Growing Up in Slavery: Stories of Young Slaves as Told by Themselves - Softcover

Taylor, Yuval

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1556526350 ISBN 13: 9781556526350

Publisher: Chicago Review Press, 2007

Synopsis

Ten slaves—all under the age of 19—tell stories of enslavement, brutality, and dreams of freedom in this collection culled from full-length autobiographies. These accounts, selected to help teenagers relate to the horrific experiences of slaves their own age living in the not-so-distant past, include stories of young slaves torn from their mothers and families, suffering from starvation, and being whipped and tortured. But these are not all tales of deprivation and violence; teenagers will relate to accounts of slaves challenging authority, playing games, telling jokes, and falling in love. These stories cover the range of the slave experience, from the passage in slave ships across the Atlantic—and daily life as a slave both on large plantations and in small-city dwellings—to escaping slavery and fighting in the Civil War. The writings of Olaudah Equiano, Frederick Douglass, William Wells Brown, Harriet Jacobs, Elizabeth Keckley, and other lesser-known slaves are included.

About this title

About the Author:

Yuval Taylor is a senior editor at Lawrence Hill Books, where he pioneered the Library of Black America series. He is the editor of The Cartoon Music Book, The Future of Jazz, the two-volume anthology I Was Born a Slave, and a collection of the writings and speeches of Frederick Douglass. He lives in Chicago.

From School Library Journal:

Adult/High School-Taylor introduces these accounts with a discussion of the slave narrative as a literary genre, followed by a brief history of slavery in the United States. The 10 excerpts are arranged chronologically by original publication date and span the years between 1745 and the 1860s. Each narrative is preceded by brief biographical notes about its author and concludes with an account of the remainder of the person's life. These articulate, heartbreaking stories show slavery's effect on its youngest victims, children subjected to extraordinary toil and punishment from their earliest years. The circumstances and personalities of the authors differed significantly. One was captured in Africa and suffered the horrors of transport in a slave ship. Some toiled on large plantations, others on small farms or in city houses. Adolescent girls suffered from the attentions of predatory masters and the vengeance of jealous mistresses. Surviving brutality, fear, and deprivation, the children prevailed through courage, resolution, and wisdom. The risks taken to learn to read or to visit a beloved relative sold to a new master were incredible. Ten woodcut illustrations are included.-Kathy Tewell, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
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About this edition

• Publisher: Chicago Review Press
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1556526350
• ISBN 13: 9781556526350
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256