Minnie's Sacrifice (Dodo Press) [Paperback]

Frances E. W. Harper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 18, 2007

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825-1911) born to free parents in Baltimore, Maryland, was an African American abolitionist and poet. Her first volume of verse, Forest Leaves, was published in 1845, the book was extremely popular and over the next few years went through 20 editions. In 1850, she started working in Columbus, Ohio as a schoolteacher. Three years later in 1853, she joined the American Anti-Slavery Society and became a travelling lecturer for the group. She was also a strong supporter of prohibition and woman's suffrage. In 1892, she published a novel about a rescued black slave and the Reconstructed South, called Iola Leroy; or, Shadows Uplifted one of the first books published by an African American. Later, she wrote Minnie's Sacrifice, Sowing and Reaping and Trial and Triumph. Harper was a strong supporter of women's suffrage and was a member of the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA).

Product Details

• Paperback: 100 pages
• Publisher: Dodo Press (May 18, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1406532606
• ISBN-13: 978-1406532609
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,623,881 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rediscovered novel of a black protest poet, September 14, 2010

By 

Patto (Vermont) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: Minnie's Sacrifice (Dodo Press) (Paperback)

Frances Harper was the most popular black woman poet of the nineteenth century. Before the Civil War, she was a much admired abolitionist lecturer on the anti-slavery circuit. Afterwards she championed education for blacks, women's rights and universal suffrage.

Some years ago I read and enjoyed Harper's novel Iola Leroy (1892), which has become a classic of African American literature. Minnie's Sacrifice (1869), recently rediscovered by a Harper scholar, is an earlier, less polished work. Some chapters have been lost because the book was only published in serial form. Nonetheless I found Minnie's Sacrifice well worth reading.

The story follows the lives of a boy and girl born to black slave women and their white masters. The children are sent North to pass for white and only discover their mixed blood by force of circumstances.

The descriptions of the Underground Railway in Minnie's Sacrifice recall Harper's own experience helping slaves escape to Canada.

Frances Harper was born in 1825 of free black parents, but she was not content with just her own freedom. She dedicated her life to defeating slavery and righting other injustices. Her passionate commitment to helping others is reflecting in Minnie's character and the whole tenor of Minnie's Sacrifice. It may not be great literature, but it brings us the voice of a great humanitarian.

I'd recommend Minnie's Sacrifice to any reader interested (as I am) in the literature created by slaves and free blacks in the nineteenth century.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Missing text, February 16, 2011

By 

Ann - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Minnie's Sacrifice (Kindle Edition)

It's hard to enjoy a book when much of the text is missing. While this one was input by volunteers it should have been checked for full content before putting in on Amazon