Description
Author Toyin Falola argues that memoirs are significant not only in their interpretation of events conveyed by the memoirists but also in demonstrating how interpersonal and human the stories told can be. Memoirs are powerful because they are emotionally captivating and because important themes and events circulate around a particular person (in this case, the memoirist). Undoubtedly, a memoir is significant because it can teach anyone about a part of the human experience, even if the "facts" are not described without bias. Through this sort of narrative, the reader cannot help but enter into the memoirist's mind and, therefore, feel more empathy for them. In doing so, the reader can "feel" what the memoirist feels and "see" what the memoirist sees as clearly as is humanly possible. In this way, the historical events and life lessons become tangible and poignantly real to the reader.
About the Author
Toyin Falola is professor of history, University Distinguished Teaching Professor, and the Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities at the University of Texas at Austin. He has received over thirty lifetime career awards and fourteen honorary doctorates. He has written extensively on the African diaspora, including The African Diaspora: Slavery, Modernity, and Globalization.
Book Information
ISBN 9781496843487
Author Toyin Falola
Format Paperback
Page Count 277
Imprint University Press of Mississippi
Publisher University Press of Mississippi
Weight(grams) 272g