Yellin, Jean Fagan. Harriet Jacobs; a life; the remarkable adventures of the woman who wrote Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.

YELLIN, Jean Fagan. Harriet Jacobs; a life; the remarkable adventures of the woman who wrote Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Perseus. 394p. notes, bibliog, index, c2004. 0-465-09289-6. $16.95. A *

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is on the reading lists of most American students. Jean Yellin's biography of its author, then, belongs on the reading list of every teacher who uses the original story of the young female slave who spent seven years hiding in an attic in Edenton, North Carolina in order to protect herself and her children from the wiles of her lascivious master. Yellin not only documents in detail the early life and eventual 1842 escape from slavery of Harriet Jacobs, but also chronicles her pre-Civil War anti-slavery activities and then her post-war activities on behalf of the freedmen of the South. Most interesting, perhaps, are the intense efforts of Harriet and her daughter Louisa on behalf of black refugees in Savannah, Georgia, who were in desperate need of shelter and care at the conclusion of the war.

Yellin, who was featured at length on this topic in the 2005 PBS series Slavery and the Making of America, writes with the smooth phrasing of the expert scholar. Her exhaustive (and periodically exhausting) research is documented in over 100 pages of notes. She also provides a select bibliography. Most highly recommended for teachers. (NB: There is an odd erratum on page 36 where Nat Turner's rebellion is dated 1859 instead of 1831.) Patricia Moore, Libn., Brookline, MA

A--Recommended for advanced students and adults. This code will help librarians and teachers working in high schools where there are honors and advanced placement students. This also will help extend KLIATT's usefulness in public libraries.

*--The asterisk highlights exceptional books.