The Rockies in First Person

<p> The autobiography has not always been acknowledged as true literature. Since 1970 however American memoirs have revealed themselves as a respectable literary genre distinct with an inimitable literary voice and a unique capacity to intersect narration and reflection.</p><p> This study focuses critical attention on ten memoirs from the northern U.S. Rockies including Utah Colorado Wyoming Montana and Idaho. By comparing memoirs representing states that share similar demographic ecological and socio-economic characteristics this historic and literary analysis reveals both commonalities and divergences among American Western memoirs. Each chapter compares two books of similar thematic concerns ranging from regional values and rural evolution to dynamic landscapes and the experiences of American Indians.</p>