Overview
Popular biographer David A. Adler recounts the exciting life of escaped slave and abolitionist Frederick Douglas.
Born into slavery in 1818 and raised on a Maryland plantation under brutal conditions, Frederick Douglass against all odds grew up to become a famous orator, journalist, author, and advisor to U.S. presidents. Many contemporaries found it hard to believe that he was an escaped slave with no formal education. Douglass was also controversial. He urged slaves to revo0lt and befriended the abolitionist John Brown. A pivotal figure in U.S. history, he helped Abraham Lincoln issue the Emancipation Proclamation and was an ambassador to Haiti. Timeline, chapter notes, bibliography.
Synopsis
Popular biographer David A. Adler recounts the exciting life of escaped slave and abolitionist Frederick Douglas.
Born into slavery in 1818 and raised on a Maryland plantation under brutal conditions, Frederick Douglass against all odds grew up to become a famous orator, journalist, author, and advisor to U.S. presidents. Many contemporaries found it hard to believe that he was an escaped slave with no formal education. Douglass was also controversial. He urged slaves to revo0lt and befriended the abolitionist John Brown. A pivotal figure in U.S. history, he helped Abraham Lincoln issue the Emancipation Proclamation and was an ambassador to Haiti. Timeline, chapter notes, bibliography.
School Library Journal
Gr 7 Up—"All good men have lost a comrade in the fight for the legal emancipation of one race and the spiritual emancipation of all." In 1892, these were the words used to describe the "Noble Life" of Frederick Douglass, a man from the humblest of beginnings who became a powerful and prolific opponent of slavery and injustice. With careful attention to historical detail, Adler presents a compelling exploration of Douglass's personal journey as well as an examination of his astute observations of the psychological effects of the institution of slavery on both the enslaved and the masters. A standout in the book is the description of the brutality of Douglass's childhood as a slave with an account of his near starvation and physical abuse that clearly demonstrates what ignited his passion for freedom for himself and others. A meeting between himself as an adult and one of his former masters is particularly mesmerizing. Photographs and engravings of Douglass at work, with his family, his home, and the office where he printed his famous newspaper, The North Star, remind readers that he was a real person, vulnerable and yet hopeful in his determination that all people would experience freedom. This well-written and absorbing read is an important inclusion for all collections. Extensive notes, important dates, and a thorough index are appended.—Margaret Auguste, Franklin Middle School, Somerset, NJ