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kimmyp11's review against another edition
2.0
I would only recommend it for those still in college and study this type of literature.
carleedb's review against another edition
5.0
This was a great, albeit intense, book to teach. Me and the kids all learned a lot
books_and_cha's review against another edition
4.0
A brilliant, harrowing and powerful account of slavery.
jessa_sage1996's review against another edition
4.0
Like all books with depictions of slavery, this book was heartbreaking but powerful. Frederick Douglass dropped the names he remembered. Harriet Jacobs was graphic in the horrors she witnessed. Jacobs’ account was raw. She spoke of slavery as a demon, and by all accounts it was. Her righteous anger at being considered property by the laws of the land were poignant. Her bitterness towards white people was just based on her experiences. I’m grateful that she brought herself to write about her experiences for future generations to read about, to think about, and to hopefully learn from. This book was read as a requirement for a class, but even if it hadn’t been required reading, I’m thankful to have had the chance to learn about ‘Linda’ and her children. This book, the same as Douglass’ book, is an important part of history and should be read.
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Stalking, Slavery, Hate crime, Grief, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Rape
Minor: Sexual harassment
lundyd98's review against another edition
5.0
This was an excellent book! Even though the described incidents were nothing that I had not heard before, it still amazes me that such things actually took place. This is one of those books that really makes you grateful for what you have and the time we live in and so appreciative of the sacrifices of those who persevered before us.
fleurdelis's review against another edition
5.0
History teaches those who aren’t afraid to listen and learn.
I encountered this book, years ago, in school. I read a few pages of it and decided not to finish it, mostly because it left a bad taste in my mouth. Having to have someone “speak” for you, to convince others that your story is true, made me feel much like I still feel. Why are certain people not allowed to have a voice of their own? Why is it only “listened” to when another—in this case a white person—speaks for us first? It mirrors things I’ve seen through history and even today, but that has little to do with the story at hand, so I digress.
Finally, I sat down and read this story and I got through 70% of it the first night. I couldn’t put it down, still wanting to know what became of this girl and her family. In a way, it’s odd to read these words, but at the same time, I’ve heard similar stories through family, which makes it almost seem like an older aunt telling me about their experience. It was tough to read, at times, even for me, who has made a great hobby of studying history (African American history in particular, which is American history, as much ad they’d like us to forget), but I feel one must face history to ever understand it and understand how we came to where we are in our current time. I found myself making comparisons to now and how some things may have changed, a lot has remained the same, with different names and approaches. I encourage those to read slave narratives and not forget our shared past, face that ugly truth, so, hopefully, at some point, we can all heal.
I encountered this book, years ago, in school. I read a few pages of it and decided not to finish it, mostly because it left a bad taste in my mouth. Having to have someone “speak” for you, to convince others that your story is true, made me feel much like I still feel. Why are certain people not allowed to have a voice of their own? Why is it only “listened” to when another—in this case a white person—speaks for us first? It mirrors things I’ve seen through history and even today, but that has little to do with the story at hand, so I digress.
Finally, I sat down and read this story and I got through 70% of it the first night. I couldn’t put it down, still wanting to know what became of this girl and her family. In a way, it’s odd to read these words, but at the same time, I’ve heard similar stories through family, which makes it almost seem like an older aunt telling me about their experience. It was tough to read, at times, even for me, who has made a great hobby of studying history (African American history in particular, which is American history, as much ad they’d like us to forget), but I feel one must face history to ever understand it and understand how we came to where we are in our current time. I found myself making comparisons to now and how some things may have changed, a lot has remained the same, with different names and approaches. I encourage those to read slave narratives and not forget our shared past, face that ugly truth, so, hopefully, at some point, we can all heal.
charlotekerstenauthor's review against another edition
I have a lot of trouble articulating just how much this book means to me and how much respect I have for Harriet Jacobs. If you don't know anything about her, Jacobs grew up enslaved and spent years hiding from her master in an attic before escaping to the North. She then joined the abolitionist cause and wrote this book, which is the first female slave narrative. In it she speaks brilliantly about the experiences of black women in slavery, from the inescapable predations of white men to the constant terror of being separated from your children.
Her argument is one that is still every bit as relevant to this day as it was when published: that black women are dehumanized, victimized because of that dehumanization and then blamed for the victimization. It's also an argument that played really well to her 19th century audience's obsession with respectability politics- how can enslaved women be blamed for not fulfilling the same moral standards as white women when the conditions of their enslavement make "virtue" an impossibility?
If I had my way this book would be taught right alongside Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, and would be just as well known. I think everyone should read it.
Her argument is one that is still every bit as relevant to this day as it was when published: that black women are dehumanized, victimized because of that dehumanization and then blamed for the victimization. It's also an argument that played really well to her 19th century audience's obsession with respectability politics- how can enslaved women be blamed for not fulfilling the same moral standards as white women when the conditions of their enslavement make "virtue" an impossibility?
If I had my way this book would be taught right alongside Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, and would be just as well known. I think everyone should read it.