In addition to the extraordinary incidents of her life as a heroic woman who fought for — and won — freedom for herself and her two children, one of the most intriguing aspects of Jacobs' life revolves around her relationship with her editor, Child, who was frequently cited as the "real" author of Jacobs' book by critics who believed that Jacobs' style was too sophisticated for a former slave who lacked formal education. But Child insisted that she did very little editing, crediting Jacobs with authorship of the manuscript. As further evidence that Jacobs wrote the narrative in her own words, Yellin cites numerous letters written by Jacobs, which exemplify an identical style. By encountering skepticism concerning the originality of her work, Jacobs — who is credited to be the first black woman to write a book-length narrative — suffered the same criticism as her predecessor Phillis Wheatley (1753–1784), the first black woman to publish a book of poetry. Today, critics point out that, due to their lack of models and the freedom to develop their own author voice, both women simply emulated the writing style of white authors popular at the time.
Harriet Jacobs was one of the few ex-slaves to write his or her own slave narrative. She was a heroic woman and a loving and fiercely protective mother. She was a writer and activist who fought for the rights of all women.
As a woman who — after spending 27 years in slavery — lived a full, active life until her death at the age of 84, her life stands as a testament to women everywhere who struggle for freedom and survival, demand dignity and respect, and refuse to settle for less than equal representation and full participation in society.
