Frederick Douglass

Morrison debuts with a well-rounded portrait of abolitionist Frederick Douglass (1818–1895) that focuses on his early life in slavery and the support he received from his wife upon entering the national stage. Morrison opens at an 1844 abolitionist gathering in Massachusetts, where Douglass is challenged by an audience member who doubts he had ever been a slave. In response, Douglass removes his shirt to display the scars inflicted on him while in bondage. Morrison then rewinds to 1836, when Douglass, then known as Frederick Bailey, is enslaved in Baltimore and falls for a free Black woman named Anna Murray. After Anna helps him escape two years later, he educates himself and becomes vocal in the antislavery movement. Morrison is especially good at giving a voice to Anna, who was illiterate and left no journals or letters to draw on, but is depicted here as inquisitive and quick-witted (“Oh, don’t worry, Mr. Bailey, since we are not courting, you haven’t damaged your chances with me”). Readers will also see another side of the venerated abolitionist, whose infidelities include an affair with a white German translator. Historical fiction fans will be gratified. Agent: Steve Scholl, WaterStone Agency. (June)