Six Women's Slave Narratives (Schomburg Library of Nineteenth-Century Black Women Writers) [Paperback]

William L. Andrews (Introduction)

Book Description

Series: Schomburg Library of Nineteenth-Century Black Women Writers | Publication Date: December 14, 1989

Written by six black women, these stories embody most of the predominant themes and narrative forms found in African-American women's autobiographies from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The History of Mary Prince, a West Indian Slave (1831), the first female slave narrative from the Americas, recounts one woman's suffering and courage in the pursuit of freedom. The Story of Mattie J. Jackson (1866) not only tells of a quest for personal freedom, but also concludes with a family reunion in the North after the Civil War. The Memoir of Old Elizabeth, a Coloured Woman (1863) blends the traditions of the slave narrative and the spiritual autobiography together in a tale of a ninety-seven-year-old ex-slave who becomes a preacher. Lucy A. Delaney's From the Darkness Cometh the Light, or, Struggles for Freedom (c. 1891) records a former slave's life achievements in the quarter-century following the end of the Civil War. Kate Drumgoold, in A Slave Girl's Story, and Annie L. Burton, in Memories of Childhood's Slavery Days, also describe their successes in the postwar North while eulogizing black motherhood in the antebellum South. Each of these stories reveals the black woman's ability to recover in past oppression the hope for a better day.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Great collection to augment male narratives and Jacobs."--Roma Johnson, Tufts University

"Excellent."--Dr. Jane Buchanan, Bentley College (check name)

About the Author

William L. Andrews is at University of Kansas. William L. Andrews is at University of Kansas.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (December 14, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195060830
• ISBN-13: 978-0195060836
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 4.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #636,886 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Completely moving, gain a deeper understanding of the past., April 25, 2000

By 

Beth Anne (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Six Women's Slave Narratives (Schomburg Library of Nineteenth-Century Black Women Writers) (Paperback)

Six Women's Slave Narritives is an absolute must for any historian or seeker of truth. You will cry and shivers will run down your spine as you feel the past rush through you with every turn of the page. This is a compilation of 19th century Black women writers in different situations. Interestingly, the typeface changes slightly throughout the book, imitating the possibility of time travel. Some of the women are educated, and some are simply expressive. The editors notes help clarify confusing issues and questions. If you are studying history, women, black history or slavery, you will be engrossed by this heartrenching and soul-moving collection of personal exposure. Be ready to cry, wince, and change your outlook on life.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Six womens slave narratives critique, November 13, 2005

By 

Tiffany Morrison "Book analyzer" (Ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Six Women's Slave Narratives (Schomburg Library of Nineteenth-Century Black Women Writers) (Paperback)

An overall good read, however, it was longer than it should have been. This book gave an insightful view of slavery through the eyes of six slaves and the people in their lives. At some points in the book I gasped at the thought of how these women were treated. I was intrigued to continue reading in some spots, but in others I chose to skip over entire paragraphs. I would recommend this book to anyone writing a paper on slaves and the cruelity in which they were treated, and also how slaves percieved themselves in the early 19th century.

1 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Why not read 'The Slave Narratives' and get 2500, not 6, August 21, 2001

By 

Stephen J. Van Osdell "tabsaw" (Maineville, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Six Women's Slave Narratives (Schomburg Library of Nineteenth-Century Black Women Writers) (Paperback)

If you will read 'The Slave Narratives' you will get to read interviews with over 2500 former slaves who were still living in the mid-thirties, and also their views and feelings about life in the old South. Why limit yourself to just a handpicked 6 stories when there are 2500 out there? Hmmm?