Up from Slavery by Booker T. Washington

Up from Slavery by Booker T. Washington, as read by Noah Waterman | 2012; originally published 1900 – 1901 | Blackstone Audio | Audiobook $18

First released as a serialized work through a Christian newspaper in 1900, Up from Slavery is the autobiography of the respected late 19th century African-American leader Booker T. Washington. The book describes his experiences as a child born into slavery on a Virginia farm, his struggle to obtain an education at the Hampton Institute, to his rise to prominence in American politics and the African-American community as a political leader and founder of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. In non-confrontational terms, Washington calls for Black self-reliance as a means to advance in American society. His educational philosophy as outlined in the book stresses combining academic subjects with learning a trade.

First, to be absolutely clear, those 3 stars reflect my reaction to this particular book — not my opinion on Booker T. Washington’s character or his work. The author led a remarkable life and accomplished absolutely amazing things in an era when trying accomplish anything at all could be a dangerous proposition for someone who was Black.

The parts of this book that focus on the author’s personal history and the historical events surrounding the founding of his school in Tuskegee are fascinating and well-described. I was particularly moved by his dedication to first his own education — the man walked hundreds of miles from rural West Virginia to go to school in a city on the coast of Virginia! — and later to the education of his students.

Booker T. Washington was dedicated to the idea of a kind of wholistic education, in which students received occupational training in topics like agriculture and mechanics as well as formal book learnin’. Impressively, the earliest brick buildings of the Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) were built by the students themselves. I sometimes wonder if society could be improved by offering more opportunities to study “non-academic” topics in school, as well as treating occupational classes with the same level of respect as lectures about literature or algebra.

That said, roughly half the book is more philosophical in nature. This, at its best, offers some truly gourmet food for thought — but at its worst, this verges on pompous windbaggery. He goes on at length about speeches he made, speeches other people made, and how he thinks speeches should be made. He also spends quite a bit of time describing his interactions with prominent people and his fundraising efforts with various donors. Many of his points are repeated again and again and again, somewhat losing their punch in the repetition.

I listened to this audiobook while driving to and from work. I was sometimes so fascinated that my entire commute passed by in a blink… but I was almost as often so bored that I lost track of the story or just switched to the radio. The whole thing could have been much more thoroughly edited.

Ultimately, I’m glad I read it and got the chance to learn a bit more about this remarkable person as well as the history of our country. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about the story of race relations in Jim Crow America, with the caveat that it is just as much of a manifesto as it is an autobiography.

Links:

• “Up from Slavery” entry in the online Encyclopedia of Alabama
• Profile from Tuskegee University
• National Park Service’s online exhibit on Booker T. Washington

Publication information: Washington, Booker T. Up from slavery. New York, NY: Blackstone Audio, 2012. Audiobook.
Source: Public library, via Hoopla.
Disclaimer: I am not compensated, monetarily or otherwise, for reviews of books or other products.