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The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Biography ... Read more

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It is quite appropriate for Dr. Waters to examine "voice" in these three important narratives on the African-American experience in slavery, By analyzing how Equiano, Douglass, and Northrup used language, symbolism, experiences and events in their lives as slaves to describe, critique, and attack slavery, Dr. Waters provides us with the subtextual meaning of the narratives. The most important contribution is that it provides scholars and studnets with a new way to analyze and understand American slave narratives. One of the most fascinating phenomena of American history is how the slave experience of Africans in America has been documented to balance the myth of the "Old South" with the brutal realities of racial oppression. Indeed, the United States is quite unique in having a body of narratives by former slaves to balance and challenge the myths and lies of the "master" or slaveholding class about the nature of American slavery. In the Atlantic World, at least, no other people who were formerly enslaved have written and produced as extensive a body of literature to document, expose, and chronicle their experience in slavery.Thus, these narratives are very valuable because they enable us to understand the slave experience of African Americans and to capture its impact on the lives of those Africans who endured it. The narratives by Olaudah Equiano, Frederick Douglass, and Solomon Northrup are three of the best of the slave narrative genre. For over 150 years, these three narratives have provided students, scholars, and the general reading public firsthand accounts of the slave experience of Africans in America. They provide us a broad picture of slavery in America for a time span of over 100 years. In addition, they provide three similar but very different perspectives on slavery in the Americas. Equiano's narrative, which was published in the eighteenth century, takes readers on a journey from West Africa through the Middle Passage to the Caribbean to England, and to the American mainland. Douglass' nineteenth century narrative provides readers a view of his enslavement from childhood to adulthood in the border state of Maryland and documents how his personal experience with and escape from the institution made him a formidable opponent of oppression and racism for the remainder of his life.In contrast to Equiano and Douglass, Northrup came of age as a free black man in the northern state of New York. But his narrative about his kidnapping and twelve-year enslavement in Louisiana provides readers ample evidence that American slavery even jeopardized the lives of nominally free blacks throughout the United States. It is quite appropriate for Carver Waters to examine "voice" in these three important narratives on the African-American experience in slavery. By analyzing how Equiano, Douglass, and Northrup used language, symbolism, experiences, and events in their lives as slaves to describe, critique, and attack slavery, Waters provides us the subtextual meaning of the narratives. His interpretation and analysis of the narratives takes us beyond our usual surface reading of the narratives and shows us how each author used simulation, dissimulation, and exteriorization to give voice to their feelings about and experiences with American slavery.He compares and contrasts the language and expository styles of each of the authors and uses textual analyses of each narrative to show how they used emotion, faith, pathos, and other literary devices to convey their overall message about the evil and inhumanity of slavery. He also provides us a much needed historical background for each of the narratives and compares the "voice" devices that each author employs to tell his story with the literary trends of the era in which the author lived. Finally, he shows us that the basic message of each author's narrative was human freedom and human salvation. Carver Waters' study of voice in these narratives is well done. His most important contribution is that he has provided scholars and students a new way to analyze and understand American slave narratives. He has also placed the narratives within the context of American literature by showing how each of the authors used the literary devices of their time to present their narratives and to appeal to the audiences of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.Using impeccable research and an impressive of the scholarly literature (both historical and literary) written on the American slave narratives, he has established a new standard for both historians and literature scholars for evaluating and using the slave narratives. ... Read more

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Olaudah Equiano and his sister were among countless thousands of children wrenched from their African homeland to suffer the inhumn and degrading brutality of slavery. Through hard work and honesty he was able to purchase his freedom and began working with the Abolitionists to end the slave trade. Proudly regarding himself as the ambassador of millions of maltreated Africans, he wrote his account of slavery "The Interesting Narrative of The Life of Olaudah Equiano," which made a great impact on the public and which was instrumental in ending the slave trade. Laurie Sheehan's perceptive and descriptive style brings to life the harrowing and emotional story of Olaudah Equiano from slave to "The Father of Black Literature." ... Read more

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THIS EDITION IS INTENDED FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. A gripping adaptation of one of the first known slave narratives, first published in 1789. Kidnapped at the age of eleven from his home in Benin, Africa, Olaudah Equiano spent the next eleven ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

This book is amazing!
I think that this book was an amazing book to read in class. I think this book is better to read in class then out of it because while reading it in class I really got to look at and realize the detail and emotion that Olaudah put into this book. I think this book obviously deserves 5 stars!

This book is amazing!
I think that this book is an amazing adapted kid version telling you all about Olaudah's travels, his feelings and emotions, and it really gives you a chance to learn about slavery looking at ones perspective and his journey. I read this book in class and I thought it was amazing!

Eye-opening Autobiography
This is a great read aloud for my 5th grade class.I learned a lot about the experiences slaves from West Africa may have had in teh 18th century.I'm loving it more than the kids!

5th Graders Relate to Olaudah Equiano
The following comments are taken from reports made by a 5th grade class in an inner city school in Oakland, CA:
Mel:
"The Kidnapped Prince"is an autobiography about Olaudah Equiano, who was only 10 years old when he is taken by a slave ship. I think this story is exciting and it has a happy ending when he was freed when he was 21 years old.
He wrote this book so others could learn what it was like to be a slave.
Alonzo:
I admire Olaudah because he is honest and brave.He had a good attitude with his masters and confidence in himself.
Dedriana:
Olaudah worked hard for his masters, but he always wanted to be free.
Fardos:
I like this book because Olaudah was caring about people and he worked hard to gain his freedom.
Jakaria:
This story begins in 1755 when Olaudah was 10 years old and was kidnapped into slavery and it describes his tavels in America, England and on the sea.I adamire Olaudah because he is brave, honest and intelligent.
Nicoya:
I believe Olaudah waon his freedom because he is tough, honest and trustworthy.He is reliable and everyon can count on him. I like this book because it is full of life and friendship.
Kahlil:
Olaudah Equiano, the Prince of Nigeria, was kidnapped and this story tells about his life as a slave.I admire him because he is honest and a great idol to look up to.
Ali:
I liked this book because it was interesting and I learned how hard it was to be a slave.
Trevante:
Olaudah was brave and self-sacrificing. I think Olaudah would be a good role model for anyone who reads this book.

The Kidnapped prince
"The Kidnapped Prince is set in the triangle of trade. It is about a boy who was seperated from his family and sold into slavery. Three character traits Olaudah had are honest, cunngness, and in telligence. I liked everything about him!" ... Read more

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Inspired by Penguin’s innovative Great Ideas series, our new Great Journeys series presents the most incredible tours, voyages, treks, expeditions, and travels ever written—from Isabella Bird’s exaltation in the dangers of grizzlies, rattlesnakes, and cowboys in the Rocky Mountains to Marco Polo’s mystified reports of a giant bird that eats elephants during his voyage along the coasts of India. Each beautifully packaged volume offers a way to see the world anew, to rediscover great civilizations and legends, vast deserts andunspoiled mountain ranges, unusual flora and strange new creatures, and much more. ... Read more

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One of the most significant developments in current literary studies is the rediscovery and reevaluation of texts by British writers of African descent. This volume combines popular texts with hard-to-find selections in a format that enables students to place them in their historical and cultural contexts. For instructors, the collection offers reliable texts, stimulating context pieces, and the most useful modern critical essays. The book is divided into four sections: Narratives, Poetry, Voices (letters), and Criticism. Native African and African-heritage authors living in Great Britain and British colonies include Ukawasaw Gronniosaw, an African prince; John Jea, a preacher; Mary Prince, a slave living in the West Indies; and Juan Francisco Manzano, a slave living in Cuba.