Rev. of A History of African American Autobiography

In her essay for a/b: Auto/Biography Studies, “New Directions in African American Autobiography Studies,” Joycelyn Moody previews the major themes and interventions of her edited collection, A History of African American Autobiography (2021), published by Cambridge University Press. In the 2017 essay, Moody avers that “[a]fter four hundred years of Anglophone African diasporic life writing, avowing the humanity, interiority, and intelligence of people of African descent remains its central project.”1 Yet Moody notes that instead of “seeking to enlighten the someone will extend both of Andrews’ studies to cover this period—but anyone who attempts this will no doubt come to renewed respect for the work of William L. Andrews. No one has done nearly so much to help us come to just and probing readings of this body of work. Slavery and Class in the American South is a monumental study, and one we will continue to grapple with and learn from for years to come.