THE LIFE OF OLAUDAH EQUIANO, OR, GUSTAVUS VASSA, THE AFRICAN (DOVER THRIFT EDITIONS)
One of thousands of former slaves who recounted their lives in what have come to be known as "slave narratives, " Olaudah Equiano produced a compelling work that has gripped and fascinated readers since its original London publication in 1789. Describing his formidable journey from captivity to freedom and literacy, Equiano takes readers from his days as an Igbo prince in what is now eastern Nigeria, through his enslavement in the New World, to later adventures that included service in the Seven Years War with General Wolfe in Canada, voyages to the Arctic with the Phipps expedition of 1772-73, six months among the Miskito Indians in Central America, and a grand tour of the Mediterranean as a personal servant to an English gentleman.
Skillfully written with a wealth of engrossing detail, this narrative powerfully illustrates the nature of the black experience in slavery; it is essential reading for students of African-American history as well as any reader interested in the struggle for equal rights and human dignity.
