Our Nig: Or, Sketches from the Life of a Free Black was published on September 5, 1859. Written by Harriet E. Wilson, it is considered the first novel published by an African American woman. The book is an autobiographical narrative that details the life of a young Black woman, Frado, living in the North during a time when racial discrimination and slavery were still deeply entrenched in American society. The novel is a significant contribution to American literature, shedding light on the complexities of race, class, and gender. It was lost for years until reprinted with a critical essay by African American scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. in 1983.
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