"Slavery is terrible for men, but it is far more terrible for women," Harriet Jacobs wrote in 1861. Under the pen name Linda Brent, she published one of the few personal slave narratives written by a woman. Jacobs was a slave in North Carolina and made several failed attempts to escape before successfully making her way North. The book chronicles her life as a slave, her escape and hiding, and finally her reunion with her children.
I read this book for my US history class and loved it. In her slave narrative, Jacobs exposes the degradation and violence experienced by a black female slave, and how this experience is to the detriment of ALL women. Throughout the book, there are harrowing parallels to the chattel slavery of black women to the marital slavery of white women. A must-read for any feminist or women's studies class.
I read this book for my US history class and loved it. In her slave narrative, Jacobs exposes the degradation and violence experienced by a black female slave, and how this experience is to the detriment of ALL women. Throughout the book, there are harrowing parallels to the chattel slavery of black women to the marital slavery of white women. A must-read for any feminist or women's studies class.
Thank you for your comments on this one. It has been on my 2-read list for a long time, and now you've inspired me to put it to the top.