
'The degradations, the wrongs, the vices, that grow out of slavery, are more than I can describe.' Harriet Jacobs was born a slave in the American South and went on to write one of the most extraordinary slave narratives. First published pseudonymously in 1861, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl describes Jacobs's treatment at the hands of her owners, her eventual escape to the North, and her perilous existence evading recapture as a fugitive slave. To save herself from sexual assault and protect her children she is ...
dfbolton40
Oct 6, 2011
My mother read this before I did and we both enjoyed the book.
Keith C
Aug 11, 2011
This is the very best insight into the life of a slave I have ever read, by male or female. Written pre-Civil War, Harriet Jacobs gives the view of the terrible dynamics of a slave girl entering womanhood at only 12 years old -- and the horrible consequences of the "respected community medical doctor" who wickedly controls her life, and his wife who hates her for simply living and thus being a feminine target of her husband. She gives descri\ptions of the very rough lives of other slaves on nearby plantations. A very engrossing read. I gave my copy to my good friend going back to Africa, who is interested in the history of African Americans. A definite recommendation.
BugEyeMidnight
Sep 6, 2009
She's amazing. We all know that slavery was an awful abomination, but hearing this firsthand account knocked the wind from me. I was stunned and deeply moved.