To honor the authors, stories, and communities behind these books, we encourage purchasing from independent retailers. When possible, we link to several Black-owned bookshops that sell online. When a title isn’t available there, we direct you to Bookshop.org, which supports local bookstores. If the book’s availability is limited from online shops, we invite you to request it from your local library or bookstore—because asking for Black stories also helps keep them in circulation.
Where to purchase
Free via UNC Chapel Hill’s Documenting the American South.
Curator’s Note: This book was selected because it details how enslaved people took care of one another, particularly after enslavers or other white people harmed them. Jacobs details how lard was used to loosen scraps of clothing from skin after beatings and how reptile bites were treated with vinegar-soaked copper coins. It’s an example of how community care persevered on the plantation.