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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
challenging
medium-paced
Exceptional is not a good enough word to describe this book. Frederick Douglass's strength to educate himself and to free himself from the shackles of bondage against all odds is inspiring. The dignity of the man is humbling to behold. He seems to be a wonderful speaker, so Douglass goes on my list of "I wish I could go back in time to see ....". A must-read.
dark
emotional
informative
fast-paced
informative and not hard to read . interesting to pinpoint specifics in slave culture which has affected the way black communities interact with each other and others in contemporary society
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Frederick Douglass’ autobiography is a beautifully written narrative on life that was not wanted and not accepted, yet is one of the best written autobiographies ever. Douglass describes his life up to the point of freedom through describing his memories as spoken word; as if he is speaking to the reader, but is so detailed and uses the right words and phrases at the right time. I like to make notes and underline text in my books to look back on and reread, or keep for important phrases that have struck the most meaning to me, and this autobiography and book in general is the most I have underlined and folded back pages, because Douglass’ story is timeless. In a time of history and his life that felt useless, no meaning to time, time not moving, he creates time whilst reading this seem effortless and ever-changing, making me search for the time in my life that was not filled with his narrative. I wish I could read this again for the first time, yet am excited to continuously come back and reread.
I still can't believe this was written by a man who taught himself how to read and write.
The entire premise of "well why don't they just work harder to escape poverty" or "why won't they just leave the horrible situation they're in" can be easily explained through Frederick's observations. He gave us an astute inspection of the slave and enslaver's mind and soul and I am grateful for it.
The fact that he had it "easy" compared to other slaves is just mind-numbing. I really wish I knew how he managed to escape but I guess in the end that is hardly important. What a man, we could only strive to have his spirit!
It's very hard to rate something like this. I mean I wish there was more, but this was written by a man who went through all that and wanted to show the world what is still happening to their peers. So it's impossible to give it less than 5 stars for its historical relevancy.
The entire premise of "well why don't they just work harder to escape poverty" or "why won't they just leave the horrible situation they're in" can be easily explained through Frederick's observations. He gave us an astute inspection of the slave and enslaver's mind and soul and I am grateful for it.
The fact that he had it "easy" compared to other slaves is just mind-numbing. I really wish I knew how he managed to escape but I guess in the end that is hardly important. What a man, we could only strive to have his spirit!
It's very hard to rate something like this. I mean I wish there was more, but this was written by a man who went through all that and wanted to show the world what is still happening to their peers. So it's impossible to give it less than 5 stars for its historical relevancy.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Can't believe it has taken me until now to read this classic treasure - Douglas' autobiography. Brilliantly and powerfully captures first hand the terrible reality of a slave's life during the decades just before the Civil War, and Douglas' own struggle to become literate, and then to escape to the north and (relative) freedom. Concludes with a scathing afterwards directed at the especially religious southern Christians who somehow believed themselves pious while exhibiting incredible cruelty to a whole people simply because of their race. Even now, 170+ years later, there are plenty of lessons in Douglas' life and writing for every American - indeed, every human.
adventurous
emotional
informative
fast-paced
Fredrick Douglass left me with more questions than answers. As incredible as his narrative is, its self-centered nature leaves me wondering about the people around him who enabled his journey. He's an incredible writer and reads like a someone ahead of his time for sure, and it's for those reasons I find myself surprised at the lack of certain details about his journey such as his relationship with his wife, family and the finance of his escape.