Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass vs Twelve years a slave: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Slaves, Slavery, Personal narratives, African Americans, Biography & Memoir, History
Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass
This book is an autobiographical account by runaway slave Frederick Douglass that chronicles his experiences with his owners and overseers and discusses how slavery affected both slaves and slaveholders.
vs
Twelve years a slave
Twelve Years a Slave is a harrowing memoir about one of the darkest periods in American history. It recounts how Solomon Northup, born a free man in New York, was lured to Washington, D.C., in 1841 with the promise of…
1 film adaptation
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass has the widest readership — 138441 ratings behind its score.
- Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass reaches further in scholarship and criticism — cited 139 times.
- Twelve years a slave runs the darker storyline; Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass stays the lighter read.
How to choose
In the mood for something dark?
Twelve years a slave
a darker storyline than Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass
Want something lighter?
Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass
an easier tone than Twelve years a slave
Want the literary heavyweight?
Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass
cited 139 times vs 20 for Twelve years a slave
Scores by source
| Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass | Twelve years a slave | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.1 (138441) | 4.2 (126971) |
| Hardcover | 4.1 (148) | 4.4 (55) |
| Google Books | 4.0 (8) | 5.0 (1) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (941) | 4.5 (432) |
Reception
| Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass | Twelve years a slave | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 138441 | 126971 |
| Editions | 1032 | 1029 |
| Citations | 139 | 20 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 133063 | 163710 |
| Reading it now | 6597 | 11650 |
| Written reviews | 8168 | 8818 |
| Wikipedia attention | 2236 | 5836 |
| Pages | — | 192 |