Books like Clotel by William Wells Brown
William Wells Brown’s *Clotel, or The President’s Daughter* is widely regarded as the first novel written by an African‑American. Published while Brown himself remained legally enslaved, the work gives voice to the mixed‑race children of Thomas Jefferson and his former mistress, Currer. The novel chronicles the upheaval that follows when Jefferson’s heirs are sold to a brutal slave trader, uncovering the personal costs of a nation built on slavery. Through vivid portrayal of enslaved families, Brown challenges contemporary attitudes toward race, motherhood, and the fraught legacy of Jefferson’s domestic life.
First publish date: 1853
Genre: Historical Fiction/19th Century Historical Fiction
Authors: William Wells Brown
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Some Other Similar Books
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