The Bondwoman's Narrative by Hannah Crafts

Although this book is not strictly autobiographical, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. makes a good case for it being written by a woman who escaped slavery and then (presumably) taught school in New Jersey. It's really well-written, and I found the plot both moving and intriguing. The book does a really nice job of appropriating sentimental and gothic conventions and adapting them to the genre of the slave narrative. I especially liked the part about the linden and the portraits at the first house. I was also interested in the racial and gender crossing that happens throughout the text.