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I Am Nobody's Slave: How Uncovering My Family's History Set Me Free – A Gripping Pulitzer Prize Finalist Memoir of Racial Trauma and Healing
Blending the raw power of Natasha Tretheway's Memorial Drive and Clint Smith's insightful How the Word is Passed, veteran Wall Street Journal journalist Lee Hawkins, Jr. exhaustively examines his family's legacy of post-enslavement trauma in a memoir that is soulful, shocking, and spellbinding
368 pages, Hardcover
First published January 14, 2025
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2441 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
July 8, 2025
I Am Nobody's Slave: How Uncovering My Family's History Set Me Free
is a profound read, authored by a relentless yet persuasive voice that starts with a small boy's question as to why his parents would impose such devastating corporal punishments for the misdeeds of children? This small question, which isn't small in meaning leads to deeper research and conclusions of a larger narrative arc, which is the affect of genetic memories and experience passed from slave ancestors to their non-slave descendants where every bit of the whip and rope is remembered. And even now is re-enacted for a variety of justifications that for the author just doesn't work or make sense.
Lee Hawkins also writes beyond the black experience to the white one, of master/overseer performance that extends past the plantation generations to this very day, with boots on necks without a moment of consideration on what's right and what's evil.
Everyone should sit themselves down and read this book. It is not an easy read. But it is a very necessary perspective, statement, and exercise in understanding all sides. Lee Hawkins comprehensively seeks feedback, information and objective interactions with his family members on all sides of his family tree - to the white grandfathers and black non-consenting grandmothers - who now have descendants working hard to make sense of the legacies with which they've been left (for better or worse). He is even-handed in his presentation, but also unswervingly firm in his desire for fairness and a balancing out for all that has gone before. He believes that the best way to go about that is to keep on talking, writing and sharing what those experiences were and have been, and still are. Instead of burying the uncomfortable truths, it's time to be honest about them, and find a way to recognize we'll never change if we don't admit what has been done.
Profound, and necessary. All the stars. Keep on talking, Lee Hawkins. Write On!
*A sincere thank you to Lee Hawkins, HarperAudio Adult | HarperAudio, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.* 25|52:43e
Lee Hawkins also writes beyond the black experience to the white one, of master/overseer performance that extends past the plantation generations to this very day, with boots on necks without a moment of consideration on what's right and what's evil.
Everyone should sit themselves down and read this book. It is not an easy read. But it is a very necessary perspective, statement, and exercise in understanding all sides. Lee Hawkins comprehensively seeks feedback, information and objective interactions with his family members on all sides of his family tree - to the white grandfathers and black non-consenting grandmothers - who now have descendants working hard to make sense of the legacies with which they've been left (for better or worse). He is even-handed in his presentation, but also unswervingly firm in his desire for fairness and a balancing out for all that has gone before. He believes that the best way to go about that is to keep on talking, writing and sharing what those experiences were and have been, and still are. Instead of burying the uncomfortable truths, it's time to be honest about them, and find a way to recognize we'll never change if we don't admit what has been done.
Profound, and necessary. All the stars. Keep on talking, Lee Hawkins. Write On!
*A sincere thank you to Lee Hawkins, HarperAudio Adult | HarperAudio, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.* 25|52:43e
January 28, 2025
This is an extensive, deeply powerful, and personal exploration of generational and societal cause and effect. Hawkins offers so much more than a family portrait; instead, he presents an impactful reminder of the importance of knowing where one comes from to better understand where they stand today. He lays bare the ways that legacy is woven not only into Black pride and culture but also into the deep roots of enslavement and destruction that have, for so long, worked to manipulate and minimize the lineage and worth of the Black body, spirit, and family.
This book is a journey of healing and processing—an acknowledgment that one cannot heal a wound without knowing its depth or cause. I truly appreciated and enjoyed this compilation of historical and personal accounts. It’s hard to imagine anyone reading this and not feeling inspired to look more intentionally into their own family’s history.
This book feels timely, especially as Black history faces erasure and diminishment. Now more than ever, it is our duty to learn and share the lives, stories, suffering, and triumphs of our ancestors. I Am Nobody’s Slave is a testament to that responsibility and a crucial reminder of the work still left to do.
Thank you to Netgalley & Amistad for this e-galley.
