Unchained
Memories
Readings from the Slave Narratives
Foreword by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
"
Oh freedom, Oh freedom, Oh freedom
over me. And before I'll be a slave, I'll be buried in my grave
and go home to my Lord and be free"
Old Negro Spiritual
The words of the spiritual must not have been uttered
to these human beings who have graciously allowed interviewers from
the 1930's Governments Works Progress Administration to chronicle
their life stories, for if the words above had been uttered, would
never have received the credence they do in this book. This is the
slavery experience, from an intimate and painful point of view,
Tales of slavery are still passed down from generation
to generation, but a book like Unchained Memories is special.
This is a beautiful book. I'm so thrilled to have been given the
opportunity to read, experience and learn from it. I can treat the
book as a textbook, a factual accounting of the lives of former
slaves who have wonderful stories that they don't mind sharing with
the world. For that reason alone, this book has earned a permanent
place on my coffee table. Something about the actual words of former
slaves bound in book form validates an agonizing time in American
History.
Unchained Memories is well researched and
magnificently laid out. At the beginning of every chapter is an
introductory text that accounts for the tenure of the time, followed
by a poignant quote. My one regret is that the narratives are so
short, when biographers obviously spent a great deal of time with
these people. I am grateful that there is an extensive bibliography
at the back where one can find the complete accounts.
It's also a good idea to also see the HBO documentary
that is a companion to this book. There is nothing like hearing
the words spoken by African American actors of today in the vernacular
of the time.
Unchained
Memories fittingly made its debut during Black History Month.
The former slaves quoted in Unchained Memories are the reason why
there is a Black History Month. The book is a fitting tribute and
helps us all remember whence we, as a nation, have come.
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