Letters From a Slave Girl: The Story of Harriet Jacobs

by Mary E. Lyons

A collection of fictional letters vividly recreate the life and times of Harriet Ann Jacobs, a young slave girl who escaped to freedom in the 1840s and who became a published author and abolitionist.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Historical, Childrens, School, Teen

176 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Mary E. Lyons, a former teacher and librarian, became a full-time writer in 1993. She is the author of nineteen books for young readers published by Scribner, Atheneum, Henry Holt, Houghton Mifflin and Oxford University Press.

Born and raised in the American South, Mary Lyons lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, with her husband, Paul. Her publications for adults include The Blue Ridge Tunnel: A Remarkable Engineering Feat in Antebellum Virginia (History Press, 2014), The Virginia Blue Ridge Railroad (History Press, 2015), and Slave Labor on Virginia’s Blue Ridge Railroad (History Press, 2020).

Reviews

[Dinah Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written. Informative and heartbreaking. From the POV of Harriet Ann Jacobs about her life and eventual escape from a southern plantation. Great discussion type book for middle graders. I really enjoyed the the pictures, drawings, and maps in the back of the book.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! As I turned every page I could not help but feel as if I was living life beside this Slave Girl in the 1830's. The author of this book took me deep into the life of young girl name Harriet Jacob, where I did not experience her life from the outside, but from her personal place where all her thoughts and true feelings were hidden...her diary, letters to her loved ones.

The reality and the rawness of Harriet Jacobs' story is what makes this book so captivating. I experienced each event with Harriet as I read letters that she wrote to her deceased mother, missing family members and loved ones. Harriet's life is a trail of tears as she has to hide her thoughts and sometimes even herself in order to protect what she loves.

Harriet wants what many slaves living during the Civil War wanted, freedom. The letters that she wrote depicted that, especially when her mistress died and she has the chance to finally become free. Freedom comes with a price and I ran beside Harriet as she made each decision in her efforts towards escaping to a better future.

Sometimes I would cringe, when the "Docter" (her slave owner) would walk by, looking for her. I was holding my breath, hoping that if I held mine long enough, he would not hear hers.

I would use this book in a 5th or 6th grade classroom. Not only is the book a biography, but it is set in the style of a diary which can be difficult for younger students to comprehend, especially with the dates jumping all over the place. Older students, in my opinion, will be able to connect the dots in between each entry. Also, the content of the text is difficult. The author writes in a African American dialect which can be challenging, and the situations that Harriet faces are raw. In m opinion, older students would be able to close their eyes and actually imagine what this "Slave Girl" was feeling like and that is what reading a story is all about. Stepping into the words and living along with the character(s).

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose this book from the library simply because I thought I was in a rut. I've been reading a string of fantasy and science fiction books and I needed something new. If I'm going to tell my students to branch out, I ought to also.

The content of Letters from a Slave Girl: The Story of Harriet Jacobs is very mature. It talks about how her master sought to use her sexually with her consent while another older white man was given her favors while she was in her teens. Some of my middle school students might have problems with dialect (but I believe that students need to learn to read dialect).

I was surprised by the number of slaves who either escaped or sought to escape. I have no idea how large her town was or the number of slaves in the area but it appears that many tried to escape with a fair success rate.

I'm curious now about the autobiography which inspired Letters from a Slave Girl.

[Iliana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was heartbreaking due to the nature of what was Harriet's life at the time. I felt compassion and hoped she would triumph in the end.

[Lyla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was so good and helps us more modern day people know how freaking hard life was for the slaves!

[Millie Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I snagged this book from my daughter's school during their end of year book giveaway. After reading some hard sci-fi, I needed something a bit easier and this filled the bill quite nicely. The time period (1825-1897) is one of my favorite times to read about in American history, though the things that happened were horrifying, to say the least.

Harriet's story was one of hardship, love, and tears. You could feel the pain she felt when one of her loved ones died or was sold to a new master, along with the cruelty of those who looked upon her as property. You felt the pins and needles that she endured from hiding for so long and the chills of her fevers.

The only thing I didn't like was the last part of the book. It felt terribly rushed and it seemed as if the author wanted to cram a lot more into just a few pages. I would have liked to see more letters about Harriet's journey.

Overall, it was a good book. Part of me thinks it would be a bit graphic for kids, but considering the gore that most books have in them these days, it might just be me being old fashioned. Still, it was a good book and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes historical fiction.

[Nadja Carrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Book " Letters from a Slave Girl: The Story of Harriet Jacobs" was about a girl of African American Descent named Harriet Ann. Harriet Ann was born into slavery but did not know until her adolescent years. When Harriet's mother had died her owner had promised Harriet's father freedom if he could pay for it. He father began saving up meanwhile Mrs. Margaret was getting ill. While on her death bed she was helping Harriet learn to read and write. Harriet had dreams to make it to the North with her father and brother but with their only hope Mrs.Margaret on her death bed, those dreams were distant.
This book is very interesting and if you want to learn about slavery in the 1800s from a childs point of view, this is the book for it. Throughout the book you watch Harriet grow, maturity wise and English wise. Her writing becomes much easy to understand by the end of the book.

[Oksana Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My middle schooler had to read it over the summer, so I got interested. This book expanded my horizons on American history. Love it. It did make me cry.

[Young Jin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book because it was a school assignment, and it was a good book for readers to sleep at night.

[Brandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Letters from a Slave Girl: The Story of Harriet Jacobs What an interesting twist on a biography! Reading the 'letters' that Harriet wrote depicting in her own words the events that shape her life along with the horrors she endured was heartbreaking and enlightening. The book begins with the first letter written by Harriet shortly after her mistress dies when the girl was only 12 years old. Miss Margaret Horniblow promised to free Harriet as part of her will. Yet, like many of the promises made by slave owners to the enslaved, this one was not kept. Instead, Harriet is given to the 3 year old granddaughter of Miss Margaret. She spends years working for the family and suffering under the constant harassment from Doctor Norcom. When a kind talking white man, Samuel Sawyer, shows an interest in her, Harriet relishes in the attention. But, after the birth of two children with him and his utter unwillingness to do anything to truly better her life (or the lives of their kids), Harriet realizes that she has to rely on herself. Upon this realization, she plans her escape. Her uncle has a connection with a shipping captain who has been known to take people north. But, again, things do not go as planned and escaping slavery proves a challenging and complicated endeavor. Harriet spends 7 years hiding in her grandmother’s cellar, listening to her children grow and life go on around her. Eventually Harriet makes it onto the ship and to the freedom she was so desperate for.

Letters from a Slave Girl was an intriguing read about the horrors and atrocities of slavery from the perspective of a person who endured it. This book would be a great classroom addition for educators to use in humanizing the people who suffered through years of being forced to become property for other humans. Educators could read the letters aloud and discuss what is happening around Harriet and what events she is describing. This is a great way for kids to learn history in a humanizing manner.

[Shyleia J · Rating 5 out of 5]

The name of my book is Letters from a Slave Girl. The author is Mary E. Lyons. It is about a girl named Harriet Jacobs. She is a slave that is owned by Margaret Horniblow, but later on she dies so then she would be owned by Dr. Norcom. She lived in Edenton, North Carolina but when she would grow up she would move around alot. Then she had two children, but she wanted them to be free and not a slave so she would buy their freedom but she would have to hide and run to the free states but people were looking for her so she would have to stay in the little attic for seven years. Their father sent them to be slaves in different states but eventually she would get them and go to the free states. The theme of the story that it is trying to tell us about her and what she went through and the struggles she had to go through (seven years had passed by) and how hard it is being a slave and how so much of the slaves wanted to be free and if they had children they wanted them to be free.why i liked this book is because how how she got to be free and i love like slavery book to read and it gives me more persective on slavery. Do i like the ending yes because she finlly get to be free from slavery and get to live in her own house and noone can tell her what to do and she get her childern for slavery and they would live to be free from slavery.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

There aren't many books out there from the perspective of a female slave in the 1800s, but Letters from a Slave Girl makes me want to seek out others. I have always had a difficult time wrapping my mind around the idea of slavery and how people could convince themselves of the validity of such practices, and this story has only encouraged my incredulity. Walking through Harriet's life and viewing the losses, grief, and struggle for freedom for herself and her children is both inspiring and horrifyingly heartbreaking. The style and language are written for a YA audience, so it is a quick and easy read, but a significant one.

[Krystie Herndon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a story! The author based her fictionalized work on an actual autobiography, one of the few slave narratives written by a formerly enslaved Black woman, according to Ms. Lyons. Heartbreaking and triumphant, at the same time. A must-read for any American who wants to know the truth about our country's history!

[Alice Sather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a book for discussion and thought, especially for 5-8th graders. Adults can read it quickly. This is not the book Ms. Jacobs wrote herself, but is based upon that book and events during the time she lived.

[Alisa Dyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great information

Great book, almost felt like it was me whom actually wrote the book and actually experienced this...often makes me sad at the scarifies that were made before i was born to have a better life .

[Liz Little · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story. I think telling Harriet's story in letters was brilliant. It was sad, heartbreaking, and at times happy. Slavery is a horrible thing. This story was well written. It brought Harriet's experience to life. I felt what she went through. Everyone should read this.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. It gave great incite into how life was and all that she endured. There are times where it was hard to read because it was written with her spelling and grammar. I did have to stop reading and reflect and absorb what she was going through and how different life was back then.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a phenomenal read! This was the book that piqued my interest in reading. I was 12 when I first read this and my mom picked it up from the library for me. I couldn’t put it down. Over a decade later and it still one of my favorite books!

[Katharine Hart-watkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book goes into the reality of some tough decisions and sacrifices this woman, mother, and daughter had to make during a time when her body was not her own. It expanded the dynamics of slavery from a feminine viewpoint. Very enlightening.

[Marrqw Lol · Rating 4 out of 5]

The life of Harriet was as devastating and torturing as millions of others slaved women who end up sharing the tinniest pieces of their own stories of the true side of slavery… This was an interesting and great story

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powerful, heartbreaking and hopeful. Four stars.

[Willow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book. It was hard to read at times, but that's true of most books about slavery. I'm now very interested in the real book written by the real life main character of this one.

[Susanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would recommend this to students grades 6 and up who enjoy biographies and American history and especially want to learn more about the impact of slavery on young women and their families.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Damn they did not hold anything back when showcasing the unique way black women suffered under slavery. They didn't have to go into graphic detail for the point and horror to come across clearly.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I need to read her autobiography now.

[Linda Wrobleski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short book that really makes you think. I could never have dreamed of spending years in hiding, and so many more pieces.

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quick read but boring.

[Amber Page]

Pick Your Poison-Not As It Seems Fiction book with a real person as protagonist. 5*

[Breen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Important work. Densely detailed at times and hard to follow with so many individuals mentioned. But the story itself was worth the reading to begin to even understand the perspective of Harriet.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

An important story which I knew nothing about. The additional information at the end of the book was fascinating.