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Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass 9780486284996 Books

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Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass 9780486284996 Books

Harriet Jacobs' (1813-1897) "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" is one of the few accounts of Southern slavery written by a woman. The book was published in 1861 through the efforts of Maria Child, an abolitionist who edited the book and wrote an introduction to it. The book had its origin in a series of letters Jacobs wrote between 1853 and 1861 to her friends in the abolitionist movement, notably a woman named Amy Post. Historically, there was some doubt about the authorship of the book and about the authenticity of the incidents it records. These doubts have largely been put to rest by the discovery of the letters.
The book indeed has elements of a disguise and of a novel. Jacobs never uses her real name but calls herself instead "Linda Brent." The other characters in the book are also given pseudonyms. Jacobs tells us in the Preface to the book (signed "Linda Brent") that she changed names in order to protect the privacy of indiduals but that the incidents recounted in the narrative are "no fiction".
Jacobs was born in slave rural North Carolina. As a young girl, she learned to read and write, which was highly rare among slaves. At about the age of 11 she was sent to live as a slave to a doctor who also owned a plantation, called "Dr. Flint" in the book.
Jacobs book describes well the cruelties of the "Peculiar Institution -- in terms of its beatings, floggings, and burnings, overwork, starvation, and dehumanization. It focuses as well upon the selling and wrenching apart of families that resulted from the commodification of people in the slave system. But Jacobs' book is unique in that it describes first-hand the sexual indignities to which women were subjected in slavery. (Other accounts, such as those of Frederick Douglass, were written by men.) The book is also unusual in that Jacobs does not portray herself entirely as a hero but describes the nature of the steps she took to avoid becoming the sexual slave of Flint. Thus, when Flint subjected her to repeated sexual advances from the time Jacobs reached the age of 16, she tried to avoid him by beginning an affair with a white, single attorney with whom she had two children. When Flint's advances persisted, Jacobs formed the determination to try to secure her freedom.
The bulk of the book describes how Jacobs hid precariously in a cramped attic for seven years waiting for the opporunity to secure her freedom. There are also accounts of her prior attempts to leave slavery, including a particularly harrowing account of several days in a place aptly named "Snaky Swamp."
Jacobs describes her relationship with her grandmother, a free black woman who was probably the major inspiration of her life. She also describes well her love and concern for her children, conceived through the liasion with the white attorney.
This book offers a rare perspective on American slavery as it affected women. It is also a testament, I think, to the value of literacy and knowledge as an instrument for winning and preserving free human life. Although this story is not pretty, it is a testament to human persistence in the face of adversity and to the precious character of human freedom.


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Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass 9780486284996 Books Reviews

THIS IS MUST READING FOR ALL AMERICANS YOUNG AND OLD. SELDOM IF EVER, HAVE I BEEN SO MOVED BY A TRUE STORY, ABOUT SUFFERING UNDER THE THREATUROUS WHIP OF SLAVERY. BUT BEAR IN MIND, FREDERICK DOUGLASS DOES MAGNIFICENT GOOD IN WRITING FROM HIS EXPERIENCES IN SUCH A WAY THAT STIRS YOUR HEART AS WELL AS YOUR BRAIN BECAUSE HIS MOTIVATION IS TO DO GOOD AND TELL THE TRUTH IN A COMPELLING MANNER BECAUSE OF HIS ACUTE INTELLIGENCE AND HIS HEART FILLED WITH LOVE, NOT HATE, AND FAITH IN GOD, NOT EVIL HYPOCRISY AS DEMONSTRATED BY VICIOUS SLAVEOWNERS PRETENDING TO BE CHRISTIANS DOING GOD'S WORK, BUT QUITE THE OPPOSITE.THIS IS NOT A BOOK ABOUT RELIGION, INSTEAD ABOUT HORRIFIC EFFECTS UPON BOTH SLAVES AND SLAVEOWNERS. THIS IS A "MUST READ." PRINT IN BOOK TOO SMALL. HENCE I RECOMMEND USE OF KINDLE INSTEAD.

AN ASIDE (IN THE END, IN MY OPINION, THE BLOODY CIVIL WAR THAT TORMENTED OUR GREATEST PRESIDENT, LINCOLN, WAS OUR MORAL DUTY TO ENGAGE IN ON DIFFERENT LEVELS, TOO LONG TO ADD HERE.)
Good read. It took me a little less than 2 weeks to read this book. I only read it on the train to and from work so when I did finish it I had mixed feelings. I wanted to know more about his life once he was finally in the free state. He didn't explain how he navigated through the slave states to reach his final destination. He gave his reasons. Understandable for the time which was before emancipation but I was still curious and looking forward to reading about that. Also at the end he says he sent for his wife...She wasn't mentioned throughout the entire book then she pops up. Where and when did they meet? I'm really nip picking but overall a very good read. I definitely took advantage of the dictionary that was available on Unlimited. This guys vocabulary was crazy also some words we just don't use in today's world. Looking for another book to get lost in.
Still quite a moving read more than 150 years after it was written. I am not yet 50 years old, yet I have seen in my own lifetime the unreasonable attitude that has somehow been passed down over time to this generation. Several times, I have seen my very own friends mistreated because they are black. It stems from a lack of compassion, grown out of fear or ignorance. I recommend this book as a most important read for our adolescent children, no matter what their racial or cultural surroundings have taught them.
This is the edition close to the original. Be careful as many other editions are out with additional opinions by modern "interpreters". This book, from the original author, needs no added opinions or editorials.
This autobiography was assigned to me when I was a junior in high school. Three years later, as a sophomore in college, I was asked to read the book again for my class on Black Thought and Literature. I wish that I had taken the time to slow down and analyze Frederick Douglass' narrative from a literal, analytical, and figurative perspective. Had I done that the first time around—as opposed to treating the book as another required reading that I needed to speed-read through—I believe that my understanding would have been more in-depth and meaningful. The emotion and conviction with which the author writes is not only poetic and moving, but captivating as well. The imagery, combined with Douglass' views on religion's role in the enslavement of black bodies, masterfully paints a story that (in combination with other narratives) has, unfortunately, been lost throughout time. In fact, many Black writers during this period refused to publish their experiences for fear that they will be caught and returned to slavery. In other cases, some writers used pen names to add some anonymity to their experiences. Nevertheless, such works should be cherished and valued; for they allow us to gain a better understanding of how far our society has come, and how much more needs to be done to ensure a future where everyone is equal (in the truest sense of the word).
Harriet Jacobs' (1813-1897) "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" is one of the few accounts of Southern slavery written by a woman. The book was published in 1861 through the efforts of Maria Child, an abolitionist who edited the book and wrote an introduction to it. The book had its origin in a series of letters Jacobs wrote between 1853 and 1861 to her friends in the abolitionist movement, notably a woman named Amy Post. Historically, there was some doubt about the authorship of the book and about the authenticity of the incidents it records. These doubts have largely been put to rest by the discovery of the letters.
The book indeed has elements of a disguise and of a novel. Jacobs never uses her real name but calls herself instead "Linda Brent." The other characters in the book are also given pseudonyms. Jacobs tells us in the Preface to the book (signed "Linda Brent") that she changed names in order to protect the privacy of indiduals but that the incidents recounted in the narrative are "no fiction".
Jacobs was born in slave rural North Carolina. As a young girl, she learned to read and write, which was highly rare among slaves. At about the age of 11 she was sent to live as a slave to a doctor who also owned a plantation, called "Dr. Flint" in the book.
Jacobs book describes well the cruelties of the "Peculiar Institution -- in terms of its beatings, floggings, and burnings, overwork, starvation, and dehumanization. It focuses as well upon the selling and wrenching apart of families that resulted from the commodification of people in the slave system. But Jacobs' book is unique in that it describes first-hand the sexual indignities to which women were subjected in slavery. (Other accounts, such as those of Frederick Douglass, were written by men.) The book is also unusual in that Jacobs does not portray herself entirely as a hero but describes the nature of the steps she took to avoid becoming the sexual slave of Flint. Thus, when Flint subjected her to repeated sexual advances from the time Jacobs reached the age of 16, she tried to avoid him by beginning an affair with a white, single attorney with whom she had two children. When Flint's advances persisted, Jacobs formed the determination to try to secure her freedom.
The bulk of the book describes how Jacobs hid precariously in a cramped attic for seven years waiting for the opporunity to secure her freedom. There are also accounts of her prior attempts to leave slavery, including a particularly harrowing account of several days in a place aptly named "Snaky Swamp."
Jacobs describes her relationship with her grandmother, a free black woman who was probably the major inspiration of her life. She also describes well her love and concern for her children, conceived through the liasion with the white attorney.
This book offers a rare perspective on American slavery as it affected women. It is also a testament, I think, to the value of literacy and knowledge as an instrument for winning and preserving free human life. Although this story is not pretty, it is a testament to human persistence in the face of adversity and to the precious character of human freedom.