Mary Prince - a book review

Mary Prince by E L Norry

This brilliant book tells the story of Mary Prince, whose life story was hugely influential in the movement to abolish slavery in England. It focuses on Mary’s early life as a child and teenager in Bermuda, her experiences of being a slave and the impact on her physically and emotionally.

I thought this book was great. Especially in focusing heavily on Mary’s younger years it makes it relatable to a younger audience and highlights the injustices and horror of slavery by seeing it through Mary’s eyes. I didn’t previously know a lot about the details of Mary’s life but seeing the journey from an enslaved girl playing with the master’s daughter, through back-breaking work on the salt plains, to freeing herself in England and sharing her story to help galvanise a political movement, was so interesting. Especially as there is still a tendency to credit white politicians like William Wilberforce with the abolishment movement - it’s important to recognise the importance that individuals like Mary Prince, along with Olaudah Equiano, had in sharing their first-hand accounts to debunk the myth of the ‘happy, mindless slave’ that was sold to the British public.

As always, I think the fictionalisation of Black British history has such an important role to play and I think this book is a great way for kids to understand the role and impact of slavery. This book would be perfect for age 8+ and KS2 reading.