Incidents in the life of a slave girl

Incidents in the life of a slave girl

1861 • 108 pages

Ratings17

Average rating3.8

15

This is the second novel I've read recounting the experience of black slaves in America—the first of which being Alex Haley's phenomenal Roots—and the first that was written in a first-person perspective. And, like the aforementioned Roots, this novel deeply moved me. I believe that it's extremely important to capture the experience of the enslaved African-American woman in America specifically, as they've arguably endured the most atrocities as anyone in this country. In spite of this being a recounting of Harriet Jacobs's life, I often found myself wishing dearly for her escape, and later her happiness once free from the chains of slavery.

September 7, 2021