My bondage and my freedom vs Twelve years a slave: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Enslaved persons, Plantation life, Slaves, Slavery, African Americans, Biography & Memoir

Cover of My bondage and my freedom

My bondage and my freedom Frederick Douglass · 1815 ★★★★☆ 4.4 350 pages · ≈ 6 h 29 m · Challenging Find on Amazon

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Cover of Twelve years a slave

Twelve years a slave Solomon Northup · 1853 ★★★★☆ 4.2 192 pages · ≈ 3 h 33 m · Challenging Find on Amazon

The verdict

Ratings are close: 4.4 vs 4.2 — either is a safe pick by score.
Twelve years a slave is the quicker read — about 3 hours vs 6 for My bondage and my freedom.

Side by side