Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
An American Slave
Assigned by 2 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- 1845
- Language
- English
- Length
- Short · 120 ppunder 120 pages
- Difficulty
- Moderate2 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendNarrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American SlavePenguin ClassicsInexpensive, annotated, and prints the Garrison and Phillips prefaces that came with the first edition.
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Douglass's account of his first twenty-seven years, written to prove that a fugitive slave could describe slavery himself. He was born on the eastern shore of Maryland, separated from his mother, and saw an aunt whipped before he was old enough to understand it. Sent to Baltimore, he learned the alphabet from his master's wife until she was forbidden to teach him, then went on secretly with scraps of newspaper and the help of white boys in the street. Hired out to the slave-breaker Covey, he fought him and won. In 1838 he escaped to New York and became an abolitionist lecturer.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.