Blurring the Contours of Memory in June Jordan's Soldier: A Poet's Childhood

Abstract

Located at the crossroads of fact and fiction and relying on memory, autobiography defies easy categorization. This paper examines June Jordan's Soldier: A Poet's Childhood (2000). Jordan situates herself vis-à-vis her parents. The paper is trying to answer the questions: is Jordan transferring her identity through an act of literary creation or is she recreating herself? What is the role of memory? What is the impact of trauma? Does Jordan make peace eventually with her parents? Does Soldier heal the wounds of her childhood or is she still looking back in anger?.