List Price: $10.00 Our Price: $1.50 You Save: $8.50 (85%)

Product Description

Published in 1845, this pre-eminent American slave narrative powerfully details the life of the internationally famous abolitionist Frederick Douglass from his birth into slavery in 1818 to his escape to the North in 1838-how he endured the daily physical and spiritual brutalities of his owners and drivers, how he learned to read and write, and how he grew into a man who could only live free or die. Penguin Enriched eBook Classics Features:- How to Navigate Guide- Chronology- Nineteenth-Century Reviews and Responses- Further Reading- Day in a Slave-s Life- Sorrow Songs and Sheet Music- The Church and Prejudice (1841)- Introduction to -Oration, or The Meaning of the Fourth of July for the Negro-- The Meaning of the Fourth of July for the Negro (1853)- Introduction to -The Heroic Slave-- The Heroic Slave (1853)- My Escape from Slavery (1881)- Douglass Sites to Visit in the United States- Portraits and Illustrations- Enriched eBook Notes

Customer Reviews:

• Should be in every library
  Though I am skeptical about most 'history,' this book was written by a man who felt oppression and fought it. This book as well Douglass' other writing should be the primary source on slavery and the civil war.
  
  This book, as well as its excellent forward, serves to warn that slavery could happen here again disguised as something else. It reminds us that slavery is not an institution but a crime.
  
  This edition is the best as far as size and print quality. It has also best foreward and the best afterward. I hope Signet continues to keep this edition available....more info
• A reminder of the fight that led to civil rights
  I read this book as a freshman in college and have often though about in the last 10 years. I believe it is the first written by a former slave in the U.S., and it clearly outlines the disputes surrounding the anti-slavery movement and the movement for the then status quo.

  Though slavery is long gone in the U.S., it is useful to reflect on the process that lasted for many centuries before it was successful. In his case, we see how his masters, who were often considered more benign than other masters, tried to prevent Frederick from learning how to read, arguing that reading was beyond their needs.

  Aside from the historical importance of this book, we also have a very interesting character in Frederick, as he is not resentful but rather fair and refined, which I believed added much to his reputation as a leader of the anti-slavery movement....more info

• Freedom through Abolitionism in th 19th Century
  87 years after the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation was enacted and after the the ratification of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution Enslaved Americans gained thier freedom.
  
  Before the civil war Abolitionist were the Advocates of change in America the struggle to gain ones freedom from the experiences of slavery in the south is told from the true experiences of Fredrick Douglass. From Slavery to the Struggle for freedom to escape is the story told here, but also the story of survival to activism in the Abolitionist movement to change America.
  
  During the nearly 100 years after the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of 1787 Black America finally found Freedom, But between Slavery and Freedom was the struggle of the freedom fighters of the Revolutionary Abolitinist Movement to bring slavery in America to an end. This is the story of the virtues of a victim of Slavery turned into a revolutionary success story, This is the story of Fredrick Douglass....more info
• Revealing
  A prime subject of debate before the Civil War seems to have been the nature of slavery in the South. Northern abolitionists would shoot rhetorical darts concerning the ineffable cruelties done to slaves at the hands of Southern slaveholders; Southern Confederates would fire their own salvos in return, telling stories to show that the abuses did not outweigh the general decency of the system. In this autobiography, Frederick Douglass weighs in heavily with the abolitionists, laying bare the barbarity and brutality of his experiences with slaveholders in the South. Tracking his life from the ignorance of childhood, to his growing awareness and education, to his final escape, Douglass makes his opinion plain: It is not only the South's particular form of slavery which is savagely corrupt - the system itself is despicable at its core.

  My college assigned me this book to read, suggesting I watch for two things: the relationship of Christian faith to his life and to that of his masters, and the role of education in his journey toward freedom. In regard to the first, Douglass actually says surprisingly little about how his faith sustained him throughout his captivity. A few brief mentions are made here and there about how Christianity strengthened him during his trials, but the vast majority of his remarks on Christianity addressed the viciousness it seemed to inspire in his masters. In his experience, pious slaveholders were more cruel and malicious than unbelievers. Indeed, one of his worst masters was reverend of a local church. Douglass explains that while religion is well and good in its proper state, the corruption of the Southern version of Christianity was unpardonable, a religion where piety begot brutality, and faith sanctioned savagery.

  In my reading of this narrative, Douglass' primary hope was not in Christianity, but in education. Throughout the book, he explains the various devices slaveholders used to keep their slaves from getting religion, or getting reading and writing, or getting knowledge of current events. He shows that the Southerners knew exactly what they were keeping from their slaves - the very tool by which they could gain liberty, humanity, and freedom. Douglass traces his tortuous trials in learning to read and write, and then shows the invaluable benefits he received from these. A good education is one of the greatest and most liberating things a person can get, and Douglass' narrative drives this point home hard and clear.

  This book is a worthwhile read. Engaging and well-written, this narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass fascinates and informs. It illustrates the cruel treatment he, and by extension many other slaves, received at the hand of Southern slaveholders. It shows how a barbaric form of Christianity inspired some of these cruelties. And it shows how education delivered Douglass from the hands of his oppressors. Read it as a history. Read it as a story. But by all means, read it....more info

• The evils of slavery from one man's perspective.
  If there are any doubters about the evils of slavery, read this book. I have heard it said by some white Southerners that slavery benefited the black population, and furthermore blacks were better off in the United States than in Africa. Slavery was evil and this book proves it.
  Douglass points out how slaveholders killed and mutilated their own slaves, and nobody did anything about it. When a slave outlived his/her usefulness, the slaveholder often cast them off, so they did not have to feed and clothe these slaves. Slave families were often broken up for the benefit of the slaveholder. Wives and husbands were separated. Slaves worked long hard days and then had to turn over their pay to their slaveholder. If slaves tried to educate themselves, the slaveholders would break up their classes and then punish those seeking the education. Same with those seeking comfort from the Holy Bible. Those slaves were punished.
  The question was did slavery benefit the black slave population of the South. The answer is a resounding NO. Douglass does a good job of detailing the hell of slavery....more info
• A classic narrative of human brutality...
  If progress in human rights continues, and history offers no guarantees, then slavery will remain one of the USA's most nefarious legacies. Though no timeless ethical absolutes seem to exist, the statement "American slavery was wrong" feels beyond question. Unfortunately, the insatiable demand for cheap labor wreaks havoc even today. Witness "sweat shops" and the appalling treatment of some immigrant laborers. What strikes us as wrong about such exploitation is its fundamental drive to reduce human beings to mere "things." 19th century slavery followed this ideology, though on an institutionalized and far more ghastly level. In 1845, Former Maryland slave Frederick Douglass eloquently described what it was like to have his dignity ripped out from the roots. This, his first autobiography, should stand as a permanent reminder of what exploitation does to the exploited and also to the exploiters. Nobody wins. And as exploitation continues at home and abroad, we find that Frederick Douglass still has much to teach us.
  
  This short book chronicles Douglass' murky birth (his father's identity remains a mystery) to his eventual escape to New York City. Graphic depictions of slavery fill each chapter. More than that, Douglass offers reflections on how such events shaped his self-image. These passages evoke slavery's psychological brutality. They also help the reader stand in Douglass' coarse linen shoes, which considerably adds to the work's persuasive power. One such climax arrives in Chapter X, where Douglass lashes back at the infamous "slave-breaker" Mr. Covey. "I did not hesitate to let it be known of me," Douglass writes with evident fury, "that the white man who expected to succeed in whipping, must also succeed in killing me." After one failed escape attempt, by the final chapter he finds his way to New York city. Since slavery was still very much a reality in 1845, he judiciously leaves out the details of his escape route. Then his fiance¨¦ appears as if out of nowhere, and with the help of abolitionists the newlyweds make their way to New Bedford. There he labors as a freeman until the anti-slavery movement appropriates him as one of their most eloquent spokespeople. Here he finally finds community and hope. The book's introduction outlines Douglass' life after 1845.
  
  Some of the most intriguing passages involve Douglass' reflections on the psychology of slavery. Keeping slaves busy, illiterate, full of self-reproach, and constantly on guard against physical punishment helped keep them in thier place. Not only that, Douglass describes his slave master's holiday tradition of forced drunkenness or surfeit to the point of sickness. He suggests that this sleight-of-hand attempted to give freedom an icky aftertaste. It was a trick. Give your slaves a taste of freedom (a week off) and make it the worst experience of their lives. Douglass even claims that, following such horrors, some slaves were almost relieved when they returned to their back breaking forced labor.
  
  Douglass ultimately escaped that hard labor, but he never forgot those he left behind. His back viciously scarred and his feet gashed from frost, he became a beacon for anti-slavery. This brief but passionately written autobiography will serve as a permanent reminder of just how horrible human beings can be to one another. Though its final chapter also relates some of humanity's good side. On both fronts, may this little book continue to inform the past as well as the future....more info
• Snooze Book for me.
  The book looked so boring when I opened it. The introduction is 41 pages long, and I haven't even started reading the actual story. The preface is 9 pages long. The historical annotation+index is 61 pages long. The actual story is 73 pages long, but the book itself will kind of give you an insight on a slave's life. A slave who ran away and actually became someone great and well-known. It's a story that anyone can used to pattern their life after especially when the odds seem against you....more info
• An essential American autobiography
  As the title implies, this short work is the narrative of Frederick Douglass, an escaped slave. He wrote it by himself, a significant fact in that his prose is so eloquent and his pathos so powerful that it seems impossible for a former slave to have composed it. In this short autobiography, Douglass recounts his life as a slave, and details some of the horrors and atrocities perpetuated on slaves by their fiendish overseers, most of whom Douglass portrays as downright evil. More than just a narrative of his life, Douglass also gives an account of how the desire to be free grew and began to burn within his bosom, and how he grew to hate that horrible institution. Above all, this is a story of a slave learning that he is, in fact, a human being.
  
  The significance of this book cannot be overestimated. In it, Douglass effectively dispels a number of popular myths about slaves and slaveholders, and forever changes the way the reader (especially one who lived while slavery still existed) looks at slavery. The theme of this book is very simple: slavery is wrong. It is evil, it is cruel, and, despite what many people thought at the time, the slaves know how cruel it is. Douglass cites several examples of the horrible treatment slaves received, one of them being separation of families. "It is a common custom...to part children from their mothers at a very early age" So it was with Douglass and his own mother.
  
  Douglass writes in a very eloquent style, and this contributes to the power of this work. Many people who thought blacks were inferior in intelligence were shown to be sadly mistaken with the coming of Frederick Douglass, a man both educated and refined. It may be said that the book is not entirely fair, for it is decidedly anti-slavery, but it is undoubtedly true for most cases nonetheless. Most of the overseers in Douglass's narrative are demonic and sadistic, but when a good overseer comes along (such as Freeland), he is fair in his treatment of him.
  
  One can imagine the fuel this book gave to the abolitionist fire, and it is not difficult to see why Douglass had such an impact on both North and South. This is, in my opinion, a definitive work, in that it shows the horrible institution of slavery in all its barbaric nature, and does it from a firsthand point of view, that of a former slave. This book was a tremendous contribution, both for the light it shed on slavery in general, and for proving that blacks were not intellectually inferior by nature, but instead were "transformed into...brute[s]" at the hands of their overseers.
  
  This is a great book, essential for anyone wanting to study the Civil War era or wanting to gain a firmer understanding of slavery....more info
• Frederick Douglass Review
  This book starts off with Frederick Douglass basicly introducing himself. He told about his childhood, and what it was like to be a slave, he told about some of the brutal things he witnessed done by his master to older slaves. Frederick Douglass did not know too much of his mother and only recalls seeing her an estimated 10 times in his whole life. "For what this separation is done, I do not know, unless it be to hinder development of the child's affection towards its mother and to blunt and destroy the natural affection of the mother for the child." His father was a white man and it was rumored that it was his first master, Captain Anthony. When he is young he gets moved to the "Great House Farm," this is where Douglass experiences the harshness of slavery, always being cold and hungry.
  At the age of about 7 or 8 Douglass is moved to a new master in Baltimore. His new mistress in Baltimore treats him very well and starts to teach him how to read. When his master learns she is doing this, he rebukes and changes her into a different, more cruel person. At first she treated Douglass as she supposed a human being ought to be treated, then Mr. Auld told her of the danger of educating a slave. " Slavery soon proved its ability to diverst her of these heavenly qualities. She now commenced to practice her husbands precepts." Despite Mr. Auld's efforts, it was too late, Douglass was determined to learn to read. When Douglass becomes good at reading and gaining knowledge it started to bring him misery, he learns about liberty, justice and truth. He soon makes the decision that he will someday attempt to escape to freedom. Douglass also teaches himself to write, for who knows, he may write a book some day!
  After the death of his master, Captain Anthony, he eventually ends up living with Captain Thomas Auld. Life is more difficult for Douglass with Captain Auld. Captain Auld believes that Douglass was spoiled in the city life and this makes him even harder on Douglass. Captain Auld decides to send Douglass to Mr. Covey, who has a reputation for being a "nigger breaker." The first six months here were the darkest days of his life, recalls Douglass. Here, Douglass is overworked and beaten regularly. One day after being beaten badly, Douglass seeks help from Master Thomas, only to be sent back, but on his return Douglass decides he will not be beaten without retaliation. The next time Captain Auld tries to beat him it turns into a two hour fight, and after that Captain Auld didn't beat Douglass again. After working with Captain Auld, Douglass is sent to work with Mr. Freeland, a fair, respectable master in Douglass's opinion.
  Douglass soon becomes restless, he knows he is meant for more than being a slave. He is sick of being treated like a dog, or even worse at times. "By this time, I began to want to live upon free land as well as with Freeland; and I was no longer content, therefore, to live with him, or any other slaveholder." It is here that Douglass makes his escape to New York. Douglass struggles with having to leave his friends and loved ones in Baltimore. On September 3, 1838, Douglass succeeds in reaching New York, at last, a free man. Not too long after, he marries Anna Murray, a free black woman.
  I think this novel was very well written. It was very impressive how Douglass could write so well for not having a proper education, having had to teach himself everything that he knows. He also had a knack for keeping his autobiography very exciting and random, you never know what will happen next, and this is impressive for his own life story. I know if I had my own life story, people would have to drink a lot of coffee to stay awake through it. I am having a hard time thinking of anything bad or that did not work with this novel, it was very well written and fun to read. I would recommend this book to anybody who wants a good read. It gives a lot of insight to life as a slave and is not just a boring story of some guy's life, he lived a very interesting life and anyone could learn from his experiences. I often find myself thinking about other things while I read but during this book it kept me focused and on task at all times....more info
• In the wake of the nomination of Barack Obama, this is an excellent look back on what once was
  As a political junkie, I watch several news and commentary television shows. On the day that Barack Obama was declared the nominee of the Democratic Party for the presidency of the United States, black journalist Eugene Robinson was speaking. He said that we should all stop for a minute and appreciate the significance of this event. In the early 1960's black people had a very difficult time voting and in the southern United States, whites who killed blacks were generally acquitted if brought to trial. Now, there is the very real chance that a black person will be the next president.
  One of the greatest assets Obama has is his incredible gift for speech and communication. He is extremely articulate and is capable of delivering his words in a manner that resonates. I was privileged to attend one of his rallies and was even able to ask him a question.
  When blacks were slaves, they were property, nothing more. If their owner was dissatisfied, they could whip or even kill their slaves with impunity. Therefore, to truly appreciate and understand how far things have come in the United States, it is necessary to read some of the descriptions of how slaves were treated.
  This is one of the best accounts of the horrors of slavery ever written. Douglass was one of the first articulate blacks to appeal to whites. He was even the vice presidential candidate of the Equal Rights Party in 1872. The presidential candidate was Victoria Woodhull, the first woman to run for president of the United States.
  Douglass describes the brutal and indiscriminant treatment that a slave was forced to endure. When a slave showed any sign of independence, the goal of the white supremacists was to break them by any means necessary. Mothers and fathers were separated from their children, food was withheld and physical mistreatment were all weapons in the arsenal of the slave-breaker.
  In this moment of the triumph of racial equality, it is an excellent look back to read the writings of Douglass. It gives you a perspective on how truly historic the nomination of Barack Obama is and will continue to be.
  ...more info
• Forecasting King Leopold's Ghost
  One of the fifth grade teachers at Braeburn Elementary in Houston once told us that "Slaveowners had to treat their slaves well in order to get them to work. Just like a horse. If you are cruel to a horse it won't do what you want."
  
