Join us on a literary world trip!
Add this book to bookshelf
Grey
Write a new comment Default profile 50px
Grey
Subscribe to read the full book or read the first pages for free!
All characters reduced
Fifty Years in Chains; or the Life of an American Slave - cover

Fifty Years in Chains; or the Life of an American Slave

Charles Ball

Publisher: DigiCat

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Summary

In 'Fifty Years in Chains; or, the Life of an American Slave' by Charles Ball, readers are taken on a journey through the experiences of a man who was born into slavery and endured fifty years of unspeakable cruelty and oppression. The book is written in a straightforward and unembellished style, reflecting the harsh realities of the protagonist's life. Through detailed accounts of slave auctions, brutal overseers, and daring escape attempts, the narrative provides a firsthand look at the dehumanizing effects of slavery in America. Ball's work fits within the genre of slave narratives, offering a unique perspective on the institution of slavery in the early 19th century. His powerful storytelling and vivid descriptions make this book a compelling and important read for those seeking to understand the impact of slavery on individuals and society. Charles Ball's personal experiences as a former slave inspired him to write 'Fifty Years in Chains,' shedding light on a dark period in American history and advocating for abolition. His firsthand account adds authenticity and depth to the narrative, making it a valuable resource for historians and scholars studying slavery and its legacies. I highly recommend this book to readers interested in exploring the complexities of slavery from the perspective of those who lived through it, as Ball's story is both heartbreaking and ultimately empowering.
Available since: 05/28/2022.
Print length: 245 pages.

Other books that might interest you

  • SAS Ghost Patrol - The Ultra-Secret Unit That Posed as Nazi Stormtroopers - cover

    SAS Ghost Patrol - The...

    Damien Lewis

    • 0
    • 1
    • 0
    An “amazing” account of Britain’s most audacious act of subterfuge in WWII: an undercover raid of Rommel’s stronghold in Tobruk (The Daily Mirror). On a scorching September day in 1942, the Special Air Service (SAS), a special forces unit of the British Army, pulled off one of the most daring, top-secret ruses of the Second World War. The plan (sanctioned by Churchill): cover a grueling two thousand miles of the Sahara desert to attack German general Erwin Rommel’s seemingly impregnable port fortress in North Africa from the rear to break free and arm more than thirty thousand Allied POWs. Led by Capt. Herbert Buck and posing as Afrika Korps soldiers complete with German uniforms and weaponry, the crew broke into the enemy stronghold Trojan Horse–style as part of the coordinated attack on Tobruk.   “Intensively researched . . . powerfully written,” and culled from the private diaries of the do-or-die maverick heroes, this extraordinary story of the sneak attack on the notorious Desert Fox is more thrilling than any fiction. A bold, outrageous, and rule-shattering mission impossible, SAS Ghost Patrol is “one of the great untold stories of WWII” (Bear Grylls).
    Show book
  • Touchstone Anthology of Contemporary Creative Nonfiction - Work from 1970 to the Present - cover

    Touchstone Anthology of...

    Michael Martone, Lex Williford

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    This indispensable anthology brings together works from fifty contemporary writers including Cheryl Strayed, David Sedaris, Barbara Kingsolver, and more. 
     
    Selected by five hundred writers, English professors, and creative writing teachers from across the country, this collection includes only the most highly regarded nonfiction work published since 1970—from memoir to journalism, personal essays to cultural criticism. 
     
    Contributors include: Jo Ann Beard, Wendell Berry, Eula Biss, Mary Clearman Blew, Charles Bowden, Janet Burroway, Kelly Grey Carlisle, Anne Carson, Bernard Cooper, Michael W. Cox, Annie Dillard, Mark Doty, Brian Doyle, Tony Earley, Anthony Farrington, Harrison Candelaria Fletcher, Diane Glancy, Lucy Grealy, William Harrison, Robin Hemley, Adam Hochschild, Jamaica Kincaid, Barbara Kingsolver, Ted Kooser, Sara Levine, E. J. Levy, Phillip Lopate, Barry Lopez, Thomas Lynch, Lee Martin, Rebecca McClanahan, Erin McGraw, John McPhee, Brenda Miller, Dinty W. Moore, Kathleen Norris, Naomi Shihab Nye, Lia Purpura, Richard Rhodes, Bill Roorbach, David Sedaris, Richard Selzer, Sue William Silverman, Floyd Skloot, Lauren Slater, Cheryl Strayed, Amy Tan, Ryan Van Meter, David Foster Wallace, and Joy Williams.
    Show book
  • Gesturing - A Selection from the John Updike Audio Collection - cover

    Gesturing - A Selection from the...

