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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
I've wanted to read this for a while and glad I did. Definitely an insight we don't often get into the life of a slave.
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and incur my own abhorrence.
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
This was one of those books that I was assigned but never read during highschool. Glad I returned to it now.
Incredible book. A first hand account from Frederick Douglass, born a slave, later fiercely fighting for abolition of slavery. Published in 1945.
He describes in great detail how the mind of a slave worked. The more privileges a slave got, the more he started thinking about freedom. It was best to keep a slave as dumb as possible. Make them feel an inconsistent world.
Slavery not only works dehumanising on slaves, but also on their masters. Once they became slavers, their mind got corrupted. An example: he learned to read from his mistres. This woman didn't have slaves before. In the beginning, she acted favourably towards him, but then, she stopped teaching him. She even started to punish him harshly for no reason. The dehumanising aspect.
His descriptions are extremely thought-provoking. Although, he was quite well-treated compared to other slaves, his story gives great insight into a period that is only around 150 years ago. Recommended read
He describes in great detail how the mind of a slave worked. The more privileges a slave got, the more he started thinking about freedom. It was best to keep a slave as dumb as possible. Make them feel an inconsistent world.
Slavery not only works dehumanising on slaves, but also on their masters. Once they became slavers, their mind got corrupted. An example: he learned to read from his mistres. This woman didn't have slaves before. In the beginning, she acted favourably towards him, but then, she stopped teaching him. She even started to punish him harshly for no reason. The dehumanising aspect.
His descriptions are extremely thought-provoking. Although, he was quite well-treated compared to other slaves, his story gives great insight into a period that is only around 150 years ago. Recommended read
My favorite part about this book was Douglass's afterword, which I think was added in a new edition. To paraphrase, he said: "Some people have been upset because I said that religious slaveholders were more cruel than non-religious slaveholders...let me clarify: religious slaveholders are the worst."
Buy it. Annotate in it. Buy twelve more copies for friends and family. Tell everyone to buy this book. An important read, a necessary one.
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
This felt like a book I should have read in high school, but we got textbooks that glossed over the real implications of history. I was a bit worried to read/listen to a book that was written a while ago because I just started reading again and the older books are harder to get into, but Douglass's straight forward and direct style made it easy to follow and made the story more powerful.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Slavery, Violence