Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

Written by Herself

Harriet A. Jacobs First published 2000

About this book

The true story of an individual's struggle for self-identity, self-preservation, and freedom, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl remains among the few extant slave narratives written by a woman. This autobiographical account chronicles the remarkable odyssey of Harriet Jacobs (1813–1897) whose dauntless spirit and faith carried her from a life of servitude and degradation in North Carolina to liberty and reunion with her children in the North. Written and published in 1861 after Jacobs' harrowing escape from a vile and predatory master, the memoir delivers a powerful and unflinching portrayal of the abuses and hypocrisy of the master-slave relationship. Jacobs writes frankly of the horrors she suffered as a slave, her eventual escape after several unsuccessful attempts, and her seven years in self-imposed exile, hiding in a coffin-like "garret" attached to her grandmother's porch. A rare firsthand account of a courageous woman's determination and endurance, this inspirational story also represents a valuable historical record of the continuing battle for freedom and the preservation of family.

Subjects

  • 1000blackgirlbooks
  • african american women
  • autobiografie
  • biographies
  • biography
  • biography & autobiography
  • classic literature
  • condition of slaves
  • conditions sociales
  • document
  • enslaved persons
  • enslaved persons, united states
  • enslaved persons, united states, social conditions
  • enslaved women
  • erlebnisbericht
  • esclavage
  • esclave (femme)
  • esclaves
  • femmes esclaves
  • fiction
  • fiction, historical, general
  • girls, biography
  • history
  • incidents
  • jacobs, harriet a. (harriet ann), 1813-1897
  • nonfiction
  • personal narratives
  • reading level-grade 10
  • reading level-grade 11
  • reading level-grade 12
  • reading level-grade 7
  • reading level-grade 8
  • reading level-grade 9
  • récits personnels
  • sexual abuse victims
  • sklaverei
  • slave narratives
  • slavery
  • slaves
  • slaves, social conditions
  • slaves, united states
  • slaves, united states, social conditions
  • slaves' writings
  • social conditions
  • united states
  • united states, biography
  • united states, history
  • women slaves
  • women, united states, biography
  • women, united states, social conditions