    John Updike

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    The extraordinarily evocative stories depict the generation born in a small-town America during the Depression and growing up in a world where the old sexual morality was turned around and material comforts were easily had. Yet, as these stories reflect so accurately, life was still unsettling, and Updike chronicles telling moments both joyful and painful. The texts are taken from his recent omnibus, The Early Stories, 1953-1975. 
    In describing how he wrote these stories in a small, rented, smoke-filled office in Ipswitch, Massachusetts, he says, ""I felt that I was packaging something as delicately pervasive as smoke, one box after another, in that room, where my only duty was to describe reality as it had come to me -- to give the mundane its beautiful due.""
    Show book
  • My Secret Life Vol 1 Chapter 14 - cover

    My Secret Life Vol 1 Chapter 14

    Dominic Crawford Collins

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    My Secret Life, the anonymously written erotic memoirs of a Victorian English gentleman who refers to himself simply as 'Walter' is one of the most idiosyncratic and prurient books ever written. In this vast autobiographical confessional the author recounts, in meticulous detail, his sexual exploits throughout the course of a life devoted entirely to the pursuit of carnal knowledge. Through this compelling exploration of the author's sexual and moral behaviour we are left with a uniquely entertaining insight into life behind the closed doors of Victorian society. My Secret Life is funny, sorrowful, suspenseful, compulsively readable, obscene, titillating, exciting and erotic...we are privy to the thoughts, emotions and memories of one of the most unusual, unsung and colourful characters of the Victorian era.Now, for the first time, the complete unabridged version of this unique and important text is being narrated and scored by film composer Dominic Crawford Collins as an 'audiofilm' (an audiobook in which the emotional landscape is explored through the music score).  Each chapter of My Secret Life will be released at monthly intervals over the next ten to fifteen years culminating in a lifetime's work for the composer and what is likely to become the longest audio book ever to be produced.
    Show book
  • Getting Right with Lincoln - Correcting Misconceptions about Our Greatest President - cover

    Getting Right with Lincoln -...

    Edward Steers Jr.

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    Did Abraham Lincoln hate his father so much that he would not visit him on his deathbed or buy him a tombstone? Is it true that Ann Rutledge, who died tragically young, was the real love of his life? Did he order the murder of thirty-eight Dakota Sioux warriors because of his hatred of Native Americans?Noted historian Edward Steers, Jr., sets the record straight in this engaging and authoritative book, analyzing the facts and clarifying some of the most prominent misconceptions about the sixteenth president's life. He investigates claims that have found a foothold in mainstream lore, ranging from the contention that Lincoln had a troubled and perhaps scandalous early adulthood in Springfield, to more serious attacks on his character, such as the accusation that he was reluctant to emancipate enslaved people and held racist beliefs. Drawing on his background in health science, Steers also examines allegations that Lincoln suffered numerous illnesses—from endocrine disorders to syphilis.In this book, Steers relies on primary textual evidence to address each legend at the source and maintains caution when reviewing the potentially biased reminiscences of historic figures close to the president. The result is a fascinating forensic exploration of some of the persistent hoaxes and myths related to America's most revered president.
    Show book
  • The Homemade Atheist - A Former Evangelical Woman's Freethought Journey to Happiness - cover

    The Homemade Atheist - A Former...

    Betty Brogaard

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    In this personal memoir, a former evangelical Christian shares her journey away from her confining faith toward a happier, healthier, nonreligious life. 
     
    Betty Brogaard was raised to be a good Christian. By the time she was twenty years old, she had joined a fundamentalist church. She even met and married a young man who became a minister in the congregation. However, the more she came to understand Christianity from within, the more she found herself asking questions instead of finding answers. 
     
    In The Homemade Atheists, Betty shares her fascinating journey from the mental slavery of religion to the happiness she found in freethought. Along the way and without malice, she offers questions that challenge you to analyze your own beliefs—exactly as she did over her years-long journey. 
     
    Her transformation provides a wealth of insight is for anyone seeking a path to a nonreligious way of life.
    Show book