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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
Phew! I feel like I learned a lot that I should have already known. It’s such a difference to learn the history from the umglossed words of someone who lived it than from dry academic texts that combine multiple stories to give an overview. Douglass wrote without affect or pretension, just telling the truth as he remembered it and felt it. This should be required reading, even just single chapters, in middle school history.
challenging
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
informative
Frederick Douglass wrote this while a relatively young man who had recently escaped slavery. He is exceptionally articulate, especially for someone self-educated. It is the story of his life as an enslaved person until Douglass ran and became an abolitionist. He later wrote a couple of other autobiographies, but this is the one that packs the most wallop.
His observations of the degrading effects of slavery, both on the enslaved people and the owners, were fascinating. His description of the change he saw in one of his mistresses from a kindly new slaveholder to a typical cruel enslaver highlighted what evil the institution of slavery is. It made me grateful that I'm not a slave, but more so not a slaveholder.
It was also interesting to see how his religious masters were much crueler than the non-religious owners were. It shows how if a "moral" institution justifies an immoral practice, its practitioners lose all sense of guilt and act accordingly.
The owners' methods to keep the slaves ignorant and debased was another disgusting practice. It seemed to work at keeping them from revolt, but at what cost?
I highly recommend this book to everyone. We all need to be reminded of the lessons it teaches about human nature.
I originally wrote this review on 3/5/2008.
His observations of the degrading effects of slavery, both on the enslaved people and the owners, were fascinating. His description of the change he saw in one of his mistresses from a kindly new slaveholder to a typical cruel enslaver highlighted what evil the institution of slavery is. It made me grateful that I'm not a slave, but more so not a slaveholder.
It was also interesting to see how his religious masters were much crueler than the non-religious owners were. It shows how if a "moral" institution justifies an immoral practice, its practitioners lose all sense of guilt and act accordingly.
The owners' methods to keep the slaves ignorant and debased was another disgusting practice. It seemed to work at keeping them from revolt, but at what cost?
I highly recommend this book to everyone. We all need to be reminded of the lessons it teaches about human nature.
I originally wrote this review on 3/5/2008.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
No rating, but I think everyone should read this book but the writing style itself hasn't aged particularly well and makes it a bit of a challenge to get through.
dark
informative
reflective
fast-paced
*more like 3.5 actually
this book was good and I finished it pretty quickly for being required reading. very informative and I enjoyed it but just not my usual cup of tea ☕️☕️
this book was good and I finished it pretty quickly for being required reading. very informative and I enjoyed it but just not my usual cup of tea ☕️☕️
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Cultural appropriation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Alcohol