Due to unexpected flashback trauma [I have never been a fan of trigger warnings, but this is the second book this week where I would have greatly appreciated knowing before going into this read] I am experiencing from reading this book, even though I have finished it, I am unable to review it at this time. I thank you in advance for your understanding in this matter.

Thank you to NetGalley, and Amistad for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"Never confuse position with power. Pharaoh had a position, but Moses had the power. Herod had a position, but John had the power. The cross had a position, but Jesus had the power. Lincoln had a position, but Douglas had the power. Woodrow Wilson had a position, but Ida B. Wells had the power. George Wallace had a position, but Rosa Parks had the power. Lyndon Baines Johnson had a position, but Martin Luther King had the power. We have the power. Don't you ever forget."


Wow, just wow.

I can only imagine how amazing the audiobook for I Am Nobody's Slave would be. Since I had the ebook already, I decided to take my time and slowly devour every single thing written on these pages. I'll admit that Lee Hawkins had so many brilliant and emotional quotes throughout this that it was hard to narrow down on what to use in this review.

Okay, so, let's rip the band-aid here. I'm white. At the moment, I will never know what it's like to live in an abusive family or relationship. In a way, my family has a book that dives into a small part of my family's history coming over from Ireland. Yet, when I read everything that Lee's family experienced, I was left speechless. I can't step into their shoes, but I can continue to learn about the past and do better in my present and future.


"I was down here," I said from the floor. "It's one of the lowest points you can ever be in life, to be down here with your father's boot on your neck. And, Mom, I can't respect you because you were standing right there and have never even acknowledged it happened. You lie about it and call beating children a Black custom. But I think it's really a slave master custom. You haven't done a lick of research, yet you brazenly insist that this is what Black people do to their children because we invented it. No, a white slave master invented it and did it to our ancestors, and then you did it to us. You tried to beat the confidence out of me, physically, verbally, and emotionally.


Now this is a big quote, so I'm breaking it up a bit. This book doesn't shy away from the bad or the ugly versions of family or our history. The way trauma was handled throughout generations made my heart sad. It definitely opened my eyes to how bad it could get and how you never really know what is going on in a person's life.

You think like a slave master and a mentally defeated slave who has accepted they'll never be free. You're like that slave on the plantation who hated anybody who wanted to run and did everything to try and help the master catch them and keep them in those chains. But you couldn't stop me, and you can't stop me. You may despise me for that, but I've made it out. I'm nobody's slave, and I will never be a slave to anyone, especially not to y'all. If you hate me for it and still think I'm too good, so be it. This little plantation thing you had going on--it's over."


I also really liked this part in the book because he's finally addressing a problem within his own family. He wants to sit down and talk about his parents past. Heck, his own past. He wants them to see a therapist and hopefully learn a way to heal and move towards a better relationship with one another. The overall goal is a happier and healthier life. The first step is acknowledging and setting boundaries. It most likely won't be resolved in seconds, but nothing in life is ever easy.

Now I'll never have the perspective of anyone other than myself. I have no problem trying to find a way to connect to a character, situation, or the author of any book. Or just simply sitting back and learning. If I'm being honest, I learned a lot in this book, and that's a good thing. Learning is and can be a powerful thing.

We are constantly talking about change and wanting the world to be a better place. It's always a good thing to crack open a book and learn something you know nothing about. Especially when it comes to this beautiful book about resilience, forgiveness, and reconciliation. We, as people, need to continue learning and doing better. Understanding our past so that we don't go backwards and moving forward by breaking those cycles.

In the end, I highly recommend this book and suggest you take your time with it.

"Writing allows you to express what's in your brain. And that's power."

This memoir was not for me. The subtle respectability politics driving the narrative for the first chunk of chapters turned me off, so I didn’t feel the need to finish the book. The worse was engaging, but the personal story wasn’t.

I Am Nobody’s Slave by Lee Hawkins is a powerful memoir that traces his family’s legacy of trauma and resilience, shaped by systemic racism and the scars of enslavement. Through personal stories and extensive research, Hawkins uncovers how violence and racism impacted each generation, ultimately influencing their pursuit of the American Dream. This emotional and insightful book is a compelling reminder of the lasting effects of racial violence and the strength needed to overcome it.

This is an extensive, deeply powerful, and personal exploration of generational and societal cause and effect. Hawkins offers so much more than a family portrait; instead, he presents an impactful reminder of the importance of knowing where one comes from to better understand where they stand today. He lays bare the ways that legacy is woven not only into Black pride and culture but also into the deep roots of enslavement and destruction that have, for so long, worked to manipulate and minimize the lineage and worth of the Black body, spirit, and family.

This book is a journey of healing and processing—an acknowledgment that one cannot heal a wound without knowing its depth or cause. I truly appreciated and enjoyed this compilation of historical and personal accounts. It’s hard to imagine anyone reading this and not feeling inspired to look more intentionally into their own family’s history.

This book feels timely, especially as Black history faces erasure and diminishment. Now more than ever, it is our duty to learn and share the lives, stories, suffering, and triumphs of our ancestors. I Am Nobody’s Slave is a testament to that responsibility and a crucial reminder of the work still left to do.

Thank you to Netgalley & Amistad for this e-galley.

This is a very heartfelt memoir that could mirror any childhood of any African American child growing up post Jim Crow. Lee Hawkins recounts a deeply personal. somewhat scarred upbringing as he explores his family's history. Many of his experiences (parent-child or parent-parent relationships) were so relatable. One example is the ice-cream incident which I am positive has played out in many households over the past century and even today. Hawkins also addresses some hard topics such as racism, generational trauma and slavery. This was an enjoyable read that was insightful and moving. I Am Nobody’s Slave is a powerful reflection on the African American struggle and a peoples resilience for the want of a better life.