#7 - The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass - Frederick Douglass

#7
Title:  The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass
Author:  Frederick Douglass
Read by:  Richard Allen
Published originally:  1881
CDs/Hours:  17/21.5
Dates:  1/27/16 – 2/23/16
Rating:  B
Genre:  Autobiography

“In Talbott County eastern shore state of Maryland, near Easton the county town, there is a small district of country, thinly populated and remarkable for nothing that I know of more than for the worn out sandy, desert-like appearance of its soil, the general dilapidation of its farms and fences, the indigent and spiritless characters of its inhabitants and the prevalence of ague and fever. “  Thus begins Douglass tale of growing up slave, then free man, then orator and defender of human rights.

This is Douglass’s third autobiography.  In it he goes into greater detail about his life as a slave, his escape to freedom.  I found this an engrossing narrative as Douglass recounts his early years of abuse, his involvement in abolitionist campaigns and his crusade for full civil rights for former slaves.  He also discloses his life during and after the Civil War, including his encounters with American presidents Lincoln, Grant, and Garfield.