I Am Nobody's Slave - by Lee Hawkins

Book Synopsis

A 2022 Pulitzer Prize finalist and former Wall Street Journal writer exhaustively examines his family's legacy of post-enslavement trauma and resilience, in this riveting memoir--a soulful, shocking, and spellbinding read that blends the raw power of Natasha Tretheway's Memorial Drive and the insights of Clint Smith's How the Word is Passed.

I Am Nobody's Slave tells the story of one Black family's pursuit of the American Dream through the impacts of systemic racism and racial violence. This book examines how trauma from enslavement and Jim Crow shaped their outlook on thriving in America, influenced each generation, and how they succeeded despite these challenges.

To their suburban Minnesotan neighbors, the Hawkinses were an ideal American family, embodying strength and success. However, behind closed doors, they faced the legacy of enslavement and apartheid. Lee Hawkins, Sr. often exhibited rage, leaving his children anxious and curious about his protective view of the world. Thirty years later, his son uncovered the reasons for his father's anxiety and occasional violence. Through research, he discovered violent deaths in his family for every generation since slavery, mostly due to white-on-Black murders, and how white enslavers impacted the family's customs.

Hawkins explores the role of racism-triggered childhood trauma and chronic stress in shortening his ancestors' lives, using genetic testing, reporting, and historical data to craft a moving family portrait. This book shows how genealogical research can educate and heal Americans of all races, revealing through their story the story of America--a journey of struggle, resilience, and the heavy cost of ultimate success.

Review Quotes

"Harrowing and insightful ...A profound work about the Black experience and white oppression." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Hawkins's memoir is deeply reflective and transparent about his personal story and family history, sharing the love, restrictions, violence, and trauma he experienced throughout his life as a Black man living in a post-civil rights movement world. This work is vitally important and essential to understanding the magnitude of the impact of racism and violence. -- Library Journal (starred review)

Gripping, thought-provoking, and personal, I Am Nobody's Slave will inspire discussion and action in response to its powerful message of inner healing and social justice. -- Booklist

"For Lee Hawkins Jr. and so many Black Americans, the spirit of Emmett Till lives on and is deeply embedded in our consciousness. It informed, transformed, and changed the way an entire generation of Black Americans lived, showed up, and flowed throughout the world. It changed how mothers mothered and, in Lee Hawkins Jr.'s case, how his father fathered--for survival, driven by fear of racial violence. The book encourages families to confront the trauma and triumphs of previous generations as a way to process and recover from the damaging effects of slavery and Jim Crow." -- Deborah A. Watts, Cousin of Emmett Till and Co-Founder of the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation

"As a direct descendant of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, I carry a legacy that embodies both the violence of enslavement and the strength of survival. This knowledge reshaped how I see myself and my place in a history. Lee Hawkins' I Am Nobody's Slave captures this complexity with remarkable clarity, tracing the connections between past and present to reveal the generational forces that shape our identities. It is a work that invites readers to confront the truths in their own histories and imagine the possibility of healing, not by erasing the past, but by fully understanding it." -- Shannon LaNier, Digital Creator, Author & Sixth great grandson of Thomas Jefferson & Sally Hemings

I Am Nobody's Slave is an incredibly thought-provoking book! It has caused me to think much more deeply about the impact of the death of my great-grandfather's son on the intervening generations of my mother's family. I'm also motivated to seek information on my father's less-documented side now! A strong testament to the strength and resilience of Black People - Then and Now!" -- Arthur McFarlane II--Great-Grandson of W.E.B. Du Bois

"In this personal narrative Lee Hawkins has given us permission to open doors and windows that have been closed for centuries. A significant part of true humanness includes embracing truth regardless of the pain that may follow in its wake. All the more reason we need the voice of Lee Hawkins! His narrative provides insights into why we have been reluctant to embrace the truth of who we are and who we have been. By following his lead we may be able to discard the adulterated stories we keep telling ourselves and trade them in for the unadulterated truth." -- Terrence Roberts, PhD of The Little Rock Nine