An American Childhood is a memoir that details the early life of Annie Dillard. Growing up in Pittsburgh in the 1940s, Dillard recollects to us readers what it felt like to be aware versus being in a state of oblivion. She notes that as one ages and continues through his or her childhood, there is an ongoing desire to know if one is aware of being alive because when one becomes aware, one has been "reawakened". Throughout her childhood, history was being made and influenced her everyday lifestyle choices. The games she played, the books she read, etc. were all influenced by the war and her surroundings- full of historic moments such as the production of steel by Andrew Carnegie and his contributions to society. In the end, Annie leaves us readers with her thoughts on the battle between being aware versus being oblivious. Do the two ever cross? How much of an effect do they carry in the long run? Both of these questions are answered in the closing of her memoir.