This book is a journey of healing and processing—an acknowledgment that one cannot heal a wound without knowing its depth or cause. I truly appreciated and enjoyed this compilation of historical and personal accounts. It’s hard to imagine anyone reading this and not feeling inspired to look more intentionally into their own family’s history.
This book feels timely, especially as Black history faces erasure and diminishment. Now more than ever, it is our duty to learn and share the lives, stories, suffering, and triumphs of our ancestors. I Am Nobody’s Slave is a testament to that responsibility and a crucial reminder of the work still left to do.
Thank you to Netgalley & Amistad for this e-galley.
March 21, 2025
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Wow, just wow.
I can only imagine how amazing the audiobook for I Am Nobody's Slave would be. Since I had the ebook already, I decided to take my time and slowly devour every single thing written on these pages. I'll admit that Lee Hawkins had so many brilliant and emotional quotes throughout this that it was hard to narrow down on what to use in this review.
Okay, so, let's rip the band-aid here. I'm white. At the moment, I will never know what it's like to live in an abusive family or relationship. In a way, my family has a book that dives into a small part of my family's history coming over from Ireland. Yet, when I read everything that Lee's family experienced, I was left speechless. I can't step into their shoes, but I can continue to learn about the past and do better in my present and future.
Now this is a big quote, so I'm breaking it up a bit. This book doesn't shy away from the bad or the ugly versions of family or our history. The way trauma was handled throughout generations made my heart sad. It definitely opened my eyes to how bad it could get and how you never really know what is going on in a person's life.
I also really liked this part in the book because he's finally addressing a problem within his own family. He wants to sit down and talk about his parents past. Heck, his own past. He wants them to see a therapist and hopefully learn a way to heal and move towards a better relationship with one another. The overall goal is a happier and healthier life. The first step is acknowledging and setting boundaries. It most likely won't be resolved in seconds, but nothing in life is ever easy.
Now I'll never have the perspective of anyone other than myself. I have no problem trying to find a way to connect to a character, situation, or the author of any book. Or just simply sitting back and learning. If I'm being honest, I learned a lot in this book, and that's a good thing. Learning is and can be a powerful thing.
We are constantly talking about change and wanting the world to be a better place. It's always a good thing to crack open a book and learn something you know nothing about. Especially when it comes to this beautiful book about resilience, forgiveness, and reconciliation. We, as people, need to continue learning and doing better. Understanding our past so that we don't go backwards and moving forward by breaking those cycles.
In the end, I highly recommend this book and suggest you take your time with it.
"Never confuse position with power. Pharaoh had a position, but Moses had the power. Herod had a position, but John had the power. The cross had a position, but Jesus had the power. Lincoln had a position, but Douglas had the power. Woodrow Wilson had a position, but Ida B. Wells had the power. George Wallace had a position, but Rosa Parks had the power. Lyndon Baines Johnson had a position, but Martin Luther King had the power. We have the power. Don't you ever forget."
Wow, just wow.
I can only imagine how amazing the audiobook for I Am Nobody's Slave would be. Since I had the ebook already, I decided to take my time and slowly devour every single thing written on these pages. I'll admit that Lee Hawkins had so many brilliant and emotional quotes throughout this that it was hard to narrow down on what to use in this review.
Okay, so, let's rip the band-aid here. I'm white. At the moment, I will never know what it's like to live in an abusive family or relationship. In a way, my family has a book that dives into a small part of my family's history coming over from Ireland. Yet, when I read everything that Lee's family experienced, I was left speechless. I can't step into their shoes, but I can continue to learn about the past and do better in my present and future.
"I was down here," I said from the floor. "It's one of the lowest points you can ever be in life, to be down here with your father's boot on your neck. And, Mom, I can't respect you because you were standing right there and have never even acknowledged it happened. You lie about it and call beating children a Black custom. But I think it's really a slave master custom. You haven't done a lick of research, yet you brazenly insist that this is what Black people do to their children because we invented it. No, a white slave master invented it and did it to our ancestors, and then you did it to us. You tried to beat the confidence out of me, physically, verbally, and emotionally.
Now this is a big quote, so I'm breaking it up a bit. This book doesn't shy away from the bad or the ugly versions of family or our history. The way trauma was handled throughout generations made my heart sad. It definitely opened my eyes to how bad it could get and how you never really know what is going on in a person's life.
