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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
I really think this should be required reading in U.S. schools along with To Kill a Mockingbird and other such books. There are a lot of difficult passages here, but they're incredibly relevant to the history of our country and go a long way toward explaining why things are the way they are today.
Regarding the narrative itself, I found several passages interesting, but one thing that really struck me was when Douglass spoke of making his way to the North. He had imagined it would be a poor environment because there weren't any slaves. That is to say, he equated wealth with slavery because the whites in the South who went without slaves were awfully poor. I think this gives us an idea of how well deceived people were about the truth of slavery. It wasn't necessary to lead a good life; it was just easier.
He also criticized the underground railroad and made a point about it I hadn't considered: it was far too open. Those who were offering to help slaves were doing loudly and as such slaveholders were more in-the-know then they had any right to be.
I'm glad I read this book and I think I'll continue exploring the subject of slavery in the U.S. (and throughout international history); I've often felt like it never received nearly enough attention in school and this is a good intro to it.
Regarding the narrative itself, I found several passages interesting, but one thing that really struck me was when Douglass spoke of making his way to the North. He had imagined it would be a poor environment because there weren't any slaves. That is to say, he equated wealth with slavery because the whites in the South who went without slaves were awfully poor. I think this gives us an idea of how well deceived people were about the truth of slavery. It wasn't necessary to lead a good life; it was just easier.
He also criticized the underground railroad and made a point about it I hadn't considered: it was far too open. Those who were offering to help slaves were doing loudly and as such slaveholders were more in-the-know then they had any right to be.
I'm glad I read this book and I think I'll continue exploring the subject of slavery in the U.S. (and throughout international history); I've often felt like it never received nearly enough attention in school and this is a good intro to it.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
fast-paced
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
In preparation to tackle the 900+ page American Prophet biography of Douglass I decided to read his short autobiography first and I’m glad I did. Douglass’s depiction of his life shows a glimpse at the life of a slave in a way most books can’t with his story of teaching himself how to read being as impressive as it is inspiring. Well worth the read
An interesting read; his spirit of liberty shines. A few things I found interesting; that slaves fought amongst themselves over their masters because nobody wanted to be a slave, but much less for a lousy master; that Douglass expected all Northerners as poor as non-slave-owning southerners. Although we knew the conditions of slaves are poor, it rather paints a glum picture and out worst thoughts of slavery do not compare with Douglass's reality. Recommended for all.
dark
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
challenging
dark
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced