Incredibly well written. Anyone reading this autobiography will feel the truth and pain and feel shame if they're from the South as am I, for this part of our history. Never having been beaten or physically abused, Linda suffers just the same, including separation of just a few yards from her two children for YEARS while she hides in a 6 X 8 foot cubby from her evil owners and slavecatchers. As you would guess, she couldn't have told her story hadn't she finally made it North to freedom. She pleads with the women of her time to not allow escaped slaves to be returned South, but rather to fight for humanity and not play a part in the evils of the slavery system. It's hard to believe this book was written in 1861. I'll bet books such as these helped bring on the Civil War.