The Bondwoman's Narrative (Pre-order June 17, 2025)

The Bondwoman’s Narrative by Hannah Crafts
🖋️ The first known novel by a Black woman in America—an extraordinary literary discovery and a vital piece of American history.

Written in the 1850s and lost for over 150 years, The Bondwoman’s Narrative is a groundbreaking autobiographical novel by Hannah Crafts, believed to be a formerly enslaved woman who escaped to freedom. Uncovered and authenticated by scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr., this remarkable manuscript is now considered one of the most important African American literary works of the 19th century.

Blending gothic romance, personal testimony, and abolitionist fervor, The Bondwoman’s Narrative follows a young enslaved woman’s perilous journey from a North Carolina plantation to freedom in the North. Along the way, she navigates betrayal, racial injustice, secret identities, and moral reckoning in a gripping, deeply human story of resilience and hope.

📖 A lost literary treasure by a Black woman writer before the Civil War
⛓️ A firsthand look at slavery, freedom, and survival in antebellum America
📚 Rich in gothic storytelling, emotional depth, and historical insight
🖤 An essential title in African American literature and women’s history

Perfect for readers of:
Historical fiction, African American classics, slave narratives, literary rediscoveries, and fans of Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl and The Narrative of Sojourner Truth.

The Bondwoman’s Narrative book, Hannah Crafts novel, African American literature, slave narrative fiction, Black women authors, lost American classics, pre-Civil War novels, historical fiction about slavery, books edited by Henry Louis Gates Jr., 19th century African American writing