Frederick Douglass
Acclaimed author and editor Tonya Bolden will discuss the making of her book Facing Frederick: The Life of Frederick Douglass, A Monumental American Man, an in-depth look at a multifaceted, complicated, and, at times, controversial figure – someone whose life is all too often seen in very narrow terms today. During his lifetime, however, contemporaries understood just how monumental Douglass was. After his death Norfolk, Virginia’s The Recorder stated, “He was the grandest man of African descent this century has seen.” Providence, Rhode Island’s Sun declared, “We do not expect to see another Douglass.”
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Native New Yorker Tonya Bolden, a magna cum laude baccalaureate of Princeton University with a master’s degree from Columbia University, is a critically acclaimed award-winning author/co-author/editor of more than forty books. And history is her passion. Bolden’s books include Maritcha: A Nineteenth-Century American Girl; Pathfinders: The Journeys of 16 Extraordinary Black Souls, and Facing Frederick: The Life of Frederick Douglass, A Monumental American Man. “Bolden’s beautiful, sophisticated narrative demonstrates that throughout all of his responsibilities, Douglass never lost sight of his biggest role—humanitarian,” said Booklist in a starred review of Facing Frederick, a Kirkus, School Library Journal, and Washington Post Best Book. Bolden’s awards include a Coretta Scott King Honor, the Cleveland Public Library’s Sugarman Award, and the Children’s Book Guild of Washington, DC’s Nonfiction Award.
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