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Review of "Who Wrote That: Edgar Allan Poe"

This is a review of Who Wrote That: Edgar Allan Poe by Jenifer Peltak, copyright 2004, Chelsea House Publishers.

I would rate this book 4 out of 5 stars because I really enjoyed reading this book, it was very interesting to see inside Poe's life! I would have rated it 5 stars but the book goes into the fine details of his life, so it got boring to read at times. Some information was useless. But the author organized the book really well. I appreciated the summaries of his most famous stories and poems in the back of book. I would recommend this book to my friends because most of it is easy to follow. The many pictures were a nice touch too!

I would definitely read another book by this author. She is great! She has a nice way of wording and organizing things. The timeline and summaries at the back of the book were my favorite part. This book was awesome to read and I don't regret picking this as my biography.

Special or Interesting Things About Me

What makes me special is my unique style of poetry. I don't write the gushy love poems, I write terroising ones! This is what makes me special. I lived a very cookie cutter styled life until I beacame an adult. When I was a child, Mrs. Allan would be so kind to me and I got everything I desired. As an adult after Mrs. Allan had passed away I began to write some of my first poems.

I also wanted to go to an expensive writing school but Mr. Allan said no because he thought writing was a useless talent. Ha! Well, since I couldn't go to the writing school, I joined the military. I stayed for two years and then Mrs. Allan died. Mr. Allan then allowed me to go to the school. I was ecstatic to start to begin my writing career.

I was off to a good start until I started wanting to drop out, so I did. Mr.Allan was really mad at me, but he chilled out soon. I started to realize the real meaning of writing then, and ever since I had dropped out of that school, I beacame a renowned poet and author!

Events That Shaped My Life

My life was like a roller coaster. There were many ups and downs. Some events that helped shape or change my life were getting married. Virginia, my wife, and I got married secretly. We were afraid our parents would disapprove. She changed my life forever. Without ever meeting her, I wouldn't have died so early. Her death sent me into alcoholism, drug abuse, and depression.

Another thing that changed me forever was when my dad leaving my family. It was a obstacle that took me a while overcome. If he had never run away, my family would have never been separated. I would also still be in touch with my brother and sister, William and Rosalie.

If my mother had never become an actress, she wouldn't have died so fast. I miss her immensely. We traveled so often she caught a virus and then that was it. My siblings and I were left alone to be adopted. Luckily Mrs. Allan was not an actress or an alcoholic.

My Traits

Over my life, I have gotten the reputation on a creeper, some may say a gentleman. Well today I'm listing my top 5 traits people have called me and proving them from examples of my life... well here it goes.

1. Depressed- Well, it is kind of true, I did go through a depression in my life. When my wife/cousin, Virginia died, I was very upset. I thought my world had been turned over and I had nothing else to live for. Later, I became an alcoholic. I was also on drugs and I smoked to often. This is what led me to my death. ...So yes, I was depressed.

2. Smart- Well! What a compliment! I was very smart throughout my life. As a young child, I was a gifted student that excelled in the arts. I was also accepted into The University of Virginia. I was a straight A student! I was as well in the military for 2 years and gained much respect due to my high ranking.

3. Creepy- Ah, yes. I saw this one coming. Some may say I'm creepy due to my stories. Some may say I'm creepy due to my dark history. Well, as an adult, I was quite creepy. I fell in love with my 15 year old cousin when I was 27. My stories, one the other hand, I admit, some of them can be a bit chilling. Like in The Pit & The Pendulum, I write about how a prisoner is brutally tortured.

4. Polite- I was a polite as a child because Mrs. Allan taught me all of my fine manners. I was a teachers pet, you can say. The girls at my school always called me a charming young man! I was loved by everyone... well except Mr. Allan who didn't like me quite much. He was mostly just stressed due to his job.

5. Crazy- During my depression, I did go a little wacko. I wrote some of my most popular stories over this time. Like Ullalume as a trubute to my dead wife. An imposter copied me so I sued him and won $225.

How I Changed The World! - and other people!

In my life, I have written hundreds of poems and stories like The Raven, Tamberlane, Ligea, and My Darling Clementine. The publication company turned my books down at first, but when they realized mt potential, they accepted me into their company. My first poem ever published was Tamberlane and Other Poems.

I am also known for my grusome stories. Like in Tell Tale Heart, I say, "He had an eye of a vulture, a pale blue eye, with film over it. Whenever it fell on me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees. I made my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid of the eye forever." This story sold 1,411,362 copies so far. The world knows who I am now, because of the worldwide copies of my books.

I had an effect on other people because I fell in love with 3 women in my life, in which one was my cousin! Her name was Virginia Clemm,15. We fell in love and got married in 1836. The other two women I liked were taken... dang it!

Introduction to My Blog!

Hello everyone. I am the renowned poet and writer, Edgar A. Poe. You may know me best for my hit poem, The Raven. But many do not know the real me, the real American chico. I have a dark history hidden in between the lines of the many biographies about me. Here is some backround information to start to getting your cluless minds to realize my REAL importance in history.

First off, I was born on January 19, 1809 in Boston, MA. My mother was Eliza Poe and my father was David Poe. They were both actors that traveled often so I was usually exposed to a lot. I also had two siblings, Rosalie and William. We lived in Boston until the summer of 1809 and then moved to New York. In 1810, my father became an alcaholic and a drug attic. He soon abandoned our family and we never heard from him again. :'(

The next year, 1811, my mother, Eliza, passed away in Richmond, VA on December 8. We think she died from the horrid yellow fever. My sister and brother both were adopted and I was left with my aunt. At my dearest mother's funeral, I was taken a liking by Mrs. Fanny Allan and later adopted by the Allans. I finally had a home! John Allan, my new dad, was not fond of me at first, but later loosened up a bit. Mr. Allan was not the "chill pill" kind of guy because he was stressed a lot as a rich Scottish buisiness man, but somehow, we learned to tollerate eachother. Fanny died on Feburary 28, 1829, which brought on a great saddness for me and John, but his attitude softened and he let me go to a special school called West Point!