Gr. 10-12. This entry in the History Firsthand series collects searing accounts of slavery, excerpted from primary source materials, that show this institution from many perspectives. Grouped into sections that focus on the slave trade, foreign views, daily life in slavery, rebellion and escape, and the abolition debate, the selections are shocking and undiluted. They describe the middle passage, slave auctions, marrying and having children while enslaved, torture, systematic rape, and murder. The range of voices includes familiar names, such as Nat Turner and Frederick Douglass, as well as many people--slaves, slave owners, abolitionists, and champions of slavery--who students will encounter for the first time. A general introduction, prefaces for each selection, and a concluding chronology provide context. Students won't easily forget this well-selected material, which offers unflinching views of slavery's complexity, horror, shame, and power. --Gillian Engberg