Understanding Biographies
Literature Discussion
How do biographies differ from other genres and why are they important to children and adult readers?
A biography is a detailed description of a real person's life, or an event in a real person's life, and is written by someone other than the person it is about.
Biographies fall under the category of nonfiction and informational books. They contain true facts about real people.
The author, who is called a biographer, tries to dig deep into a person's life, so they can get the reader interested enough to enjoy the book. Since a biography is written by someone other than the subject, they are almost always written in the third person narrative and carry a more formal tone than memoirs or autobiographies.
If the biography is packed full of information about the subject, it can be very valuable and useful to a student who is doing a report or something formal. Reading about a person who did something important can inspire children and young adults.
I especially love the “Who Was…” book series. Have you ever read any of them?
