Life and times of Frederick Douglass vs Twelve years a slave: Which Should You Read?

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

Cover of Life and times of Frederick Douglass

Life and times of Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass · 1881 ★★★★☆ 4.3 629 pages · ≈ 11 h 39 m · Demanding Find on Amazon

vs

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: 4.3 vs 4.2 — either is a safe pick by score.
Twelve years a slave is the quicker read — about 3 hours vs 11 for Life and times of Frederick Douglass.
Twelve years a slave is the easier read (Challenging), Life and times of Frederick Douglass more demanding (Demanding).

Side by side