An American Childhood

"An American Childhood more than takes the reader's breath away. It consumes you as you consume it, so that, when you have put down this book, you're a different person, one who has virtually experienced another childhood." — Chicago Tribune

A book that instantly captured the hearts of readers across the country, An American Childhood is Pulitzer Prize-winning author Annie Dillard's poignant, vivid memoir of growing up in Pittsburgh in the 1950s and 60s. 

Dedicated to her parents—from whom she learned a love of language and the importance of following your deepest passions—this brilliant coming-of-age memoir captures a girl’s intellectual awakening with a vividness that will resonate with anyone who has ever recalled with longing playing baseball on an endless summer afternoon, caring for a pristine rock collection, or knowing in your heart that a book was written just for you. 

It is a time and place captured with unforgettable clarity—a world built from moments of both breathtaking wonder and startling discovery.
A Vivid Mid-Century Childhood: Step into the streets, backyards, and leafy neighborhoods of 1950s Pittsburgh, a world of snowball fights, terrifying nuns, and the startling beauty of a girl skating alone under a streetlight.A Mind in the Making: Follow a young girl’s journey of discovery as she unravels the world through library books on everything from microbe hunting to rock collecting, finding the universe in a drop of pond water.Unforgettable Family Stories: Meet a father who quits his job to chase a dream down the Mississippi, and a mother who teaches her daughters to question everything—a family full of wit, love, and complexity.Literary Nonfiction Masterpiece: From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, this beautifully written memoir is a profound exploration of what it means to be awake and alive in the world.