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Book Review By Nathaniel Ford
Mark Twain: A Life by Ron Powers

    Samuel Clemens was born two months premature on November 30, 1835 in Florida, Missouri, and became an adult as our nation was both expanding, and threatening to come apart. As an adult he would become known by his professional name of Mark Twain. One of Twain's most significant achievements was in going against the grain of the conventional New England literary culture, and leading a movement that would revolutionize American literature.
    Twain's married into a prominent and wealthy family, and he considered the leading figures of the so-called "Gilded Age" to be his best friends. Twain was a multi-layered, and complex man, and although he was an optimist, he was also susceptible to bouts of depression and angst.
    Mark Twain personified the America of the late 19th century. He was divided, just as our nation was still divided from the Civil War. He possessed wealth, but it spent it recklessly and quickly, which served as a perfect metaphor for the Gilded Age. He was every bit as wild and forceful as the Mississippi River, which was such a major character in his stories.


Plot & Themes
job/profession:
Job/profession/poverty story Yes
Period of greatest activity? - 1600-1899

Subject of Biography
Gender - Male
Profession/status:
Ethnicity - White
Nationality - American

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Northeast - Midwest
Misc setting - Fancy Mansion
Century: - 19th century

Writing Style
Book makes you feel? - in awe - like laughing
Pictures/Illustrations? - A ton 16-20 B&W
How much dialogue in bio? - significantly more descript than dialog
How much of bio focuses on most famous period of life? - 51%-75% of book
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