Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is one of the books that can be listened to for free within the teen section on Audible Stories. (Audible Stories are free for the duration that schools are closed for coronavirus.) I have been listening to this book whilst completing my current Mosaic Craft project.
I chose this book to listen to as part of my commitment into understanding more about race relations and Black Lives Matter. I recently watched the documentary 13th, all about the 13th Amendment and how though slavery officially stopped, it just changed form afterwards.
The audio book has the subtitle "written by herself" which prompted me to do a bit of research since the author is Harriet Jacobs, but the story revolves around a slave called Linda Brent. They are indeed the same person; Linda was a pseudonym used by Jacobs.
The blurb says:
The blurb says:
This autobiographical account by a former slave is one of the few extant narratives written by a woman. Written and published in 1861, it delivers a powerful portrayal of the brutality of slave life. Jacobs speaks frankly of her master's abuse and her eventual escape, in a tale of dauntless spirit and faith.
Listening to this book, and being a mother myself, it is horrific to consider what she, and many other people, had to endure as slaves. Not only what they went through themselves, but the powerlessness to be able to keep their own children safe.
This book is definitely worth reading/listening to for everyone. There is some sensitive topics (eg sexual violence) described, but not in so much detail that it would be pornographic, and I agree with Audible's suggestion that you should be at least teenage to appreciate this book. When my children are older, I will encourage them to read it.
No comments:
Post a Comment