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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Why I was never made to read this book in history class, I am not sure. Douglass's account of how he escaped from slavery to freedom is honest, passionate, and realistic. Short on many details (this isn't an adventure tale), it is long on details on how the slave system worked, with special emphasis on the insidious role Christianity played in it.
In 2016 I am struck by how relevant Douglass's narrative still is. Chattel slavery is over, but Douglass's keen eye has preserved so many of the mundane details of the slaveholding economy of the early 19th century that have haunting parallels today. "Broken windows" policing, disparate sentencing, differential burdens of proof and of evidence, predatory lending practices, and the co-opting of religion by bigoted ideologies, all existed even then. About all that has changed around this racialized constellation of power is the labor market, which has undergone multiple transformations since Douglass's day, and through each transformation the racialized power relations simply adapt. Douglass reminds us that while abolishing chattel slavery was undeniably moral progress, there is still far to go.
In 2016 I am struck by how relevant Douglass's narrative still is. Chattel slavery is over, but Douglass's keen eye has preserved so many of the mundane details of the slaveholding economy of the early 19th century that have haunting parallels today. "Broken windows" policing, disparate sentencing, differential burdens of proof and of evidence, predatory lending practices, and the co-opting of religion by bigoted ideologies, all existed even then. About all that has changed around this racialized constellation of power is the labor market, which has undergone multiple transformations since Douglass's day, and through each transformation the racialized power relations simply adapt. Douglass reminds us that while abolishing chattel slavery was undeniably moral progress, there is still far to go.
Honestly the writing was brilliant. Like, it stunned me how clever and decisive the whole novel was. I think at some parts it got away from him a little and he kind of went a little overboard in his diction choices, but this is from a modern white girls perspective. Very interesting read !
Although this is not exactly a pleasant read- Douglass' writing is extremely visual and this is an amazing insight into real life as a slave.
informative
fast-paced
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
