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Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 1861

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Harriet Jacobs

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 1861
Book Details
Pages

176

Format

Autobiography / Memoir • Nonfiction

Setting

Southern United States • 19th century

Publication Year

1861

Publisher

Dover Publications

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

18+ years

Lexile Level

740L

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Super Short Summary

In Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs, who calls herself "Linda Brent" in the narrative, Jacobs describes her life as an enslaved woman in the Southern United States, detailing her efforts to escape the sexual harassment of her owner, Dr. Flint, and her eventual flight to the North where she secures her freedom and reunites with her children. The memoir addresses themes of sexual abuse, exploitation, and the struggle for autonomy.

Melancholic

Informative

Unnerving

Inspirational

Reviews & Readership

4.4

64,050 ratings

80%

Loved it

15%

Mixed feelings

5%

Not a fan

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Review Roundup

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs receives widespread acclaim for its poignant and powerful depiction of the female experience under slavery. Reviews praise Jacobs' bravery and compelling narrative. Criticisms include occasional disjointed storytelling, yet the book's emotional and historical impact overshadows these minor flaws.

Who should read this

Who Should Read Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl?

Readers who value Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe or The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois will be engrossed by Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs. They will appreciate its firsthand perspective on slavery, resilience, and the quest for freedom detailed through personal narrative.

4.4

64,050 ratings

80%

Loved it

15%

Mixed feelings

5%

Not a fan

Character List

HARRIET JACOBS (LINDA BRENT)

Jacobs is the protagonist and narrator of the memoir, born to mixed-race parents. She is intelligent, literate, and cunning, closely bonded to her family. Jacobs is fiercely devoted to her children, Benny and Ellen, and is determined to escape slavery.

Dr. Flint is a physician and plantation owner who, for practical purposes, owns Jacobs. He is depicted as cowardly, sadistic, and jealously possessive, attempting to force Jacobs into submission.

Mrs. Flint is Dr. Flint's wife, known for her hatred toward Black people and particular contempt for Jacobs. She embodies the resentment Southern slaveholding women directed at the enslaved.

Jacobs’s grandmother, Martha, is her closest companion and counselor. Born into slavery and later freed, she is known for her cooking talents and uses her reputation to protect herself and her family.

Nancy is Jacobs’s maternal aunt, serving the Flint family as a house slave. She endured harsh treatment and is an example of the grim reality faced by house slaves.

Jacobs’s Uncle Benjamin is noted for his strength and independence, attempting to escape from slavery multiple times despite the consequences.

Jacobs’s brother William accompanies their owner to the Northeast, where he claims his freedom. He reunites with Jacobs in New York and aids in the education and care of her children.

Mr. Sands is a White neighbor and the father of Jacobs’s children, Benny and Ellen. He initially promises to help Jacobs gain freedom, illustrating the complex relationships within the system of slavery.

The first Mrs. Bruce is Jacobs’s employer in New York, treating her as an equal and providing a safe environment. The second Mrs. Bruce continues the relationship and arranges to purchase Jacobs, ultimately securing her freedom.

Book Details
Pages

176

Format

Autobiography / Memoir • Nonfiction

Setting

Southern United States • 19th century

Publication Year

1861

Publisher

Dover Publications

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

18+ years

Lexile Level

740L

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