The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano - Olaudah Equiano

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano by Olaudah Equiano

Genre: Nonfiction/Memoir

Blurb (on back of book): Widely admired for its vivid accounts of the slave trade, Olaudah Equiano's autobiography -- the first slave narrative to attract a significant readership -- reveals many aspects of the eighteenth-century Western world through the experiences of one individual. The second edition reproduces the original London printing, supervised by Equiano in 1789. Robert J. Allison's introduction, which places Equiano's narrative in the context of the Atlantic slave trade, has been revised and updated to reflect the heated controversy surrounding Equiano's birthplace, as well as the latest scholarship on Atlantic history and the history of slavery. Improved pedagogical features include contemporary illustrations with expanded captions and a map showing Equiano's travels in greater detail. Helpful footnotes provide guidance throughout the eighteenth-century text, and a chronology and an up-to-date bibliography aid students in their study of this thought-provoking narrative.

MY OPINION: ***

I'm dreadfully behind in writing book reviews so I'm going to be writing a few shorter ones of my general thoughts about all the books I've read so far this October (I've been doing a great job, if you ask me). 

I read this book for my college English course and actually ended up enjoying it more than I expected. It did have its faults but it provided what I felt was a very real and heartwrenching account of the awful conditions of the slave trade. While there are some controversies over the extent of just how accurate this book is to Equiano's life and experiences, it still provided an emotional and devastating record of what the forced labor system was like all the same. 

It has a very anti-slavery sentiment, of course, and I found it very refreshing to be reading from a non-white-man perspective for once in this time period. You can only imagine how impactful it was when it was first published and many people learned, some for the first time ever, what the slave trade was actually like for the African people. I thought that from that aspect, it was very interesting and influential. 

I will say it does tend to drag on for some parts that may be a less "mundane" or "boring" even. I had to read it in about two nights and I was able to finish it in time but there were parts that had very very very long brick-like paragraphs. I would have loved for it to have been at least split up a bit so that we could feel less overwhelmed but my professor seemed to think it was very deliberate that he tended to go on for long stretches in particular scenes, so I guess it was necessary. Also, it is important to keep in mind that most of his audience probably consisted of white male people from Britain, many of whom would have enjoyed all that seafaring business Equiano seems to like to write about. 

Even though there exists a lot of controversy over whether Equiano was actually born in Africa or not, his descriptions of his childhood and freedom seemed the most poignant to me. He knew exactly how to make his audience empathize and almost pity his plight once he is kidnapped and inducted into the Middle Passage. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this narrative. While it wasn't necessarily new information for me, I found it interesting to read a first-hand account of such a horrific process that is less likely to carry as much bias as the white people writing about it. 

Main Character: Olaudah Equiano

Sidekick(s): Family, friends, etc

Villain(s): Slavery, etc

Nonfiction/Autobiography Elements: This is a real account of Equiano's life written by himself.