Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David W. Blight

Pat Young

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
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Jan 7, 2013
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Long Island, NY
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Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David W. Blight published by Simon & Schuster 913 pages (2018) $37.50 Hardcover $14.99 Kindle
Note: I read the Kindle Edition
David Blight has written a wonderful biography of Frederick Douglass that is likely to be the standard against which other work on the great human rights advocate is judged for at least a generation. The first new full biography of Douglass since William McFeely's 1991 book, this is a massive work of prodigious research that is coupled with straightforward writing. The book covers all of the years of Douglass's life and all aspects of his long career. It also offers an unvarnished account of the Great Man's private life without descending into the salacious.

I have read one of Douglass's autobiographies and McFeely's biography. I have also visited some sites associated with Douglass's life in Maryland and in New England and New York. While I am hardly a Douglass devotee, I have more familiarity with his life than most readers. Still, I was surprised by some of what Blight brings to light, and persuaded by many of Blights's conclusions about Douglass's life.

David Blight is a Yale professor and this book accords with scholarly standards, but it avoids the jargon and exclusivity of some academic history. This is a book for all intelligent readers interested in the Civil War and Reconstruction, African American History, and Abolition Studies. It is also perfect for those of us who like to see how people capable of great deeds on the national stage dealt with the everyday domestic trials that we all encounter.

Because of its length this review will be posted in sections.
 
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