Women and Freedom

In these classic memoirs, three indomitable women share their stories of surviving slavery and fighting for the freedom of others.
Behind the Scenes: Born into slavery, Elizabeth Keckley used her talents as a seamstress to buy her freedom and eventually became Mary Todd Lincoln’s dressmaker. Keckley and the first lady formed a close friendship as they endured tragedies together, including the deaths of their sons and the assassination of President Lincoln. Keckley’s autobiography is an intimate portrait of life inside the White House as well as the stirring story of one woman’s fight to rise above the horrors of enslavement.
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl: From the age of six, Linda Brent grows up serving a gentle mistress who teaches her to read and write. But when she tragically dies, Linda’s lecherous new master makes her life a living hell. Unable to join her two young children in their escape to the North, Linda hides in the attic above her grandmother’s house. For seven years, she waits for the opportunity to reunite with her son and daughter in the land of freedom. But when the chance finally comes, Linda discovers she has yet more pain to endure. Based on the true story of Harriet Jacobs’s escape from the South, this is one of American literature’s most powerful indictments of the evils of slavery.
The Narrative of Sojourner Truth: After escaping enslavement, Sojourner Truth sued for her son’s release—the first time in American history that a black woman brought a white man to court and won. From then on, she made it her life’s mission to free all those who were considered less than equal. A major force in the abolitionist and women’s rights movements, Truth inspired generations with her legendary “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech. She also personally met with President Lincoln in 1864. Her stirring memoir is a powerful testament to the resilience of the human spirit.