A Look at “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave”

Title: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American SlaveAuthor: Frederick DouglassPublished: 1845Genre: Non-fiction, Autobiography, Slave Narrative I regret that I only now got to this book. I mentioned in my first post months ago that literature written by Black authors wasn’t a big part of my curriculum in high school, so I’m only now

Another Look at “The Underground Railroad”: The American Imperative

I remember, back when I was in middle school, learning in a history class about this concept called manifest destiny. This was during lessons about American westward expansion during the 19th century — the Louisiana Purchase, the annexation of Texas, Oregon Territory, etc. Manifest destiny was described as a sort of religious calling; the “literal

A Look at Colson Whitehead’s “The Underground Railroad”: The Antebellum Era

Title: The Underground RailroadAuthor: Colson WhiteheadPublished: 2016Genre: Alternate History Synopsis: Cora is a young slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia. An outcast even among her fellow Africans, she is on the cusp of womanhood — where greater pain awaits. And so when Caesar, a slave who has recently arrived from Virginia, urges her to

‘Kindred’ by Octavia E. Butler

Title: KindredAuthor: Octavia E. ButlerPublished: June 1979Genre: Narrative Fiction, Science Fiction Synopsis: Dana, a modern black woman, is celebrating her twenty-sixth birthday with her new husband when she is snatched abruptly from her home in California and transported to the antebellum South. Rufus, the white son of a plantation owner, is drowning, and Dana has