Born into slavery, Clotel is a white-passing woman who conceals her identity and uses a disguise to infiltrate a plantation to rescue her loved ones. It's a story of survival that's deeply rooted in the cruelest part of American history.
Clotel and Althesa are the illegitimate daughters of Thomas Jefferson and a slave woman named Currer. Despite their father's elite status, the girls are sold into slavery but attempt to use their fair complexions to their advantage. Clotel takes it a step further, dressing as a white man to emancipate her daughter who was sold against her will.
Clotel; or, The President's Daughter: A Narrative of Slave Life in the United States is an American tragedy that explores generational trauma. William Wells Brown, who's considered the first African American novelist, uses his personal experience to illustrate the horrors of bondage. It's a heartbreaking tale that tests the undeniable power of the human spirit.
With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Clotel; or, The President's Daughter: A Narrative of Slave Life in the United States is both modern and readable.

William Wells Brown was an African American author, abolitionist, and lecturer born in 1814. He is best known for his book "The Escape; or, A Leap for Freedom," which was published in 1858. His work "the escape or a leap for freedom" is a fictionalized account of Brown's own escape from slavery in Kentucky in 1834. Brown was a prominent figure in the abolitionist movement and used his writing to speak out against slavery and racism. In addition to "The Escape," he wrote several other books, including a memoir titled "Narrative of William W. Brown, a Fugitive Slave" and a play called "The Escape; or, A Leap to Freedom." William Wells Brown was an important figure in American history and his writing played a significant role in the fight against slavery and for the rights of African Americans. "The Escape" remains a powerful and important work today, offering insight into the experiences of those who lived through slavery and the fight for freedom.