From: GJB71563 at aol.com <GJB71563>
Date: Fri, 30 Mar 2007 08:43:45 EDT

Harriet Jacobs wrote one of the classic "slave narratives" titled Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, a powerfully written personal account of her slave experience. I have studied many of the slave narratives and took a course in my graduate English studies, "African-American Literaure." Older middle school and high school children would probably be turned off by the REAL slave narratives as they are written in a 18th-19th century style. Despite the captivating narratives and the compelling stories, modern day youth would probably be best served by reading the REAL slave narratives in college. Frederick Douglas' account is one that I would recommend for a high school audience. Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin is another wonderful choice, although this is a fictional book and NOT a slave narrative. Yet, Uncle Tom's Cabin has tremendous historical significance; it was the novel that opened the eyes of many to the horrors of slavery and was an impetus for the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln met her and said, "Ah, you are the little lady who started this great big war." I loved Copper Sun. I felt it was finely written with excellent character development and a realistic portrayal of the horrors and abuses of the Middle Passage and slavery. If anything else, it certainly could serve as an introduction to reading the REAL slave narratives and other works of acclaim such as Toni Morriosn's Beloved and Alex Haley's Roots.
  Gail Brown Voorheesville Public Library



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Received on Fri 30 Mar 2007 07:43:45 AM CDT