Black & African Americans
Kindle
Included with
Audiobook
1 Credit
Available instantly
Hardcover
$25.88
Paperback
$8.39
Other Used and New from $8.39
Prime Reading
Read this title for $0.00.
Add to library
Want to buy for $0.00?
$0.00$0.00
Buy now with 1-Click
By clicking the button above, you agree to the Kindle Store Terms of Use.
Price includes tax, if applicable
Sold by: Amazon Australia Services, Inc..
Add audiobook for $0.99 $25.57
Save this item
Add to Wish List
Never miss a Kindle deal
Receive a daily email with a selection of Kindle deals and special offers you might enjoy. Learn more.
Not now
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (AmazonClassics Edition)
Read sample
Play
Audible sample
Follow the authorsSee all
Nell Irvin Painter
Nell Irvin PainterNell Irvin Painter
Follow
Michael P. Johnson
Michael P. JohnsonMichael P. John…
Follow
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (AmazonClassics Edition) Kindle Edition
by Harriet Ann Jacobs (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars (9,295)
Part of: The Norton Library (41 books)
See all formats and editions
Despite being born into slavery, Linda Brent enjoys a happy childhood—until the deaths of her parents and kind mistress leave her an orphan and the property of the lascivious Dr. Flint. Linda becomes the target of his unwanted advances, which she temporarily evades by bearing the children of another man. But when Dr. Flint threatens to sell her children unless she submits, Linda hatches a desperate plan to escape, working to secure her children’s freedom as well as her own.
Using the character Linda Brent to narrate her own life story, Harriet Ann Jacobs reveals the unparalleled struggles of an enslaved woman. Her harrowing account of perseverance and unimaginable bravery continues to enlighten and inspire to this day.
AmazonClassics brings you timeless works from iconic authors. Ideal for anyone who wants to read a great work for the first time or revisit an old favorite, these new editions open the door to the stories and ideas that have shaped our world.
Revised edition: Previously published as Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, this edition of Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (AmazonClassics Edition) includes editorial revisions.
Read less
Part of series
The Norton Library
Print length
246 pages
Next slide of product details
See all details
Report an issue with this product
Top-rated books in Kindle Unlimited
Find your next great read. Browse this month's selection.
Great on Kindle
Great Experience. Great Value.
Enjoy a great reading experience when you borrow the Kindle edition of this book as part of your Prime membership. Learn more about Great on Kindle, available in select categories.
Shop this series
See full series
There are 41 books in this series.
First 1
$11.29
All 5 available
$69.68
See included items
Bacchae (International Student Edition) (The Norton Library)
Kindle Price:
$11.29
includes tax, if applicable
Buy now with 1-Click
By clicking on the buy button, your order will be finalised and you agree to the Kindle store terms of use.
Sold by: Amazon Australia Services, Inc.
In this series (41 books)
The Norton Library
The Norton Library
Kindle Edition
Page: 1 of 14
Previous page
Bacchae (International Student Edition) (The Norton Library)
Bacchae (International Student Edition) (The Norton Library)
Euripides
4.84.8 out of 5 stars6
Kindle Edition
$11.29
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
NA
4.04.0 out of 5 stars13
Kindle Edition
$1.66
Medea (The Norton Library Book 0)
Medea (The Norton Library Book 0)
Euripides
4.24.2 out of 5 stars7
Kindle Edition
Next page
Products related to this item
Sponsored Page 1 of 74
Previous page of related Sponsored Products
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
Harriet Jacobs
9,295
Kindle Edition
$9.67
The Transatlantic Slave Trade: A Captivating Guide to the Atlantic Slave Trade and Stories of the Slaves That Were Brought to the Americas (History of Slavery)
The Transatlantic Slave Trade: A Captivating Guide to the Atla...
Captivating History
421
Kindle Edition
$4.33
The Slave Wars: A Captivating Guide to the Servile Wars and Spartacus (Military History)
The Slave Wars: A Captivating Guide to the Servile Wars and Sp...
Captivating History
36
Kindle Edition
$7.49
Mitos chinos: Fascinantes mitos, leyendas y cuentos de hadas chinos (Spanish Edition)
Mitos chinos: Fascinantes mitos, leyendas y cuentos de hadas c...
