In A Brief Account of the Life, Experience, Travels, and Gospel Labours of George White, An African, published in 1810, George White writes the narrative of his spiritual journey after he became free upon the death of his enslaver. This narrative, along with other slave narratives, offer a composite portrait of authors’ self-styled personal stories. The amanuensis’ interests, lived experiences, and editing choices, as well as their social relations and expectations shaped the relationship and conversation with the authors. Although the narratives aren’t unmediated autobiographies, they are no less authentic and are just as fruitful a source for reconstructing historical experience.
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