Abstract
This article analyzes the effects of the adult-writer’s identity and belongingness on the reconstruction of their childhood memories. The research’s main sources are six autobiographies written by children of parents who are either illiterate or have a low level of education. All the writers were born in the first half of the twentieth century, four of them in Minas Gerais, Brazil, and the other two in Illinois, United States. It was found that, considering the autobiography as a learning tool, the authors seek strategies to show themselves as examples of successful life stories. When writing their autobiographies, the authors choose an aspect of their identity and belongingness, be it socio-economic or ethnic-racial, as the basis for their narrative, and make it the place from which to recreate their childhood stories and life trajectories.
Keywords
autobiographies; history of written culture; history of childhood