Matt Clayton
12
Kindle Edition
$8.14
From Cottage to Palace: Worcestershire & Malvern History Series Book 1
From Cottage to Palace: Worcestershire & Malvern History Serie...
Margaret Bramford
483
Kindle Edition
$7.99
Next page of related Sponsored Products
Product description
Review
Select Guide Rating
Review
"A viable alternative to male save narratives. The specific problems faced by female slaves are clearly portrayed."--Ray Doyle, West Chester Univ. "My personal favorite...Jacobs confronts the contradictions inherent in the category 'the black woman writer.' By engaging these issues and negotiating a course through them, she anticipates the literary and ideological position of subsequent generations of black women writers."--Jean Fagan Yellin, The Washington Post Book World "A corrective to those who have identified the slave narrative primarily as a male genre....This particular edition, with its introduction by Valerie Smith, sheds new light on the choices its heroine Linda Brent makes."--The Women's Review of Books "A viable alternative to male slave narratives. The specific problems faced by female slaves are clearly portrayed."--Ray Doyle, West Chester University "My personal favorite...Jacobs confronts the contradictions inherent in the category 'the black woman writer.' By engaging these issues and negotiating a course through them, she anticipates the literary and ideological position of subsequent generations of black women writers."--Jean Fagan Yellin, The Washington Post Book World "A corrective to those who have identified the slave narrative primarily as a male genre....This particular edition, with its introduction by Valerie Smith, sheds new light on the choices its heroine Linda Brent makes."--The Women's Review of Books
From the Publisher
R. J. Ellis's publications include Harriet Wilson's 'Our Nig': A Cultural Biography (2003), a co-edited collection of essays, Becoming Visible: Women's Presence in Ninetenth-Century America (2010) and editions of Our Nig (2011, with Henry Louis Gates), and Charles Chesnutt's The Colonel's Dream (2015). He was President of the Society for the Study of American Women Writers from 2012 to 2015.
From the Back Cover
This Modern Library Paperback Classics edition combines the two most important African American slave narratives into one volume.
Frederick Douglass's Narrative, first published in 1845, is an enlightening and incendiary text. Born into slavery, Douglass became the preeminent spokesman for his people during his life; his narrative is an unparalleled account of the dehumanizing effects of slavery and Douglass's own triumph over it. Like Douglass, Harriet Jacobs was born into slavery, and in 1861 she published Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, now recognized as the most comprehensive antebellum slave narrative written by a woman. Jacobs's account broke the silence on the exploitation of African American female slaves, and it remains crucial reading. These narratives illuminate and inform each other. This edition includes an incisive Introduction by Kwame Anthony Appiah and extensive annotations.
"From the Trade Paperback edition.
About the Author
Harriet Ann Jacobs (1813–1897) was a writer and abolitionist. Born into slavery in Edenton, North Carolina, Jacobs escaped at the age of twenty-seven and eventually obtained freedom for herself and her two children, Joseph and Louisa. Written more than ten years after her escape, Jacobs’s autobiographical novel, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, was one of the first books to address issues of gender in slavery. It shed much-needed light on the unique obstacles these women faced—including abusive owners, conflicts with female identity, and motherhood as a slave. Having spent much of her life fighting for freedom and advocating for gender equality, Jacobs died in Washington, DC, at the age of eighty-four.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Chapter One
Childhood.
