The common man is oft underrepresented in historical literature. This is surprising considering the history of the world is constructed by the lives and tribulations of the common man. However, one genre of historical literature highlights the ordinary person, testimonial literature. One way to examine testimonial literature is as a celebration of the "true" story told firsthand as in Biography of a Runaway Slave. Another, more cynical view, is to analyze testimonial literature as a fabrication and distortion of the real truth, the truth recorded in textbooks. Therefore, it is necessary to consider both of these tenets and, in the process, discover a middle ground that serves to partially substantiate and partially criticize this piece of testimonial literature. The question at hand is whether or not the reliance on memory authenticates or discredits the narrative. The answer is none of the above. The memories in Biography of a...