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

Ten slaves—all under the age of 19—tell their stories of enslavement, brutality, and dreams of freedom in this collection. Culled from full-length autobiographies, these accounts were selected to help teenagers relate to the horrific experiences of slaves their own age in the not-so-distant past. Included are stories of young slaves, all under the age of 19, 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 see themselves in these accounts as the slaves challenge authority, play games, tell jokes, and fall in love. These stories cover the range of the slave experience, from the passage in slave ships across the Atlantic to daily life as a slave both on large plantations and in small city dwellings, and from escaping slavery to fighting in the Civil War. The writings of Olaudah Equiano, Frederick Douglass, William Wells Brown, Harriet Jacobs, Elizabeth Keckley, and other less famous slaves are included.

"Reveal[s] what it was like to come of age under such cruel conditions. Stirring."  —The Seattle Times

  

Ten slaves tell their stories in this collection that covers the range of the slave experience, from the passage across the Atlantic to daily life as a slave both on large plantations and in the city, and from escaping slavery to fighting in the Civil War. The writings of Olaudah Equiano, Frederick Douglass, William Wells Brown, Harriet Jacobs, Elizabeth Keckley, and other less famous slaves are included.

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.