he Library of Congress named the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave one of the 88 Books That Shaped America. Published in 1845, Douglass’s first autobiography became an instant best seller and, having escaped slavery just seven years earlier, put his life in immediate danger. The Narrative helped change the course of the U.S. Abolitionist Movement in the mid-nineteenth century and has changed the lives of readers ever since.
Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives wants to inspire and empower one million young people to do and be more than they ever dreamed possible. In honor of Douglass’s 200th birthday, we will print and distribute one million hardcover copies of a special Bicentennial Edition of the Narrative. We’ll ask one million students across the country to read the book and, in 2018, the Bicentennial year, participate in meaningful service projects within their communities and internationally.
Contributors:
This special Bicentennial Edition includes editorial contributions from Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives founders, Nettie Washington Douglass, Kenneth B. Morris, Jr., Robert J. Benz and several prominent Douglass scholars and enthusiasts. In addition, we are honored to have Bryan Stevenson, one of the country's leading voices on criminal justice reform, contribute a powerful Introduction. Bryan is the New York Times Bestselling author of Just Mercy and the Founder and Executive Director of Equal Justice Initiative.