Nancy K. Miller

Miller's central thesis is that: 'We read the lives of others to figure out how to make sense of our own'. I would have liked a clearer explication of this, something more fleshed out, along the lines of [b:How Our Lives Become Stories: Making Selves|147775|How Our Lives Become Stories Making Selves|Paul John Eakin|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348435282s/147775.jpg|142611] by Paul John Eakin. However, Miller's approach is an interlinking of personal memory with a contemplation of life show more writing as a mode of the recording of self (in spite of, she insists, its inherent unknowability)- it's more personal, less scholarly. The book provides clear exemplars of how life 'writing' encompasses a variety of 'texts', which includes the visual.

The most interesting part of the book for me was the observation of her evolution of self, set against the emergence of feminist literary criticism; a time of momentous female emancipation from the 50's to the 80's. To consider how much has changed as a result of the 'feminist project' (as diversely voiced as that was) is most fascinating.

Ultimately, this is a poignant read. Miller's melancholic, wistful tone pours onto the page as she looks back at the passion and radical conviction of the days of her early (amidst collective) feminism. Added to this, are her lamentations regarding aging ('looking hard at fifty' and 'facing down sixty') which are somehow unsettling to read, yet one feels grateful they're committed to the page. All in all, this isn't a book I'd recommend for everyone - it lags in a few places, and the memoiring isn't always that riveting - but, for those pursuing an interest in life writing, it's a worthwhile read, especially given Miller's place as a key life writing theorist in the academy. show less

Who hasn't been young and dreamed of escape to an exotic destination and an idyllic marriage? This biography is an honest look at disillusionment and the more wholesome and authentic (if less idealized) life we can lead when we trade the life we are told to have for the life we are meant to have.