You think like a slave master and a mentally defeated slave who has accepted they'll never be free. You're like that slave on the plantation who hated anybody who wanted to run and did everything to try and help the master catch them and keep them in those chains. But you couldn't stop me, and you can't stop me. You may despise me for that, but I've made it out. I'm nobody's slave, and I will never be a slave to anyone, especially not to y'all. If you hate me for it and still think I'm too good, so be it. This little plantation thing you had going on--it's over."
I also really liked this part in the book because he's finally addressing a problem within his own family. He wants to sit down and talk about his parents past. Heck, his own past. He wants them to see a therapist and hopefully learn a way to heal and move towards a better relationship with one another. The overall goal is a happier and healthier life. The first step is acknowledging and setting boundaries. It most likely won't be resolved in seconds, but nothing in life is ever easy.
Now I'll never have the perspective of anyone other than myself. I have no problem trying to find a way to connect to a character, situation, or the author of any book. Or just simply sitting back and learning. If I'm being honest, I learned a lot in this book, and that's a good thing. Learning is and can be a powerful thing.
We are constantly talking about change and wanting the world to be a better place. It's always a good thing to crack open a book and learn something you know nothing about. Especially when it comes to this beautiful book about resilience, forgiveness, and reconciliation. We, as people, need to continue learning and doing better. Understanding our past so that we don't go backwards and moving forward by breaking those cycles.
In the end, I highly recommend this book and suggest you take your time with it.
"Writing allows you to express what's in your brain. And that's power."
April 11, 2025
Mr. Hawkins: first and foremost, I wanted to thank you for writing this book, even though you will probably never see this. The bravery that you showed in confronting the history of your family and the relationships between black and white people was truly enlightening. I also have to say thank you to your parents and other family members who helped you do this research. I have to say at the beginning of the book I was horrified and still am, and I wanted to not like family members of yours. But as I read, and as I saw more deeply, your family‘s history and relationship now, I realized that we can only do as good as we can with the information given. I hope that makes sense in someway. I’m not the most articulate person, especially after finishing an excellent book like this. This reminds me why nonfiction is so important, and to never stop reading and learning. Thank you so much again for your bravery, and thank you to your family as well.
March 6, 2025
I Am Nobody's Slave~~~
As a well-read, white person born and bred in America, I still can't truly understand the Black American experience. Sure, I've had many friends over the last half of my life who are Black and I've read many books and memoirs by Black Americans, but I just didn't comprehend it as well as I do now after finishing Lee Hwkins' 2025 book I Am Nobody's Slave: How Uncovering My Family's History Set Me Free. It was a heart-wrenching experience simply reading it, so I know it was much more difficult researching and writing it.
This is the first book by Hawkins who was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2022 and has shared his forty plus years of Black American experience in many other, brilliant ways. He mostly uses the words enslavement and enslaved instead of slavery and slaves because that is more accurate. Quite so.
More than a riveting memoir, his book is also an investigation into his unknown family history, clear back to the Civil War, that included four years of harrowing interviews with often-resistant parents and many relatives. I slowly absorbed the memoir part of the first two sections, but by the third section of investigation mostly, I needed to skim and skip. I felt overwhelmed by the intensity and how traumatic it was for Hawkins and his younger sister suffered so horribly as children.
Part of the problem was probably that the Hawkins' family lived in very white Minnesota where the well-off parents tried to live the American Dream, after growing up in the South, and were afraid of what racist ,white people could do to Black people if given the opportunity.
Their fears, however, knew no bounds and they almost-daily attacked their two youngest children in fits of contorted rage that left welts all over their limbs from the belt.
Lee ended up in a halo vest for months during his senior year of high school after his father ground his steel-tipped boot into Lee's neck, which separated his vertebrae. Tiffany, at seventeen years I believe, finally slapped her mother back and was never abused again.
The author discovers why his parents became so unhinged while raising him and Tiffany. They reminded their parents of relatives from their past and of untreated trauma from childhood that spanned abandonment, loss, neglect, chaos, and, in general, post-Jim Crow anger. It was fear of other Blacks and not just whites.
It was a difficult, but worthwhile read that will not be forgotten soon. Let me just note that healing from trauma helps set you psychologically free, as it has for Hawkins because of his investigation and getting to understand his family much better, but consider changing what you eat too. Don't eat those chitlins and pork rinds anymore, okay? That's what the enslaved ate and why Lee's father had Type 2 Diabetes and died shortly after Lee finished interviewing him.
