Slave narratives are an important part of American literature. Writers like Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs helped to dispell many of the misconceptions of slavery, as they revealed personal experiences. These books tell their stories...
1. Slave Narratives: James Albert Ukawsaw Gronniosaw, Olaudah Equiano...
by Henry Louis Gates, William L. Andrews (Editor), Henry Louis Gates,Jr. (Editor). Library of America. From the publisher: "The ten works collected in this volume demonstrate how a diverse group of writers challenged the conscience of a nation and laid the foundations of the African American literary tradition by expressing their in anger, pain, sorrow, and courage."
2. Voices from Slavery: 100 Authentic Slave Narratives
by Norman R. Yetman (Editor). Dover Publications. From the publisher: "Vivid, first-person accounts of what it was like to be a slave in the antebellum South recounted in simple, often poignant language. Stark descriptions of good masters and bad ones, the horrors of slave auctions, and many other unforgettable—sometimes unrepeatable—details of slave life."3. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave
by Frederick Douglass, Fu, Peter P. Hinks (Editor), Peter R. Hinks (Editor). Yale University Press. From the publisher: "The book, which marked the beginning of Douglass's career as an impassioned writer, journalist, and orator for the abolitionist cause, reveals the terrors he faced as a slave, the brutalities of his owners and overseers, and his harrowing escape to the North."4. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
by Linda Brent, Lydia Maria Child (Editor), L. Maria Child (Editor), Walter Teller (Introduction). Harcourt. From the publisher: "This authentic account was originally published in 1861 by Linda Brent, just before the Civil war began. In truth, the actual events took place many years before, and the story's author was Harriet Jacobs who felt compelled to writer under a pseudonym..."5. Classic Slave Narratives
by Henry Louis Gates. NAL. From the publisher: "By 1944, over six thousand ex-slaves had written moving stories of their captivity, providing a prolific testimony to the horrors of bondage and servitude. Noted scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. compiles four of the most important 'slave narratives' in this seminal volume."6. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano
by Olaudah Equiano, Robert J. Allison (Editor). St. Martin's Press. From the publisher: "More than just a fascinating story, Olaudah Equiano's autobiography - the first slave narrative to be widely read - reveals many aspects of the eighteenth-century Western world through the experiences of one individual."7. Six Women's Slave Narratives
by Henry Louis Gates (Editor). Oxford University Press. From the publisher: "Beginning with the first female slave narrative from the Americas, The History of Mary Prince, a West Indian Slave (1831), the collection includes writings by 'Old Elizabeth, ' Mattie J. Jackson, Lucy A. Delaney, Kate Drumgoold, and Annie L. Burton."8. I Was Born a Slave: An Anthology of Classic Slave Narratives
by Yuval Taylor (Editor), Foreword by Charles Johnson. Chicago Review Press. In this volume, Taylor collects 20 slave narratives, depicting escapes, kidnappings, murders, abuse, struggles to read and write, and more. Included with these unabridged narratives, you'll find a brief introduction and annotations.9. Slave Narratives
by Frederick Douglass, Harriet Ann Jacobs. Random House. This volume brings together the narrative of Frederick Douglass and Harriet Ann Jacobs into one book. These two remain crucial readings in American literature.10. Twelve Years a Slave
by Solomon Northup. Dover Publications. From the publisher: "Kidnapped into slavery in 1841, Northup spent 12 years in captivity. This autobiographical memoir represents an exceptionally detailed and accurate description of slave life and plantation society."