Memoirs and biographies
- Walden and On the Duty of Civil DisobedienceWalden and On the Duty of Civil Disobedience
A record of two years in a cabin beside a pond, paired with an essay on refusing unjust laws. Thoreau lists what his house cost to build, down to the half cent: $28.12½.
- Narrative of the Life of Frederick DouglassNarrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
A man born into slavery in Maryland tells his own life story, from childhood to his escape to freedom. As a boy, he traded bread with poor white children so they would teach him to read.
- The Confessions of Saint AugustineThe Confessions of Saint Augustine
A life story told as a long prayer, as Augustine recalls his wild youth and turn to God. As a boy he stole pears he did not even want, just for the thrill of it.
- Autobiography of Benjamin FranklinAutobiography of Benjamin Franklin
A printer's son tells his own life story, from runaway apprentice to famous scientist and statesman. He arrives in Philadelphia at seventeen, eating one bread roll and carrying two more under his arms.
- The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah EquianoThe Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano
This life story follows a man through enslavement, sea voyages, and the purchase of his freedom. He describes saving forty pounds to buy his freedom while working aboard trading ships.
- Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary RowlandsonNarrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson
A Puritan woman tells how she was captured in a 1676 raid on her Massachusetts town. During her captivity she meets the Native leader Metacom and sews a shirt for his son.
- The Story of My Experiments with TruthThe Story of My Experiments with Truth
This autobiography follows Gandhi's early life and his experiments with truth, diet, religion, and nonviolent resistance. One episode recounts his written confession of a childhood theft to his father.
- De ProfundisDe Profundis
This prison letter to Lord Alfred Douglas reflects on their relationship and Wilde's suffering. Written in Reading Gaol, it includes Wilde's memories of helping another prisoner through a small act of kindness.
- Life on the MississippiLife on the Mississippi
This memoir combines memories of training as a steamboat pilot with an account of a later Mississippi River journey. Young Twain must learn to read the river’s shifting channels under the demanding pilot Horace Bixby.
- How It Feels to Be Colored MeHow It Feels to Be Colored Me
This personal essay reflects on being Black through memories of childhood and encounters with white Americans. Hurston recalls watching travelers pass through Eatonville, Florida, from her seat on a gatepost.
- Germania and AgricolaGermania and Agricola
These two short works describe Germanic peoples and recount a Roman governor's life in Britain. The British leader Calgacus condemns Roman conquest in a speech before battle.