Emily Dickinson:  A Biography
"This biography is ground-breaking in so many wonderful ways--it presents a version of Dickinson that is neither the simpering old maid in white, nor the lunatic recluse, nor the untroubled woman of perfect health. It is a human portrait, drawing on new and never-released materials, as well as the best from all other materials. Kirk presents a balanced, thoughtful and thought-provoking picture of a dedicated female artist, who lived in many ways at the very heart of the cultured world, and in other ways in a world of her own determined devising. Young adults will appreciate the lively stories and prose, the illuminating details of a life (her sloppy and unsigned cross-stitchery, her skillful bread-baking, which chores she liked and which she hated; her friendships, relations, possible and probable loves). Adult admirers of Dickinson's work will find this a treasure trove as well. It is an altogether new thing: a full and fair biography of Emily Dickinson for young adult readers."-Liz Rosenberg Professor of English & Creative Writing, Binghamton University