Bequest and Betrayal: Memoirs of a Parent's Death

This is the first work of literary criticism that I read like a novel; I simply couldn't put it down. By combining literary criticism and autobiography, Miller pushes the boundaries of literary criticism in productive ways and forces us to rethink the field. Finally a book I can recommend and give to all my friends, regardless of whether they are academics.

Nancy K. Miller is one of my favorite contemporary feminist theorists. This study of several "Memoirs" written by adult children of deceased parents kept me interested in ways that scholarship often does not (I usually read it for work, not pleasure-- this book combined the two). With this book, you should also read Maus : A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman, because one of the most fascinating chapters is a study of Spiegelman's gripping Holocaust narratives. Autobiography shapes all writing in ways that critics are really just beginning to explore-- Dr. Miller is at the forefront of this field and deservedly so.