A review by colin_cox
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass

5.0

For anyone interested in understanding the slave narrative genre, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is a great place to start. It shows the trappings of the genre in a clear, readable, and emotionally-resonate way. Douglass's criticism of the "upperground railroad," the many descriptions in other texts of the workings, mechanics, and practices of the underground railroad, is also fascinating. This criticism both explains one of the narrative holes in Douglass's text, and it reveals something interesting about Douglass's personality. Douglass, for example, casts himself as a reluctant public-facing voice of the abolitionist movement, especially when interacting with predominately white audiences. Suffice it to say, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is a pillar of the genre and worth consideration for anyone interested in understanding the racial dynamics of the United States.