  This type of happy apologia for slavery was still alive and openly espoused in the Houston Independent School District in the 1970's, and done in front of white, black, Hispanic, and Asian children. Perhaps Mrs. Allen would have benefited from reading Frederick Douglass's autobiography. Perhaps not.
  
  Frederick Douglass's story proves the axiom that for every life ennobled by adversity and poverty, ten thousand others are ground up in misery and waste. Douglass achieved fame, literary recognition, and assumed the role as public conscience of America during its slaveholding epoch. Douglass famously reproached the president when he believed Lincoln had backed away from his commitment to end slavery, and boldly praised the 16th President when he issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
  
  Douglass's uncompromising hatred of slavery and his tireless efforts to lay bare its horrors make this book a bitter testimonial to the evils of human bondage as it was practiced in the South and condoned by the U.S. Constitution. Anyone alive today who doubts that he is an heir to the sins of slavery need only read this book.
  
  Douglass's autobiography takes particular care to describe the physical maiming that sadistic southerners inflicted on African Americans. The beatings, the hideous torture, the murder, and the rapine practiced by slaveholders are all held up in this book for readers to quail at and digest, if they can.
  
  If there is any lesson beyond the Lincolnesque conclusion "If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong," Douglass's monumental work testifies to the boundless capacity for torture practiced by whites of European descent towards Africans. Immediately after reading this book I read King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild, and was amazed at the continuity between Douglass's description of slavery and Hochschild's description of slaughter, oppression, and murder in the Belgian Congo.
  
  These two books should definitely be read in tandem; each acts as a historic bookend of sorts to the gruesome racial predations of their respective generations, footnoted with the few and feeble efforts of those who opposed acts that can only be described as the most depraved and unforgivable crimes against humanity....more info
• A Powerful Testimony of An Era We Should Never Forget!
  Slavery was known as a "peculiar institution". By broadcasting such labels for slavery, the southern slave owners were able to downplay the severity of the subjugation of slaves in this "peculiar institution". However, in 1845 a runaway slave by the name of Frederick Douglass was published his narrative which showed the extent of the cruelty within of the oppressive the institution of American slavery. Douglass gives a powerful portrayal of his personal struggle against the tyranny of himself and his fellow slaves. By depicting his personal story regarding the horrors of slavery, Douglass testified to the injustices of the slave institution and conveyed an urgent message of the time for prompt abolition.
  Douglass leaves out no detail as he portrays the brutal means in which slaves were forced into subjugation. In order to maintain order and to achieve maximum efficiency and productivity from his slave, an owner used the fear of the ever-present whip against his slaves. Over, and over again throughout the Narrative, Douglass gives account of severe beatings, cruel tortures, and unjust murders of slaves. The message is evident. Slavery dehumanized African Americans.
  From the introduction of his early experience, Douglass portrays the burdens of slavery. The reader is forced to cope with the fact that he has no tangible background. Slavery has robbed him of the precious moments of his childhood. He was raised in the same manner as one would raise an animal. In his early years he had no knowledge of time-he did not even know when he was born. He is also forced to scrounge for food in the same fashion as a pig digs for slop. The saddest insight is the alienation of Douglass from his family. He has no connection with his parents and when his mother dies he was untouched. On hearing of her death he states, "I received the tidings of her death with much the same emotions I should have probably felt at the death of a stranger" (19). The bond between mother and child is the strongest bulwark for children and to be robbed of this and to not care demonstrates just how severe slavery was to Douglass and countless others who faced the same fate. In the entire slave experience, the only escape from the repression was through sorrowful singing. As Douglass states, "every tone was a testimony against slavery..." and "slaves sing the most when they are unhappy" (29). Only through music could slaves find comfort in dealing with their anguish.
  Douglass's first witness of brutality is the telling of his Aunt Hester's beating. The narration is powerfully effective through terrible detail. The cursing of the overseer, the shrieks of his aunt, and the horrible effects the whip upon her flesh is almost as agonizing the reader of the Narrative as it was to his unfortunate aunt. The fact that this terrible instance is a common occurrence makes it a heavier burden upon the reader's soul.
  As if the beatings were not enough, slaves were also murdered on a whim. Douglass tells of Gore, a meticulously cold taskmaster who blew out the brains of a poor slave by the name of Demby. The chilliness of Gore's is terrible due the fact that he kills with the sympathy of a butcher.
  Upon hearing about this, one would speculate that the authorities would deal with such barbaric acts justly. However, as Douglass recounts in the story Mrs. Hicks, the murderess that killed a slave girl for not moving fast enough, the law officials were hesitant to enforce the rights of the slave and would intentionally overlook such matters. This is primarily due to the fact that a slave owning society could not allow the rights of the slave to be upheld to the same level as a white man. To do such a thing would threaten the stability of their superiority. This is further illustrated in Douglass's struggle against the shipyard workers, when he fled to his master and told him of the attack his master stated that he could not hold up Douglass or even a thousand blacks testimony. The lack of protection under the law and the unwillingness of the whites to give the slaves a voice allowed the whites to completely dominate the slaves without the fear of accountability for their actions.
  The worst aspect of slavery is found in the religious nature of the subjugation of slaves. The cruelty found in slavery was even more intense when placed under the pretense of the slaveholding religion of Christianity. Through Douglass's deconstruction of Christianity, he learns that the white oppressive version of Christianity is much different from his own beliefs of Christianity. The incident that shaped Douglass's understanding of the mentality of religious slaveholders was when he was placed under the authority of Mr. Freeland. In this situation, he was able to see the difference between the so-called "religious slave-holders" and "non-religious slave-holders." Douglass felt that the "non-religious slave-holders" were less brutal because they did not reprimand their slaves based on a Divine command. Instead they were more concerned about reprimanding the slaves when the slaves did wrong as opposed to whenever they felt that the Lord professed a beating.
  The Narrative and Selected Writings is a powerful testimony to the struggles American slaves faced. Through the writings of men such as Frederick Douglass, abolitionists were given fuel to the bonfire of the Abolition Movement. Douglass honest testimony helped to bring out the truth about slavery. Abolitionists now had evidence to back their claim that the "peculiar institution" was in fact an institution of evil....more info
• The very best autobiography I have ever read!
  I knew very little about Frederick Douglass when I first set out to read his autobiography. We had to read three or four chapters for our American Literature class. But when I saw the size of the book I didn't think it would hurt to just go ahead and read the whole thing. I'm glad I did.

