How long does it take to read Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl?
Written by Herself
Harriet Jacobs
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs takes about 4 hours 22 minutes to read at 250 words a minute.
About 4 hours 22 minutes
A weekend read
First published 1861. 238 pages, about 65,450 words.
9 days at 30 minutes a day
Estimate based on 275 words per page.
At other speeds
| Slow, 150 words a minute | 7 hours 16 minutes |
| Average, 250 words a minute | 4 hours 22 minutes |
| Fast, 400 words a minute | 2 hours 44 minutes |
The page count is the median across 386 editions, so your copy may differ. How we calculate.
About the book
The true story of an individual's struggle for self-identity, self-preservation, and freedom, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl remains among the few extant slave narratives written by a woman. This autobiographical account chronicles the remarkable odyssey of Harriet Jacobs (1813–1897) whose dauntless spirit and faith carried her from a life of servitude and degradation in North Carolina to liberty and reunion with her children in the North. Written and published in 1861 after Jacobs' harrowing escape from a vile and predatory master, the memoir delivers a powerful and unflinching portrayal of the abuses and hypocrisy of the master-slave relationship. Jacobs writes frankly of the horrors she suffered as a slave, her eventual escape after several unsuccessful attempts, and her seven years in self-imposed exile, hiding in a coffin-like "garret" attached to her grandmother's porch. A rare firsthand account of a courageous woman's determination and endurance, this inspirational story also represents a valuable historical record of the continuing battle for freedom and the preservation of family.
Subjects: Women slaves, United States, Slaves, Social conditions, Biography, Autobiografie