I was born a slave; but I never knew it till six years of happy childhood had passed away. My father was a carpenter, and considered so intelligent and skilful in his trade, that, when buildings out of the common line were to be erected, he was sent for from long distances, to be head workman. On condition of paying his mistress two hundred dollars a year, and supporting himself, he was allowed to work at his trade, and manage his own affairs. His strongest wish was to purchase his children; but, though he several times offered his hard earnings for that purpose, he never succeeded. In complexion my parents were a light shade of brownish yellow, and were termed mulattoes. They lived together in a comfortable home; and, though we were all slaves, I was so fondly shielded that I never dreamed I was a piece of merchandise, trusted to them for safe keeping, and liable to be demanded of them at any moment. I had one brother, William, who was two years younger than myself -- a bright, affectionate child. I had also a great treasure in my maternal grandmother, who was a remarkable woman in many respects. She was the daughter of a planter in South Carolina, who, at his death, left her mother and his three children free, with money to go to St. Augustine, where they had relatives. It was during the Revolutionary War; and they were captured on their passage, carried back, and sold to different purchasers. Such was the story my grandmother used to tell me; but I do not remember all the particulars. She was a little girl when she was captured and sold to the keeper of a large hotel. I have often heard her tell how hard she fared during childhood. But as she grew older she evinced so much intelligence, and was so faithful, that her master and mistress could not help seeing it was for their interest to take care of such a valuable piece of property. She became an indispensable personage in the household, officiating in all capacities, from cook and wet nurse to seamstress. She was much praised for her cooking; and her nice crackers became so famous in the neighborhood that many people were desirous of obtaining them. In consequence of numerous requests of this kind, she asked permission of her mistress to bake crackers at night, after all the household work was done; and she obtained leave to do it, provided she would clothe herself and her children from the profits. Upon these terms, after working hard all day for her mistress, she began her midnight bakings, assisted by her two oldest children. The business proved profitable; and each year she laid by a little, which was saved for a fund to purchase her children. Her master died, and the property was divided among his heirs. The widow had her dower in the hotel, which she continued to keep open. My grandmother remained in her service as a slave; but her children were divided among her master's children. As she had five, Benjamin, the youngest one, was sold, in order that each heir might have an equal portion of dollars and cents. There was so little difference in our ages that he seemed more like my brother than my uncle. He was a bright, handsome lad, nearly white; for he inherited the complexion my grandmother had derived from Anglo-Saxon ancestors. Though only ten years old, seven hundred and twenty dollars were paid for him. His sale was a terrible blow to my grandmother; but she was naturally hopeful, and she went to work with renewed energy, trusting in time to be able to purchase some of her children. She had laid up three hundred dollars, which her mistress one day begged as a loan, promising to pay her soon. The reader probably knows that no promise or writing given to a slave is legally binding; for, according to Southern laws, a slave, being property, can hold no property. When my grandmother lent her hard earnings to her mistress, she trusted solely to her honor. The honor of a slaveholder to a slave!
To this good grandmother I was indebted for many comforts. My brother Willie and I often received portions of the crackers, cakes, and preserves, she made to sell; and after we ceased to be children we were indebted to her for many more important services.
Such were the unusually fortunate circumstances of my early childhood. When I was six years old, my mother died; and then, for the first time, I learned, by the talk around me, that I was a slave. My mother's mistress was the daughter of my grandmother's mistress. She was the foster sister of my mother; they were both nourished at my grandmother's breast. In fact, my mother had been weaned at three months old, that the babe of the mistress might obtain sufficient food. They played together as children; and, when they became women, my mother was a most faithful servant to her whiter foster sister. On her death-bed her mistress promised that her children should never suffer for any thing; and during her lifetime she kept her word. They all spoke kindly of my dead mother, who had been a slave merely in name, but in nature was noble and womanly. I grieved for her, and my young mind was troubled with the thought who would now take care of me and my little brother. I was told that my home was now to be with her mistress; and I found it a happy one. No toilsome or disagreeable duties were imposed upon me. My mistress was so kind to me that I was always glad to do her bidding, and proud to labor for her as much as my young years would permit. I would sit by her side for hours, sewing diligently, with a heart as free from care as that of any free-born white child. When she thought I was tired, she would send me out to run and jump; and away I bounded, to gather berries or flowers to decorate her room. Those were happy days -- too happy to last. The slave child had no thought for the morrow; but there came that blight, which too surely waits on every human being born to be a chattel.
When I was nearly twelve years old, my kind mistress sickened and died. As I saw the cheek grow paler, and the eye more glassy, how earnestly I prayed in my heart that she might live! I loved her; for she had been almost like a mother to me. My prayers were not answered. She died, and they buried her in the little churchyard, where, day after day, my tears fell upon her grave.
I was sent to spend a week with my grandmother. I was now old enough to begin to think of the future; and again and again I asked myself what they would do with me. I felt sure I should never find another mistress so kind as the one who was gone. She had promised my dying mother that her children should never suffer for any thing; and when I remembered that, and recalled her many proofs of attachment to me, I could not help having some hopes that she had left me free. My friends were almost certain it would be so. They thought she would be sure to do it, on account of my mother's love and faithful service. But, alas! we all know that the memory of a faithful slave does not avail much to save her children from the auction block.
