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Uncle Tom's Cabin has earned the title of not only the first bestseller, but also the first protest novel to have a direct impact on political events. The story follows the life and vicissitudes of Uncle Tom, a noble, high-minded African American, and portrays the humanity of an enslaved black people and the moral evil of their enslavement. Uncle Tom remains a loveable almost saintly figure from the opening chapters when he is 'sold down the river' to pay off gambling debts until the climactic ending when the brutal Simon Legree has Uncle Tom flogged to the point of death. The inspirational quality of the writing has moved succeeding generations of readers to agree with Frederick Douglass, who called it a flash to "light a million camp fires in front of the embattled hosts of slavery". 432pp. Paperback.