Our Nig: or, Sketches from the Life of a Free Black [Paperback]

For the 150th anniversary of its first publication, a new edition of the pioneering African-American classic, reflecting groundbreaking discoveries about its author's life

First published in 1859,Our Nigis an autobiographical narrative that stands as one of the most important accounts of the life of a black woman in the antebellum North. In the story of Frado, a spirited black girl who is abused and overworked as the indentured servant to a New England family, Harriet E. Wilson tells a heartbreaking story about the resilience of the human spirit. This edition incorporates new research showing that Wilson was not only a pioneering African-American literary figure but also an entrepreneur in the black women's hair care market fifty years before Madame C. J. Walker's hair care empire made her the country's first woman millionaire.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators. The landmark research and skillful criticism done by Foreman and Pitts should shape discussion of Our Nig for years to come.
-African American ReviewHarriet E. Wilson(1825–1900) was born in New Hampshire, where she worked from a young age as a servant to an abusive family. 

P. Gabrielle Foremanis associate professor of English and American studies at Occidental College and has received many awards and grants.

Reginald Pittsis a historical researcher and genealogist with more than twenty years’ experience.

INTRODUCTION

Forgotten for almost 120 years, rediscovered in thels