Setting out to correct the inaccuracies of most previously written accounts of slavery, teacher and social activist Octavia Albert presents the personal narratives of former slaves, along with her own incisive commentary. Like many antebellum slave narratives, her early interviews depict cruel punishments, divided families, and the debilitating effects of unusually harsh labor. But as Albert came to see herself as a public advocate for social change, her focus shifted to the condition and progress of former slaves. The later interviews reflect her insistence that every Christian personally take some responsibility for slavery''s legacies and lessons.