Heartbreaking first person narrative of Harriet Jacobs (written using pseudonym Linda Brent), born into slavery in the mid-1800s and her quest for freedom from slavery for herself and her children.
The family who were slaveholders over her led a relentless years long pursuit of her after she became a fugitive from them. ( )

I am plagued by the suspician that "Harriet" included experiences of others in her narrative, because sheer logistics makes it unlikely she experienced every single one of these horrific events. That suspicion, for me, was counterproductive because it made me distrust the narrative as a whole. ( )

5 stars for the Librivox audiobook recording by Elizabeth Klett, 4½ stars for the Kindle edition book. Elizabeth Klett is absolutely wonderful narrating this autobiography. I couldn't stop listening once I had started!

I decided to read this in honor of Back History Month. As a result of a recent conversation, I realized that my previous focus on the Civil Rights movement was perhaps a little too 'easy' on my white upper middle class conscience. I didn't really know anything about this book other than the fact that I had heard the title before. I was ready for the book to have descriptions of atrocities but what I wasn't ready for was the literate style of the prose. I know, shame on me for my stereotypical preconceptions!

Harriet Jacobs tells her story in such a straightforward manner as to compell belief, and while the abuses she describes are now well-known, it must have taken a tremendous amount of strength of mind to write and publish this in 1861. She not only documents the terrible degradations of slavery, but also the racism she and her children are forced to undergo in the "free states" of New York and Massachusetts. ( )

4½ stars. Powerful autobiography of Harriet Jacobs; this story of her life growing up as a slave and her eventual escape into the North is enhanced by the matter-of-fact manner which she uses to describe some terrible conditions. By matter-of-fact, I don't mean that she is accepting of these conditions - she speaks passionately about the injustices, cruelty, and hypocrisy she sees both in the south and the north - but she doesn't dramatize when she is describing them. I found this factual tone to make the story more compelling, so much so that I couldn't stop once I started.

To have written and published this in 1861 shows what tremendous strength of character Harriet Jacobs had, especially as she includes some fairly scathing commentary on the racism she and her children faced in the "free states" of New York and Massachusetts. I can see how incendiary this book must have been when it came out! Even as an emancipated woman living in a free state, it must have been dangerous for her (even using a pseudonym). ( )

This accounting of slavery in the South and oppression in the North is written by a woman slave and fully offers her perspective as a mother, granddaughter, sister, and niece. She claims that she does not write well, but that is certainly not reflected in this book. She cites hymns, scripture, songs, and relates both her trials and tribulations with such emotion.
This book should be required reading in middle school. ( )