Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs

Hello my lovely readers! This was a re-read for me as I decided to make it part of my 10 Books, 10 Decades Challenge. Let's get into it.

SYNOPSIS
The true story of an individual's struggle for self-identity, self-preservation, and freedom, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl remains among the few extant slave narratives written by a woman. This autobiographical account chronicles the remarkable odyssey of Harriet Jacobs (1813–1897) whose dauntless spirit and faith carried her from a life of servitude and degradation in North Carolina to liberty and reunion with her children in the North.

Written and published in 1861 after Jacobs' harrowing escape from a vile and predatory master, the memoir delivers a powerful and unflinching portrayal of the abuses and hypocrisy of the master-slave relationship. Jacobs writes frankly of the horrors she suffered as a slave, her eventual escape after several unsuccessful attempts, and her seven years in self-imposed exile, hiding in a coffin-like "garret" attached to her grandmother's porch.

A rare firsthand account of a courageous woman's determination and endurance, this inspirational story also represents a valuable historical record of the continuing battle for freedom and the preservation of family.

MY THOUGHTS 
As I mentioned before, this was a re-read for me. I first read this book when I was in 2005 when I was 16. I was empathetic to Harriet Jacobs' plight, but I definitely did not appreciate it, like I do now as a 36-year-old Black woman and mother.

Asleep during free time during my journalism class.
The aforementioned book in my hand.

Jacobs' suffered unimaginable hardships as an enslaved woman in North Carolina, even though she was never physically harmed. She had to dodge the sexual advances of the neurotic and obsessive "Dr. Flint," who continued his search for her after she escaped (while hiding in her grandmother's garret) for YEARS. Man, I would've loved to punch him in the face, because he was such a disgusting human being. The irony of him always proclaiming to be such a great Christian man is not lost on me.

Reader, it is not to awaken sympathy for myself that I am telling you truthfully what I suffered in slavery. I do it to kindle the flame of compassion in your heart for my sisters who are still in bondage, suffering as I once suffered.

Jacobs' narrative is incredibly nuanced and powerful. It's a tragedy--yet incredibly typical--that her account was deemed as fiction written by a white woman, because critics compared her narrative to that of enslaved Black men's narratives and felt "it didn't add up." I have Jacobs' biography by Jean Fagan Yellin on my "up-next" list as part of the 10 Books 10 Decades Challenge. Thankfully, the late Yellin was able to prove that Jacobs' narrative was legit. There are so few accounts of narratives by enslaved Black women. I'm thankful this one exists.