Douglass actually had a slightly better life than most of his peers, gaining an education and living in the master’s house, but it was nevertheless traumatic. The second problem-again, not Blight’s, and it’s inherent in reading about Douglass-is that slavery was horrible.
It’s not Blight’s problem, but it’s one I have to deal with. Douglass was tremendously devout, and during his time it was much more common to discuss religion publicly and even in daily conversations, sometimes at length. Whether we read what Douglass tells us, or what Blight (or any credible biographer) has to say, there are two impediments that stop me short, and because I have never been required to start at the beginning and end at the end to complete a scholastic or professional assignment, I tend to read the beginning recoil abandon and then return in an undisciplined, skipping-around manner that is uncharacteristic of my usual methods.įirst we have the Christian aspect. But aspects of the biography rub me the wrong way, and ultimately, I realized that the best way around this is to go back and read Douglass’s own autobiographies again. I expected to be impressed here, and indeed, the endnotes are meticulous and I would be amazed if there was a single error anywhere in this work. Thanks go to Net Galley and Simon and Schuster for the DRC, which I received free in exchange for this honest review.ĭouglass is a key figure in American history, and Blight has made his career largely through his expertise on Douglass’s life.
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