Born into a family of sixteen children, Nora Ascouth is used to fighting to be heard. From a young age, Nora becomes determined to have a writing career, and travels around the world looking for the best place to work. From Canada, she moves to Jamaica, where she works for a newspaper. Later, in search of a more personal approach to her work, Nora moves to Chicago to try to sell her own stories. In her attempts to find a way publish her work, Nora ends up finding best friends and fellow writers, Fred and Lolly. The two support Nora as she jumps from job to job, and they all help each other with their writing. After Nora really settles in Chicago, she meets a man that captures her heart immediately. However, as her relationship with Mr. Hamilton grows, conflict arises when he suggests a move to New York. After they marry, the young couple set out to a new city, Nora prepares herself to enter the job market yet again.

With details mirroring author Onoto Watanna’s life, Me: A Book of Rememberance is semi-autobiographical. Through the depiction of the struggles and powerlessness Nora faces as a working woman in the 19th century, Me: A Book of Rememberance explores views on race, gender, and class. With an intimate perspective, Watanna reveals truths derived from first-hand experience; Watanna worked not just as a woman in America, but as a woman with Asian heritage in a time where she was heavily discriminated against.

First published in 1912, Me: A Book of Rememberance is one of Onoto Watanna’s most intimate works, and is rarely found in print. This special edition features a stunning cover design and is printed in an easy-to-read font. With these accommodations, this edition of Me: A Book of Rememberance caters to contemporary readers by restoring the novel to modern standards while preserving the original intricacy of Onoto Watanna’s work.