  When you ask the layperson who Frederick Douglass was the answers you usually get are runaway slave, orator, abolitionist, and the like. Are these accurate? Yes. But try this one:

  American Hero!

  We usually think of Benjamin Franklin as the ultimate self-made American. But it was actually Frederick Douglass. Yes, Franklin started with virtually nothing and worked his way into financial and professional prosperity, finding success in a variety of fields. But Frederick Douglass did the same thing, except he started with absolutely nothing but the rags on his back. (He didn't even start out with his freedom!) He risked his life to prove that a free man is the best man. Even as he wrote his autobiography, he refused to mention the details of his escape, fearing that it would jeopordize the possible escapes of other slaves.

  One of the things that I found very disturbing in this book (there are many disturbing passages in this book) was the fact that of all the slaveholders he had to contend with, the most brutal of all were the ones who claimed to be Christians. (I'm glad that Douglass was himself a strong enough Christian to not be misguided by those pious hypocrites.) One of the saddest passages in the book is as follows:

  "Were I to be again reduced to the chains of slavery, next to that enslavement, I should regard being the slave of a religious master the greatest calamity that could befall me. For of all slaveholders with whom I have ever met, religious slaveholders are the worst. I have ever found them the meanest and basest, the most cruel and cowardly, of all others." (Page 85, Signet Classic)

  This was a very controversial statement made not by someone who gets his kicks from mocking Christianity, but by someone who has experienced, first-hand, the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ but then had to suffer at the hands of people who claimed that their "love" for Jesus Christ gave them license to brutalize and torment any under their charge.

  I believe that Douglass knew the dangers of going public with this information. I believe he knew of the possibilities of his being returned to a state of slavery - whether it be through political unrest and upheaval in the North, or kidnapping, or any possible way. I believe that he knew that there would be people in both the South and the North who would want to see him dead because of what he was saying.