After a brief period of suspense, the will of my mistress was read, and we learned that she had bequeathed me to her sister's daughter, a child of five years old. So vanished our hopes. My mistress had taught me the precepts of God's Word: "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." "Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so unto them." But I was her slave, and I suppose she did not recognize me as her neighbor. I would give much to blot out from my memory that one great wrong. As a child, I loved my mistress; and, looking back on the happy days I spent with her, I try to think with less bitterness of this act of injustice. While I was with her, she taught me to read and spell; and for this privilege, which so rarely falls to the lot of a slave, I bless her memory.
She possessed but few slaves; and at her death those were all distributed among her relatives. Five of them were my grandmother's children, and had shared the same milk that nourished her mother's children. Notwithstanding my grandmother's long and faithful service to her owners, not one of her children escaped the auction block. These God-breathing machines are no more, in the sight of their masters, than the cotton they plant, or the horses they tend.
Read less
Top
About this item
From the Author
Questions
Reviews
Similar
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (AmazonClassics Edition)
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (AmazonClassics Edition)
Product details
ASIN : B0769T1ZVC
Publisher : AmazonClassics
Accessibility : Learn more
Publication date : 30 January 2018
Language : English
File size : 769 KB
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 246 pages
ISBN-13 : 978-1503955202
Page Flip : Enabled
Part of series : The Norton Library
Best Sellers Rank: #5,693 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
13 in Memoirs (Kindle Store)
Customer Reviews: 4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars (9,295)
About the authors
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Previous page
Nell Irvin Painter
Follow
Nell Irvin Painter
Nell Irvin Painter is the award-winning author of many books, including Sojourner Truth, Southern History Across the Color Line, Creating Black Americans, The History of White People, and Standing at Armageddon. She is currently the Edwards Professor of American History, Emerita, at Princeton University and lives in Newark, New Jersey.
See more on the author's page
Michael P. Johnson
Follow
Michael P. Johnson
Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.
See more on the author's page
See more on the author's page
See more on the author's page
See more on the author's page
See more on the author's page
See more on the author's page
See more on the author's page
See more on the author's page
See more on the author's page
See more on the author's page
See more on the author's page
Next page
Products related to this item
Sponsored Page 1 of 74
Previous page of related Sponsored Products
Voiceless Child: No one dreamed she might survive, might talk. Except two ordinary people ...
Voiceless Child: No one dreamed she might survive, might talk....
Ann Giganti
382
Kindle Edition
$11.99
DIAMOND: The Memoir of a Lost Daughter of Japan
DIAMOND: The Memoir of a Lost Daughter of Japan
Etsuko Diamond Miyagi
94
Kindle Edition
$11.99
Legends of Asia For Kids: Emperors, Gods, Warriors, Myths & More from China, India, Japan & Thailand: 4 books in 1 (Legends for Kids)
Legends of Asia For Kids: Emperors, Gods, Warriors, Myths & Mo...
History Brought Alive
5
Kindle Edition
$9.99
Tales of Legends: Warlords of Empire and Faith: 20 First-Person Stories of Ancient Generals, Empire Builders, and Legendary Conquerors
Tales of Legends: Warlords of Empire and Faith: 20 First-Perso...
R.D. Villam
3
Kindle Edition
$7.51
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
Harriet Jacobs
9,295
Kindle Edition
$9.67
Next page of related Sponsored Products
Rate today's book shopping experience
Very poor
Poor
Neutral
Good
Great
Looking for specific info?
Search in reviews, Q&A...
Search
Customer reviews
4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
9,295 global ratings
5 star
73%
4 star
17%
3 star
6%
2 star
2%
1 star
2%
How are ratings calculated?
Review this product
Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review
Sponsored
Top reviews from other countries
Translate all reviews to English
Yvens Castro
5.0 out of 5 stars Necessário
Reviewed in Brazil on 25 February 2019
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
Eu confesso que não conhecia a escrita Harriet Jacobs e foi uma grata surpresa, pois gostei muito. Contudo, o diferencial foi ela retratar sobre a escravidão, um tema que merece a nossa atenção e é necessário para compreender um pouco mais sobre a natureza humana. Essa é uma leitura necessária!
