I decided to read “The Narrative of Frederick Douglass after visiting Drayton Plantation in Charleston, S.C. I was most amazed by the resilience of the slaves, the strategies many used to survive such horror. Douglass must have been a genius, writing his narrative in 1845, 20 years before The Emancipation. His writing is eloquent. At times, I was moved to tears and had to put the book down. His words painted a real picture of what enslavement was like. Overall, the most important and valuable features of this book to me are: what I learned about the nature of slavery’s emotional abuse and psychological control of humans, treated as animals and, ultimately, the emotional strength and determination of slaves which allowed many to survive and make us into the people we are today. So inspirational in helping me understand where I came from and who I am. ( )

The book was an easy read. Douglas writes to persuade the reader against the evils of slavery. At times he seemed to embellish and overly dramatize situations. Then again, he was a slave and lived the experience. He taught himself to read and write. When that is taken into consideration, this is a remarkable book. I believe reading this book is of great value. Realizing that the writer was a slave to another person for the first twenty years of his life is sobering and sad. He had a brilliant mind and lived a remarkable existence. I think every school child should be required to read this book. In days gone by, slavery was not discussed in much detail in history and social studies classes. This book would open the discussion in a “you are there” way that would be an invaluable teaching opportunity that illustrates man’s inhumanity toward other men. The United States is not the only country to experience slavery. This topic must be discussed. As a side note, I found it strange that Douglas never taught his wife to read and write. I guess rights for women weren’t a priority at the time. ( )

As much an American history book as anything else available. It's also overwhelming proof that oppression is surmountable. Douglass' story is well-worth the read both as a look back at part of the embarrassing legacy our country was built on, and a look at the type of people we should look at to lead us to a better future. Douglass had the will to persevere and overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles - slavery being the obvious, but the peripherals of slavery being perhaps more of a challenge. He had the will and the intelligence to learn how to read and write even when the society surrounding him took great pains to prevent him from doing so. Unfortunately, that strength of will seems to be a rarity in our contemporary society, no matter what race a person is. ( )

As a corrective to the eloquent antebellum South Carolinian, William Gilmore Simms, it was good to read this even more compelling account published in 1845. It is good that this is required reading these days. Wish I had read it long ago. ( )

This is an amazing piece of literature, something everyone should read. Douglass' account of his life as a slave, and then, after his escape, as a freeman is powerful. Difficult to read at times, in spite of the fact that he was a slave in Maryland, where conditions were relatively "good." I read this for a history class, but should probably have read it years ago. His writing is beautiful, and the story he tells needs to be read, and remembered. ( )