  This is why I call him an American hero....more info

• An Actual Account of The Horrors of Slavery
  This book tells the amazing story of Frederick Douglass, an American slave. But moreover it shows the struggle blacks endured during slavery. While reading this book one understands that this is non-fiction and this really did happen. Douglass tells his experience as a slave and how he ran away from it. It is cruical that everyone reads this book so that no one forgets our past and to make sure we never repeat it. This work is classified as a slave narrative and was insturmental in bringing an end to slavery. Douglass writes so that all can understand his message and shows how he truimphed in the face of white supremacy paving the way for future leaders to strike down racism in America....more info
• Should be required reading for all U.S. citizens
  They say that if you believe enough in something, and have enough persistence to see it through to the end, then regardless of the circumstances, it will be accomplished.
  
  I have a hard time indisputably believing this. However, after reading "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave," it's tough to deny the plausibility of the above statement actually being true.
  
  To put it bluntly, Frederick Douglass had virtually zero chance to survive. He was intended to be a slave for life. Through a series of events, however, he came to the conclusion that by receiving an education, he may have a chance, albeit slim, to lead life as a free man.
  
  To achieve learning at all costs, Douglass made his way through various terrains, people and incidents, any of which could have ended his life, or at the very least, his crusade. Instead, he somehow managed to adapt and succeed at nearly every turn. And even when he was knocked down, he found a way to have the last laugh in the end.
  
  I could go into specific details, but in such a brief column, it would be impossible to do them justice. There are multiple reasons I would recommend this book. First, if you've ever felt as if you could not do something, you should put yourself in Douglass' shoes for an instant. You would be hard-pressed to be in a more difficult situation than he.
  
  Second, and most important, is the emphasis on education that Douglass cherished during his lifetime. Being able to grow through learning is such a critical item for every human being, yet many of us take it for granted, or even worse, have the notion that it really doesn't matter. It's not just about answering questions on a test or about a passing grade in school, though. What it's really about is reading or observing a person and/or a situation and understanding what is occurring.
  
  Once you start to collect the knowledge of the world around you, there's no limit as to what you can do. Frederick Douglass was an example of this, and to take him for anything less than an example of a great human being would be a completely injustice....more info
• JAMIN BIO!
  Wow! This has got to be one of the best autobiographies I have ever read. Douglass gives one a great idea of the struggles he went through while he was a slave and trying to runaway. If you want to know more about slavery then this is the book to read....more info
• Could this the most important American autobiography ever?
  This fiery autobiography, written as anti-slavery propaganda, told of his struggle to gain freedom, identified his "owner", and became a 19th century national bestseller. Long before Uncle Tom's Cabin opened the eyes of sentimental Northerners to the evils of slavery, Douglass' chronicle inspired the small abolitionist movement and challenged the conscience of the United States to live up to the heroic ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence... "all men are created equal."
  The publication of this masterpiece also forced Douglass into exile in England for two years to avoid capture by slave traders. British supporters eventually "purchased" Douglass allowing this great American to return to the United States and live in freedom.
  While the battle against slavery was won almost 150 years ago, this autobiography's remains a very powerful tool against racism, ignorance, and historical amnesia. Douglass links his quest for literacy with his need to be treated as a man - and become a free man. This book should be required reading, for all American schoolchildren, in the middle school and excerpts should be constantly used in high school and college courses. Adult literacy centers should find this story a powerful inspiration too....more info
• Interesting, but...
  Interesting, but can get dull fairly fast. Somewhat strange to read in a slave's own word the life and times of his bondage in such a matter of fact way. with that said, good read overall....more info
• LIVELY, AND SYMPATHETICALLY REFRESHING
  The "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave" is an old fine book. It was first published as 'My Bondage and My Freedom' in 1855. Again in 1881, it appeared as 'Life and Times of Frederick Douglass'.
  Lively and sympathetically refreshing, this book gave a comprehensive narration regarding Frederick Douglass' life as a slave, and then, as a free abolitionist (and civil rights leader).
  Born as Augustus Frederick Washington Bailey in Talbot county, Maryland, in 1817, young Frederick was a slave right from his mother's womb. However, a successful escape in 1838 changed his life (as well as his name). Known simply as Frederick Douglass, he migrated to New York; and finally settled at Bedford, Massachusetts: where he mastered the art of abolitionism.
  The young man's writings and eloquent speeches reminded Americans of the evils of slavery. Not even resentments and pro-slavery racist attacks could deter him.
  Soon after publishing his revealing autobiography in 1845, he fled to England in order to escape deportation and re-enslavement (in the South). Fortunately in 1847, some English Quakers purchased his freedom, and he returned (legally free) to the U.S.
  This book gave a good account of how Mr Douglass directed "underground railroad", which took fugitive slaves to their freedom in Canada. It also narrated how he founded his abolitionist newspaper: 'The North Star'.
  However in 1859, Frederick fled to England once more, having been accused of helping John Brown in the designing stage of his slave revolt plot. He did return to U.S. in 1860, and publicly supported Abraham Lincoln's presidential bid. He held respectable official posts in various capacities: among which was the United States' Minister to Haiti. He wrote several books and newspaper articles, and was finally laid to rest in 1895.
  This book, ("Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass"), is a classical masterpiece. It is a historic document, which deserve your time and money. Highly recommended!...more info
• A must read!!!!!
  Frederick Douglass was a born slave. Although he was self-educated, he acquired an almost unparalleled level of education. He was a Christian, but a fighter - a fighter for freedom. He was the real kind of Christian. He not only fought for his freedom and escaped from slavery, but he fought relentlessly to aboliish freedom in the United States. ...more info
• Skip the introduction and jump into the actual story
  Frederick Douglass' first narrative goes beyond telling the story of his life. This autobiography gives more credit to the evils of slavery, the value of education, and the triumph of the human spirit than any history book I have ever read....more info
• KINDLE EDITION: Excellent!
  I wrote this review to mention the Kindle Edition. Many lower-priced Kindle editions of books have bad formatting problems that make the book difficult or even impossible to read. Not this one! I found the formatting was excellent throughout. In two places the footnotes were slightly misplaced, but it was easy to figure out from context what the text was. In general, the Kindle formatting was better than many more recent (and expensive!) books.
  
