Perspective

"Under My Skin" is an autobiography of Doris Lessing, so is written from a first person point of view The years covered are from her birth to 1949, and since the book was written in 1993, the author is attempting to recall memories at the age of 74 of her life from forty-four to seventy-four years ago. With the aid of photographs, memories of what she was told as a child, and a professional genealogical researcher, Lessing compiles a story that seldom digresses from the chronological telling of her life story.

Lessing is a fiction writer, but the autobiography is firmly rooted in facts. There is a certain amount of discomfort evident when the author is required to explain to the reader the reasoning or logic behind her actions. With few exceptions, the author moves the story along without comment on her feelings. Those exceptions relate to communism, world politics, and...