Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

For those interested in the abolition of slavery and the Slavery Act in America, 'Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl' is an autobiography by Harriet Ann Jacobs, a mother and fugitive slave.

The book covers Jacobs' life as a slave and how she fought for freedom for herself and her children. With deep historical prominence, the autobiography covers the struggles she faced, including the sexual abuse that female slaves had to endure.

Published in 1861 and filled with accounts of heroism and courage, 'Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl' will leave you shocked and brimming with admiration for Harriet Jacobs.

This is perfect for fans of Fredrick Douglass' memoir 'Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave'.



Harriet Ann Jacobs was an African-American writer, whose autobiography, 'Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl', is now considered an important American classic.

Born into slavery in North Carolina, Jacobs was sexually harassed by her enslaver and when he threatened to sell her children if she didn't allow him to abuse her, she hid in a tiny gap under the roof of her grandmother's house for seven years. She finally managed to escape to the free North where she was reunited with her two children and her brother.

During the Civil War, she went to the Union-occupied parts of the South with her daughter and founded two schools for fugitive and freed slaves. They kept boarding houses together until 1887-88, when Harriet became too ill to continue. She died in 1897 in Washington D.C.