The Confessions of Nat Turner, by William Styron

As the title suggests, this 1967 novel about the slave revolt of 1831 is told in the first person by Nat Turner, leader of the revolt. It starts with Nat in jail, chained hand, foot and neck. In meetings with his white lawyer, Nat dictates his confession, and we learn something of what sent him on this mission to kill as many white people as possible. But we need his whole life to get past the surface and truly feel what motivated him.

Nat’s life, brilliantly written, is a litany of injustice a...