Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (Signet Classics)
By:
Harriet Jacobs
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Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Description:
In one of the most significant slave narratives ever written, Harriet Jacobs, born a slave to mulatto parents in 1813 North Carolina, recounts her remarkable story. From her sale to an abusive master, to her bid for freedom as the lover of a white man, to her ultimate and harrowing emancipation, this work is an outstanding example of a woman's extraordinary courage--and one of the most provocative first-person accounts of slavery in American history.
Afterword by Myrlie Evers-Williams
"One of the major autobiographies of the Afro-American tradition."-- Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Publisher: Signet Classics
Customer Review: 5 out of 5
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl - Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl: This book is diffficult to read because of the horrible reminders of
the wretched life of American slaves. The book is so
well written, beautiful prose, detailed descriptions
of rememberances that I am sure were difficult to
relive. I highly recommend this wonderful book to any
one.
Customer Review: 5 out of 5
Compelling Account, Easily Read - Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl / 0-674-44746-8
It is amusing to note that Jacobs' autobiography was published just prior to Stowe's famous Uncle Tom's Cabin. Stowe's work, for all it's virtues, is (to modern eyes, at least) painfully didactic, frequently breaking the narrative to tell the reader what they are meant to take from a scene. Jacobs' Incidents, however, is written freely and easily, relating the salient points of her life, rarely breaking narrative to tell the reader what to think. It is merely presented, as is, and is immensely more readable than other contemporary works. Unfortunately, Jacobs' work was passed over as too salacious - she actually includes men in her novel, and not all her encounters are strictly 'forced', in the sense that some liaisons are contracted for convenience and safety, if not always for love.
Amusingly, these "flaws" in Jacobs' character make her narrative that more interesting and insightful to read. It is relevant and worth knowing that slaves sometimes felt obligated to please certain men in order to secure safety or basic necessities. Jacobs determination to survive and thrive within the system that oppresses her causes us to admire her and to enjoy her narrative as we hope for some kind of happiness and success in her life of few options, none of them good. If you have any interest at all in slavery or the American Civil War, I highly recommend this narrative.
Customer Review: 4 out of 5
Unexpected - I had no idea that this book would be as compelling as it was. Really, it was a bit of a pleasant surprise. I bought it because it was required reading for a class, but ended up liking it... Who knew?
Customer Review: 5 out of 5
Unexpected turn of events - It's obvious the difficulty slaves endured. Ironic, but she endures a great deal more than most. How her story ends is not predictable.
Customer Review: 4 out of 5
Dover Edition - Concerning this edition (the book is a must read)... Dover's thrift editions are just that--thrifty. The text is close together and the overall readability of the edition is fair. It works, but I'd like to see Oxford or Penguin make a "classic" edition with a scholary introduction, footnoting and contextual information like 19th century reviews, etc... A good edition, needs improvement, but then it wouldn't have a "thrifty" price!
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