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Frederick Douglass

Prophet of Freedom

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Frederick Douglass

By: David W. Blight
Narrated by: Prentice Onayemi
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About this listen

 * Selected as One of the Best Books of the 21st Century by The New York Times * Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in History *

“Extraordinary…a great American biography” (The New Yorker) of the most important African American of the 19th century: Frederick Douglass, the escaped slave who became the greatest orator of his day and one of the leading abolitionists and writers of the era.

As a young man Frederick Douglass (1818–1895) escaped from slavery in Baltimore, Maryland. He was fortunate to have been taught to read by his slave owner mistress, and he would go on to become one of the major literary figures of his time. His very existence gave the lie to slave owners: with dignity and great intelligence he bore witness to the brutality of slavery.

Initially mentored by William Lloyd Garrison, Douglass spoke widely, using his own story to condemn slavery. By the Civil War, Douglass had become the most famed and widely travelled orator in the nation. In his unique and eloquent voice, written and spoken, Douglass was a fierce critic of the United States as well as a radical patriot. After the war he sometimes argued politically with younger African Americans, but he never forsook either the Republican party or the cause of black civil and political rights.

In this “cinematic and deeply engaging” (The New York Times Book Review) biography, David Blight has drawn on new information held in a private collection that few other historian have consulted, as well as recently discovered issues of Douglass’s newspapers. “Absorbing and even moving…a brilliant book that speaks to our own time as well as Douglass’s” (The Wall Street Journal), Blight’s biography tells the fascinating story of Douglass’s two marriages and his complex extended family. “David Blight has written the definitive biography of Frederick Douglass…a powerful portrait of one of the most important American voices of the nineteenth century” (The Boston Globe).

In addition to the Pulitzer Prize, Frederick Douglass won the Bancroft, Parkman, Los Angeles Times (biography), Lincoln, Plutarch, and Christopher awards and was named one of the Best Books of 2018 by The New York Times Book Review, The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, The Chicago Tribune, The San Francisco Chronicle, and Time. Americas Cultural & Regional Historical United States Biography War Capitalism Abraham Lincoln Civil War Equality Social justice Suffrage Africa
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What a marathon. I had to push my way through this book, but so glad I did. The very fact that this man endured to the end - working until his very last breath. On finishing, I realised I had just been introduced to one of the great souls to grace the human race. His message is powerful, and one that must be acknowledged. I now plan to read one of his autobiographies. If I could fault this book, it would be that it was very factual. I think it could have been enhanced by a reprint of at least one of Douglass's lectures. In a way, I felt that I never quite met the man himself. At a distance, you could be forgiven for thinking he was just a good rhetorician - had the gift of putting words together. But his message was the key, and I'm grateful to have been introduced.

Well worth reading if you have the time

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This is a must read biography if you are interested in learning about the great Fredrick Douglass.

Great man

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Everything about this is superb. Narration and content. Get this audiobook. Douglass ain’t gone, he’s just dead xx

Outstanding

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