To Be a Slave

Throughout the book, Lester explicitly challenges historical misconceptions about slavery. From the very beginning, Lester expands most readers’ views by describing how African slaves were part of the discovery and exploration of the Americas. He begins the story of slavery in Africa, describing the impact slavery had on African societies and including firsthand accounts of enslaved people being taken from their home continent.

In describing the experience of slavery, Lester also dismantles common misconceptions. He describes the plantation that dominates popular imagination, an immaculate white mansion, then writes: “Such is the picture that is often presented of the southern plantation. It is not a true one” (38). Lester redefines the plantation by presenting facts and detailed descriptions from primary sources. When including anecdotes from former slaves, Lester also takes care to point out when an experience was typical or unusual for most enslaved people. For example, when introducing an anecdote from one former slave describing babies drowning in a trough, Lester writes: “The circumstances of the story are unusual; the moral of the story, common” (22).

When discussing the era of slavery as a whole, Lester filters some content for a younger audience—such as sexual abuse—but includes many disturbing details to paint a picture of the horrors of slavery.