Madeleine's World : A Biography of a Three-Year-Old

Like most biographies, Brian Hall’s account of his daughter Madeleine begins at her birth. But unlike most biographies, it concludes with her third birthday. Along the way, it describes her intriguing transition from infant solipsism through toddler self-absorption to a small person’s sociability. With his trademark subtle humor and novelist’s eye for the telling detail, Hall recounts her first laugh, first words, first tantrum, and brings it all to life from the inside out. By speculating on his daughter’s perceptions as she grows, Hall gives us insights into the evolution of language, attachments and separations, and a youngster’s curiosity and fear. What emerges is a portrait of growing consciousness in action—a universal voyage whose every revelation and frustration is captured with stunning detail and intimacy.

Brian Hall is the author of three novels, including I Should Be Extremely Happy in Your Company, his acclaimed story of the Lewis and Clark expedition, as well as three works of nonfiction.