Synopses & Reviews
Historically acknowledged as one of America's most powerful orators, Washington challenged racial prejudice when such behavior from a black man was unheard of. Here is the dramatic, autobiographical account of how he stood fast against the social and ideological bias prevalent in his day.
Synopsis
For the 50 years that followed its publication in 1901, Up from Slavery was the most widely known book written by an African American. The life of Booker T. Washington embodied the legendary rise of an American self-made man, and his autobiography gave voice for the first time to a vast group that had to pull itself up from nothing. In the well-documented ordeals and observations of this humble and plainspoken schoolmaster we find traces of Washington's other nature: the ambitious and tough-minded analyst. Here was a man who had to balance the demands of his fellow blacks with the constraints imposed on him by whites.
Synopsis
Washington's dramatic, autobiographical account of how he had stood fast against the social and ideological bias prevalent in his day includes a new Afterword. Revised reissue.
About the Author
Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) was born a slave on a Virginia farm. Later freed, he headed and developed the Tuskegee Institute and became a leader in education. Widely considered a spokesman for his people, he emphasized social concern in three books as well as his autobiography.
Ishmael Reed is one of America's most renowned African-American writers. He is the author of plays, poetry and novels, including Japanese by Spring. He lives in Oakland, California.