Highly recommended!
As a well-read, white person born and bred in America, I still can't truly understand the Black American experience. Sure, I've had many friends over the last half of my life who are Black and I've read many books and memoirs by Black Americans, but I just didn't comprehend it as well as I do now after finishing Lee Hwkins' 2025 book I Am Nobody's Slave: How Uncovering My Family's History Set Me Free. It was a heart-wrenching experience simply reading it, so I know it was much more difficult researching and writing it.
This is the first book by Hawkins who was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2022 and has shared his forty plus years of Black American experience in many other, brilliant ways. He mostly uses the words enslavement and enslaved instead of slavery and slaves because that is more accurate. Quite so.
More than a riveting memoir, his book is also an investigation into his unknown family history, clear back to the Civil War, that included four years of harrowing interviews with often-resistant parents and many relatives. I slowly absorbed the memoir part of the first two sections, but by the third section of investigation mostly, I needed to skim and skip. I felt overwhelmed by the intensity and how traumatic it was for Hawkins and his younger sister suffered so horribly as children.
Part of the problem was probably that the Hawkins' family lived in very white Minnesota where the well-off parents tried to live the American Dream, after growing up in the South, and were afraid of what racist ,white people could do to Black people if given the opportunity.
Their fears, however, knew no bounds and they almost-daily attacked their two youngest children in fits of contorted rage that left welts all over their limbs from the belt.
Lee ended up in a halo vest for months during his senior year of high school after his father ground his steel-tipped boot into Lee's neck, which separated his vertebrae. Tiffany, at seventeen years I believe, finally slapped her mother back and was never abused again.
The author discovers why his parents became so unhinged while raising him and Tiffany. They reminded their parents of relatives from their past and of untreated trauma from childhood that spanned abandonment, loss, neglect, chaos, and, in general, post-Jim Crow anger. It was fear of other Blacks and not just whites.
It was a difficult, but worthwhile read that will not be forgotten soon. Let me just note that healing from trauma helps set you psychologically free, as it has for Hawkins because of his investigation and getting to understand his family much better, but consider changing what you eat too. Don't eat those chitlins and pork rinds anymore, okay? That's what the enslaved ate and why Lee's father had Type 2 Diabetes and died shortly after Lee finished interviewing him.
Highly recommended!
February 15, 2025
I’ve studied black history, all the trauma, all the violence, for decades; my whole life. I usually lean away from these types of books both because I know it and it also makes me truly, deeply, sad. For some reason or other, I decided to open up this book and it’s hard to describe how I’m feeling right after finishing it.
I read this book in one sitting. I saw my dad in this book. I saw my mom in this book. I saw my family that I’ve never had the opportunity to meet in this book. I saw myself in this book.
This book gets at the heart of inter-generational trauma and inter-generational resilience in one go. It explains how the violence of Jim Crow America has trickled down into the bedrock of American society and how this curse affects everyone here. Without understanding our past, what hope for the future do we have?
I read this book in one sitting. I saw my dad in this book. I saw my mom in this book. I saw my family that I’ve never had the opportunity to meet in this book. I saw myself in this book.
This book gets at the heart of inter-generational trauma and inter-generational resilience in one go. It explains how the violence of Jim Crow America has trickled down into the bedrock of American society and how this curse affects everyone here. Without understanding our past, what hope for the future do we have?
March 5, 2025
“A successful Black man is a threat, because white people think you’re taking power that belongs to them.”
I seen this book on display at my local library and was immediately grasped by the cover. I flipped through it briefly before deciding to check it out.
Little did I know that it was published this year.
Little did I know that it would pull at my heart strings like it has.
Lee Hawkins… his writing is so descriptive and detailed. I feel like I know both him and his family. He feels like my family. I am so grateful to have stumbled across it.
I recommend this read for Black folks, especially those who need motivation to overcome their childhood traumas caused by their parents or at least another way to look at it.
Brilliant novel.
I seen this book on display at my local library and was immediately grasped by the cover. I flipped through it briefly before deciding to check it out.
Little did I know that it was published this year.
Little did I know that it would pull at my heart strings like it has.
Lee Hawkins… his writing is so descriptive and detailed. I feel like I know both him and his family. He feels like my family. I am so grateful to have stumbled across it.
I recommend this read for Black folks, especially those who need motivation to overcome their childhood traumas caused by their parents or at least another way to look at it.