Report
Translate review to English
Alfred Richardson
5.0 out of 5 stars "Rise Up, Ye Women..."
Reviewed in the United States on 18 June 2023
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
Very early in her writing, Harriet Ann Jacob showed empathy for others like herself who suffered as slaves. Her reason for writing was to bring awareness of the plight of slaves in the hopes that one day slavery would be abolished. She underscores forcefully the incompatibility of the institution of slavery and Christianity.
Jacob's book throws light on a different side of slavery. Her family, although slaves, lived in relative comfort compared with those who worked in the field. But this situation did not spare them from being treated as less than human. It did not shield them from witnessing extreme cruelty. For this reason Harriet was able to commiserate with her fellow slaves who worked in the field. It is why, after successfully fleeing to freedom, she was determined to work for the abolition of slavery.
Throughout her memoir she makes a special plea for women. While she documents a panoramic view of slavery, her main focus has been the "...two millions of women at the South" suffering painfully under the bondage of slavery. Her effort then is an important historical work because it gives a voice to these voiceless female slaves. This voice is very much warranted because from a sociological and historical perspective the female slave’s experience differed in many ways from her male counterpart. Repeatedly, Jacob underscores this point with numerous anecdotes from her own experiences as well as from those of her contemporaries. She notes that the difference was not only in scope but also in the severity of treatment. She writes: "Slavery is terrible for men; but is far more terrible for women". This is an important observation which has much relevance for today and should inform how we approach social issues. Women, whether black or white, suffer the most from societal ills.
It is clear that Ms. Jacob was a remarkable woman who,despite her terrible situation, was able to transcend her feelings of hate and desire for recriminations and write with a global passion and love for humanity. Obviously, she was highly introspective and was able to cull much timely wisdom from the depths of her soul to leave posterity a useful road map for solving social ills.
This book goes beyond slavery, beyond race and beyond gender. Although, its content is about slavery, especially how it affected the female slave, yet it resonates in the generational attitudes and societal impediments affecting people of colour today. It provides a framework for examining social issues. It’s a framework that goes beyond colour. As Jacob points out: "...slavery is a curse to the whites as well as to the blacks."
So, without rancour, without finger pointing, healing is for all and all solutions must embrace all. Further, there is something which Ms. Jacob brings to our attention. she asks, "who can measure the amount of Anglo-Saxon blood coursing in the veins of the American slaves?"
The irony, as insinuated by Jacob, is that the African American is a descendent of both slave masters and slaves. Obama said, there is One U. S of A. In "Black Skin White Mask" Frantz Fanon inserts a paradox when he said that a man of color has no right to expect guilt from whites for enslaving his ancestors; a man of color has no right to claim reparation for slavery. This was the agonising paradox that Harriet Ann Jacob lived and what cemented her resolve to join the fight for the abolition of slavery with her memoir. It turned out to be a laudable effort towards reforming humanity.
I think she would agree with Fanon when he said, "Man is a yes that vibrates to cosmic harmonies." In the interest of creating a New World this side of the globe, it’s important to embrace this vision.
'Incidents In The Life of A Slave Girl' is a book all should read to appropriate this vision for a better humanity.
Read more
Report
Bianca
1.0 out of 5 stars Unacceptable printing.
Reviewed in Italy on 15 February 2021
Verified Purchase
I bought this book for the American literature course at university.
Do not comment on the story that may like or not, but the printing of the Kindle format that is bad. Too many words are printed three times in a row.
Report
Translated from Italian by Amazon
See original ·Report translation
杉山 晃
5.0 out of 5 stars 日本語版と合わせて読みたい英語版
Reviewed in Japan on 21 April 2024
Verified Purchase
日本語の訳文はありますが、やはり原文で読むことが大事かと思いました。とても学習になりました。
Report
Translate review to English
Doug Clarke
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Read!
Reviewed in Canada on 6 December 2025
Verified Purchase
This book reads like good fiction, but when you consider that every word is fact, it becomes an outstanding read. Every American should have to read this book, or others like it, so that they never forget just how heinous this chapter in their history really was.
Report
====
No comments:
Post a Comment