Stories consume lives and lives become stories. A unit of study examines the creation of self in autobiographies and biographies looking closely at how we construct a life from the fragments of human experience and memory. This paper looks briefly at the different theoretical perspectives about biography and autobiography, following closely the ideas presented in David McCooey's "Artful Lives," and then show how these perspectives can be taught in the classroom through a series of exercises. The unit uses a variety of genres and modes to explore the way the self is constructed, including film, eulogy, reviews, and obituaries as well as the autobiographies and biographies. Suggestions for suitable teaching texts are offered. (Author/RS)