Read this paragraph. Carmen was accepted into the prestigious Columbia Law School in the spring of 1991. She moved to New York C
ity the following fall and devoted herself to her studies. For three years, she spent her days in class, her evenings working in the law library, and every spare minute reading about the law. Carmen graduated with honors in the spring of 1994 and accepted a job at the district attorney’s office in her hometown of Springfield, Illinois. Why is this writing considered a biography and not a personal narrative? It tells an imagined story with fantastical details. It contains researched facts about a person’s life. It includes the author’s personal reflections. It explains an important historical event.
