Reviewed by: Sharon Hudson, MyShelf.com
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"The Bondwoman's Narrative" is clearly a first of its kind and has shed, in a fictional manner, an amazing tale of slavery. If ever the point of view of a slave girl could be told, Hannah Crafts has done so. This book is also unique in that it has been authenticated as that of a buried treasure, quite possibly the first book written by an African American Woman in America, and she being a fugitive slave.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Chair of African American Studies at Harvard, has taken great pains to vouch for its' authenticity. The first third of the book describes in methodical detail the steps he took to acquire the manuscript. There is also an extensive appendix that further supports his research. The mere acquisition from the private library of Dorothy Porter Wesley, famed Harvard Librarian, speaks volumes. I'll admit that I was consumed with the sheer load of research that it took to bring this book to the public, before arriving at the tale itself.

Hannah Crafts tells the story as a first-person account. The manuscript itself is written in such a way as to take you in immediately. You feel the steps that Hannah took to gain the ability to read and to write. The heartbreak as her lot in life was structured, the pain as those who tried to assist her were removed from her life. The book is complete with strike-through text, which further intrigued me and made me feel as if Hannah was searching for just the right words to mold her sentences. She showed great pride in her ability to convey her story. The Narrative itself is an accounting of her friendship with her master's wife who has a terrible secret that is coming to light and for which escape is inevitable. Hannah was clearly a woman ahead of her time, with designs on not being pigeonholed in the oppressive box of slavery. You jump right in with two feet into her tale.

Clearly, I see this book as a two-for-one offering. The academic editorial work of Mr. Gates along with the Narrative certainly makes it a rich and satisfying read.