This biography was the first full-length narrative written by a former woman slave in America. Born in 1813, Harriet Jacobs was unaware of her status as a slave until the deaths of her mother and a benevolent mistress exposed her to a sexually predatory master, Dr Flint, whilst she was in her teens. She escaped Dr Flint at the age of 22, leaving behind her two children, and hid in a tiny garret for seven years, before escaping North where her children joined her. Finally, at the age of 40, Jacobs was purchased and then emancipated by Mrs. Bruce, a staunch abolitionist who was Jacobs' employer and friend. The text here is that of the 1861 edition. Context includes contemporary responses to the book, selections from Jacob's other published writings and extracts from her correspondence. Also included are eleven important assessments of the narrative, a chronology and a selected bibliography