Brilliant novel.
September 13, 2025
I’m not sure how to express the range of emotions I felt listening to Mr. Hawkins share his life journey. Heart wrenching, gut wrenching, inspiring, and hopeful. I learned so much more about generational trauma, the effects of slavery, Jim Crow and their effects on our black community. So many “I didn’t know that” eye opening moments that underscore the importance of ALL history being taught-not just the white perspective.
July 18, 2025
It would be an understatement to say that there are many parts of this book that will make white people uncomfortable, especially those with southern heritage, and yet, this book would not show nearly the integrity it does without causing that discomfort. I've never read anything quite like it: a memoir and history lesson in one, filled with insight about generational trauma and its continuing legacy. But there is also a rich legacy of triumph reflected in these words, and Hawkins' pride in his family's accomplishments, as well as his own, shine through.
Hawkins explores domestic violence in Black families, including his own, seeking the roots of the issue and finding enslavement as the cause, appropriately. His research takes him on a very personal journey, often to unexpected places, where he uncovers his own family history through interviews with family members. Trying to understand more, he has his DNA tested with Ancestry, and a world of unexpected white cousins shows up. Reconciling this family history, and the reality of enslavement for his ancestors, brings a confusion of emotions, but also clarifies and explains many of those family stories he'd heard.
Hawkins writes with compassion, understanding, and forgiveness, but also with the expectation that, moving forward, we need to do better as a society to heal the wounds created by our history, and engender a healthier future for ourselves and our children.
Hawkins explores domestic violence in Black families, including his own, seeking the roots of the issue and finding enslavement as the cause, appropriately. His research takes him on a very personal journey, often to unexpected places, where he uncovers his own family history through interviews with family members. Trying to understand more, he has his DNA tested with Ancestry, and a world of unexpected white cousins shows up. Reconciling this family history, and the reality of enslavement for his ancestors, brings a confusion of emotions, but also clarifies and explains many of those family stories he'd heard.
Hawkins writes with compassion, understanding, and forgiveness, but also with the expectation that, moving forward, we need to do better as a society to heal the wounds created by our history, and engender a healthier future for ourselves and our children.
March 13, 2025
I Am Nobody’s Slave by Lee Hawkins
In his memoir, Lee Hawkins invokes the concept of Intergenerational Trauma in order to unravel, and break, the legacy of violence passed down from slavery. Hawkins connects the violence inflicted on slaves throughout America’s ugliest period while continuing to turn the pages of history beyond Emancipation in bridging the long lasting effects of violence.
Hawkins, a descendant of both slaves and slave owners, provides the reader with an open and painfully honest view into his own upbringing riddled with the weight of injustices dispensed on his ancestors. In connecting the trauma brought on by the classification of chattel, incessant rapes, life-threatening beatings, and separation of families - just to name a few - Hawkins confronts the root of his own family’s fears and anxieties on what it means to be Black in America in order to liberate himself from the chains of history.
I highly recommend this memoir not only for adults but also for high school students at the junior and senior level in spite of its harsh language at times, or especially because of its harsh language as a marker of reality.
In his memoir, Lee Hawkins invokes the concept of Intergenerational Trauma in order to unravel, and break, the legacy of violence passed down from slavery. Hawkins connects the violence inflicted on slaves throughout America’s ugliest period while continuing to turn the pages of history beyond Emancipation in bridging the long lasting effects of violence.
Hawkins, a descendant of both slaves and slave owners, provides the reader with an open and painfully honest view into his own upbringing riddled with the weight of injustices dispensed on his ancestors. In connecting the trauma brought on by the classification of chattel, incessant rapes, life-threatening beatings, and separation of families - just to name a few - Hawkins confronts the root of his own family’s fears and anxieties on what it means to be Black in America in order to liberate himself from the chains of history.
I highly recommend this memoir not only for adults but also for high school students at the junior and senior level in spite of its harsh language at times, or especially because of its harsh language as a marker of reality.
June 12, 2025
Hawkins book was phenomenal. Should be a required textbook read for every human being living in the "USof -what an incredibly fff'd-up country- A." I took it in small doses because the first half was incredibly intense but again, a must read. Hawkins and his sister's level of forgiveness and love for their parents is awe inspiring -- close to Jesus's "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." No more spoilers but Jim Crow lives intergenerationally and my prayer is that the terror and abuse stops now.
