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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
I had never read this before but no one was waiting for me to say that it is, indeed, excellent. In many ways the story is familiar (not least because I read the magisterial biography [b:Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom|38530663|Frederick Douglass Prophet of Freedom|David W. Blight|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1539509558l/38530663._SX50_.jpg|60163211]) and it also follows many of the familiar contours of slave narratives and escapes. But it is so well told, so insightful and sympathetic, when it is unsympathetic it is even more powerful, and with William Lloyd Garrison's excellent introduction and the conclusion which in some respects is still in the middle of the story, that heightens its power.
I listened to the audio version narrated by Raymond Hearn and would highly recommend that recording.
I listened to the audio version narrated by Raymond Hearn and would highly recommend that recording.
I would have given it 5 stars, but it was very difficult to get through some parts because of the absolute brutality he faced.
This was a short book kindly gifted to me by Vintage. It is a well written and poignant autobiography about his time as a slave and the standard way of life and experience he and his fellow slaves were being treated under.
I found his perception of religion used by the slave holders wholly enlightening and also shows how this can still be seen today in modern American religion.
Modern slavery still exists but reading this book has been most humbling and is as relevant now as when it was written as lessons can still be learned.
I found his perception of religion used by the slave holders wholly enlightening and also shows how this can still be seen today in modern American religion.
Modern slavery still exists but reading this book has been most humbling and is as relevant now as when it was written as lessons can still be learned.
A simple and straightforward narrative with a few inspired poetic climaxes.
Oddly enough, I am not sure how to rate non-fiction. After a couple years of rating primarily fiction, I've acquired an internal gauge, a gut feeling for the art of Goodreads star rankings. But now I'm stumped.
Where fiction is self-contained and approached from the somewhat more subjective viewpoint of the reader, who experiences the novel in accordance to their own world view, non-fiction is much more objective. It takes place within some sort of historical, socio-political context whose ramifications spread far beyond the intrapersonal boundaries of fiction.
What am I blabbering about? Basically, it boils down to this: knowing that every word Douglass writes is true, and that the events and people he describes were once the tangible, physical parts of the world that I now live in, was strangely invigorating. It's somehow more powerful. In a way, it's like meeting another person, or at least a fragment of their existence reaches out from the past through the pages. With fiction, you can make it your own. But to do so with an autobiography, to warp it and reinterpret it to suit your imagination and whim, would be like trying to force another person to fit into a mold you have built for them. To do so would be to miss the point of their work entirely.
Douglass's work is admirable not only for the way it is written but for the very fact that he wrote it. To think it was written by someone whom society had endeavoured to prevent at all costs from learning to read and write is mind-blowing. He was as determined to learn to read and write, as he was to free himself from slavery. He accomplished both, and reading his work is a true privilege.
Where fiction is self-contained and approached from the somewhat more subjective viewpoint of the reader, who experiences the novel in accordance to their own world view, non-fiction is much more objective. It takes place within some sort of historical, socio-political context whose ramifications spread far beyond the intrapersonal boundaries of fiction.
What am I blabbering about? Basically, it boils down to this: knowing that every word Douglass writes is true, and that the events and people he describes were once the tangible, physical parts of the world that I now live in, was strangely invigorating. It's somehow more powerful. In a way, it's like meeting another person, or at least a fragment of their existence reaches out from the past through the pages. With fiction, you can make it your own. But to do so with an autobiography, to warp it and reinterpret it to suit your imagination and whim, would be like trying to force another person to fit into a mold you have built for them. To do so would be to miss the point of their work entirely.
Douglass's work is admirable not only for the way it is written but for the very fact that he wrote it. To think it was written by someone whom society had endeavoured to prevent at all costs from learning to read and write is mind-blowing. He was as determined to learn to read and write, as he was to free himself from slavery. He accomplished both, and reading his work is a true privilege.
Read this book with my 11th grade ELA students. It provides Douglass’ experiences in slavery and his passion for education as a way to freedom.
Read it for school. Would have to read it again to get a clearer perspective.
A powerfully written first-hand account of the horrors of slavery, the tantalizing power of education, and the innate dignity of being human.
This was assigned reading for my AP Lang class and I wound up loving it.