Scan barcode
geekwayne's review
5.0
'The Life of Frederick Douglass: A Graphic Narrative of an Extraordinary Life' by David F. Walker with art by Damon Smyth and Marissa Louise is one of the best graphic novel biographies I've read.
The story of this famous man is told by him from the vantage of old age. Born a slave with no knowledge of his birth date, Douglass learned to read along the way which made him dangerous and a person in jeopardy. He escaped slavery, joined the abolitionist movement and wrote so very much. Douglass' complicated relationship is also discussed.
I loved the approach of this graphic novel. The story is broken up by sections discussing the reasons for the civil war, or Frederick Douglass being the focus of so many photographs. The art is really great, and this adaptation feels really solid. The book ends with a list of lots of sources for further reading and study about this important American.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Ten Speed Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
The story of this famous man is told by him from the vantage of old age. Born a slave with no knowledge of his birth date, Douglass learned to read along the way which made him dangerous and a person in jeopardy. He escaped slavery, joined the abolitionist movement and wrote so very much. Douglass' complicated relationship is also discussed.
I loved the approach of this graphic novel. The story is broken up by sections discussing the reasons for the civil war, or Frederick Douglass being the focus of so many photographs. The art is really great, and this adaptation feels really solid. The book ends with a list of lots of sources for further reading and study about this important American.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Ten Speed Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
jwinchell's review
4.0
This is a solid introduction to the life of Frederick Douglass for any age reader. The graphic format drives home the immediacy of his life circumstances- slavery, escape, crafting a new life, speaking, trips abroad, the Civil War, life after the death of his wife. But the author’s decision to write in the first person was never clear to me. In the introduction, he claims that writing as Douglass lends itself to more authenticity, but he never makes the case for why that is. I struggled too that the text was sometimes paraphrased and fictionalized from Douglass’ writing. How do we know when the the fiction ends and true history begins? This is likely not a problem for the average reader, but it would, in my estimation, eliminate the book from classroom use.
lizaroo71's review
4.0
I used to teach [b:Life and Times of Frederick Douglass|8869259|Life and Times of Frederick Douglass|Frederick Douglass|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1281813285l/8869259._SX50_.jpg|60023909], but I’ve never read his other autobiographies. This feels like a collection of all of them. There is so much to take in: visually and emotionally. I think this is a great way to take in such a grand historical figure’s life. The illustrations bring all of the words to life in a way that brings the reader closer to the subject. I wish I would have had this a few years ago because there are many excerpts from the text that could be explored through the illustrations.
I will definitely keep it on my shelf for using in my classroom. I’m not sure if it is my old eyes, but the text felt difficult to read on the page. I found myself straining to see it - well worth the pain.
I will definitely keep it on my shelf for using in my classroom. I’m not sure if it is my old eyes, but the text felt difficult to read on the page. I found myself straining to see it - well worth the pain.
nrsr2011's review
5.0
Another excellent biographical graphic novel. Exploring the life of Frederick Douglass interspersed with historical background and moments of reflection.
123aah456's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery
nb_leftist's review
dark
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
I am usually not interested in slave narratives but I picked this up for $1 at savers. I was surprised at how quick it read. Def worth the read gives a very “in-time-period” view on people’s views of things.
ljrinaldi's review
4.0
What graphic novels do best, is open literature and ideas up to a wider audience, an audience that might never pick up a book that was filled with just words alone. Graphic novels may have an easier entry point, but they can and have in the past 30 years or so that they have become popular, been able to tell stories that would not work in a simple print medium.
In his lifetime, Frederick Douglass his autobiography three different times, in three different books. He knew the power of words, and wrote his first autobiography because no one believed he was an escaped slave, that no slave could speak so eloquently, or write so well.
According to this retelling of Mr. Douglass's life, he was the most photographed American man of the 19th century. That there are more pictures of him, than of Abraham Lincoln, a contemporary.
The graphic novel is written as though it is being told in Mr. Douglass's voice, which gets us closer to the subject.
I knew a little bit about Frederick Douglass before I read this, but didn't know that he knew Sojourner Truth, or Herriat Tubman. I did not know that he worked with Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton for women's right to vote, as he worked for black men to have the right to vote.
Very informative story, very well written and researched. A great starting point to anyone who is interested in knowing more about Frederick Douglass.
Thanks to Ten Speed Press and Penguin Random House for making this free review book available for an honest review.
In his lifetime, Frederick Douglass his autobiography three different times, in three different books. He knew the power of words, and wrote his first autobiography because no one believed he was an escaped slave, that no slave could speak so eloquently, or write so well.
According to this retelling of Mr. Douglass's life, he was the most photographed American man of the 19th century. That there are more pictures of him, than of Abraham Lincoln, a contemporary.
The graphic novel is written as though it is being told in Mr. Douglass's voice, which gets us closer to the subject.
I knew a little bit about Frederick Douglass before I read this, but didn't know that he knew Sojourner Truth, or Herriat Tubman. I did not know that he worked with Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton for women's right to vote, as he worked for black men to have the right to vote.
Very informative story, very well written and researched. A great starting point to anyone who is interested in knowing more about Frederick Douglass.
Thanks to Ten Speed Press and Penguin Random House for making this free review book available for an honest review.
crizzle's review
5.0
I’ve become a big fan of historical/biographical nonfiction graphic novels. I do like to learn history but if it’s condensed a bit and with illustrations, well of course I’ll choose that over a textbook! This is another one I think everyone should read (middle school-aged on up). It was VERY well done and I cried near the end. I’ve read one of Frederick Douglass’s autobiographies, but probably a decade or more ago, although I remember it being FANTASTIC and have recommended it to others through the years. This was a great refresher course, told in his voice, and I plan on reading his actual autobiography again someday in the next few years.
This one had a few breakers of quick history lessons on American slavery, photography and Frederick Douglass (did you know he was the most photographed American in the 19th century? He wanted people to see what a real Black person looks like, verses the crude caricatures drawn for newspapers), and the Civil War. Very interesting to me was the relationship between Douglass and Lincoln; even though Douglass was an outspoken critic of Lincoln and his wishy washy stance on slavery, the two actually were becoming closer to friends before the assassination.
This one had a few breakers of quick history lessons on American slavery, photography and Frederick Douglass (did you know he was the most photographed American in the 19th century? He wanted people to see what a real Black person looks like, verses the crude caricatures drawn for newspapers), and the Civil War. Very interesting to me was the relationship between Douglass and Lincoln; even though Douglass was an outspoken critic of Lincoln and his wishy washy stance on slavery, the two actually were becoming closer to friends before the assassination.