A review by sarahcoller
Up from Slavery by Booker T. Washington

hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

I very much enjoyed this autobiography of Booker T. Washington. At first, I thought it was a reread, but I quickly realized I was mixing it up with Douglass's autobiography that I read about 12 years ago. This man had the "power of positive thinking" down to a science. I was regularly blown away by the positive attitude and forgiving heart he displayed repeatedly to those he had lots of good reasons to hate. I don't know that I could so easily lay down bitterness and frustration, feelings of wanting revenge or compensation, etc. and just walk into freedom with a desire to prove my worth and "right" to that freedom. In some cases, I think he displayed an unfortunate mentality that the black population had the ability to rise to the superior status of the white man, if they just put in a little effort. I understand why he may have thought that way, but it saddened me. I think people of all races can read this and be encouraged to be better tomorrow than they are today, by putting in a little effort --- but race is not a determining factor. The determining factor, in my opinion, is character.

The book is full of inspiring stories and quotes. Here are a few:

<i>"I would permit no man, no matter what his colour might be, to narrow and degrade my soul by making me hate him."</i>

<i>"great men cultivate love...weak men cherish a spirit of hatred"</i>

<i>"those who are happiest are those who do the most for others."</i>