example of Biography
Ibrahima was inspected on the shore, then put into irons and herded
into a small boat that took him out to a ship that was larger than any he had
ever seen.
The ship onto which Ibrahima was taken was already crowded with
black captives. Some shook in fear; others, still tied, fought by hurling their
bodies at their captors. The beating and the killing continued until the ones
who were left knew that their lot was hopeless.
—from “Abd al-Rahman Ibrahima,”
by Walter Dean Myers
Organization of Biographies
• Biographies are typically organized
chronologically—the events are described in
the order in which they happened.
– This format helps show how a person’s life
experiences affect him or her.
• “Abd al-Rahman Ibrahima” follows a
chronological format.
– Myers uses phrases that move readers through
Ibrahima’s life, such as “when he reached twelve”
and “he was in his mid-twenties when….”
Understanding Biographies
• A graphic organizer, such as a Time Line or
Sequence Map, can help readers to better
understand biographies.
– A Time Line can help readers remember the
chronological order of the events.
– A Sequence Map can help readers follow and
connect those events.
• Consider the sample Sequence Map on the
next slide.
• The Sequence Map below has been filled
out for “Abd al-Rahman Ibrahima.”
Ibrahima is born in
Fouta Djallon, Guinea.
As a young man, he
meets Dr. John Cox.
In his 20s, he is forced
into slavery in the U.S.
Twenty years later, Cox
and others try to help.
Ibrahima and his wife
are eventually freed.
In 1829, Ibrahima dies
while traveling home.
Autobiography and Memoir
• An autobiography is the story of a person’s
life, written by that person.
– This written account includes all or most of the
significant experiences of the individual’s life.
• A memoir is also the story of a person’s life,
written by that person.
– This written account extracts and focuses on one
or more significant experiences of the individual’s
life.
Organization of
Autobiography and Memoir
• Like biographies, autobiographies typically
follow chronological order.
• Memoirs, however, may have less structured
organizations. They often use
– flashbacks, which interrupt time sequence and
present events that occurred earlier or in the past
and
– foreshadowing, which provides a clue to events
that will occur in the future or later in the story
Example of Autobiography
• In her autobiography “Mi Familia,” Carmen
Tafolla flashes back to a time before she was
born to explain who she is.
My roots in New Mexico go back for centuries—espanoles
arriving in the 17th century to indios parientes already there. The move to
Texas happened between 1848 and 1865 (a few wars got in the way,
causing strange demographic reshuffles). My great-great-grandmother was
already there, and had a seamstress shop in “downtown” San Antonio; my
great-grandmother washed clothes in the San Antonio River…. She later
married two (one at a time) Confederate veterans.
—from “Mi Familia,”
by Carmen Tafolla
Example of Memoir
• In his memoir “The Jacket,” author Gary Soto
describes a few years of his childhood.
• Soto feels that these years were greatly
affected by the ugly green jacket he had to
wear at the time.
• To keep track of the major events in an
autobiography or memoir, readers can use a
Sequence Map or a Time Line.
• This Time Line outlines the events that
Soto describes in his memoir.
Gary tells his
mother he
wants a black
leather biker
jacket.
Gary’s mother
buys him am
ugly green
jacket that is
too big.
Gary’s dog
rips an Lshaped tear in
the jacket’s
sleeve.
Gary wears
the jacket to
school and
gets a D on a
math test.
Gary gets bad
grades and no
girls like him;
he blames the
jacket.
The jacket
becomes too
small; the Lshaped rip
gets bigger.
Gary cries and
asks his mom
for a new
jacket; she
says no.
Gary seems to
learn to accept
the jacket, but
he still doesn’t
like it.
If you were to write an autobiography, what
major events would you want to include? Place
them on the Time Line below.
SUMMARY: Biography,
Autobiography, and Memoir
• Whether they are reading a biography, an
autobiography, or a memoir, readers can
– find out more about a person’s life
– learn more about a person’s character
– gain insight into themselves
and the world around them
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