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From Library Journal

February 15, 2002
Published in 1861, this was one of the first personal narratives by a slave and one of the few written by a woman. Jacobs (1813-97) was a slave in North Carolina and suffered terribly, along with her family, at the hands of a ruthless owner. She made several failed attempts to escape before successfully making her way North, though it took years of hiding and slow progress. Eventually, she was reunited with her children. For all biography and history collections.

Copyright 2001 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

From AudioFile Magazine

From 1861, come these recollections of a slave who works on a plantation in North Carolina. Her owner beats her, throws her down stairs, and rapes her at every chance. Jacobs's tale of escape makes for an enlightening odyssey. The sophistication of the narrative has led some to speculate the author was a "white writer." This transition from page to audio emphasizes the implausibility of the provenance. Narrator Elizabeth Klett employs no Southern accent and makes only two brief attempts to imitate the vocabulary or speech patterns of antebellum blacks. Klett uses a soft voice to portray the main character, as well as a young mother who interacts with her children, and changes to a gruff voice to depict the cruel master. Between chapters we hear scratchy recordings of sorrowful songs like "Old Black Joe." J.A.H. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine