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Uncle Tom's Cabin

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Uncle Tom's Cabin

By: Harriet Beecher Stowe
Narrated by: Richard Allen
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About this listen

 Uncle Tom's Cabin opens with a Kentucky farmer named Arthur Shelby facing the loss of his farm because of debts. Even though he and his wife, Emily Shelby, believe that they have a benevolent relationship with their slaves, Shelby decides to raise the needed funds by selling two of them - Uncle Tom, a middle-aged man with a wife and children, and Harry, the son of Emily Shelby's maid Eliza - to a slave trader. Emily Shelby hates the idea of doing this because she had promised her maid that her child would never be sold; Emily's son, George Shelby, hates to see Tom go because he sees the old man as his friend and mentor.

When Uncle Tom's Cabin was published in 1852, it became an international blockbuster, selling more than 300,000 copies in the United States alone in its first year. Progressive for her time, Harriet Beecher Stowe was one of the earliest writers to offer a shockingly realistic depiction of slavery. Her stirring indictment and portrait of human dignity in the most inhumane circumstances enlightened hundreds of thousands of people by revealing the human costs of slavery, which had until then been cloaked and justified by the racist misperceptions of the time.

Public Domain (P)2008 Tantor Classics Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction

Critic Reviews

"It is a compelling adventure story with richly drawn stories & has earned a place in both literary & American history. " ( Barnes & Noble)
All stars
Most relevant  
Heart rendering in places, but too much Bible bashing. A necessary read for Donald Trump.

A necessary read for Rednecks.

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My first thought in finishing this audio book is that this has to be one of the best novels ever written. I'd never really heard of it until recently. It has blown me away. What an incredible story. I laughed and I teared up many times. It's kind of hard to describe why it's so good, but I think at its heart it's a story of Christian faith, of hope in suffering, of life, joy, family, and human dignity.

I found it deeply encouraging in my faith, and many passages were so beautiful they brought tears to my eyes. The joy that Tom and the other Christian slaves had is so inspiring. His relationship with Eva and her own faith was so beautiful. His hope in God from beginning to end was beyond human comprehension.
I look forward to meeting many men like Tom in heaven, African American men and women, slaves who put their hope in Jesus Christ and endured through the hardest trials to the end.

I also loved the ongoing theological and political debate throughout the story between many of the characters regarding slavery and the ethics of it. Each character had a slightly different position - the Shelbys, the traders, Miss Ophelia, the St Clairs, etc. Each position was fleshed out perfectly, articulated clearly, and then the pro slavery arguments were dismantled with reason, and with true Christian doctrine.

It is a rebuke to the ignorant fool who tries to use the Bible to support evil like the slave trade.
It is also a loving rebuke to Christians who are supporting moral evil or injustice in their day simply because it's legal, or at least refusing to take a stand against it. A perfect equivalent in our day I believe is abortion, which disproportionately affects the African American community in the US today.

It is beautifully written, every character is vivid and perfectly developed in your mind. I grew so attached to every character, as every character is so deeply human, and it's so easy to sympathise with each one - Tom, Chloe, George and Eliza Harris, Augustine St Claire, etc.
The narration is perfect. Not suitable for young kids, the N word is very frequent and some of the descriptions of the treatments of slaves is heart wrenching and tragic. But thankfully it is not overly hideously violent or dark. At its heart it is a story of joy and hope through Christian faith, from beginning to end. It is not just a dark and depressing tale of the horrors of slavery, even though it has some necessary dark moments. It's a deeply beautiful story of joy and hope, and faith.

I think this should be required reading for high school students. In our age of moral confusion, this book would give a much needed example of the power of faith and love to overcome injustice. This book is a timeless classic, and it deserves to be loved by each new generation. Needless to say I loved it.

Outstanding

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A book that influenced the course of world history.
Fantastic performance and story. Unlikely to see such powerful works again as publishing becomes easier, classics will become lost among average works.

What an eye opener

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