To Be a Slave

• Genre: Nonfiction; historical biography compilation
• Originally Published: 1968
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 1080L; grades 6-9
• Structure/Length: 7 chapters, prologue, epilogue, author’s note; approximately 160 pages; approximately 3 hours, 45 minutes on audio
• Central Concern: To Be a Slave presents the experiences of enslaved people in the US. Compiled from various sources including primary source narratives, the book provides firsthand accounts along with the author’s historical discussion. The personal accounts depict the brutality and dehumanization of slavery.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Graphic descriptions of slavery, physical and mental abuse, racism, and oppression; profanity; profane language related to race; implied sexual abuse; primary source narratives in the text and other linked resources in this guide may include additional graphic descriptions, profane language, and depictions of violence and abuse.

Julius Lester, Author

• Bio: Born 1939; died 2018; American writer, photographer, musician, and professor; known for his works on Black culture and history; converted to Judaism and wrote about Jewish and Black connections; prolific author with a vast array of books, novels, and essays
• Other Works: Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue (2005); The Old African (2004); Let's Talk About Race (2005)
• Awards: Newbery Honor Book (1969)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:

• The Need to Correct Historical Misconceptions About Slavery in the United States
• The Humanity of Enslaved People
• Continued Racial Injustice in the United States