April 16, 2025
Hands down the best memoir I’ve ever read! And I like reading memoirs for fun!
The most well researched memoir I have ever encountered to date! Research going back hundreds of years! Speaking on how slavery and racism impacted his family and how it’s still impacting the world today for people of color. As a white person living in the south, this memoir was very educational for me.
As a person who went through childhood trauma and comes from a family of generational trauma on both sides, I’ve never seen an author articulate abuse in such a raw yet profound way as Mr. Lee Hawkins Jr. has in his memoir! You can tell he put his heart and soul into this book!
I will absolutely be recommending this memoir to as many people as I possibly can! This is definitely my new favorite book!
He does a wonderful job with the audiobook as well!
Thank you so much for writing this book! You are truly helping the world with your memoir! I believe that with my heart and soul!
The most well researched memoir I have ever encountered to date! Research going back hundreds of years! Speaking on how slavery and racism impacted his family and how it’s still impacting the world today for people of color. As a white person living in the south, this memoir was very educational for me.
As a person who went through childhood trauma and comes from a family of generational trauma on both sides, I’ve never seen an author articulate abuse in such a raw yet profound way as Mr. Lee Hawkins Jr. has in his memoir! You can tell he put his heart and soul into this book!
I will absolutely be recommending this memoir to as many people as I possibly can! This is definitely my new favorite book!
He does a wonderful job with the audiobook as well!
Thank you so much for writing this book! You are truly helping the world with your memoir! I believe that with my heart and soul!
February 26, 2025
Lee Hawkins brave new memoir promises hope after trauma understood through the lens of historical context. By uncovering facts of his family's past that had been previously hidden to guard the younger generations from pain or shame, he brings a light into the real causes of his childhood suffering. It is a remarkable journey and one every family should read to help them tell their stories to their next generation. And also to forgive themselves for harms forced on them by outside forces outside their conscious control. Highly recommended read with a focus on healing!
April 8, 2025
This is a difficult read - portrayal and discussion of child abuse, murder and slavery with all the pain and degradation it entails. The author has woven deeply personal narrative, well researched history and current statistics in an engaging tail of his family's complicated history. The prose is concise but not spare as you would expect from a seasoned journalist. I would recommend this to anyone reading outside their comfort zone - the story is worth the discomfort. I will carry these stories with me long after the last words of the audiobook fade.
May 31, 2025
This book moved me in ways I didn’t expect and brought up a lot of my own trauma to the surface. It is one of the best books I’ve ever read, and so important to read. The author describes heavy domestic violence and multiple levels of abuse that occurred when he was growing up. Only after digging deep into his family’s history could he find the reason why it occurred and what had to be done to finally break the cycle.
Listen to the podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3UWa...
Listen to the podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3UWa...
March 20, 2025
I saw this book at an airport magazine shop and immediately downloaded an audio version. Since I am in constant search to update my family tree/ancestors, I found this book very inspiring and reminiscent. I felt as though maybe we grew up together although I know we did not, it just checked so many boxes for me (not the violence but the lifestyle). One I may purchase to have a hard copy in my library.
May 12, 2025
Excellent examination of generational trauma and the impact of slavery on succeeding generations. It’s a very raw and honest book, painful to read at times, but very enlightening. As a white person, I can’t begin to have a primary understanding of living with racist fear, and I am grateful to Mr Hawkins for sharing his story.
March 22, 2025
deeply moving, powerful and impactful.
June 6, 2025
Excellent powerful book!
August 17, 2025
This is a deeply moving, transparent and personal memoir of an African American family and the legacy of Slavery and Jim Crow laws. This book will help many families see how the past shapes the future and will give courage to do the same with their own families.
February 26, 2025
Profoundly emotional and well-written. The courage to share this story and how slavery still deeply affects generations of families is inspiring.
March 12, 2025
I Am Nobody's Slave: How Uncovering My Family's History Set Me Free
A riveting book. I could not put it down. Creative, gut-wrenching writing. Lee Hawkins covers four hundred years of disturbing often “secret” American history and one his family unwillingly participated in. He shows that violence is unintentionally inherited and passed down through generations of fear even when the societal threat is seemingly passed. I recommend this book for every adult to read.
