National Network for Equitable Library Service

Frederick Douglass’s memoir depicts his life as a slave, from his birth into southern slavery to his inspiring fight to learn how to read, escape as a free man and become a leader of the abolitionist movement. One of the most influential pieces of literature, not only for fueling the abolitionist movement, but also for exposing the atrocities of slavery and illuminating the inner strength of an African-American born into an immoral, racist system.