Letters From a Slave Girl: The Story of Harriet Jacobs [Hardcover]

Mary E. Lyons (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 31, 1992

A collection of fictional letters vividly recreate the life and times of Harriet Ann Jacobs, a young slave girl who escaped to freedom in the 1840s and who became a published author and abolitionist.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Lyons ( Sorrow's Kitchen: The Life and Folklore of Zora Neale Hurston ) imaginatively recreates the experiences of a 19th-century slave--the early deaths of her parents; the unwanted attentions of her master; her liaison with a somewhat more beneficent white man; and her devotion to the children who ensue, which led her to run away--in this searing epistolary work, based on and faithful to Jacobs's 1861 autobiography. Before attaining her freedom Jacobs endured seven years of confinement in a relative's storeroom. These missives to departed friends and relations not only bear sorrowful witness to this numbing captivity--"Time," one letter begins, "is a whisper I cantstet no apostrophe hear"--but also form an eloquent testament to her unfettered spirit and a powerful attestation to the suffering and resilience of thousands of African American women. Words, Lyons imagines Harriet writing in a moment of despair, are only "poor silent beggars that cant tell how I feel"; but her words paint a portrait that is immediate indeed. Lyons concludes with a summary of the remainder of Jacobs's life and an illuminating note that details her own meticulous methods of investigation and reconstruction. This powerful book stirringly celebrates the strength of the human spirit. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-9-- Based on Harriet Jacobs's own autobiography, these so-called letters, written to lost relatives and friends, provide a microscopic look at what slavery meant for a young black female in the mid 1800s. The hope of freedom opens Harriet's story, as a dying mistress pledges to set the young slave free in her will. But broken promises abound in this slim volume. Harriet endures many hardships at the hands of her new owners and more struggles when she flees. Lost loves, sickness, motherly concerns for her two children and gentle observations on herself and those around her are combined with heavier comments on her slave condition. Thus, each letter pulsates with a rich vitality. The authentically re-created dialect is the book's strongest asset; readers will delight in phrases such as ``worry sticking to me like cockleburs.'' Although the letters end with Harriet's escape to the North, additional pages of straightforward biography complete the story. Readers will be fascinated with this opportunity to experience the day-to-day life of a girl caught up in the bonds of slavery. --Amy Nunley, Toledo-Lucas County Public Library, OH
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum (October 31, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684194465
• ISBN-13: 978-0684194462
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,553,413 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book on a young slave, September 18, 2000

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Letters From a Slave Girl: The Story of Harriet Jacobs (Mass Market Paperback)

"Letters from a Slave Girl" is one of the best books I've read on slavery! It tells the story of Harriet Jacobs, written in letter form to her deceased relatives - similar to a diary. She tells her life over the years, as a slave, being harassed by her master, escaping, and being hidden. It's very realistic and interesting, as well as very emotional, with both good and bad times.

I'd recommend this book for ages 11 and up, and I'd also recommend "A Wolf by the Ears", "A Picture of Freedom", and "I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly", which are other great books on slavery.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A clear picture of slavery, October 20, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Letters From a Slave Girl: The Story of Harriet Jacobs (Mass Market Paperback)

I never had a clearer picture of slavery until I read this book.The Author's Note at the end was fascinating. I found that Lyons based the fictional Harriets grammar and spelling on the real Harriets letters, written twenty to thirty years after she escaped. Lyons also used real ex-slave narratives collected in North Carolina in the 1930s by the Works Project Administration. Did some of these former slaves speak in dialect? Yup. Some spoke standard English, too. Just like today, Southern speech has many voices, and thats what makes it interesting. Finally, readers of the Authors Note will discover that when the real Harriet wrote her narrative, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, she, too, invented dialogue with dialect.
Have you ever noticed how Southern speech, both black and white, is often mocked in print, television, and movies? This is a quick and dirty way for the media to suggest stupidity. Without even realizing it, viewers might absorb the message that Southerners, especially African Americans, are inferior. But that message is flat-out wrong. Southern speech is loaded with metaphor, imagery, humor, and wisdom. Thats why many people enjoy reading literature set in the South. So if you are one of them, read Letters from a Slave Girl! Its about as close as you can get to an authentic Southern black voice from 19th century coastal North Carolina.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "A great novel to share. It will make you cry!", January 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Letters From a Slave Girl: The Story of Harriet Jacobs (Hardcover)

Letters from a Slave Girl: the Story of Harriet Jacob by, Mary Lyons Imagine being in an attic for seven long years of your life with no one to talk to and nothing to do except write in a journal. This is how Harriet Jacobs in the novel, Letters from a Slave Girl: the Story of Harriet Jacobs, feels. This historical fiction story is told through imaginary letters written by Harriet to her loved ones, which make this novel a fantastic piece of work. The author, Mary Lyons, takes us back to the slave era, where blacks were seen as inferiors to whites. She creates a female protagonist who is filled with such bravery and excitement, which makes her character seem so realistic. She tells this powerful story in such great detail that it leaves a trail of tissues behind. Harriet Jacobs, a slave who is seeking freedom from her mistress's father, Dr. Norcum, after being harassed verbally and physically, runs away to claim her freedom. She escapes to the attic of her grandmother's house for seven long years of her life. In the attic she has to be quiet, and is unable to move around. In the winter she freezes, and in the summer she is blistering hot. She has nothing else to do all day, except write in her journal, where she expresses her feelings since she has no one to confide in. Later she escapes to the North, where she plays an active role in helping slaves escape to the "free states." She also writes an autobiography of her life as a slave and the dreadful life she lives. She wanted to make a difference in the world, and didn't want anyone to go through the pain and suffering that she went through. This novel portrays the fact that when people go through a miserable experience in life, they try to prevent the same thing from happening to others. In this book, Harriet is petrified of Dr. Norcum, and after enduring all the pain and suffering brought on by slavery, she decides to run away to escape from all her pain, and Dr. Norcum's controlling ways. When she escapes to the "free states" she joins an abolition movement to prevent slavery. Harriet is so full of passion and perseverance, so full of fire, it gives this book its zing. Harriet is a heroine striving against a backdrop of actual events, and real characters. She reveals underlying truths in the sad histories of many slaves. This book reveals the inhumanity suffered by our ancestors. Displayed by the fictitious letter this story is written so you can successfully experience the sentimental value, which the slaves portrayed. Your emotions will run wild from anger and excitement to sadness and fear. One minute you will be sitting on your bed reading, and the next, you will be running through the woods with Harriet trying to escape to the "free states." Letters from a Slave Girl: the Story of Harriet Jacob's is a fantastic achievement. It successfully expresses the emotions that people felt in the slave era. You will fear and cry right along with the characters as though you were right there with them! This historical fiction novel is a rewarding book that will teach and inspire!