  The content was also excellent (as other reviewers have noted), hence the 5 stars. I've read of Frederick Douglass' life from other sources, but this was the first time I'd read his account.
  
  The introduction by other authors was written in a style that now feels very anachronistic. It was hard to get through those.
  
  Frederick Douglass' account, however, was fresh, engaging, and direct. I found it hard to put down. Descriptions of the atrocities of the time were very personal and not couched in the melodrama of the introduction. I think that made his account even more powerful. His description of his self-education in Baltimore was absolutely stunning and inspirational.
  
  This autobiography, from such a pivotal figure in American history, would already be required reading at any price. But the accessibility and readability of this edition make it a must-have for a Kindle....more info
• Frederick DDOuglass Review
  It had some writing in it, but overall a good deal for the price. Thanks...more info
• Frederick Douglass review
  I enjoyed "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass", but would not necessicarily recommend it to a person or class. I appreciate the perspective that I gained from encountering his life story, but I was never really entertained or enlightened. The story was more depressing than happy, and large parts of the story were left out for his safety reasons. Allow I respect that, it does have an effect on his account of the escape. I would say that overall this book is pretty good, but just doesn't connect for me....more info
• Still a moving testimony
  I often believe it is easy to criticize nineteenth century Americans for not stepping up to the plate regarding the issue of slavery and race in America. Jefferson may well have agonized over the issue he called the "death knell of the nation" and which he labeled a "neccessary evil." Certainly he benefitted by the ownership of nearly 300 slaves, but he grew up in a world in which slavery was the norm. It takes a revoutionary and remarkable man to truly stand against the only world he knows and move to create a different world, so I usually defend Jefferson and his political vision which clearly transcended that world.

  Reading Frederick Douglass, however, makes me wonder how anyone with firsthand knowledge of the institution could not see the obvious pain and cruelty which existed right in front of his or her eyes. Douglass's narrative, and particularly his descriptions of the slave trade in Baltimore and the obvious place of the whip (whether used or not) as the principal vehicle of social control argues most eloquently that though the slave system may have been a social norm, the blinders had to be unbelievably thick not to see the horrors that the institution wrought. The relationship of slave and master perpetuated a most un-American (at least in terms of our professed values--cf. Douglass's later antislavery orations) tyranny and oppression. Douglass's narrative testifies that our ancestors could have seen much more and done much more and that 600,000 lives and a subsequent 120 years of racial schism and pain was too much a price to bear for the peculiar institution....more info