Autobiography

An autobiography is the story of a person's life written by that person. It is different from a biography because the author is writing about themselves. Autobiographies let you hear the story in the person's own words. They often share personal thoughts and feelings that no one else would know.

Autobiography vs. Memoir

An autobiography usually covers a person's whole life from beginning to end. A memoir focuses on just one part or one theme of a person's life. Both are written by the person they are about. Both give readers a personal and honest look at someone's experiences.

Famous Autobiographies

Many important people have written autobiographies. Anne Frank wrote about her life in hiding during World War II. Roald Dahl wrote about his childhood in a book called Boy. These books let readers see the world through the author's eyes and learn from their experiences.

Fun Facts

• The word autobiography means self-life-writing in Greek.
• Benjamin Franklin's autobiography is one of the most famous in American history.
• Some autobiographies are written with the help of a ghostwriter.

Did You Know?

One of the earliest autobiographies was written by Saint Augustine about 1,600 years ago.