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.