Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs

 genre: memoir, non-fiction

When Harriet begins the story of her life, we are immediately made aware that she intends to share all the base details of slavery and those who uphold this abhorrent practice.  She is not writing about her time as a slave and all that came after just to record her memories, though.  She is also clear that her purpose in writing down what happened to her is to help convince the readers of her narrative of why slavery must be abolished.  She speaks directly to those white women who maybe don't know the depths of depravity that exist in slavery as well as to those women who actually support slavery and shows, over and over again, how slavery dehumanizes everyone involved.  Her tone is so earnest and as quick to show gratitude for those who helped her as she is to call a Devil a Devil.  She brooks no fools and while some of this is so upsetting to read, I feel like it is absolutely necessary for us to do so.  

This book was published in 1861!  And still the pictures she paints with her words are as clear to me now, as a woman in 2025, as they would've been back then.  It is hard to think about how her story could be retold countless times by countless other women who were abused and torn from their families and forced to live in constant fear.  Stories like this need to be read and shared, over and over, so we never forget the filth of our forefathers in this country.   I want to choose to emulate the women like Harriet who were courageous enough to tell their stories and for all those who risked their lives to escape slavery, help others escape or to use their voices and actions to help end it.