Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave by Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, Peter J. Gomes ISBN: 0-451-52673-2 Publisher: Signet Pub. Date: December, 1997 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $4.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.59 (54 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: A damning Tale of Evil in America
Comment: This is a difficult book to read because the evil that slavery entails. The oppression of anyone is an evil that must be overcome. Frederick Douglass displayed a remarkable courage in learning to read and write to finally overcome the horror of slavery. I appreciate his observation on the religious hypocrisy of the South. It was telling that religious slave owners were always the worst. Of course since religion helped breed slavery in America this really should not come as any surprise. I have great admiration for the founders of this country but I also feel that the evil and hypocrisy of slavery should be exposed. It is an ugly passage in American history that must be addressed. This book should be read by high school kids in every high school in America--make that every American period. Frederick Douglass deserves to be recognized as a great American and this book is essential reading for any American.
Rating: 5
Summary: Revealing
Comment: 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: 5
Summary: The evils of slavery from one man's perspective.
Comment: 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.
 |
Title: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas: An American Slave (Cliffs Notes) by John Chua ISBN: 0822008726 Publisher: Cliffs Notes Pub. Date: 22 January, 1996 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
 |
Title: The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois ISBN: 0486280411 Publisher: Dover Pubns Pub. Date: 20 May, 1994 List Price(USD): $2.00 |
 |
Title: Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs ISBN: 0486419312 Publisher: Dover Pubns Pub. Date: 09 November, 2001 List Price(USD): $2.00 |
 |
Title: Up from Slavery by Booker T. Washington ISBN: 0486287386 Publisher: Dover Pubns Pub. Date: 04 October, 1995 List Price(USD): $2.00 |
 |
Title: Narrative of Sojourner Truth by Sojourner Truth ISBN: 048629899X Publisher: Dover Pubns Pub. Date: 29 September, 1997 List Price(USD): $1.50 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
