Pero la primera obra, cronológicamente hablando, del género es "The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa, the African" (1789); siguieron "Narrative of Moses Roper's, Adventures and Escape from American Slavery" (1837), "The Narrative of William Wells Brown" (1847), "Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Henry Bibb, an American Slave" (1849), "The Narrative of Solomon Northup" (1853) e "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" (1861), de Harriet Jacobs, que vendieron miles de ejemplares.