
audiobook
A former enslaved man tells his story in his own voice, beginning with the brutal routine of plantation life and the cruel work he endured for a slave trader on the river. He describes the daily indignities, the ever‑present threat of violence, and the quiet moments when hope flickered, shaping a vivid picture of a world most readers have never seen. His recollections are stark yet measured, allowing the horror to speak for itself.
After a daring escape, he finds unexpected kindness from a stranger who offers food, clothing, and a name—a small mercy that fuels his determination to survive. The narrative follows his journey toward freedom, the challenges of living as a fugitive, and the deep gratitude he feels toward those who helped him. Listeners will hear a powerful testimony that illuminates the human cost of slavery and the resilience of those who dared to break its chains.
Language
en
Duration
~2 hours (168K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by hekula03, Martin Pettit and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)
Release date
2019-05-13
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

d. 1884
Born into slavery and later escaping to freedom, he became one of the 19th century’s most wide-ranging Black writers and abolitionist voices. His work crossed memoir, fiction, history, and drama, helping bring the realities of slavery to readers on both sides of the Atlantic.
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