A riveting book. I could not put it down. Creative, gut-wrenching writing. Lee Hawkins covers four hundred years of disturbing often “secret” American history and one his family unwillingly participated in. He shows that violence is unintentionally inherited and passed down through generations of fear even when the societal threat is seemingly passed. I recommend this book for every adult to read.
June 23, 2025
I read this book while I was in New Orleans visiting the Whitney Plantation (both experiences pierced my heart and fed my soul). This book profoundly changed the way I look at generational trauma and why it’s so important that we stop the cycle of abuse for our children.
July 10, 2025
A must read for all Americans of every hue. And by must read, I mean it should be a requirement for living in the US.
July 30, 2025
I had no idea about the practice/acceptance of corporal punishment for Black children, or that the practice can be traced back to slavery and Jim Crow practices/laws. Another horrible "American" legacy, not from African ancestors prior to Africans being brought to America as slaves. Everyone should read this book.
March 17, 2025
This is one of those deeply personal stories that speaks to our shared American trauma and history. I think not knowing this writer, along wth not having the young, black male perspective made it a little harder for me to connect. Though being raised in a similar culture , I can appreciate the nuances taken to peel back and examine while still keeping space for processing the trauma . A beautiful example of addressing the problems and acknowledging the generational traumas to repair and not just dissolve the relationship
After listening to the author's talk, the book earned an extra star
After listening to the author's talk, the book earned an extra star
September 3, 2025
A fascinating story that's timely, with its emphasis on the need to engage honestly with America's past rather than airbrush it into an "uplifting" story. I interviewed Lee Hawkins for the Duluth News Tribune.
April 6, 2025
I love reading Minnesota authors and Hawkins is one of the best I’ve read. His writing is captivating and I was immediately drawn in. Hawkins looks fully into the face of a lot of challenging subjects: child abuse, rascism, slavery, murder, rape and generational trauma. His story on its own is a powerful tale but the way he interweaves it with his families and American slavery history makes this book exceptional.
I feel like I have a better understanding of American history, especially slavery. Hawkins shows how slavery is not some distant history but truly only a few generations removed and still having far reaching effects. Everything is so well researched and explained. I learned a lot about the Jim Crow era and legally allowed beatings/whippings of the time. Also learned about John Henryism. As a medical person, the way he tied these aspects to health was also brilliantly done and really demonstrates the social determinants of health.
I did get completely confused in the family history in the last the third of the book. It was really hard to keep track of which relative on which side of his of family he was talking about amd how they all connected. Their stories were also told in a confusing order. A family tree maybe would’ve been helpful? Overall I just let their stories wash over me and they still added a lot to the overall book, demonstrating how much violence Hawkins extended family had to deal with from white people, black people and their own family members. I felt torn on the ending, having seen so many family members deeply in denial about the state of a loved one, but appreciated hearing the family’s side of the story.
I feel like I have a better understanding of American history, especially slavery. Hawkins shows how slavery is not some distant history but truly only a few generations removed and still having far reaching effects. Everything is so well researched and explained. I learned a lot about the Jim Crow era and legally allowed beatings/whippings of the time. Also learned about John Henryism. As a medical person, the way he tied these aspects to health was also brilliantly done and really demonstrates the social determinants of health.
I did get completely confused in the family history in the last the third of the book. It was really hard to keep track of which relative on which side of his of family he was talking about amd how they all connected. Their stories were also told in a confusing order. A family tree maybe would’ve been helpful? Overall I just let their stories wash over me and they still added a lot to the overall book, demonstrating how much violence Hawkins extended family had to deal with from white people, black people and their own family members. I felt torn on the ending, having seen so many family members deeply in denial about the state of a loved one, but appreciated hearing the family’s side of the story.
September 1, 2025
A must read for all Americans to aid in their understanding of why the events of hundreds of years ago still impact Black Americans today and will continue to impact them until we as a nation put in the immense work to start to create a better and more equal future for the descendants of those who almost exclusively built this country and whose labor and lives created the wealth of this country.
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August 30, 2025Hawkins grew up in a violent home, anxious when he would next be hit or whipped or stomped on. As an adult, attempting to understand his parents, the origin of his trauma, Hawkins endeavors to learn about his family's history and it's tendency toward violence.
(The excuse from parents for abusing their children, "That's how I was raised," never fails to turn my stomach.)
(The excuse from parents for abusing their children, "That's how I was raised," never fails to turn my stomach.)
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