Reviews:
-Some of the names one might expect, such as Erica Jong, Anais Nin, Adrienne Rich, Gertrude Stein and Virginia Woolf. Others, lesser-known, include Hildegard von Bingen, Jamaica Kincaid, Shirley Geok-lin Lim and Bharatis Kukherjee. In two volumes, 190 entries comprise brief biographies combined with extended examination of the subject's writing; geographical articles covering autobiography from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, the Pacific, Russia, and Scandinavia; material specific to ethnic identities; essays on historical events;analysis of key issues such as identity, patriarchy and relational autobiography; and seminal works such as The Book of Margery Kempe and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. The entries are accessible and give students and scholars fundamental information and a solid starting-off point for more intensive study.
—Art Book News Annual
-[T]his encyclopedia would be useful for any person researching in the field of women's literature and/or gender studies, and would be a good acquisition for a humanities collection.
—Reference Reviews
-Although primarily filling a gap in reference works about autobiographical writings by women, this work is also a welcome addition for women's studies, English literature, and literary criticism, and its references to primary sources are also relevant to women's history. The emphasis throughout on gender, race, and class makes this work useful for postcolonial and ethnic studies as well....The entries are consistently well written and informative and include strong bibliographical references for further reading....This unique and lively resource deserves consideration.
—Reference & User Services Quarterly