Rating: 
Summary: Could this the most important American autobiography ever?
Review: "Keep the black man away from the books, keep us ignorant, and we would always be his slaves... Come hell or high water - even if it cost me my life - I was determined to read," wrote Frederick Douglass.
This fiery autobiography, written as anti-slavery propaganda, told of his struggle to gain freedom, identified his "owner", and became a 19th century antional 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. 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.
Rating:
Summary: Revealing
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Amazing account of the early Black story in the US.
Review: Everybody should read this book so that we don't forget freedom is such a precious thing... for absolutely everyone (no more slavery and segregation, please).
Rating: 
Summary: Frederick Douglass review
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.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good
Review: I had to read this for a freshman history class. I dreaded it before because I usually hate historical nonfiction biographies, but I was quite surprised. Anytime somebody says that Affirmative Action is necessary because of past wrongs, I direct them to read this book. This man had the drive to learn to read in secret (at the age of 8) and ultimately escape to the free North to become an author. And his conditions were FAR worse than anybody's today! It's a very inspirational novel. It details the horrors of the slaves having to be split from their families and the hardships they had to endure. It also gave some insight to the mindsets of the slave owners. This is not a long book and is well worth an afternoon.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good
Review: I had to read this for a freshman history class. I dreaded it before because I usually hate historical nonfiction biographies, but I was quite surprised. Anytime somebody says that Affirmative Action is necessary because of past wrongs, I direct them to read this book. This man had the drive to learn to read in secret (at the age of 8) and ultimately escape to the free North to become an author. And his conditions were FAR worse than anybody's today! It's a very inspirational novel. It details the horrors of the slaves having to be split from their families and the hardships they had to endure. It also gave some insight to the mindsets of the slave owners. This is not a long book and is well worth an afternoon.
Rating:
Summary: The very best autobiography I have ever read!
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Compelling
Review: I know it's a cliche to say a book should be read by everyone, but I agree with the other reviewers that this one really should be read by all Americans.
In addition to its historical significance, it's a well told story and I could hardly put it down. I see why Douglass was considered a great speaker for the abolitionist cause.
Also, Douglass' insights into the "psychology" of slave owning could be described as universal comments on human nature, applicable to situations going on today.
In the book he left out some information to protect people who had helped him out of slavery. By researching on the internet, I figured out these were his friends in a black intellectual circle that met in Baltimore. One of them was Anna Murray, a free black woman who loaned him traveling money. "Anna was a few years older than Frederick and was a servant for a wealthy Baltimore family. Although Anna was a plain, uneducated woman, Frederick admired her qualities of thriftiness, industriousness and religiousness. Anna and Frederick were soon in love and in 1838 they were engaged." In the book he wrote about how he loved this group of friends and how hard it was to risk leaving them for an uncertain future. Yet he opted to continue seeking freedom. Later he was able to reunite with Anna, and they were together until her death in 1882.
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Summary: The evils of slavery from one man's perspective.
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: A honest look at slavery
Review: Perhaps more so than any other account, Douglass gives us a look into the life of a slave. I enjoy this book on many level. Douglass writes honestly and in a factual tone. He does mince his words when he describes the brutality of slavery. Douglass demonstrates that he is an intelligent man despite his lack of education. He taight himself to read. To our youth, this demonstrates the value of education. Douglass also show Americans manipulated the work of God even in his time. Yet, Douglass found strength in that God. I think the quality I enjoyed most about this book is the fact that Douglass does not see himself as a hero, but as an average slave. This is not a typical characteristic of an autobiography. I read this book for the second time coming and going on 3 hour flights. The book is a short read, but well worth your time to read of atriumph of the human spirit.
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