This paper argues that narratives, specifically literature and memoir, offer a way to build empathy and understanding by moving readers to deeper levels of text interpretation and critique. The paper examines a new literacy framework, Life Histories, that uses talk, collaboration, writing, and performance to understand the complex relationships between character and cultural contexts, an understanding that leads to empathy. Life Histories are explored in three very different contexts: an international workshop in Guatemala, a fifth grade in Westminster, Maryland, and a literacy course at Rowan University. Qualitative naturalistic research is used to explore the ways that Life Histories worked in these three sites and can lead to greater empathy in readers. Qualitative data include student surveys, blogs, online postings, and transcripts from discussions, videotaped performances and life history scripts. This study argues for the power of talk about texts, collaborative writing, and performance to gain a deeper understanding of self and a deeper empathy for others.