Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Ann Jacobs

29 reviews

tomorroejones's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional reflective fast-paced

5.0

A truly important work in American Literature. This edition has detailed histories and removes the mask from America’s greatest historical villains, those who perpetuated chattel slavery whether they profited from it or not.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

uhhjeepers's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

*for school*

Harriet Ann Jacobs' story is devastating yet empowering, and everybody should have to read it within their lifetime. Her voice and recollection of events frequently made me cry, but I also frequently struggled to put it down when I had to. A necessary non-fiction read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Slavery

lyatheenaka's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective tense medium-paced

4.0

a beautiful and powerful story. a must read for anyone wanting to educate themselves on the scorn of slavery.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism

Moderate: Sexual harassment

Minor: Sexual assault

jem_carstairs's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Confinement, Rape, Sexual assault, and Grief

finch_kid's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Torture, and Trafficking

readingwithcoffee's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense fast-paced

5.0

Misc: far worse people in this book but god Sands is a loser in my eyes.

Jacobs is such a talented writer and her analysis of race, class and gender ages extremely well for being over a century old.  Even on the hellish conditions she lives in and others enslaved she is very aware of the advantages and unique dangers her family light skin and mixed heritage puts them in as slaves and especially her boy who without knowledge of his family or ancestry passes as white. She also keeps everyone very human because the hell of chattel slavery is man made whether it’s a woman who owns slaves helping her escape or even a slave trader helping her family keep the kids her master is trying to send away to punish her while telling her brother he owes him helping him convince black women to be sold by him on his next trip after talking about his field of work hurt his heart. People with such odd mixes and harmful politics are still really real and you can feel Jacobs bafflement and odd gratitude to those people that are also very human for her especially when she later likens pro slavery southerners to snakes and talks about just how freeing that is. It is also very obvious the book is intended for a northern audience to convince them to repeal the fugitive slave act that I think makes this classic so idea for the classroom and I wish books like these by black Americans who lived through these things were what were commonplace vs the Uncle Tom cabin or Tony sawyer. Also really happy this was apparently a bestseller in Japan when it was translated to Japanese in 2017.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation

Moderate: Miscarriage and Misogyny

thomasina's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative sad medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Deportation

clarkf87's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

5.0

“Slavery is terrible for men, but it is far more terrible for women.”

This is an autobiography written by Harriet Ann Jacobs documenting her life as a slave in Edenton, North Carolina, and how she attained her freedom. 

Jacobs bravely wrote her story to share the truth about the abuse in slavery. For the record: Black, enslaved women were not sexually aggressive, they were RAPED. Enslaved people did not enjoy being owned by other human beings. 

Notably, this book appealed to abolitionists at the time after its publication and release shortly before the Civil War.

BLESS HARRIET JACOBS! I cannot fathom the strength and courage it took for her to write and publish this in 1861 after all the deceit and abuse she’d been through. 

Also, Mia Ellis was a perfect narrator for this. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Grief, and Stalking

Minor: Sexual harassment

thatone2112's review against another edition

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, and Sexual harassment

annieogg's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, and Death of parent