Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is an autobiographical narrative by Harriet Jacobs, written under the pseudonym Linda Brent. The book offers a deeply personal and powerful account of Jacobs’s life as an enslaved woman in the American South. Unlike many slave narratives of the time, Jacobs focuses on the unique struggles faced by women—especially sexual exploitation and the lack of protection for enslaved mothers and children. She recounts her constant efforts to resist her master’s advances, protect her children, and maintain her dignity in a system designed to strip her of it.

Jacobs eventually escapes and spends nearly seven years hiding in a tiny attic crawl space to avoid capture, enduring physical pain and emotional torment. Her story is not just one of survival, but of resistance, maternal devotion, and a relentless fight for freedom. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl remains a crucial work in American literature and history, shedding light on the brutality of slavery and the strength and resilience of Black women in the face of dehumanizing oppression.