Here are some examples of personal information Equiano provides that a biographer would struggle to access:
* His personal thoughts and feelings: Equiano doesn't just describe the events of his life, but his reactions to them. We understand his fear, confusion, and anger during his kidnapping and the horrors of the Middle Passage. We also see his resilience, his desire for knowledge and freedom, and his spiritual growth.
* His internal struggles and moral dilemmas: Equiano was a complex individual who wrestled with difficult questions about faith, morality, and his place in the world. He grapples with the contradictions of slavery, the brutality he witnesses, and his own role in it.
* His intimate relationships: Equiano details his relationships with his family, fellow slaves, and his white patrons. He expresses his love for his mother and sister, his loyalty to his fellow slaves, and his sometimes complicated relationships with the people who owned him.
* His unique cultural background: While details are sparse, Equiano gives glimpses of his pre-slavery life in Africa, including his cultural traditions, beliefs, and family structure. This provides valuable insight into his identity and the loss he experienced during enslavement.
Biographers can offer valuable context and analysis of Equiano's life, but they can never fully capture the visceral, emotional, and deeply personal experience of slavery that Equiano describes. His autobiography provides a window into the soul of a man who survived the horrors of the slave trade and who sought to use his voice to speak out against it.