122. Spirit Dive: an African American's Journey to Uncover a Sunken Slave Ship's Past by Michael Cottman

Cottman, an African-American journalist and scuba diver, relates his experiences diving at the wreck of a slave ship called the Henrietta Marie. His research takes him to London, Jamaica and Sierra Leone. This is a very personal journey for Cottman and he brings home the horrors of the "middle passage" and the cruel and abhorrent treatment of African slaves.

96.About My Father's Business by Lillian Beckwith

In a second autobiographical book, Lillian Beckwith remembers her father's grocery shop in a Cheshire village in the 1920s. Amusing anecdotes about childhood friends, shop customers and her parents make it a gentle & enjoyable read.

51. After the Falls: Coming of Age in the Sixties by Catherine Gildiner

Gildiner, a Toronto clinical psychologist writes about her teen and college years in the 1960s. The adjustments she makes from living in Buffalo, NY to college life in Athens, Ohio are testimony to her resilience and depth of character. I really enjoyed her accounts of the donut factory fiasco and sorority life at college.

42. Time Remembered by Miss Read

Reading this autobiography, which retells Dora Saints early years and school experiences, I found myself nodding and smiling when I realized how she had used those experiences and characters in her fiction writing. Both the Fairacre and Thrush Green series are set in English villages similar to Chelsfield, Kent where Saint's family moved from London when she was four years old.

40. A Fortunate Grandchild by Miss Read

Charmingly illustrated reminiscences of visiting maternal and paternal grandparents in Edwardian England by Dora Saint who writes under the pen name Miss Read. (Read was her mother's maiden name).

35. Heart of a Peacock by Emily Carr

\This collection of short stories by Emily Carr focuses on her love of animals and her experiences travelling to remote aboriginal villages. One can learn a lot about Carr's formative years and family relationships but very little directly about her art. You do, however, get a sense of what made her tick and inspired her.

31. Growing Pains by Emily Carr

A series of autobiographical vignettes spanning from Emily Carr's baptism at the age of four to her declining years in the 1940s. Many humerous and poignant moments from her early life, art training and years as a land lady told from her perspective.