Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass was the most prominent African American of the 19th Century and Sidney Morrison has created a mesmerizing historical novel richly detailing his life and the Civil War Era. This portrayal of Douglass distinguishes him as one of the founders of American democracy instrumental in ending the institution of slavery from which he escapes to become a fierce abolitionist, gifted orator, and publisher of The North Star. Douglass collaborates with William Lloyd Garrison, John Brown, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and the underground railroad, as well as Presidents Abraham Lincoln to Grover Cleveland and becomes the first African American to hold esteemed political positions such as U.S. Marshal of the District of Columbia and Minister to Haiti.

What makes this portrayal of Douglass unique is that it takes readers beyond the public persona by also detailing the women in his life: Anna Murray Douglass, instrumental to his escape, becomes his wife and the mother to his five children; English abolitionist, Julia Griffith, works with Douglass until a scandalized community whispers about an extramarital affair and she returns to England; German journalist, Ottilie Assing, dies by suicide after years of waiting for Douglass to marry her and instead he marries a white abolitionist 20 years his junior, Helen Pitts, following Anna's death. These stories are central to understanding the great man as a fully complex human whose life was rich in conflict, drama, and suspense. Frederick Douglass dedicated his life to racial equality and this novel is an homage to him as a significant figure in U.S. and African American History.

“This is an important book about an important man and America, meticulously researched, deeply imagined, engagingly told.” Karen Joy Fowler author of Booth and The Jane Austen Club

“Morrison masterfully weaves together history and fiction to create a powerful and compelling portrait of Frederick Douglass. America's great abolitionist and agitator for social justice, Douglass dedicated his life to the fight against America's original sin — slavery — demanding that the country live up to its founding ideals and become a more perfect union. This novel encompasses the turbulent Civil War era and details the lesser-known aspects of Douglass's personal life — from childhood to his passing in 1895. Morrison gives us a completely captivating novel that should be read by all Americans.” The Honorable Diane E. Watson, former Congresswoman and U.S. Ambassador

“An engrossing and moving look at the complex figure of Frederick Douglass, the men — and women — who shaped his life, and his fight against injustice and search for self amid a nation's struggle to achieve its ideals.” Susan Higginbotham, author of John Brown's Women

“Sidney Morrison's novel about Frederick Douglass is an important novel of epic sweep that I urge everyone to read. it is a great story about a great American.” Jay Neugeboren author of Imagining Robert, The Stolen Jew, and After Camus

“Frederick Douglass: A Novel, by Sidney Morrison is a remarkable work of vivid imagination and historical research. Morrison looked into Douglass' soul and found the human within the legend. Douglass was no saint, but his life's journey from about 1817 to verge of the 20th Century in 1895, from enslavement to freedom to author and publisher to oft-quoted radical to statesman and ambassador, ought to be studied in every school in the United States. Here in this extensive fictionalized biography is a compelling well-told story that keeps you reading. It is a place to start.” Deirdre Sinnott, author of The Third Mrs. Galway

Sidney Morrison was born in New York City and now lives in Los Angeles with his wife Karan. He is a retired teacher and school principal (elementary, middle and high school, one of the few serving as principal at all three levels), and now a part time educational consultant and leadership coach for school leaders in school districts in Southern California. He also provides professional development in workshops about ethical leadership and diversity/equity issues in schools. Before retiring he worked in the public schools for 36 years serving as a History and English teacher, then as an assistant principal and principal. Elected to the Board of Directors of the Association of California School Administrations, representing the LA south bay area, he was then elected as state president for 1998-1999. He is proud of ACSA's recognition of his leadership through two major awards. He is also proud of the Bronze Star earned as a medical corpsman assisting the wounded in a minefield during the Vietnam War.