A Brief Introduction
It is always the right time to read Frederick Douglass, and at U City Library, we believe that Summer 2021 is the very best time of all. The Portable Frederick Douglass contains his well-known autobiographical writings, in addition to Douglass’ journalism and speeches, making it our first nonfiction "big" book. Nevertheless, Douglass’ life is surely one of the great stories recorded in English, including as it does experiences as both a slave and as a free man, escapes and flight to Europe, and renowned careers as a journalist, orator and civil rights leader. Although best known for arguing the moral urgency of abolition, he was a fierce defendant of the rights of women and immigrants, and his words, both spoken and written, reached around the world.
Should you feel that a U City Library summer reading program isn’t complete without a novel, we’ve got that covered with the National Book Award-winning The Good Lord Bird by James McBride. It’s a fictionalized story of John Brown and his Harper’s Ferry raid, told through the voice of “Little Onion,” a 12-year-oldslave boy mistaken for a girl. It’s no coincidence that Frederick Douglass makes a cameo appearance in the novel — Brown and Douglass were friends in real life whose paths diverged over participating in the raid.
Finally, we’re thrilled to offer our first-ever graphic literature title this summer, David Walker’s
The Life of Frederick Douglass, and featuring a virtual visit from the author on Monday, June 28 at 7 p.m. And of course, we’re making all of our summer reading titles available in e-book and audiobook formats.
Discussions of all the readings will be offered throughout the summer via Zoom. Before beginning your reading, don’t miss the summer keynote discussion presented by SIUE associate professor Bryan Jack, who specializes in African American history and the use of biography in studying slavery. His talk will be available on the library’s YouTube channel beginning May 26.
This summer we’ll read and talk about how America becomes a more perfect union, and it’s a conversation that belongs to everyone.
Should you feel that a U City Library summer reading program isn’t complete without a novel, we’ve got that covered with the National Book Award-winning The Good Lord Bird by James McBride. It’s a fictionalized story of John Brown and his Harper’s Ferry raid, told through the voice of “Little Onion,” a 12-year-oldslave boy mistaken for a girl. It’s no coincidence that Frederick Douglass makes a cameo appearance in the novel — Brown and Douglass were friends in real life whose paths diverged over participating in the raid.
Finally, we’re thrilled to offer our first-ever graphic literature title this summer, David Walker’s
The Life of Frederick Douglass, and featuring a virtual visit from the author on Monday, June 28 at 7 p.m. And of course, we’re making all of our summer reading titles available in e-book and audiobook formats.
Discussions of all the readings will be offered throughout the summer via Zoom. Before beginning your reading, don’t miss the summer keynote discussion presented by SIUE associate professor Bryan Jack, who specializes in African American history and the use of biography in studying slavery. His talk will be available on the library’s YouTube channel beginning May 26.
This summer we’ll read and talk about how America becomes a more perfect union, and it’s a conversation that belongs to everyone.
Frederick Douglass, 1818-1895
Frederick Douglass was an African American abolitionist, orator, newspaper publisher, and author
who is famous for his first autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself which was a bestseller. Douglass was influential in promoting the cause of abolition, and following the Civil War, he remained an active campaigner against slavery. He also actively supported women's suffrage, and held several public offices. Frederick Douglass was the most photographed American man of the 19th century.
In his journey from captive slave to internationally renowned activist, Frederick Douglass has been a source of inspiration and hope for millions. His brilliant words and brave actions continue to shape the ways that we think about race, democracy, and the meaning of freedom.
who is famous for his first autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself which was a bestseller. Douglass was influential in promoting the cause of abolition, and following the Civil War, he remained an active campaigner against slavery. He also actively supported women's suffrage, and held several public offices. Frederick Douglass was the most photographed American man of the 19th century.
In his journey from captive slave to internationally renowned activist, Frederick Douglass has been a source of inspiration and hope for millions. His brilliant words and brave actions continue to shape the ways that we think about race, democracy, and the meaning of freedom.
James McBride, 1957-
James McBride is an award-winning author, musician, and journalist, and his books have beenadapted into movies and television shows. His memoir The Color of Water, published in 1996, was on the New York Times bestseller list and has become a staple in classrooms across the United States.
In 2015, President Barack Obama awarded McBride the National Humanities Medal “for humanizing the complexities of discussing race in America.” McBride is currently a Distinguished Writer in Residence at New York University.
David F. Walker, 1968-
David F. Walker is an award-winning comic book writer, author, filmmaker, journalist, and educator. He has published with comics giants Marvel, DC, and Dark Horse and is recognized as a leading scholar expert of African American cinema. Walker is currently an adjunct professor at Portland State University. 
Which Story Do You Know?
The more time passes from an historical era, the more we might lose our sense of context for that era. This summer, we’ll immerse ourselves in the various approaches to abolition and civil rights as they existed in the 19th century. We’ll even get a good bit of humor in an era otherwise known for its hardship, division, and cruelty.We hope that the discussions these books inspire will transcend the time and place in which they occur.
Furthermore, the books we’ll be reading this summer will offer divergent portraits of tremendous American figures with undeniable legacies. Frederick Douglass struggled with self-doubt over whether he advanced the cause of abolition enough by sticking strictly to non-violent means of oration and the written word. John Brown has been celebrated and vilified, his mental stability and religious piety questioned. James McBride further complicates these men and their legacies in The Good Lord Bird by creating the character and point-of-view of Little Onion, who may or may not be as reliable as we think.
We’ll see the case made every which way this summer, and we hope that you’ll find these rich, complex stories as surprising and intriguing gateways into a greater conversation about humanity and what it means to fight the good fight.
Furthermore, the books we’ll be reading this summer will offer divergent portraits of tremendous American figures with undeniable legacies. Frederick Douglass struggled with self-doubt over whether he advanced the cause of abolition enough by sticking strictly to non-violent means of oration and the written word. John Brown has been celebrated and vilified, his mental stability and religious piety questioned. James McBride further complicates these men and their legacies in The Good Lord Bird by creating the character and point-of-view of Little Onion, who may or may not be as reliable as we think.
We’ll see the case made every which way this summer, and we hope that you’ll find these rich, complex stories as surprising and intriguing gateways into a greater conversation about humanity and what it means to fight the good fight.
Further Reading
Bernier, Celeste Marie and Andrew Taylor. If I Survive: Frederick Douglass and Family in the Walter O. Evans Collection. Edinburgh University Press, Ltd., 2018. 973.8092 BER
Blight, David W. Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom. Simon & Schuster, 2018. B DOUGLASS
Brands, H.W. The Zealot and the Emancipator: John Brown, Abraham Lincoln, and the Struggle for American Freedom. Doubleday, 2020. 326.8092 BRA
Byrd, James P. A Holy Baptism of Fire and Blood: The Bible and the American Civil War. Oxford University Press, 2021. 277.3081 BYR
Du Bois, W.E.B. John Brown. Oxford University Press, 2007. 818.5209 DUB
Horwitz, Tony. Midnight Rising: John Brown and the Raid that Sparked the Civil War. Henry Holt, 2011. 973.7 HOR
Lepore, Jill. These Truths: A History of the United States. Norton, 2018. 973 LEP
Reynolds, David S. John Brown, Abolitionist: The Man Who Killed Slavery, Sparked the Civil War, and Seeded Civil Rights. Alfred A. Knopf, 2005. B BROWN
Stauffer, John. The Black Hearts of Men: Radical Abolitionists and the Transformation of Race. Harvard University Press, 2001. 973.7114 STA
