The biography of Frederick Douglass.
Born a slave, Douglass never planned to be the most famous black man in the world. He just wanted to be free. “Once you learn to read,” he wrote, “you will be forever free.” By telling his own story, Frederick helped change the history of the world.
Frederick Douglass wrote books, gave speeches, and met with world leaders. As a result, he helped secure the freedom of America’s slaves. Douglass’s own words are extensively interwoven into this biography, making this book a riveting read. Now back in print, this new edition, will enthrall readers seeking narrative biographies.
“Written with dramatic immediacy . . . [this biography] brings a strong sense of the great abolitionist and writer. Booklist
From the Introduction of Frederick Douglass
In the heat of the afternoon, a six-year-old boy and his grandmother reached the end of their 12-mile (19-km) walk. At a big house, the woman turned off the road and headed toward some cabins. Children of all colors ran out to them that were “black, brown, copper-colored, and nearly white.”
She pointed to the boy’s brother and his two sisters. He had never met them before. “Go play,” she said softly.
Instead, the little boy stood alone and watched. Later, one of the children called out, “Fed, Fed, grandmamma gone!”
He ran to the kitchen. She wasn’t there. He ran to the end of the path. She was gone. Years later, he wrote, “I fell upon the ground and wept a boy’s bitter tears.”
On that August night in 1824, the little boy curled up in a small kitchen closet and cried himself to sleep. It was the first time he knew that he was a slave.
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