The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass

Written by Himself

By: Frederick Douglass

Narrated by: Richard Allen

The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass was Douglass' third autobiography. In it, he was able to go into greater detail about his life as a slave and his escape from slavery, as he and his family were no longer in any danger from the reception of his work.

In this engrossing narrative, he recounts early years of abuse; his dramatic escape to the North and eventual freedom, abolitionist campaigns, and his crusade for full civil rights for former slaves. It is also the only of Douglass' autobiographies to discuss his life during and after the Civil War, including his encounters with American Presidents such as Lincoln, Grant, and Garfield.

Public Domain (P)2012 Dreamscape Media, LLC

An eye opening view

I've heard about Fredrick Douglas my entire life. It's amazing to have a first hand account if his life in detail. He faced struggles that hard to comprehend today.
The narrator's voice is a little annoying, but the content is superb.

LONG BUT WORTH IT!

He lived an amazing life through amazing times which this story told masterfully. At times the sentences seemed a bit long compared to my normal "sound bite" reads. But sticking with it was well worth it.

An Inspired Reading of a Fantastic Story

Where does The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I have listened to several excellent audio books. This one ranks among the best.

Which character – as performed by Richard Allen – was your favorite?

Richard Allen does an exemplary job of portraying every character in the book. His reading of the words of Frederick Douglass himself do justice to the articulate, insightful, and forceful gentleman that was Frederick Douglass.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

The book is far too long to listen to in one sitting, and I must admit that there are a few sections, particularly in the several speeches Douglas chose to insert towards the end of the book, where the author gets somewhat wordy, but I found the vast majority of the story wonderfully engaging.

Any additional comments?

This is almost as much a history book as it is an autobiography. In addition to the insight into Douglass' life and character, I also found fascinating Douglass' encounters with many other important historical figures, including several Presidents of the United States, Senators, foreign dignitaries, and abolitionist leaders.

We also experience the stories of slavery, that lead to its downfall, and gain a unique perspective on reconstruction and beyond, as seen through the eyes of an eminent, African American leader.

Incredible life

The story and performance was excellent. I knew the Wikipedia version of Frederick Douglas, but nothing compared to hearing this story from his perspective with amazing recollection and detail.

Many of his predictions and values are still present in today’s society. Amazing to see the progress we have made and how much is still the same 170 years after this story.

The Voice of Douglass

The incredible life of Frederick Douglass in his words. The narrator seems to capture the spirit of Douglass as if the former slave was telling me the story himself.