The first African-American novel published in the United States was Harriet Wilson's "Our Nig" (1859). It expressed the difficulties of lives of northern free Blacks. "Our Nig" was rediscovered and republished by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., in the early 1980s. He labeled the work fiction and argued that it may be the first novel published by an African American. Parallels between Wilson's narrative and her life have been discovered, leading some scholars to argue that the work should be considered autobiographical. Despite these disagreements, "Our Nig" is a literary work which speaks to the difficult life of free blacks in the North who were indentured servants. "Our Nig" is a counter-narrative to the forms of the sentimental novel and mother-centered novel of the 19th century.