INCIDENTS IN THE LIFE OF A SLAVE GIRL by Harriet Jacobs

 

First published in 1861 under a pseudonym, this is the autobiography of Harriet Jacobs, a mother, fugitive and slave. The book outlines her life, the struggles she faced as a female slave as well as the hardship she endured to protect her children and the fear of them being sold. As well as a precious historical document, it is also a timeless  exploration of issues of race, gender and the struggle for freedom.

“My Master had power and law on his side; I had a determined will. There is might in each.” 

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Harriet Jacobs (1813 or 1815 – March 7, 1897) was an African-American writer. Born into slavery in Edenton, North Carolina, she was sexually harassed by her master. When he threatened to sell her children, she hid in a tiny crawlspace under the roof of her grandmother's house, where she wasn't even able to stand. After staying there for seven years, she finally managed to escape to New York. Her autobiography, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, published in 1861, is now considered an American classic.